Here are a few rare words for liberalism. Liberals honor personal liberty; conservatives distrust personal liberty, except for themselves. History doesn’t record incidents where liberals burned heretics, hung witches, or stoned prostitutes. Liberals care little whether or not people drink alcohol, gamble, dance, buy liquor on Sunday, use roses or cash to buy love, watch porn, play with sex toys, have abortions, abstain from or indulge in sex, have multiple lovers, stay married or unmarried, smoke pot, enter or leave the country undocumented, spurn religion, or burn the flag. Conservatives say ‘no’ to all; in fact, ‘no’ is the most overused word in a conservative’s vocabulary.

This selfish tendency to dictate, muzzle, and suppress-so strongly embodied by modern conservative thought, has to be of recent origin and well after the invention of religion. Before agricultural settlements, our nomadic scavenger-hunter ancestors living in small family-clans had to depend upon each other to survive. Effective cooperation stems from feeling that collective effort is in everyone’s best interest. Systemic fairness, however designed, had to function; this left little room for tyrannical suppression.

I’m not arguing our ancestors were do-good liberals; there was simply little room for conservatism. I would guess our ancestors did about anything they wished, except to behave so badly as to get kicked out of the group. Problem after problem would have cropped up around every twist and turn. Flexibility, not conservatism, was critical for survival. Without progressive liberalism, we still would be chipping stone tools.

J.T. WYATT/Spur

Comments (41)

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.

Mr. Wyatt

Submitted by Obviousman on August 19, 2012 - 12:36am.

I agree with you 100%. Well stated!

can't wait for the knuckle-draggers'

Submitted by rettch on August 19, 2012 - 2:49am.

response to this one!

Balderdash!

Submitted by Bert on August 19, 2012 - 6:38am.

Balderdash indeed

Submitted by Marcus Aemelius... on August 19, 2012 - 9:27am.

"Liberals honor personal liberty; conservatives distrust personal liberty"

The above statement will undoubtedly be the biggest outright, contemptible lie told today.

This letter explains a lot but leaves more questions

Submitted by Truthpaste on August 19, 2012 - 9:41am.

I'm sure your expertise in the field of defining political idology has been finely honed by living in Spur, Texas - the Mecca of U.S. political studies.

The conservative psyche suddenly became clear to me when I read your letter. At first, I was a little confused on how the use of prostitutes, pot, sex toys and porn were involved in the bigger picture. After I realized where you're from, I just attributed it to being one of the side affects you suffer for living so remote and having very little to challenge your intellectually superior mind.

You summed it up, liberals are the good in life and conservatives are the evil. Conservatives are suppressive and liberals are here to build the human spirit. The condescending tone in your letter towards anything not liberal attests to that.

I'm curious though, how do you explain how Nancy Pelosi exists politically? By the kum-ba-yah picture you paint, liberals like her don't act with the hatred she has.

Not a fan

Submitted by BlameTTU on August 19, 2012 - 9:54am.

I'm not a fan of the Republican Party.

Common sense....

Submitted by Dr Bill.R.King on August 19, 2012 - 10:08am.

The extremes of both sides produce dangerous ideas and the end result is similar, they take other peoples money and invest in foolish activities (I.e food stamps and the Iraq war). Those of us in the middle will again sometime have someone to represent us. Reagan did, as did Clinton.

Common sense is amongst the least used resources in modern america.

Thought provoking letter, Mr. Wyatt.

Submitted by btxusa on August 19, 2012 - 10:34am.

I can sum it up in one sentence. Progressives mind their own personal lives while conservatives try to tell others how to live. However, progressives do want others to have the same freedoms that they have. It's government's job to make sure that can happen.

And...LOVING IT!

Submitted by Strider on August 19, 2012 - 10:45am.

"...drink alcohol, gamble, dance, buy liquor on Sunday, watch porn, play with sex toys, indulge in sex, have multiple lovers, smoke pot, spurn religion, & burn the flag."

Hmmm...sounds like a typical weekend at the Strider compound.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Here we go again!

Submitted by Americanfirst on August 19, 2012 - 10:55am.

Just as I think I have heard it all about the wonderful free thinking liberals someone comes up with some more BS.

Americanfirst

Submitted by BlameTTU on August 19, 2012 - 10:58am.

I don't agree with most of your statements made on this site.

BlameTTU

Submitted by Marcus Aemelius... on August 19, 2012 - 11:43am.

That's all right, because I don't agree with ANY of your statements on this site. Anyone who actually thinks the liberals are in favor of personal liberty and the conservatives against it has too little brainpower to be classified as HomoSapiens. That is STUPIDITY in spades.

No, btxusa,

Submitted by Marcus Aemelius... on August 19, 2012 - 11:50am.

It's government's job to stay the hell out of the way and stop squelching freedom at every opportunity. The growth of government has ALWAYS gone hand in hand with the decrease of freedom.

Why don't you move to China, if you're not getting enough government here?

Actually, Strider,

Submitted by btxusa on August 19, 2012 - 1:14pm.

Those things that you name are a matter of personal moral ethics. The freedoms that we Progressives advocate assume that individuals have the morals to handle the freedoms. I guess it's those who can't handle those freedoms who are the ones who advocate immoral behavior.

@truthpaste

Submitted by JEZBUZZ on August 19, 2012 - 1:56pm.

"I'm sure your expertise in the field of defining political idology has been finely honed by living in Spur, Texas - the Mecca of U.S. political studies."

Many contemptible statements appear in these posts, but truthpaste, but this is the worst of the name-calling, condemnatory, and judgmental responses ever posted as a response in the AJ.

Whatever happened that you have no sensibilities, no regard for what you regurgitate in writing since you have no idea about the letter-writer’s background, experience, or education?

Condemning one’s city of residence is truly an uncalled for attack when you have absolutely no idea of his circumstances.

Are you too insensitive to your fellow man’s situation, unable to reply in a civil manner, articulating your thoughts in a courteous way? Do you even possess that ability? I doubt you have the vocabulary.

Do you not comprehend your message is lost in its vitriolic, spiteful words?

Moderator, how did you allow this personal attack to be posted?

Sometimer's.

Submitted by Ming on August 19, 2012 - 3:07pm.

"I'm going to break all custom and agree with BlameTTU (just a little bit)" - MAS yesterday

"That's all right, because I don't agree with ANY of your statements on this site." - MAS to BlameTTU today

A very inconvenient condition.

truthpaste, the person who wrote this letter

Submitted by rettch on August 19, 2012 - 7:09pm.

graduated from Southwest Texas State University. He has a BS in Chemistry and biology. He has a Phd from North Texas in Chemistry and biology.. He retired from Eastern Tennessee State University, as a faculty member in Chemistry and biology.

He has worked as an ecologist for the US army.

He spends a lot of time in Spur taking care of his 98 year old mother, (who is a yellow dog democrat).

He also has a sense of humor and never thought this letter would be printed unless he said he was from Spur.

He understands the 'knuckle draggers' response....he was raised in it!!!

Also, before you disparage 'Spur', you might want to check their academic credentials with the Lubbock public schools.....

Truthpaste.......what are your academic credentials?????

AmericaFirst

Submitted by Obviousman on August 20, 2012 - 12:00am.

Yes, there are freedom thinking people who post here and enjoy their individual daily freedoms everyday.

And then there are the Fascist-Theocracy types, who preach on a daily basis they know best for everyone in pursuing their daily lives.

Which group do you belong to AmericaFirst?

Thank you, rttch

Submitted by JEZBUZZ on August 20, 2012 - 12:27am.

Dr. Wyatt's Spur location is somewhat comical - I even thought he might have older parents, a ranch, or manage an investment portfolio out of this bastion of over-churched evangelicals with far red, red right persuasion!

I thought A1st would comment on truthpaste's appalling post, maybe making a few Christian observations about how we treat our brothers. Guess when you disagree with Dr. Wyatt, basic Christian principles are no longer in play.

Oh my, so kindly phrased: "Just as I think I have heard it all about the wonderful free thinking liberals someone comes up with some more BS."

A1st, you are a hypocrite of the worst Bible-thumpin' breed, and that ain't no [filtered word]

Hmmmm?

Submitted by JEZBUZZ on August 20, 2012 - 12:31am.

A1st can write "BS" in his post, yet my use of "BS" is filtered?

Come on AJ, you can do better than that! Ever heard of the goose and the gander? You got some explainin' to do!

Obliviousman

Submitted by Americanfirst on August 20, 2012 - 8:10am.

You would not know the difference between the truth and a lie and what you call free thinking is everyone accepting your point of view and thinking like you.

It was freedom thinking liberals telling Chic-fil-A they did not want them in their cities because they had a difference of opinion about the definition of marriage.

It seems you liberals are telling everyone on a daily bases what is best for them in their daily lives or else.

I see you have come up with a new name for those you oppose which is typical for a liberal like you. Why don't you explain what a Fascist-Theocracy is since it really makes no sense except to try and stir up hate.

JEZBUZZ

Submitted by Americanfirst on August 20, 2012 - 8:22am.

You ask me several questions about Christians and Christianity and I answered them to the best of my ability and showed you proper respect doing it. Even though I knew you probably had an ulterior motive for asking them I showed you the proper courtesy in responding.

You turn around and make all sorts of insults towards me because we happen to have a difference of opinions.

They say you can know a person by the way they act and treat others.

the irony

Submitted by Saxon Violins on August 20, 2012 - 9:36am.

Let's review: truthpaste, posting on a hick-town newspaper's website, decides he can look down his nose at a letter writer... because he's from an even smaller hick-town?

If it weren't so ridiculously pathetic, it'd be funny.

"Flexibility, not

Submitted by sleepyt23 on August 20, 2012 - 10:03am.

"Flexibility, not conservatism, was critical for survival. Without progressive liberalism, we still would be chipping stone tools."

Good quote.

Sleepy123

Submitted by Americanfirst on August 20, 2012 - 10:22am.

Yes, it is a good quote if you are a liberal. Of course, it is totally untrue also.

Submitted by BlameTTU on August 20, 2012 - 10:58am.

I don't think you know what you are talking about.

lieberals

Submitted by KirkUSA on August 20, 2012 - 12:00pm.

Liberals are interested in debate only when they’re winning.

Submitted by KirkUSA on August 20, 2012 - 12:01pm.

Watching liberals react to Dan Cathy’s comments on marriage and family over the past two weeks revealed their real agenda: shut down and silence anyone who doesn’t agree with them.