Welcome

Welcome to Founded on Dissent.

My name is SBG. I write another blog called Stick and Ball Guy (hence the moniker SBG), which concentrates primarily on Minnesota pro sports teams and other topics of a personal nature. Most likely, you already know that, because I've directed you here from that site.

I have started this site because I want to talk about political ideas. I want to express my ideas in a forum that allows people to discuss them. I was a founding blogger of Four Hoarsemen, but I have dropped out of that blog because of what I consider to be the insulting nature of the posting there. I don't intend to call people names or demonize those who do not believe what I believe. This is, after all, the United States of America, the great melting pot. The great democratic experiment. I believe in engaging those that do not believe the same as me. I believe in the strength of my ideas.

I believe that the Great Strength of this country is the collection of Civil Liberties afforded to the citizens and residents of this country. Among those Liberties are the Freedom of Speech, the Freedom of Religion, and the Freedom from Religion. These liberties are at odds with the aims of those who would control the government. That is the truly ingenious idea of the Bill of Rights. The government of the United States of America has institutionalized Rights that have given the people of this country protection from tyrannous governmental figures.

I am a liberal. I believe in liberal philosophies. Ronald Reagan demonized the word liberal and for 20 years people have run away from that term. I do not. I am a liberal in the classic sense. Let me give you a definition. From wikipedia:

Liberalism is an ideology, or current of political thought, which strives to maximize liberty. Liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on the power of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a free market economy that supports private enterprise, and a system of government that is transparent, a liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have by law equal rights and an equal opportunity.

Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions which dominated most earlier theories of government, such as the divine right of kings, hereditary status, and established religion. Fundamental human rights that all liberals support include the right to life, liberty, and property.

The bedrock of liberal political thought, in my opinion, are the ideas that government is limited in its power and the civil liberties of people are protected. The liberal ideal is opposed to totalitarianism and seeks to protect against it. It encourages freedom of thought and fosters a healthy distrust of government.

In short, liberal thought seeks a government Of the People, By the People, and For the People.

In this blog, I intend to focus on policies of governance. There are a lot of people who write tremendous blogs focused on political tactics. The biggest of course is Daily Kos. I am a regular reader of that site and I post as mndemguy. Markos Mousalitas, the founder of Daily Kos, wrote recently that his blog is focused primarliy on tactics rather than policy, but recognized the need for policy discussions. I hope to provide a small piece of the policy discussions required to advance the cause.

I am not a political scientist, so in one sense, it could be argued that I have no educational background that qualifies me to discuss such topics knowledgeably. However, I am a lawyer, and thus I have at least studied Constitutional Law in Law School. Some might say that this doesn't qualify me, either. I'll remind those who feel that way that this site is free.

I am glad that you've stopped by. I am excited to write about the issues of the day, from the perspective of a liberal who believes in the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice for all. I hope to write one or two new articles a week. I'll also link to articles that I find to be pertinent. Stop by once a day or so to see if there is anything new.

I leave you with this exchange from two senators recently.

Sen. John Cornyn: "None of your civil liberties matter much after you're dead."
Sen. Russ Feingold: "Give me liberty or give me death."

This is a country Founded on Dissent.