Letters
Editors: In the Fall 2004 issue of Dissent, Michael Walzer ("Editor's Page") followed an increasingly typical line of defense from left-wing thinkers in response to the possibility that...
...The task for Democrats is to find a language that will both energize their base and appeal to swing voters...
...Fine...
...A LEGACY OF IDEAS A bequest of any size can be of lasting benefit to Dissent and help ensure that the ideas and beliefs you hold dear will continue to have a public forum...
...10025, and we will extend your subscription one issue...
...When a senator votes against a late-term abortion ban that fails to make exceptions for the mother's life, she may be voting "antifamily" according to Jerry Falwell, but the Democrats need to stress that she is voting "pro-people...
...10025 (212) 316-3120...
...Editors: In the Fall 2004 issue of Dissent, Michael Walzer ("Editor's Page") followed an increasingly typical line of defense from left-wing thinkers in response to the possibility that President Bush's reelection was based on "family values...
...I bequeath percent of my estate to the Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas...
...But let us not decide therefore that the vast majority of Americans who support some sort of civil rights for gay couples have no values...
...For more specifics on this or other information on gift planning, feel free to phone or write Dissent, 310 Riverside Drive #1201, New York, N.Y...
...In the future, they should not redefine themselves, but rather define themselves in their own terms...
...Fighting over who has the best "family values" fails to address this problem, and, in fact, it reinforces the image of Democrats' failing to create a message of their own...
...ANTI ALPERT AND ZACH LUCK New York, N.Y...
...The Fall 2004 issue is out of print...
...Similarly, any legislator who votes to start taking rights away from Americans based on their sexual orientation may be voting "pro-family," but he is also voting "anti-people...
...Our legal name is the Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas...
...What the Democrats need at this point is not soul-searching...
...they need to do some wordsearching...
...While this is all very true, it does not speak to the heart of the problem...
...We ask you to consider one of the following options: 1. You can leave a specific amount or a particular asset...
...Family values" is a term whose meaning has been co-opted by a minority of religious fanatics...
...3. You can leave the remainder of your estate...
...Walzer argued that things like welfare, education, and an affordable health system are "family values," while illegal wars, lies, and class warfare on behalf of the wealthy are not...
...I bequeath to the Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas...
...Rather, let us say that they have the "human values" that the founders of this country expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights We look to this tradition of valuing equal opportunity, liberty, and justice for all in our desire to see the Democratic Party firmly set forth the clear vision of what America can be that we so desperately need...
...For starters, the Democrats need to stop fighting this game of Republican discourse...
...If you can part with it, please mail to Dissent, 310 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y...
...DISSENT / Winter 2005 n I27...
...After distributing the specific bequests listed above Ito others in your will), I leave the remainder of my estate to the Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas...
...Let them have it...
...2. You can leave a specific percentage of your estate...
...Many swing voters, for whatever reason, have been convinced that Democrats do not have a "clear vision" for the future rooted in "American values...
...Instead of claiming that we are actually the ones with family values, we need to start speaking about "human values...
Vol. 52 • January 2005 • No. 1
