The death of Nelson Mandela gave us a good lesson in an historical perspective. For most of Mandela’s life he was branded a “terrorist”, because he advocated the destruction of the Aparteid system. Now he is celebrated as the man who led the effort that destroyed Aparteid. One decade’s terrorist is another’s hero. Nelson Mandela didn’t change what he was doing or how he did it. The world changed – for the better in that regard.
Of course there are still men like Dick Cheney who still insist that Mandela was a terrorist. I suppose this is more a commentary on his character and morality (or lack of). So the next time you hear “leaders” labeling men like Snowden, or Assange “terrorists”, remember Mandela and his journey beyond political labels to justice.
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I wonder if in 30 years there will still be significant numbers of people comparing Dr. Kevorkian to Josef Mengele or if by then he will be declared a hero by consensus. Hmmm not too optimistic on that one.
But as for these political heroes, your point is well taken.
Dick Cheney needs to be spanked. 😛
A guy who up until 2008 was on the No Fly list! I can’t help but to feel like Obama is trying to set the bar low for himself. I also feel like I got a front row seat on how history gets rewritten. Next thing you know they will be wanting to give Hitler awards.
And just because Nelson Mandela fought to end the apartheid doesn’t mean I think he had a very high opinion of Americans, white or black for that matter.