Contest

[thenark]

Theres no reward or anything, but i'd like to know if anyone out there can show an instance of a powerful person, who did not become totally corrupted by his power. Lets see if we can find a good, upstanding person ever in history.

But if you post one (i doubt anyone will, i know i'm a loser) Make sure to give reasons as to why you think they were good people with integrity.

[thenark]

Oh, and guys, is my stuff easier to read now?

sorry about all that capitalization

[EvilGovernmentAgents]

Does Tom or Wade Fulp count?

BTW, your stuff is easier to read. Thank you.

[EvilBread]

At 3/6/03 10:14 PM, thenark wrote: Theres no reward or anything, but i'd like to know if anyone out there can show an instance of a powerful person, who did not become totally corrupted by his power. Lets see if we can find a good, upstanding person ever in history.

But if you post one (i doubt anyone will, i know i'm a loser) Make sure to give reasons as to why you think they were good people with integrity.

Mohat Maghandi(cant spell for a flyin flip, dont hurt me)? Then again was he really a leader? when i say leader, i mean leader as of today's leading standards, not just giving people someone to look up to. I dont have much to explain why, infact i never learned much about the guy, just heard he was a pretty righteous man.

[thenark]

awesome point with Ghandi, he was a very morally sound person, but i meant people in more of a role of power. Can anyone think of a powerful man who isnt corrupt?

[JMHX]

At 3/6/03 10:44 PM, thenark wrote: awesome point with Ghandi, he was a very morally sound person, but i meant people in more of a role of power. Can anyone think of a powerful man who isnt corrupt?

Ghandi toppled the British Indian Empire. I think that's pretty powerful. I don't know...I'm trying to think. Very few in American history, especially politicians. I want to say Caesar, since he was never really 'corrupt', just a visionary and a bit insane.

[JMHX]

Oh, and TheNark, I apologize for my harsh nature (ironic, eh?) when you first came. It was a combination of a rough day, the internet being down, you capitalizing every word in the sentence, and making very odd points. Hope we can put that behind us, as you've really made some good points since then.

[thenark]

Thanks man, and i'm sorry for thinking people who see it differently that I do are idiots.

[JMHX]

At 3/6/03 10:59 PM, thenark wrote: Thanks man, and i'm sorry for thinking people who see it differently that I do are idiots.

It takes more to BE tolerant of people than to just write in the Tolerance thread how you think everyone's viewpoints are wrong. I hope more people come to notice that.

[TheEvilOne]

Well, I was harsh on thenark right off the bat, and yes, he has been making some good points after being around for a couple of days. I'm still upset about that comment about my musical tastes, though... (Just kidding, I'm not really mad about it.)

As for a person in power who wasn't corrupted, I'm inclined to say George Washington. After winning the Revolution, he could have easily become a dictator. But he felt that would go against what the Revolution was about in the first place, and thus stepped down from his command. That sounds like putting the common good ahead of personal interests, does it not?

That sounds like putting the common good ahead of personal interests, does it not?
this is only contest.Gandhi is personal top model for catagories philosofhy.He's good man

[Evanauto]

i'd most likely go with Martin Luther King.

and nark, im sorry also for being harsh. if you make a few more excellent posts like this, i would be glad to invite you into the politics crew.

[thenark]

Hmmm. yes washington definitely was a very upstanding leader. But all I really know is he was president after the war of independance ended.

[mysecondstar]

first, thank you thenark for finally writing like a regular human being. i'm grateful ^_^

but back to the subject at hand. in modern day America, i would have to say Franklin Delano Roosevelt. because he had a very debilitating disease in polio, i guess it humbled him in a way. he never took anything for granted. he had great power, being a Democrat he believed in big government, during the Depression and World War 2 yet he only did as much so much as opposed to taking over every facet of government.

[Ted-Easton]

My apologies as well. I usually take a tough stance on idiots who come in from the general BBS, and your capitalization made you seem like one (no offence intended).

Fidel Castro. One of VERY few communist leaders who has been totally for the people. He isn't corrupt, like many of the Soviet leaders were, he's a decent man, he has't abused his power, and I can't think of anything bad about him.

BTW, it's Mahatma Ghandi. I thought it was kinda funny how you spelled it Mahat Maghandi and wrote Ghandi later, too.

i'd most likely go with Martin Luther King
diffrent thing is Martin have colony in U.S and Gandhi Have in own country.So is mean the diffrent thing is the age.

[mysecondstar]

At 3/7/03 08:36 AM, basher13 wrote: i'd most likely go with Martin Luther King
diffrent thing is Martin have colony in U.S and Gandhi Have in own country.So is mean the diffrent thing is the age.

you do know how incredibly incoherent that was. it's like you are still residual drunk from last night.

[PreacherJ]

Abraham Lincoln.

[Commander-K25]

Power? Well, that could mean many things.

I would nominate Col. Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, commander of the Imperial German forces (the Shutztruppe) in German East Africa during World War I. Throughout the war in which he was beseiged by British, Belgian and Portuguese forces that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. He never commanded more that about 14,000. From 1914 to 1918 he conducted a brilliant fighting withdrawal in the face of these odds and thus tied up massive amounts of the Allies' resources on one German colony. During the last year of the war he stripped his force down to 2,000 his most experienced, veteran soldiers and led what is perhaps the most well executed guerilla war in history by invading Portuguese territory (today, Mozambique). He never surrendered and never lost a single battle, the only German general of the war to do so.

Not only did he conduct and effective war, he fought an honorable one. His force was mostly native, black askaris (native troops). Unlike most European officers of the time, he did not treat them as inferior. They were well trained with the same Prussian discipline and skill as his German troops. He did not discriminate; White and black fought side by side. He was also merciful toward his enemies. In Battle of Tanga in which the British badly botched an amphibious landing and allowed their numerically superior force of Indian colonial troops to be broken by a small but skillful force of Vorbeck's Shutztruppen. Afterwards he allowed the British to evacuate their wounded and leave the coastline peacefully. He even met and had tea with the British officers to discuss the battle. In the years to come, the British repaid him with acts of treachery such as visiting a harbor under a white flag and then attempting to saboatage ships while their officers spoke.

Vorbeck finally voluntarily turned his force in after learning of the Armistice. He and his officers were allowed to leave for Germany with their swords.

After the war he led the Freikorps in attempt to stabilize a turbulent and chaotic, post-war Germany. He was a staunch believer in German nationalism and the Empire but actually led opposition to Hitler in the Reichstag during the early 30's. He was a hero to the German people and too famous to be killed so he was simply forced out of any political power during World War II.

After WWII he was bankrupt and in despair. Such was his former enemy's respect for him, that Jan Smuts, leader of the British forces in German East Africa, actually arranged for a pension to be paid him and the two became good friends. Vorbeck died in the early 1960s.

[JMHX]

At 3/7/03 07:14 AM, Ted_Easton wrote: Fidel Castro. One of VERY few communist leaders who has been totally for the people. He isn't corrupt, like many of the Soviet leaders were, he's a decent man, he has't abused his power, and I can't think of anything bad about him.

That's true, Fidel has been very much like communism should be on paper. It's not wholly his fault that he got on the wrong end of the government after that...minor incident with the nuclear weapons. I'd actually like to see sanctions lifted on Cuban trade, as I see them as being a potentially good springboard to show the world that we can tolerate other types of governments. We've done that already with China.

I'll take a look around when I go to Cuba in the summer.

[Ted-Easton]

Exactly where are you going? It's a beautiful country.

But it's true. It's NOT they're fault for the poor relations with the US. It's the US and US buisness.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, tell me and I will explain.

[TheEvilOne]

I think we should lift the sanctions on Cuba. It's not like Castro is a threat to us or anything.

Besides, then we could have Cuban cigars. :)

[JMHX]

At 3/10/03 12:41 PM, Ted_Easton wrote: Exactly where are you going? It's a beautiful country.

I'll probably be in Havana most of the time, taking full action on my Working Press membership and the fact that I'll be in Mexico for a wedding over the summer. I hear it's a great area, but with some problems in crime. I'll be going all over Cuba, though, touring and things of the like.

As for Fidel; he's just a sly old fox. Not a danger to the security of the world.

[Slizor]

After the war he led the Freikorps in attempt to stabilize a turbulent and chaotic, post-war Germany.

Now I did do this a few years ago, but I'm pretty sure this "attempt" was actually the crushing of the Sparticist movement....Communists. I could be wrong though.

[The-Last-Kumiho]

I'd agree with Ghandi and King. Washington slept around and ran up the patriot bill with luxery expenses. FDR was a great leader but he also had a mistress and was involved in several possible conspericies (including Pearl harbor) that are now being reveiwed by historians.

From what I know of Susan B Anthony, she was a powerful speaker and advocate of the women's suffrage movement.
My other canidate would be Vercingatorix, the leader of the gaelic celts in the time of Julius Ceaser. When his people were under seige in their last fort he gave himself up under the condition that his people go free. Unfortunatly after he was taken prisoner, Ceaser proceeded to burn the fort to the ground and attack outlying villages.

[CrustifiedOnCrass]

Ghandi, he had the power of India.