McGrath -- you're right about Amnesty being made up of ordinary people with good intentions. So was most of the Nazi party, but they got hijacked by leaders and philosophies they didn't understand and led quite a bit astray. Not that I'm necessarily saying Amnesty people are going to become Nazis, but they sure as hell can be led around by leaders who have their own agendas -- not the least of which is to perpetuate their organization. I have dealt with hundreds of people over the years who will lie through their teeth (and sometimes even believe their own lies) to further their own causes. Amnesty, for all its claim to be on the moral high road, is just as guilty of that as the next bunch of do-gooders.

Sorry mate, but trundling out the rank and file's intentions doesn't impress me much. Maybe I'm still caught in the skepticism that's an occupational hazard for cops and journalists -- both of whom are lied to incessantly....

cheers,

david