Great, but Bad

EXACTLY what is a "great" man (or woman)?  In the most general sense, maybe greatness is having an important impact on many other people, even if there is disagreement about whether the impact was positive or negative, which there almost always is. None among us is fortunate enough to escape either praise or blame, said goethe. How true, how true.

The niteteenth centry english historian ,lord acton, instructed us that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Anyone who has studied the lives and actions of people who had great power can hear the ring of truth in acton's comment.

Great men are almost always bad men, acton went on. Acton, like most political scientists, warned about the human tendency towards corruption and cruelty when in possession of great power, power, being of course nothing other than influence or control over others. he also warned against too much democracy, which can descend, if unorganized, into chaotic mob rule.

greatness comes in all varieties, one of which is an ususually great ability to influence people and history, based on force of personality, ambition and intelligence, political and social status, or various combinations of characteristics and curcumstances.

One of the things that great men almost seem to do is to view the world of women as a limitless playground for personal pleasure; the puritanical americna people seem at last able to accept the fact that most of their presidents has mistresses and assorted consorts.

during the furor over bill clinton and monica, a professor of engineering from argentia made the remark "I do not understand why you americans make so much problem about bill clinton and women. in argentiina, we Expect our president to have many women!"

stalin, napoleon, hitler, caesar, alexander, evil tyrants all. the greatest of all men, wisdomatically, jesus, refused political power. only the good die young. the thugs and gangsters clamor for power, and, upon getting it, abuse it. (i said that, not lord acton..I'm on a roll!)

waht frightens me about current american politics is how desperately the  people who seek and run for political office crave the office. all of them, they want it way too badly..don't you think? What about politicians who put their name out there, make information about themselves available, then quietly wait for the people to decide? Wouldn't that be nice?

Never happen here in america. Our politicians have to scream and shout, wail and gnash teeth, preach and roar, always, alway, always, desperately attracting immediate attention. This behavior does not inherently lend itslef to be thought of as "good" in any sense of the word, does it?

whoever the most qualified perosn to be presiednt is in this country, he or she doubtless has the good sense not to want the job, but instead a quiet productive life. whoever it is, we should draft.