Here are short excerpts from two articles, the first from American Thinker by Fran Solomita:
[A]ren’t us liberals supposed to be “nice” and sensitive… and open? I mean, if the basic meaning of the word liberal is to “advocate the freedom of the individual,” why then is there such hell to pay for those who don’t agree with the Left’s political or social views?
Why the defensiveness? Why the arrogance? Why the hostility? I think it’s fear; the fear of one day realizing that we may just be wrong, and have been wrong all along. But because we’ve been entrenched in the culture for so long with this way of thinking, we can’t simply admit we’re wrong – we’re just way too far down the road to turn back now. So instead of listen, absorb, and respect a contrary opinion, we resort to demeaning character or intellect, and attempt to intimidate. Feeling over facts.
So, who wouldn’t be hesitant or scared? I would be. I was. But a few years ago I did it. I decided to turn around and head back up the road and look at things from the other side. And after much rumination, research, and listening, I began to rethink my positions, and it became abundantly clear to me that I am a conservative. Not a criminal or a hater or even a telemarketer, no, just someone who doesn’t agree with the ideology, and won’t fall victim to emotional manipulation and hypocrisy of the Left any longer.
It’s not a long post and it can be read in full here.
Next, Genevieve Wood has a piece up over at the Daily Signal titled, “How the ‘Right to Love’ Is Creating Hate,” and she opens it with this George Washington quote from 1775:
While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case they are answerable.
Here is her close:
When the founders were at a crossroads between Madison’s view and the Puritans’ desire for total conformity at the expense of liberty, they chose to respect individual conscience. This choice has drawn oppressed peoples to our shores and held our country together for more than two centuries.
If the “right to love” movement continues to hate and punish their fellow citizens for following their consciences, they will tear this country apart. Will our highest court preserve freedom of conscience or force the new dissenters to self-censor or suffer the consequences? Our unity depends on it.
Read Wood’s entire article here.
Image credit: www.dailydestructo.com.