Republicans

Since I have been coming here I have been impressed with how friendly this place is and how respectful of other?s views most users are. That is important since many of us are sharing very intimate details of our personal lives here. I have posted extensively of my own ?self discovery? and have gotten much support from members. Society at large, is not always so tolerant of our community.

Even though never in a million years did I think I?d be reading about Republicans on *this* forum(!), I have enjoyed AngryPostman?s writings and also Tracy?s. I originally come from a ?Conservative Republican? family and by an early age had read Ayn Rand, von Mises, Milton Friedman, Hayek, and others. When I graduated from high-school, my parents gave me a subscription to ?The American Spectator? and the book ?Modern Times? by Paul Johnson. As I got older and went on through higher-ed towards my doctorate, I became more ?progressive? in my views and found the Republican party ?wanting? as far as social issues. Many might categorize me now as a ?Liberal Professor? but they would be right only to a certain extent. At my core, I still believe many of the things I learned at an early age--especially those things involving personal liberty and freedom.

Not that anyone here needs defending, but the term ?Conse Pubs? clearly was intended to be dismissive of conservative views. It is not generally accepted like the abbreviation ?RBI.? Nor is it neutral. I can, for example, find much to fault within the current Republican party, but I support one?s right to post their views without being subjected to demeaning and stereotypical ?labels.? We reject stereotypes and labeling as a community--why tolerate it here?