heroes , heroines and the good and great

[wesw]

who do you put on a pedestal?

here s my list.

George Washington-turned down power, fought thru certain defeat to attain lasting victory

franklin- opened the mind of the world

Gandhi-suffered for his people and achieved victory thru peace

dr king- see Gandhi

mandela-see Gandhi-could have had every white man in south Africa killed with a snap of his fingers, but did not.

Churchill-saved the world from hitler-not bad for an aristocrat....

Gorbachev-prevented massive civil war and loss of life thru inaction. thanks.

brooks robinson-23 seasons of loyalty and 1 yr contracts without the middleman (agent)

Patrick henry- just for good measure

harriet tubman-shout out to the local girl...

....there s my top ten. probably not accurate, and probably subject to ridicule..., but something to think about....

[MajGenl.Meade]

Jane Austen
Grace Darling
Florence Nightingale
Emily Hobhouse
Mary Livermore
Clara Barton
Emma Edmonds
And if I must have one from the last century, Ella Fitzgerald

[wesw]

what, no Momma T?

thanks meade, I felt bad about not having many women in my list.

they are certainly deserving.

[Guinevere]

Abigail Adams
Amelia Earhart
John Adams
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Harriet Tubman
Rosa Parks
Dr. King
Joanie Benoit
Martina Navratilova
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

[MajGenl.Meade]

Ha! I skipped Abigail Adams so you could have her. Martina's a good one; I should have thought of her. Great tennis player and terrific rivalry/friendship with Chrissie. That 30/30 on them was so good

[Guinevere]

Abigail Adams has been my heroine since I was a little girl - I kid you not. You can thank her for my feminist brain....

[Big RR]

So far the only person I would dispute is the author of the alien and sedition acts, John Adams. He always struck me as the first thin-skinned despot, and a model for those who came later.

[Guinevere]

No No No, he's the author of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights -- the model for our Constitution. And also the lawyer who understood how important it was to provide a defense for the Boston "Massacre" soldiers. Not to mention the guiding hand behind the actual vote on and declaration of Independancy, and the guide Jefferson leaned upon while writing the document.

I could go on and on. Every hero has an achilles heel, later in life his was vanity and he was egged on by that varlot Hamilton into signing (I don't think he was the author) of the Alien & Sedition Acts.

[wesw]

ok. top 12

jim Thorpe

mother teresa

[wesw]

baker s dozen....

tecumseh

[MajGenl.Meade]

Abigail Adams has been my heroine since I was a little girl - I kid you not. You can thank her for my feminist brain....

I knew that.... it's odd the things one does remember, at times. I mean, vs. all the things forgotten.

[Sue U]

Here are 10 of mine, in no particular order, and subject to change without notice, as there are so many:

W.A. Mozart
William Shakespeare
Cyrus II ("the Great")
Tom Jefferson/James & Dolley Madison
Dorothy Day
Alice Paul
Golda Meir
Bob Marley
Rigoberta Menchu
Marcel Duchamp

[dales]

My mum and dad.

[wesw]

awwww....

[rubato]

George Catlett Marshall
Niels Bohr
FDR
Lincoln
Louis Armstrong
Benjamin Franklin
Bertrand Russell
Margaret Sanger
Norman Borlaug
Jimmy Carter

also:

RBG!
Marie Curie
MLK
John Steinbeck
Jane Addams
My Grandfather
Stanley Prusiner
Linus Pauling
Chagall
JMW Turner

[Guinevere]

How in heavens name could I leave out Bruce. I adore Wolfie, but I don't think of him as a hero.

Also adding John McPhee, a quiet hero, who makes simple straightforward sentences sing.

[Sue U]

I adore Wolfie, but I don't think of him as a hero.

WTF?????? The man wrote tunes that have been smash hits for 200 years!!!!! Even his dreck is great (I'm looking at you, Li'l Nachtmusik!)!

[Big RR]

Sue--I'm a big admirer of Mozart as well.

Guin--re Adams, I do think the man did some very admirable things, but his fit when president set the precedents for imperial presidencies to come, and also showed future presidents what they could do with the Bill of Rights. It might have been based in mere vanity, but the idiocy of those acts has been far reaching. Quite a legacy for a petulant fit of vanity. As for Hamilton, he's in a class by himself; Burr almost makes the Heroes list for being a good shot.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Bill Wilson and Dr Bob.

[wesw]

Obama could have made my list.....

I wish that he had.....