Michael Gorbachev at Earth Summit

Gordon Fitch gcf at panix.com
Fri Aug 30 07:15:07 PDT 2002



> On Fri, 30 Aug 2002, Carl Remick wrote:
>
> > >From: "Chris Doss" <itschris13 at hotmail.com>
> > >
> > >As a socialist who has been in Russia off and on for two years, I gotta say
> > >that I love Gorby. He was a bumbling idealist, but at least he had guts,
> > >and his heart is in the right place.
> >
> > The guy stunned the
> > crowd by suddenly getting out and waving. He got tremendous applause. It
> > was a thrill to see him, and I felt privileged by the experience.

Brian O. Sheppard x349393:
> It's this kind of adoration of "great leaders" that is such a threat to
> our chances of having a really democratic society.
>
> Emile Zola:
>
> "At bottom, yours is not yet the real republican blood; the sight of a
> plumed helmet still makes your heart beat quicker; no king can come
> amongst us but you fall in love with him.... It is not of your Army that
> you are thinking, but of the General who happens to have caught your
> fancy."
>
> This was cited by Hitchens, someone that I disagree with 50% of the time
> otherwise. In my teens, when I listened to punk, I hated rock stars. It's
> no different now.

"No God and no king!"

(Actually, though, I don't have a problem with Gods that are two large or diffuse to beat me with.)

I've always thought that Gorbachev was just a cut or two too decent a person to be a successful politician. I liked the suggestion, made of old, that he become a talk-show host. Maybe he could team up with Slick -- the angel and the devil. With that band they were talking about....

-- Gordon



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