This weekend we celebrate a new year. As the year closes, many talk about the highlights of 2005, making lists of the best and worst events of the past year. Some are predicting the top stories for 2006. I, on the other hand, have been thinking about my father, and his views of politics, politicians, and the political process.

My thoughts began last week when Jamie Hancock of WDOD Radio showed me an email from one of the station's listeners. As many of you know, WDOD 1310 AM is now "a liberal talk radio format.

" Some of the listners are calling it progressive radio. The change in format is controversial, so controversial that this listener sent an email to the station. The listener stated she welcomed the change in format; she enjoyed listening to the format, but she feared people were not going to call in, or advertise, because of fear of retribution from the Conservative Right. She stated that in our community advertisers on a station like WDOD 1310 AM will lose business because they are associated with "liberal radio."

I have, since reading the email, thought about what this one listener believes. It brought back thoughts of my father, our political discussions, and his view of the political world.

My father died a little over a year ago; he died a conservative Republican. However, my father always could debate me on the issues, he was proud I was a Democrat. You see, my father always taught me that poltics is a honorable calling to serve your community. Despite the corrpution of recent years, he strongly believed that most of our leaders were ethical, and that we needed ethical leaders, both Democrat and Republican, serving our communities. He taught me Republicans and Democrats must disagree on issues, but that the art of compromise is the most valuable trait any political leader possesses. Unlike most conservatives today, my father debated me on the issues; he was proud I was a Democrat, and he valued my views--he believed my views were as valuable to our community as his--this is the essence of political balance.

In recent years we, as a Nation, are now talking in terms of Blue v. Red. The conservative right is injecting religion into government, and the conservative right is actively polarizing all of us--causing a great divide in the political system. We now have people who live in fear of expressing their poltical views, or live in fear for advertising on a radio station that dares to exercise freedom of speech by airing a different perspective. If we are headed in this direction--what are we coming to? Are we becoming a society that is intolerant of diversity, intolerent of freedom of speech? If this intolerance exists, our diversity will suffer; and our greatest asset, freedom of speech, will be lost.

My father is right, we need diverse views, we need debate, and we need leaders of conviction who understand the difference for standing for principal and compromising to advance the public good. We need to stand up and be heard, we cannot live in fear of retribution for expressing our views, or advertising on stations such as WDOD AM 1310 because it has a "liberal format."

In thinking about these issues, I wanted to define the political party that would serve the needs of our community best, a politcal party the people of our community could join, without fear of retribution. I found the following definition:

The party encompassing our values is "a political party associated with ideals of the individual and stands for economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives." This party espouses a theory in "economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard c : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties."

So, if you look at this party would you think Republican? How about conservative?

In thinking about this definition, I think about my father and how we could enjoy a good debate from the Republican and Democratic views, I think about how he thought it was an honor to serve the public as a political leader. I find myself longing for a good debate where we leave as friends--as father and son...

By the way, if you think my description of the political party is Republican or Conservative...think again.

The definition is based on Webster's Dictionary's description of a liberal, and liberalism.

Based upon this definition, ask yourself---

What is wrong with being a liberal?

Stuart James
sjames139@comcast.net