"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead [US anthropologist & popularizer of anthropology (1901 - 1978)]
WHY A CARD?
In recent times, the word 'liberal' has been forced into disrepute because of a dishonest attempt to place it only in a political context. The purpose of Card Carrying Liberal (CCL) is to protect the ideals of liberalism. CCL is not a political entity. It's objective is to support the liberties, freedoms and human rights that liberal societies helped to establish. Imagine our world without a Bill of Rights, free speech, secular government, the end of slavery, trial by jury, child labor laws, public education, women's right to vote, social security, Medicare, the Peace Corps, civil rights, fair economic trade, marriage equality, fair labor standards, and stem cell research. These are but a few accomplishments which can be attributed to liberal ideals. Would you be willing to lose any one of these? If not, then you are a liberal. If you are accused of being a "Card Carrying Liberal," you can present your card and declare, "Yes, I am a Card Carrying Liberal and here's my card. Now let me tell you why." Printed on the card is the definition of liberal, several famous liberals and a list of liberal accomplishments.
WHAT IS A LIBERAL?
While the word liberal is often used to describe political parties, politicians, or ideological beliefs, being liberal is not necessarily political. Sometimes Republicans are liberal. Democrats can be conservative. Where liberals tend to be progressive and open-minded, conservatives are more often considered old-fashioned and unprogressive. Conservative is not always the opposite of liberal. So, what exactly is a liberal?
lib·er·al Latin liberalis from liber free. Broadminded: Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas of others. Archaic customs and laws hold no relevance unless those laws continue to hold empirical truth in the present.
Being liberal is also a step toward being more of a humanist:
hu-man-ist a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason. Now that we understand how small the world is, being a liberal and humanist is a quick step toward a more peaceful world.
WHO ARE THE LIBERALS?
If you believe that respecting the equal and inalienable human rights and liberties of all members of the human family is the foundation of a free, just and peaceful world, you are a liberal. Australia, Switzerland, France, England, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and many other countries are societies whose foundations are built and based on liberties established by liberal thinkers and liberal movements. Many of the world's most important leaders were Liberals: Voltaire, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Dorothy Day, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, John and Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Martin Luther King, to name only a few. This is an invitation for you to carry a card that shows your support of liberty and freedom and helps define the strengths of liberal ideals and thought. This is your opportunity to carry a card that honors those people who worked so hard for the rights and freedoms that free societies enjoy.
WHAT IS CARD CARRYING LIBERAL?
Card Carrying Liberal (CCL) is a grassroots movement that is demonstrating how a group of thoughtful individuals can organize and grow into a voice for human rights. The goal of the Card Carrying Liberal project is to spread awareness of true liberal ideals. To help affect and create change where the liberties of free society are under threat or being compromised. To help rid society of the idea that being liberal is a bad thing. To lift the distorted definitions of liberal THAT have been thrust upon liberal thought and progressive thinking.
OBJECTIVE:
Embracing or "owning" the accusation "You're a card carrying liberal" is a first and necessary step of taking power away from those who reap benefit from that negative perception. To this end, CCL will begin an international media campaign to raise its profile and will partner with several groups that embody a global humanist vision and perspective through their good work. Groups under consideration include: Innocence Project, American Civil Liberties Union.
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