Wow, I am a radical liberal.

After a recent letter to the editor branding a number of opinion writers, including myself, as radical liberals, I thought I would sit down and ponder long and hard to get a clearer perspective of who I really am.

My first job was to look at a definition of liberal. What I found was a simple statement that said, "tolerant of views differing from one's own." That doesn't sound too bad. Shouldn't we all be tolerant of others' beliefs? Or are we supposed to be gods with all the right answers?

Now, I knew this was going to be an adventure because I guess as a "radical liberal" I must be pretty unusual. "Why would you say that?" you asked. Well, I come from a fairly conservative family. I was born a Republican and will most likely die a Republican, not because I blindly follow the dictates of the party but because I really believe in a Republican agenda.

The problem in 2003 is that, at the moment, it is hard to see any difference between Democratic millionaires complaining about Republican millionaires complaining about Democratic millionaires and so on. Both sides are into that wonderful aspect of democracy called power. We have lost that time when there really was a difference between parties. The philosophy, "I have it, you don't," creates an interesting chasm between those who were supposed to serve us and the peons we have become. Oh well, you get the point and I digress.

Well, back to my liberal upbringing. My grandfather served the Republican Party as an individual who set up campaign headquarters and then became treasurer of the Republican National Committee. Maybe that was because he grew up with Calvin Coolidge, a fairly conservative guy. What a base for my radical liberalism. Then my parents instilled in me the importance of working for what you got and being proud, but not too proud, of your achievements. They didn't picket or protest anything. My dad served four years mostly behind enemy lines in World War II and my mother, who was trained as an operatic singer and then as a magazine editor, certainly didn't instill in me any radical nuances.

Well, maybe they did. They led me to believe no matter who you were, you deserved respect. Their counsel was to give ample credit to those who obtained more and learned more, but never to forget that everyone is equal as a human. No matter what job you have, no matter what level of your education, no matter what car or house you own or rent, no matter what brand of clothes you wear, no one is above you or below you.

Some may have accomplished more or less than you but, in the grand perspective of humanity and human worth, we are all the same. Sorry, that might sound liberal if it wasn't a basis for civilization. It is something all should adhere to, neither a liberal nor conservative belief. So there goes my liberal upbringing.

Now I might have hit the nail on the head. The vocal conservatives, and I hate to use that term because it always raises negative connotations like "liberal" equally does, like to label everything that does not agree with their agenda as liberal.

So here are the types of opinion pieces I have written. I have expressed concern over people who do not obey laws focusing on pedestrian safety in crosswalks, the distaste I have for people who shout for rights but never concern themselves with the responsibilities that go with those rights and then a piece on the need to be close to one's parents. What unbelievable radical, liberal garbage. Laws, responsibility, parents - how could I have ever considered myself a normal, regular American? I must be a