Definitions -- ‘Liberal & God’

One of the tricky things about "liberal" is that it’s just such a damned attractive word. It’s nice to think of yourself as being a liberal person. “I don’t care if my neighbor’s gay” equals “Thus I’m a liberal.” Sure, why not? But there’s a tendency to extrapolate from that, and that's where the trouble begins: being a liberal person, you want to root for the team that calls itself the liberals. And you get sucked in, because “liberal,” in current American practice, means “Democrat.” And there you are, back in the world of racial quotas, love of bureaucracy and regulations, warring ideals, and dictated and policed outcomes. But lord knows you’re anything but a conservative, heaven forbid…

Mighty illiberal of liberals

You don't need me to tell you to read The Onion, but one bit in today's issue might fly under your radar and is worth catching. A.V. Club interview series is asking a wide range of celebrities, Is There a God? The answers range from the dismissive and the trite to the droll and unexpectedly sincere. My favorite answer, unsurprisingly irreverent, is from Berke Breathed:

Well, I bloody well hope so. Like Ricky Ricardo used to yell, 'Luuuucy... You got some 'splainin' to dooooooo.' I'd start with Hitler surviving the childhood flu in 1902. I'd end with mosquitoes and rap music. What's the plan, fer Chrissake? No offense.