Y'know, I found one of the many definitions of a liberal (the small "L" variety) and here it is:
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and
tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Does this sound right? The bolded words above don't appear to be applied all that "liberally" (pun intended) during some of our political discussions. This one of course is focused on Liberal phobia, and the disconnect between the formal definition above and the on-the-ground reality of
some liberals' behaviour could be one of the root causes of this phobia. It's just a thought...
'Course, I wouldn't want to go around painting all liberals with the same brush. That type of behaviour would likely brand me as an intolerant neo-conservative, or a nazi, or something equally as frightening.
Anyone care to comment? (Not that I need to ask!)...
Edited: Here's the link to that definition...
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/liberal