..........the original "Liberals in the Hood"!!!

Not all Liberals are bad. How can we talk about the workings of Liberals without mentioning these guys? The forming of our country and its government was the ultimate act of liberalism. We tore completely away from the status quo to create a way of life where we, the people could prosper by our own doing, govern by what we thought was just, and have representation for all who chose to take part and voice. How liberal could a bunch of people get? I guess what I've been thinking about for some time now is where liberalism stops and progressive thought takes over. If we keep ourselves locked into traditional thought forever, will we not cease to grow as a people and a nation? Is our reluctance to this progressive thought rooted in religious belief of fear of the unknown? Do we fear political compromise within our own government and with other governments as being a sign of weakness? Will compromise always make us seem weak? Are we simply mad that the entire world does not fear or respect us as they once did? I often wonder if the defensive dialogue from the "far right" is not a result of some of these questions. I'm sure that many will disagree with me, as is their right to do so; but, just think about it. Does progress within a nation and among a people ever result in standards being on a sliding scale? Can we be progressive and still maintain all of our traditional standards? The political climate of the world is on a sliding scale - like it or not. I think we are moving past the days of being able to back-up ultimatums. I'm positive that many governments still fear our economic and military power. I'm also positive that with the growing power of a global economy, the outsource of our own jobs by our own companies, and our military being stretched to its limits, is causing many not to have that fear of us any longer. We can and probably will triumph in the end, but at what cost? I think triumph will also be based on opinion, rather than clear victory. Would our founding fathers be proud of what we are doing, as a nation, right now?