I consider myself a liberal aka a broadminded thinker, but not a political liberal which seems to have been twisted into something else entirely - as you have elucidated aptly in your piece. Thanks for that.

In the 60s and 70s "liberal" and "conservative" thinkers meant something different than in today's world. People that did not live from fear could easily enter into a liberal/conservative discussion and still be friends when the discussion aka disagreement ended.

I had a friend who as a "liberal" went off on a red-neck friend of mine for being too rigid in his thinking, but could not see that she was acting in the self-same way. Ironic.