There seems to be, what some might consider, a surge in anti-American sentiment posted in these forums lately. This thread is dedicated to great Americans. Please post your favorite American hero or group or organization. I’m starting with “Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility” at http://www.wpsr.org . This is a cut & paste of the group’s values and themes: In the ancient and universal tradition of the physician who promotes healing and seeks truth, members subscribe to the following values: · That life on Earth is precious, powerful and vulnerable; · That human life draws vital sustenance and coherence from the ecological and social systems in which it participates; · That the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge imposes the responsibility to protect life, not to endanger or destroy it; · That knowledge about global threats results from experience and scientific study including modeling and simulation, which inherently contain uncertainty; · That the necessary decisions based on such uncertainties must be evaluated in settings open to public review, so that the best possible approaches can be achieved; · That citizens have a right to informed participation in such decision-making processes made by both government and industry which affect their health, welfare and environment; and · That our commitment to future generations requires that problems of violence and militarism, global environmental degradation and social and economic inequities be addressed now and not be left as a toxic legacy to be solved by those who follow us. Four major themes infuse the work of PSR: 1. A commitment to democratic political processes and traditions. 2. An affirmation of the physician’s role as a teacher. 3. A belief that as physicians and teachers, as we empower our students and patients to choose healthy life-styles and caring interactions, we can also convince people and nations to choose policies which contribute to our common health and security. 4. Promotion of the physical and psychological health and well-being of humanity. As individuals and as citizens, we respect and support these tenets of our society: a tolerance for diversity, a capacity to live and let live, an insistence on fairness, and an abiding respect for individual rights. As members of the medical community committed to the promotion of global health, it is our obligation to share with all of humanity our understanding that eliminating weapons of mass destruction, preserving a sustainable environment and reducing interpersonal violence and its causes are the most realistic strategies for assuring global survival. Physicians for Social Responsibility is the US Representative to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize
General Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.) General Zinni is a voice of sanity at a time when sanity is sorely lacking in the US administration. He is Former Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command, and was responsible for U.S. forces from the Horn of Africa throughout the Middle East, to parts of the former Soviet Union. After Desert Storm, he served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commanding General of combined task force Private Comfort, a Kurdish relief effort in Turkey and Iraq. During 1992-1993, General Zinni directed the Unified Task Force Somalia during operation Continue Hope, and earlier, he was Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, Virginia. He served in Vietnam as a company commander in 1970. A graduate of Villanova University, General Zinni holds a B.A. in economics, an M.A. in international relations, and an M.A. in management and supervision. His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" and gold star in lieu of a second award, and the Purple Heart. He is a true American hero to me. A compelling recent quote of General Zinni was recently posted here by zechaeriah in sciforums.com > Life > World Events & Politics > War with Iraq debate (page 7).
Theodore Roosevelt, he of the strenuous life. When asked why he aided rebels in Panama with their independence from Colombia without consulting Congress so that he could build the Panama Canal, he replied: "Well. I suppose I could have carried it to Congress and let them debate the issue for the next 50 years. Instead, I decided to take action and let them debate me for the next 50 years."
Rick Rescorla - http://www.njvvmf.org/Ceremonies/2002/may7th/Rescorla.htm Combined the qualities of the patriot, the citizen and the soldier, and truly epitomized the sentiment expressed "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
I count myself lucky to have witnessed the leadership of <FONT COLOR=BLACK><FONT SIZE=1><FONT FACE="TIMES NEW ROMAN"><B>Ronald Reagan</B></FONT></FONT></FONT>. Lampooned by the ignorant and accused of bieng a "loose cannon" and a "cowboy" for calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire", he almost single handedly brought down that communinst government. For those of us who grew up with the threat of Soviet nuclear might it was beyond the wildest dreams to live in a post-soviet world. Ronald Reagan was the catalyst that forged the United States into the only remaining true superpower.
Emma Goldman Who here is surprised? Emma Goldman, author, activist, insurgent, attempted assassin, renunciate of political violence, and above all else a voice on behalf of common humanity and the dignity inherent in all people. Curiously, as it turns out, my daughter is named for two anarchists, one of them Emma Goldman. I had not attempted to construct this situation, and as I would find out a month after my daughter's birth, Tigger had wanted to name her "Emma" because that's the baby's name on Friends. I was pushing for another name entirely, named after nobody, that I really liked the sound of. So when Tigger suggeted "Emma Grace Claire" as our stand-by compromise name--e.g. if we couldn't agree on anything better--I seized on it with the proviso that the name be Emma Grace de Cleyre, after Emma Goldman and Voltairine de Cleyre. I actually thought Tig would object, but she seemed to like the aesthetic rhythm of the name. And so it came to be. Strangely, I think Tig secretly likes the history of the names, and frankly Emma Goldman's writings represent a powerful moment in my life, a redeeming light as I was failing out of college. It was the school's last intellectual gift to me before I packed my bags and crawled home in misery. And so I ruminated on it for years. Emma Goldman would eventually liberate me from the ideology that made me the kind of Democrat a Democrat could count on for a vote. And her writing has remained relevant; complaints about prison labor--not the usual, either--surfaced eighty years later in the Washington state; perhaps a validation? I've always liked the tone of Goldman's writings, but it is only as her relevance has repeatedly demonstrated itself in my life that I've come around to include her in my canon; I can only hope that the woman who shattered patriotism and nationalism for me, whose bludgeoning of religion left me speechless and awed, whose plea for common human dignity inspires me, can offer up one last gift for that task to which I have assigned. Really, Tig didn't want names with any significant or influencing meanings, at first. So I went out on a limb and got some. But somehow we came back to this point, and I must admit responsibility specifically for not preventing it, because I will be unable to hide the history of the names if she asks, and especially if she finds Voltairine de Cleyre, which is inevitable because I don't intend to expunge my library. Hero by default? Perhaps necessity? two cents, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
yuk i was disappointed. to think that gems like ceres ananda and tifareth viridis were beaten out by plain old emma grace is whacked. if any girl i knew had those names i'd automatically worship the bitch
Eugene Victor Debs 5 time Socialist candidate for President http://www.eugenevdebs.com/ "While there is a lower class, I am in it; While there is a criminal element, I am of it; While there is a soul in prison, I am not free!" -Eugene V. Debs "Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out if I could; for if you could be led out, you could be led back again. I would have you make up your minds there is nothing that you cannot do for yourselves." From an address on Industrial Unionism delivered at Grand Central Palace. New York City, Dec. 18,1905.
Hugh Hefner He opitimizes the phrase "Make love not War"...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Hugh Hefner is best known as the original playboy. He is also a founder of the sexual revolution in the United States, a man who, at the age of 27, scraped together $8,000 to fulfill his dream of starting his own magazine. Hefner put the first issue of Playboy together on the kitchen table of his South Side Chicago apartment and hasn't looked back since. Several years (several billion dollars, several girlfriends and lots of Viagra) later, Hugh Hefner is still a cultural icon. Definantly a good example of living the "American Dream".
General Spookz My favorite was "Najam Nadira", but Tig refused to even give it serious consideration. In the meantime, I hope you'll understand if I don't pass your sentiments along Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! re: E.V. Debs It should be noted that until Ross Perot, Debs was the most successful third-party candidate in US history. LaRouche could only drool ... :m:, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Tiassa, Thats right. and he wasn't even a multi-billionaire. In his last campaign, which he ran from prison(where he had been sent for speaking out against the first world war), he recieved around a million votes.
