Thanks for responding folks. Naturally there are thousands of acts of great courage every day. People who truly are heroes, who will remain forever anonymous to all but their closest associates. Of course that's not where I was going with this though, as Kat pointed out. It is our PUBLIC figures who disappoint me so gravely. Never has there been such polarization.
I expected a few folks to react with a kind of "don't remind me of all the shit out there, I don't need to know all that information". I've always had a need to be really well-informed, and I may be wrong but I don't think it's any kind of "analytical excercise". If so, then there's lots of others here at Mudcat in the same boat as me. Nope I truly find that knowing as much as I can about the stuff going on around us is interesting and helps me form more useful opinions.
Mag, thanks so much. I wrote the song "Voices of Struggle" for Arlene Mantle, a very fine lesbian singer and activist who I worked with on and off for about ten years. Arlene came from poverty and much abuse, and through her ability to mobilize (and entertain) disadvantaged women, ended up being honoured in places like France, Chile, Nicaragua, Russia and Poland. Virtually impossible to find her recordings here though. Please don't take offence, but I watched at least a dozen times as her upscale sisters reacted in a very uncomfortable manner with her straight talking blue collar manner.
I expect that the leaders who "talk the talk" during a campaign , also "walk the walk", once elected, so I'm afraid that I have to disagree with you on the Paula Jones thing. I've seen Pat Ireland, and dozens of Democratic apologists ad nauseum over the last 3 years, and I felt they put a huge spin on the situation. (for solidarity's sake). Oops, was gonna ramble on some more, but if there's gonna be any solidarity in THIS house, I gotta make dinner!

Rick