Let Freedom Ring

When I was young, I hadn't discovered that I was a Conservative. Now, I hear things in a better way.

Some parts that stand out most to me are:

• "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"


• "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."


• "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

In my opinion, today's Liberals have wrongly claimed that they bear this torch lit decades ago. (I don't necessarily equate Republicans with Conservatives, nor Democrats with Liberals. But in large measure, the intended meaning is presented if you interchange each set of terms.)

I see Conservatism: The ideology of diversity:

Aren’t you sick of Democrats claiming forever that they are the party of diversity, and tolerance? They talk and talk, and the crusty old GOP delivers. We don’t care about the identity of the person, as long as he/she shares our values and principles. We don’t care about the gender, sexual orientation or a few unorthodox ideas in a person. All we ask is, “Is the person capable of doing the job at hand? Does he/she share a good portion of our values?”

[...]

We don’t care if these people are men or women, straight or gay. White, black or brown. They are where they are because of their principles, values and expertise. As long as you follow the basic tenets of conservatism, we don’t nitpick your position on every little thing. We don’t even mind pro-choice people, as long as a rabid pro-choice position is not the primary badge you wear.

In the context of the Republican Party being but a vehicle for advancing Conservative goals, I understand Why Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican

Today, Democrats, in pursuit of their socialist agenda, are fighting to keep blacks poor, angry and voting for Democrats. Examples of how egregiously Democrats act to keep blacks in poverty are numerous.

Conservatives seek freedom. We should keep in mind the words of Dr. King as we continue the struggle to bring freedom. I reject the Orwellian newspeak that seeks to disallow freedom of thought under the guise of diversity. It's a start, but King's words were a start too.