CURRENT EVENTS AND THE DEFINITION OF "LIBERAL"

The article below was written on 07/04/2010 but, considering the events in Arizona, it is very timely and quite surprising.  Lengthy but a good read. 

"Even as we celebrate our nation today, there is a gathering threat we need to keep in mind.  I don't want to scare anyone but an epidemic is on the way.  Let's prepare ourselves for a disease that seems to be getting worse.  The disease is "liberrhea", newly named but decades old.  Liberrhea has common forms, i.e. () manifests itself as the mindless spouting of liberal platitudes and talking points.  "Liberrhea has been almost completely wiped out here in the Deep South.  Despite occasional minor outbreaks, Doctors Limbaugh and Beck, et al, have thoroughly inoculated the populace.  (2)  "Liberrhea", however, which is seasonal and detrimental to long term political health, manifests in the constant overuse of the word "liberal" as a catch-all epithet, an oversimplified stand-in for all that is evil.  Epidemiologists predict the current wave of "liberrhea" now ramping up in Alabama will reach ridiculous proportions by November. 

Politically, the word "liberal" is meant as a synonym for corrupt, wasteful, immoral and apparently stupid.  But, despite what right-wing TV, print and radio have been repeating for decades "liberal" is actually not a synonym for those qualities any more than "conservative" is a synonym for hypocritical, ignorant, intolerant or greedy.  See the definition of "liberal" below.

The definition of "liberal" from the fourth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary defines "liberal" as:    (Oh the horror!)

Not limited to, or by, established traditional, orthodox or authoritarian attitudes, views or dogmas, free from bigotry.  Or:  In favor or proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress and tolerant of the behavior and ideas of others, broad-minded. 

Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, liberal is defined as "favoring political reforms tending toward democracy and personal freedom for the individual.  And even includes "favoring protection from arbitrary government authority" Liberalism includes favoring the rights of individuals over the power of large institutions. 

Check any dictionary.  Does "liberal" sound so awful now that you know the true meaning of the term???