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1235 South Milledge Ave.
706.208.0059
www.aromaswinebar.com
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Wine Bar
Wednesday, Feb. 22
A Wine Blending Seminar
with St. Supery Vineyards
Visit our website or call
for more information
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Tuesdays
1 /2 Off Bottle of Wine
with purchase of cheese plate
A BENEFIT FOR THE ATHENS AREA HOMELESS SHELTER
GIMME SHELTER
ROLLINS STONES S 0 N 6 S ALL NIGHT
PATTERSONHOOO
DAVE BARSE
LON A
WORKHORSES OF
THE ENTERTAINMENT/
RECREATIONAL
INDUSTRY
JACKPOT CITY
JOHN NEFF
HIGH CALIBER
nvs/c
SPONSORED BY:
A DOVETAIL
forms tafias
<9 ® S3SS FLAGPOLE
Raymond James, Inc./
Carson Advisory, Inc.
Susan Myers
Bella Salon
R.E.M.
Coffee News
J House Media
& Liken, LLP
and Milner Ball
Segrest
Land Company
Wlnthrop III
and Dorothy N<
I Kathenno
Newt and
and Katherine Downs
Carl and Sara Glickman
Athens Regional Medical Center
Athens First Bank and Trust
Sally and Dan Coo non
Peter and Maria Van Dyck
Eric K. Kraslo & Associates
Vince and Barbara Dooley
Red Electric
Musician's Warehouse
Nadine Bailey
Dr. Charles Burch
Loco's Grill & Pub
SPECIAL GUESTS
Jim Wames
Daniel and Brandi Peiken
Dianne Penny and Smith Wilson
Darrel Begnaud
Carol and Paul Kurtz
THURSDAY MARCH 2ND AT THE 40 WATT
THE CANARY IN THE MINE
One of the great fallacies in modern lore is
that liberalism stands for nothing and liberals
have no core beliefs. The right wing, from the
Pope to the President, has impugned the left by
unfairly portraying it as a valueless movement
mired in moral relativism.
This could not be further from the truth.
Indeed, the left is the backbone of freedom, the
defender of personal liberty, the guarantor of free
speech and religious worship and the nurturer of
democratic movements across the globe. Far from
believing in nothing, wherever liberal democratic
values prevail, civilizations flourish and emanci
pated people thrive.
The cornerstone of liberalism is the idea
that each person is endowed with the precious
gift of liberty and can freely choose his or her
own path—for better or worse. This is crucial
to greater enlightenment, personal growth and
ultimate fulfillment. It also offers the best op
portunity for people to realize their dreams and
achieve their spiritual promise.
gious or spiritual people. However, they diverge
with conservatives in that they believe the stron
gest faith is one that is subject to healthy skepti
cism and painstaking examination. In encourag
ing people to explore all faiths—free of guilt,
shame, coercion or fear—liberalism also offers
people the greatest number of spiritual options.
Conservatives often attack gay rights because
they know it is the mark of a free society that
abhors authoritarian control If a country treats
gay people with dignity and respect and offers
them equality, it signals that the country bases
its decisions on sound education, rationalism and
science. This inevitably leads towards success in
all spheres of life.
Countries that ostracize and penalize ho
mosexuals tend to be superstitious, rigid and
anti-intellectual. This almost uniformly leads to
poverty, war, oppression and ultimately tyranny.
A cynic might argue that the United States is
not a' gay-friendly as other countries, yet it is
the richest country in the world. True, but nearly
Liberalism encourages exploration and edu
cation. It rtveres science and celebrates the
inquisitive mind. Indeed, liberal values are often
superior to those held on the right, because they
are tenaciously subjected to rigorous examina
tion. Beliefs that are questioned and still prevail
are the ones that stand the test of time. Far from
moral relativism, liberalism searches for the ulti
mate value in which to build a moral foundation:
truth.
Right-wing movements across the globe often
seem uninterested in such truth if it contradicts
their obdurate belief systems. Reality-averse, they
are woefully unable to adjust to new understand
ings, burgeoning ideas and cultural awakenings.
Liberals believe in the power of reason, while
conservatives are often just plain reactionary.
This is why the GOP is the party of the "Southern
Strategy" and anti-gay subterfuge. Republican
power is directly related to fertilizing fear and
fomenting fanaticism.
Modern conservatives are often discomfited
by the complexities of life and demand answers
to the world's many unanswerable questions.
They arrogantly and disingenuously claim to have
absolute truth, while liberal sm boldly proclaims
that it does not have such ubiquitous powers of
understanding. Liberalism is for those who are
unafraid to fully embrace the magnificent journey
of life and tackle the great mysteries of our time.
Modern conservatives will claim that liberals
are sacrilegious for holding such beliefs. To the
contrary, liberals are often extraordinarily reli-
all of America's cities and states that are centers
of profit and creativity offer increased levels of
acceptance for homosexuals. States most hostile
to gay people are relatively backward, with lower
levels of education and income.
In essence, gay/ rights is the canary in the coal
mine for freedom and prosperity. Unfortunately,
the bird is hacking, signaling a period of in
creased oppression and a dangerous erosion of
freedom. It is up to us to rescue this nation from
the hazardous, retrograde path it is now on.
It is time we proudly stand up for what we
believe in. If we don't defend our values, our op
ponents will define them. Progressive does not
mean passive. Our compassion does not mean
that we lack passion. Our respect for other be
liefs does not signify that we don't hold strong
beliefs of our own that we are willing to fight
for. Indeed, our power comes from our ability
to adjust to reality. We are secure in our values,
yet humble enough to adapt if our viewpoints
are proven obsolete. Wherever liberal democracy
takes root, a strong and proud record of eco
nomic, moral, social and political achievement
follows.
In this midterm election year, it is the time
to defend our values and work to create a bet
ter society where all people can live in dignified
harmony and achieve the pinnacle of their social,
spiritual and human potential. In other words,
create a more liberal world.
Wayne Besen wbeseYT@aol.com
8 FLAGPOLE.COM • FEBRUARY 22.2006