<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">Courtesy of today’s (May 22, 2018) <i>Moscow-Pullman Daily News</i> with thanks to Al Poplawsky.<div><br></div><div>———————————————</div><div><br></div><div><div><h1 itemprop="headline" class="headline" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 42px; margin: 0px 100px 0px 0px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Letter: Foreman was half right</span></h1></div><div><br></div><div>This is a letter regarding Sen. Dan Foreman's recent characterization of Moscow as a "cesspool of liberalism."</div><div><br></div><div>I think he has it half right.</div><div><br></div><div>The word liberal can be traced back to the Latin word liber, which means free.</div><div><br></div><div>Our country has always cherished freedom for all, thus liberal can only have a positive connotation. Listed synonyms of liberal include enlightened, flexible, humanistic, tolerant, rational, understanding, broad-minded, reasonable, generous, unbiased and unbigoted. These are all principles that Jesus taught and are at the root of modern Christianity. I think Moscow exhibits these positive attributes, and our city leaders strive to embrace them.</div><div><br></div><div>Antonyms of liberal include narrow-minded, bigoted, reactionary, miserly, intolerant and greedy - all negative characteristics not typical of our city.</div><div><br></div><div>Thus, Mr. Foreman's description of Moscow as liberal is a very positive thing. I agree with him on this and hope to keep Moscow that way.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Mr. Foreman connected liberal with the word cesspool when describing Moscow. Cesspool is "an underground container for the storage of liquid waste and sewage," or "a disgusting or corrupt place" - a word with very negative connotations. Combining one word with very positive connotations and a second with very negative connotations makes no rational sense. The thesaurus had trouble providing antonyms to cesspool that would make sense when combined with the word liberal, except for a reference to "heights." Although Moscow is not particularly high geographically, it does exhibit heights from the social perspective since it promotes the positive liberal tendencies described above.</div><div><br></div><div>Thus, using half of Mr. Foreman's description, I suggest a more appropriate characterization of Moscow would be as a "liberal paradise." Let's all work together to keep Moscow a paradise of liberalism on the Palouse in the spirit of the definitions I have provided above - tolerant, rational, flexible, broad-minded and generous.</div><div><br></div><div>Al Poplawsky</div><div>Moscow</div></div><div><br></div><div>———————————————</div><div><br></div><div><b><i><u>CRANK IT UP</u></i></b> . . . because </div><div><br></div><div><b>“I’m a Card-Carrying, Bleeding-Heart Liberal”</b></div><div><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Im_a_Card_Carrying_Bleeding_Heart_Liberal.mp3">http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Im_a_Card_Carrying_Bleeding_Heart_Liberal.mp3</a></div><div><br><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom “Bleeding-Heart, Card-Carrying, Tree-Hugging Liberal” Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>