>>You can't make a phenomenon happen by popular vote, going on a march, >>praying or endorsement by pop idol. It just isn't like that.
John Fields wrote: --- > Wrong. Take a look at Ghandi and what he forced the UK to do > without his use of physical force. Sorry, I just can't let this one go, no matter how far off topic it is. About ten years after Adolf von Baeyer first synthesized indigo dye in 1883, it came into commercial production. This tipped the balance for the British Raj. India as a colony was no longer a profitable business. Further, India no longer had enough stategic value to continue to subsidize the British presence there. The continued prestige of having India as a colony was wearing thin, considering the expense. The British aristocracy and the army liked having it around, but more practical minds were looking for a way out. Clearly, if the British had any real reason to stay, they would have. And let's face it; it was the British. It wasn't the Russians or the Spanish or the French, who probably would have just shot anybody acting like Ghandi and been done with it. Ghandi knew this and took advantage of it. Give the British themselves some credit. And ask yourself this. How many people died in the violence of the partition of India and Pakistan following Ghandi's "success"? It seems we tend to make saints of people who accomplish a goal while killing a lot of people, and at the same time we virtually ignore those who accomplish an equally laudible goal with no killing at all. As an example, take a look at the Lincoln Memorial. There sits Abraham Lincoln, resembling for all the world a martyred saint. Yet, even though we agree with what he did, he was responsible for the death of more Americans than anyone else in our short history. I suspect if he had pulled the whole thing off with some deft politics, people would still be arguing about what a terrible president he was. Ever been to Napoleon's tomb? You'd think it was the tomb of Jesus himself to look at it. Killed more Frenchmen than anyone else, except maybe Clemenceau. M. _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!
