As I was returning home I recently, I overheard two preschoolers arguing. Their young voices were sharp and shrill in the crisp winter air. The smaller of the two adversaries, the dirt on his round face streaked by tears, hurled darts of insults at his tormentor. With as much vehemence as his innocence could muster, he snarled, "You dirty liberal!" The term was thrown with conviction, as if the very weight of it would crush his foe. I paused and wondered, when did liberal become a four-letter word? In this age of electronic media and the World Wide Web, anyone can converse with people from all over the world.With this in mind, I logged onto the Internet

Liberals believe in maintaining the maximum degree of individual freedom possible.

and posed the question, "How do you define the word liberal?" My question was aimed at the pundits who post remarks, complaining about the liberal media. Their responses are good definitions of what a liberal isn't.

A liberal isn't, as I was informed, someone who wants to spend other people's money, nor is a liberal someone who wants to tax everyone into equal poverty. Not all liberals are atheists. Liberals do not believe that big government can run its citizens' lives better than the

individual. Liberals have no desire to force their viewpoints on others. Liberals are neither Marxists nor Socialists. No liberals whom I know want to kill babies. I have never met a liberal who hopes to create an Orwellian, big-brother type society. Although I have liberal friends who are homosexual, it is not the goal of liberals to recruit heterosexual youth into a gay lifestyle. Yet these are representative of the definitions that I was given, in response to my request for enlightenment. If those are things which a liberal isn't, then what is it that a liberal is?

One of the definitions of the noun liberal given by Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary is: "1. one who advocates greater freedom of thought or action; one who has liberal principles." Some of the definitions which are given for the adjective are: " . . 5. not narrow or bigoted; broad-minded. 6. of democratic or republican forms of government, as distinguished from monarchies, aristocracies etc. 7. favoring reform or progress, as in religion, education, etc.; specifically, favoring political reforms tending toward democracy end persona! freedom for the individual; progressive...."After looking up the definition given in the dictionary, one lady with whom I was communicating said, "But that's not the definition of a liberal; that's a definition of me!"

Liberalism, as a political movement, began the period of the Reformation and French Revolution. Liberals favored the rights of the individual. They denied the prerogatives of the church and aristocracy. At the heart of liberal thought was the belief that men, as reasoning creatures, could examine all aspects of their lives in a rational manner. By systematic methods, they could improve their condition both individually and as a society as a whole. Early writers of liberal doctrine, such as the Englishman John Locke, had a profound influence on Thomas Jefferson and other creators of our Constitution. Many of the ideas framed by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence derive directly from early liberalism, such as the idea that all men have certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is in these words that the true understanding of the word liberal lies. Liberals believe in maintaining the maximum degree of individual freedom possible.

Early liberal thought favored pure capitalism. Preferring the free marketplace as the sole determinant of the economy, liberals opposed any intervention or direction by the state. Reacting to excesses of the French Revolution, in the 19th century, liberals began to link individual freedoms with obligations to society as a whole. Abstract ideas of total individualism began to give way to the realization that personal freedoms are maintained through concern for the community. The belief that individuals can do whatever they wish with their property, as long as it does not harm anyone else, is central to the concept of capitalism. As the world of the 20th century became more complex with multinational corporations and global markets, the ability of the individual to compete or protect his or her rights became more limited. Some of the methods used to increase fortunes were very harmful to others and our environment. Liberal thought began to support the idea that government could best protect individual freedom and dignity through limited intervention in the economy. It is the degree and methods of intervention that are now at the center of liberal debate.

Because liberals believe that the measure of the greatness of a nation is reflected in how much concern it shows for the well-being of its people, one of the most strongly debated subjects is the Welfare State. In what is broadly grouped under the heading of welfare, liberals believe that we are obligated to help those who are the less fortunate. Those who benefit most from the wealth of our great nation have the greatest debt to society. It is true that "No man is an island." We should each give back in the degree to which we have received. Even though we cannot and should not guarantee the success or happiness of every citizen, we can and should guarantee that no one is denied a fair chance to try. We can and should guarantee that no one is denied the minimum necessities for life.

In the area of religion and personal conduct, we see perhaps the most difference between what is considered to be liberal or conservative thought. Liberals believe in the right of individuals to follow any doctrine that they wish. This includes the right to engage in any type of activity or lifestyle, as long as it does no harm to others nor infringes on their rights. Liberals believe that individual morality cannot and should not be determined by the state or society at large. Liberals believe that if there are universal truths, it is up to each person to discover them.

I am proud to call myself a liberal. As I understand the term, there is little else that you could say about me that I would consider a higher compliment. No, liberal is not a four letter word. There are seven letters in liberal. For me they mean L-liberty, I-individuality, B-brotherhood, E-equality, R-religious freedom, A-acceptance, L-love.

Richard C. Knocke is an ax-Marine, a student at P ma Community College in Tucson, Arizona, and a freelance writer