At 10:02 AM 6/13/2003 -0400, Jim Davis wrote: >Its still gotta be Benjamin Franklin... writer, scientist, inventor, and >general, all-around smart-ass.
He as also a persecutor of Americans who supported the British government. His son was a customs officer for the colonial government and refused to cooperate with the rebels. Franklin had his son jailed over the issue and advocated having him executed. Which was a moot point since his son died shortly after of the ill treatment his father ensured he had. Franklin also encouraged supporters of the revolution to loot and destroy the homes and businesses of the Loyalists. He was the one who came up with the idea of the concentration camps for the Loyalists. A good man, no, not much better than any fanatic. larry >Jim Davis >President, http://www.depressedpress.com >Webmaster, http://www.firstnight.org >Webmaster, http://www.cfAdvocacy.org >Senior Consultant, http://www.metlife.com > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Nick McClure [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 8:29 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: RE: Your greatest American > > > > One thing about Washington, at the end of the war, he went home, he >did > > not > > attempt to take control of the country by force. He did see that the > > military should not be used to setup a government. > > > > He had an opportunity to take this country down the wrong path, and he > > choose not to. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Judith Dinowitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 11:25 PM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: Re: Your greatest American > > > > > > Do we judge importance by their characters, or by what they did with > > their > > > jobs? While Washington may have been a terrible general, he did lead >the > > > army that eventually made us an independent country. Lincoln used >the > > > slavery issue to his own benefit, and he was not the most perfect of >men > > > (far from it) but what he did had a high impact. I could see voting >for > > > Washington and Lincoln on that basis alone. > > > > > > I'm not saying that Jefferson wasn't a tremendously great or >important > > > American -- the question is whether his accomplishments are as great >in > > > their impact on our country. > > > > > > (Jefferson is one of my favorites as well -- more so than >Washington or > > > Lincoln -- but I also have to be fair.) > > > > > > Judith > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "jon hall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 11:14 PM > > > Subject: Re: Your greatest American > > > > > > > > > > Thursday, June 12, 2003, 7:44:33 PM, you wrote: > > > > >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/wtwta/2959462.stm > > > > >> > > > > >> Please vote...Homer Simpson is winning :( > > > > >> Homer Simpson, and Mr. T may be a sad commentary, but Lincoln >and > > > > >> MLK were NOT more important than Thomas Jefferson (my > > vote)...pfft. > > > > >> > > > > >> The people who voted for Washington and Clinton are just >idiots > > > > >> because they probably weren't joking. > > > > > > > > LCL> Why? Clinton did a lot for the nation, while Washington's >role is > > > > LCL> painfully obvious. Franklin D Roosevelt probably saved the >nation > > > > LCL> from another revolution, this time a communist one, while > > > Jefferson, > > > > LCL> with all his very obvious flaws wrote one of the most >important > > > > LCL> documents at the core of the ideals of the nation. At least > > Ronnie > > > > LCL> Raygun, Bush nor Shrub were on the list. > > > > > > > > LCL> larry > > > > > > > > > > > > Clinton in retrospect was a decent president, not bad, not > > > > excellent. The greatest American though? He isn't even in that > > > > ballpark. There has been a lot of decent presidents. > > > > Henry Ford would rank higher on my list than either of those > > > > presidents, or Ben Franklin. > > > > > > > > Washington was a buffoon who only got to the the Constitutional > > > > Congress because he married a rich mans daughter, and was a >terrible > > > > unqualified general who got a lot of soldiers killed. He wasn't >good > > > > at anything but dressing in that stupid fancy coat. They picked >the > > > > most harmless guy they could find, and made him president. Perfect >for > > > > the job imo. Definitely not the greatest American. > > > > > > > > I could understand why someone would pick FDR...he just wouldn't >be my > > > > choice. Definitely Top 10 though. > > > > > > > > Jefferson has always been by far my favorite, and he had very few > > > > faults as far as I'm concerned. One example...while president he > > > > examined every single patent application personally. Probably the >last > > > > president to even step into the patent office, let alone >intelligent > > > > enough to understand every invention. > > > > He was the President that told American citizens that the second > > > > amendment was their protection against the tyranny of their own > > > > government. > > > > > > > > -- > > > > jon > > > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
