What is a "Progressive"?
This was written by a fellow member of Democracy For America (DFA)
What is a "Progressive"?
I think we need to move toward agreement on a definition of the term. For me, that means agreement on certain political beliefs and objectives.I set forth below my own principal beliefs, which I think prove that I am what I claim to be - a progressive.
I have no illusions that all, or even most, of my friends will share all my convictions. I only hope this monograph may spark some useful exchanges of ideas among us.
I believe:
1. In the rule of law. Every one of us has the right to confront his accusers, to access to counsel, and to trial by jury. Every person coming under the control of US authorities, not just American citizens, is entitled to all the benefits of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. The"Patriot Act," which I think is more accurately styled "The Tyranny Act,"should be repealed in toto and re-drafted to protect the basic rights of all inhabitants. In external affairs, our government should abide by the rules of international law, including treaties to which this country is signatory, and I further support the adherence of this country to the International Criminal Court, without the reservations now being demanded by the presentBush administration.
2. In the separation of church and state, for when they are combined,whether church dominates state, or state dominates church, liberty to worship according to one's own conscience is denied. Moreover, freedom OF religion is meaningless unless it also includes freedom FROM religion.
3. In the protection of the environment for the benefit of all inhabitants, for it is the source of all life-sustaining resources; that no-one "owns" the land, but that we only hold it in trust for those who will come after us. All clear-cutting of forests, especially but not limited to old-growth stands, should be totally outlawed, and "development" of vacant land should be completely discontinued.
4. In the right of labor to organize and bargain collectively, and participate in the political process through labor unions.
5. That aggressive wars of choice are a violation of international law and are ultimately harmful to the citizens of the aggressor-state. I am one of a very small minority to disapprove of the incursion into Afghanistan, and I believe the only way to truly support our troops is to immediately begin an orderly withdrawal of all US forces from both Afghanistan and Iraq.
6. In the right of every woman to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy, even if that involves the so-called "partial-birth" procedure, and that every interference with this right breaches the separation of church and state. Because if the state can legislate its perception of God's will on this issue, then it can do so on any issue, and liberty is at an end.
7. That global population has expanded beyond the limits of the life-sustaining resources of the planet, and that in order to assure the survival of the human race, immediate steps must be taken to limit population growth, to numbers sustainable by the earth's now-diminished capacity to feed them. See # 12., and #14., below.
8. That prostitution should be decriminalized and regulated so as toprotect the health and civil rights of sex workers and their clients.
9. That the drug trade (not just marijuana) should be decriminalized, taxed, and regulated just as alcohol is now, thus saving billions in public moneys now being wasted on prisons, law-enforcement, and judicial salaries. The so-called "war on drugs" is a scam, and to the extent that it is a war, it is a war that was lost long ago.
10. That Social Security must be preserved for the benefit of the elderly, while making provision for investment of the fund so as to realize a higher return on it, following in part the model working successfully in Singapore.
11. That affirmative action is necessary in order to offset the disadvantages suffered by people of color; however I oppose "reparations"for the enslavement of colored people before the Civil War, remembering that slavery through most of history was not limited to persons of color, but millions of whites were enslaved in Greece, and in Rome, and elsewhere. I further oppose forced busing to achieve integration in the schools: freedom OF association is meaningless if it does not include the right NOT to associate with certain persons, regardless of one's personal motives in the action taken.
12. That "globalization" is not only inevitable, but desirable, to equalize the standards of living world-wide. All children, everywhere, have an inherent right to basic education, safe housing, and adequate nourishment, but I also believe that these objectives cannot be achieved without coming to grips with the reality of overpopulation. The planet, like an overloaded lifeboat, must limit the number of its inhabitants in order for the human race to survive. See #7., above, and #14., below.
13. That business must be regulated, with real protection for the rights of small equity investors against the rapacity of management. Businesses should be taxed on a graduated basis; the so-called tax havens must be abolished, and the Bush "tax give-aways" should be repealed immediately. The legal fiction that a corporation is a "person" protected by all the rights of persons under the US constitution should be discarded, and farm subsidies should be discontinued for all but real family farms, instead of the huge agribusinesses now reaping most of these benefits.
14. That the human race must start a crash-program for dealing with its energy needs in the post-petroleum age, in anticipation of the near-term exhaustion of the world's reserves of fossil fuels. See #7., and #12.,above.
15. That every free citizen has the right to keep and bear arms, for the right to life is meaningless if one is denied the means of self-defense in asociety in which the state cannot provide protection against violent crime. Any "right" is worthless if the means of enforcing it are denied, and this right is not based on the constitution, but is basic to being human. If you're born, you have the right to defend your life. See John R. Lott, Jr.,"More Guns, Less Crime," 2nd Ed., 2000
16. That there is no such thing as a "war on terror," except in the fertile and fiendish imagination of Karl Rove, and I utterly despise the cowardice of my fellow-Americans who have been taken in by this foolish lie. We have far more to fear from a government that steadily erodes our basic liberties than we have from any terrorists. They can take only our lives,and we must all die eventually anyway; our government threatens our liberties, which are more precious than our lives.
17. That this country has an obligation to move effectively to bring about peace between Israel and Palestine, with separate states having territorial integrity and secure borders.
18. That the policies of the current federal administration of deficit spending, favoritism toward the wealthy, and military adventurism abroad are policies of economic and military weakness, calculated to effect up-ward redistribution of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich, and to expose the people to unprecedented economic distress and dangers from foreign enemies. In the near future, our people must learn to live within their means, and renounce deficit spending, and re-define our military defense needs as those limited to the defense United States'territory.
What is a "Progressive"?
I think we need to move toward agreement on a definition of the term. For me, that means agreement on certain political beliefs and objectives.I set forth below my own principal beliefs, which I think prove that I am what I claim to be - a progressive.
I have no illusions that all, or even most, of my friends will share all my convictions. I only hope this monograph may spark some useful exchanges of ideas among us.
I believe:
1. In the rule of law. Every one of us has the right to confront his accusers, to access to counsel, and to trial by jury. Every person coming under the control of US authorities, not just American citizens, is entitled to all the benefits of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. The"Patriot Act," which I think is more accurately styled "The Tyranny Act,"should be repealed in toto and re-drafted to protect the basic rights of all inhabitants. In external affairs, our government should abide by the rules of international law, including treaties to which this country is signatory, and I further support the adherence of this country to the International Criminal Court, without the reservations now being demanded by the presentBush administration.
2. In the separation of church and state, for when they are combined,whether church dominates state, or state dominates church, liberty to worship according to one's own conscience is denied. Moreover, freedom OF religion is meaningless unless it also includes freedom FROM religion.
3. In the protection of the environment for the benefit of all inhabitants, for it is the source of all life-sustaining resources; that no-one "owns" the land, but that we only hold it in trust for those who will come after us. All clear-cutting of forests, especially but not limited to old-growth stands, should be totally outlawed, and "development" of vacant land should be completely discontinued.
4. In the right of labor to organize and bargain collectively, and participate in the political process through labor unions.
5. That aggressive wars of choice are a violation of international law and are ultimately harmful to the citizens of the aggressor-state. I am one of a very small minority to disapprove of the incursion into Afghanistan, and I believe the only way to truly support our troops is to immediately begin an orderly withdrawal of all US forces from both Afghanistan and Iraq.
6. In the right of every woman to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy, even if that involves the so-called "partial-birth" procedure, and that every interference with this right breaches the separation of church and state. Because if the state can legislate its perception of God's will on this issue, then it can do so on any issue, and liberty is at an end.
7. That global population has expanded beyond the limits of the life-sustaining resources of the planet, and that in order to assure the survival of the human race, immediate steps must be taken to limit population growth, to numbers sustainable by the earth's now-diminished capacity to feed them. See # 12., and #14., below.
8. That prostitution should be decriminalized and regulated so as toprotect the health and civil rights of sex workers and their clients.
9. That the drug trade (not just marijuana) should be decriminalized, taxed, and regulated just as alcohol is now, thus saving billions in public moneys now being wasted on prisons, law-enforcement, and judicial salaries. The so-called "war on drugs" is a scam, and to the extent that it is a war, it is a war that was lost long ago.
10. That Social Security must be preserved for the benefit of the elderly, while making provision for investment of the fund so as to realize a higher return on it, following in part the model working successfully in Singapore.
11. That affirmative action is necessary in order to offset the disadvantages suffered by people of color; however I oppose "reparations"for the enslavement of colored people before the Civil War, remembering that slavery through most of history was not limited to persons of color, but millions of whites were enslaved in Greece, and in Rome, and elsewhere. I further oppose forced busing to achieve integration in the schools: freedom OF association is meaningless if it does not include the right NOT to associate with certain persons, regardless of one's personal motives in the action taken.
12. That "globalization" is not only inevitable, but desirable, to equalize the standards of living world-wide. All children, everywhere, have an inherent right to basic education, safe housing, and adequate nourishment, but I also believe that these objectives cannot be achieved without coming to grips with the reality of overpopulation. The planet, like an overloaded lifeboat, must limit the number of its inhabitants in order for the human race to survive. See #7., above, and #14., below.
13. That business must be regulated, with real protection for the rights of small equity investors against the rapacity of management. Businesses should be taxed on a graduated basis; the so-called tax havens must be abolished, and the Bush "tax give-aways" should be repealed immediately. The legal fiction that a corporation is a "person" protected by all the rights of persons under the US constitution should be discarded, and farm subsidies should be discontinued for all but real family farms, instead of the huge agribusinesses now reaping most of these benefits.
14. That the human race must start a crash-program for dealing with its energy needs in the post-petroleum age, in anticipation of the near-term exhaustion of the world's reserves of fossil fuels. See #7., and #12.,above.
15. That every free citizen has the right to keep and bear arms, for the right to life is meaningless if one is denied the means of self-defense in asociety in which the state cannot provide protection against violent crime. Any "right" is worthless if the means of enforcing it are denied, and this right is not based on the constitution, but is basic to being human. If you're born, you have the right to defend your life. See John R. Lott, Jr.,"More Guns, Less Crime," 2nd Ed., 2000
16. That there is no such thing as a "war on terror," except in the fertile and fiendish imagination of Karl Rove, and I utterly despise the cowardice of my fellow-Americans who have been taken in by this foolish lie. We have far more to fear from a government that steadily erodes our basic liberties than we have from any terrorists. They can take only our lives,and we must all die eventually anyway; our government threatens our liberties, which are more precious than our lives.
17. That this country has an obligation to move effectively to bring about peace between Israel and Palestine, with separate states having territorial integrity and secure borders.
18. That the policies of the current federal administration of deficit spending, favoritism toward the wealthy, and military adventurism abroad are policies of economic and military weakness, calculated to effect up-ward redistribution of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich, and to expose the people to unprecedented economic distress and dangers from foreign enemies. In the near future, our people must learn to live within their means, and renounce deficit spending, and re-define our military defense needs as those limited to the defense United States'territory.
posted by T. Scott Brineman at 10:33 AM
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