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To: BurkesLaw
2. Liberal:
A. Before 19601900, someone who believes in individual freedom, economic freedom, and opposes discrimination.

B. Since 19701940, someone who opposes individual freedom, opposes economic freedom, and supports discrimination.

FDR was entirely unselfconsciously using "liberal" to mean its dictionary opposite in the 1930s.

The term "liberal" retained its dictionary definition outside the US, for the simple reason that the term "socialism" (which is actually government coersion to dismiss social decisions in, for example markets) was sufficiently misleading to be a successful brand name for tyranny elsewhere. Here in the U.S. not only socialism but the revamped term liberalism have failed as brand names to make tyranny acceptable.

The definition of the term could never have been inverted without the cooperation of journalism--just another example of the negative, superficial anticonservatism inherent in that genre of nonfiction entertainment . . .

4 posted on 02/16/2003 5:39:29 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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