"Conservative" has become a bad word these days, at least around this house. In fact, for years, we've seen people with bad motives fall under this label (either this or "neo-conservative").
Today, I was happy to read an article that showed some of the old kind of conservatives at work. I'm more of a moderate than anything, but this gives me comfort because the old-line true conservatives weren't a threat to my freedoms. In fact, they were very concerned about individual liberties.
Today, with this article, I got to see a brief glimpse of such people for the first time in a long time, and it's refreshing. They're politically conservative (yes, it's 365gay.com, but I think they're quite likely correct in this--New Hampshire is a pretty conservative state), but they're from the old school.
The article said, "The overwhelming majority of those who spoke were in favor of granting either civil unions or marriage to gay couples."
It quoted one resident as saying, "It seems to me if some people don't have the rights that I have in this country, then something is really wrong."
It continued, "[a]nother resident, Craig Evans, told the commissioners that in his estimation marriage was first and foremost a civil action.
"'There is a distinct difference between civil and religious marriage,' Evans said. 'In New Hampshire a marriage license is issued by a civil authority.'"
"A number of local pastors stood up and said they too supported legal recognition of gay and lesbian families.
"The only voice of dissent came from a priest, Father Curt Hanners. He called homosexuality a threat to the community."
The article was refreshing. If only more people could have such respect for their fellow citizens.
3 comments:
I agree. It would be nice to see the old school conservatives get some momentum, and take back the Republican party from the Ultra-Religious Thought Police.
Oh, Amen sistahs! God, it's been so long. I'd forgotten what they looked like.
I read an article a year ago or so that compared the many ways that Richard Nixon was actually a far more liberal president than Clinton. For me, conservatism has always been more about emphasis on personal responsibility, a belief that more government is the wrong answer for social problems, and a tendency toward isolationism in international politics. That doesn't describe any of my attitudes, but they are all intelligent and defensible positions. The current conservatives running the show are all about enforcing their idea of morality, dominating the globe through military force and establishing a corporate aristocracy.
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