Blue Notes from a Red Zone

Democratic Values

For years, the Republican Party has pounded Democrats for an alleged inability to come up with clear and cogent guiding principles by which to govern a country. The more disastrous the results of governmental implementation of Republican core beliefs, the louder sounds the gong of "at least we believe in something."

A lot of this comes from people who are intentionally "politically tone deaf," because there are a lot of Democrats who are extremely eloquent about what they stand for and why. But now that catastrophe by Republican administration looms large everywhere, the "mainstream media" has been taking up the cry in op-ed columns and Sunday talk shows on a daily basis. Why this should lend legitimacy to the idea of Democratic incoherency is beyond me, because this is the very same media that was too lazy to deconstruct administration lies about Iraq, the deficit, Social Security, and the nation's preparedness in case of terrorist attack or natural disaster, but there it is.

So for those who want a simple clarification of Democratic values, one that makes for a great sound bite (especially because we hear it as part of everyday life), here it is: "and liberty and justice for all."

How clean is that? And how clear and compelling and accurate? Almost every Democratic value falls under one of those two phrases, and resonates in a way that it simply cannot for the Republican Party.

First there is the word, "liberty." The Republicans proclaim we are spreading liberty throughout the world. This is a highly debatable point, but even were it to be true, it doesn't excuse the fact that we are slamming the door on liberty at home. For some reason, the Bush administration seems to think that freedom is a finite asset, and some people must lose it in order for others to gain it. This is the same kind of logic that assumes that a parent of two children must necessarily love each child less than had he or she just had one child. It's an idiotic assumption.

But, idiotic or not, it is the governing wisdom. We have Homeland Security agents literally peaking over the shoulders of library customers in Falls Church, Virginia, to see whether or not customers are viewing sexually objectionable websites (as opposed to websites that provide instructions on building a bomb). The Attorney General of Kansas has issued an order to all health care providers and social workers that any hints of teen-age sex must be reported to his office, whether the sexual activity took place between two consenting teens or not. We have authorized domestic surveillance operations to intercept millions of phone conversations, using algorithms even their designers do not understand. The Patriot Act has allowed unfathomable accumulation of data on every American citizen, which remains unfathomable because we have no legal right to find out what records are being requested, by whom or why. The federal government emphasis on faith-based initiatives, which has channeled millions of dollars into the hands of Pat Robertson, has given evangelical Christian organizations an enormous advantage over other faiths, and erodes our freedom from a state-sponsored religion.

The Republican Party has dismissed concerns over civil liberties as being "part of the pre-9/11 mindset." But they have not produced a shred of evidence that trampling freedom underfoot has done anything but extend the reach of government. The corollary to this reasoning is that it doesn't matter if the government investigates everyone, as only people with something to hide need fear it. I personally have nothing to hide, but I was alarmed nonetheless when told that all my financial records were being turned over to the government under the Patriot Act. How I spend my money and what charitable causes I support may have some relevance to IRS, but none to Homeland Security, and the broad sweep of this informational data gathering and subsequent data mining is antithetical to a free society.

The Democratic Party remains committed to the idea of a society where freedom of thought, expression, religion, right of assembly and to conduct free commerce is the heart of our republic, and any contraction of those rights must be strongly opposed.

The second part of the pledge, "and justice for all," strikes at my heart specifically. Everywhere I turn I see uncounted examples of injustice, people whose rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have been wholly compromised. I see children growing up in poverty, often targets of sexual and physical abuse, forced to bear children before they themselves have had a chance of childhood. I see victims of rape, raped again by our alleged system of justice, which holds the victim guilty until proven innocent. I see corporations encouraged to run roughshod over employees, consumers, the environment, and small businesses. I see individuals who are marginalized because of race, religion (try saying you are a pagan out loud), and/or place of birth. I see thousands of young, impoverished black men spending the majority of their adulthood in jails, having committed offenses no worse and often of lesser nature than their young white, richer counterparts, who are excused under the axiom, "boys will be boys."

For the Republican party, justice is punitive, and confined to law enforcement. For the Democrats, justice is a broad concept, encompassing the ideals of fair play, a society where rank is based on merit rather than birth, and in which everyone has a honest opportunity to live to his or her maximal potential.

It's time to worry less about freedom and justice in cultures we do not understand, and worry a great deal more about it at home. If we practice our ideals, at home and at abroad, we might find freedom spreading a whole lot faster world-wide.

posted by Lenore Wilson @ 3:30 PM