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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (136806)	6/17/2004 10:46:37 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Respond to of 281500

<<<(if you really want to be "objective" about it) both Jefferson and Adams had many of the same flaws that you think you "see" in today's leaders. They were each close minded in their own ways, able to rationalize behavior and actions that went directly contrary to ideals that they stated in other contexts. >>> I think, organizations and nations are like systems. Once it is set up, it has a life and momentum of its own. Almost anyone could be President of the United States(now a days) and things can still move along okay. To start up an entity (organization, nation, or system ) you will need a lot of different skills that people who later carry on things do not necessarily have to have. If you start up an entity and you don't get it right, the entity will not survive. Once established, it will take a lot to kill it. "Founders" normally can't fake things. Founders of our country didn't have an army of PR specialists that can hide all kinds of stuff. They had to be able to foumulate a vision (probably in a verbal and written form without a word processor), communicate it ot others (sell it), and be able to implement it. Today, all you need to do is utter a few "keywords" and a bunch of willing opportunists will take it into their own direction. But even at that you would have to be able to utter the few right words that could make all the difference in the world. As an example, even though JFK had many human frailties, he at least was able to articulate an optomistic future. This was at a time when the Sovient Union had the actual capabilities to kill all of us. We could have been living in fear 24/7. Instead, he had us going to the moon and "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?" Many joined the Peace Corps to spread the word about freedom and democracy. What we have today, is a vision of war that has no end. We do not have an enemy that is really formidible - although they could do a lot of harm. They probably can not harm us more than we harm ourselves - killing 50,000 people each year driving under the influence - and driven to drug dealers causing untold amount of harm. We are told we may have to kill others before they kill us and we may have to torture people because they may have information that can cause a great deal of harm. In order for us to be safe, we may have to give up some of our liberties - liberties that prior generations fought and died for. The message going forward is not all that clear. It is troubling.