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OK,another off topic post.Since its kind of quiet here,and I am a pathetic loser with nothing else to do.Actually I have lots more to do,LATER  TODAY.
AOL has a story about a discovery channel program,I think it is on Sunday night.Its a search for the greatest american.They have 100 nominies  on the aol site,just go to aol.com
People who should not be on the list,in my opinion.
Ellen Degeneres you - got to be kidding
John Edwards - ditto
Hugh Hefner- a pioneer but no
Michael Jackson  NF WAY
Rush Limbaugh  I like him,but he is NOT top 100
Madonna ,maybe top 1000
Malcom X  famous but negative influence
Barrack Obama - too new on the scene ,Could be really big in future
Martha Stewart - somebodies head is where the sun don't shine
Michael Moore - some might think so,me no way
Donald Trump  only in his own inflated ego

So who should win? Seems to me several people are big in their catagories.Like:

Politics:  Lincoln,Franklin Roosevelt,Thomas Jefferson

Entertainment:  some go beyond entertaining.Cosby,Winfry

Sports: Ali has to be the number one sports figure ever,no contest
But guys like Owens and Robinson great for breaking barriers

Business: My vote,Bill Gates.But Henry Ford,San Walton big too

BUT Politics has the greatest effect on us.Lincoln would have to win it for service in a crucial time.Second Franklin Roosevelt,third Jefferson mostly for his writtings

Makes any intertainer seem Irrelevent,But I like Bill Cosby for his social contribution also.To me he is a great  american.

Pete

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

Not native born, but I think he was a naturalized citizen---Bob Hope certainly deserves plenty of credit for his 30 or so years of USO shows.

Cosby? Yes, made plenty of money, but (besides being genuinely funny and entertaining) 'gives back' and displays wholesome values.

Winfry? Maybe, but somehow she strikes me as 'in it for the money and fame' more than the 'gives back type'... and I've never found her interesting. A lot of people seem to like her, so maybe that's just my perception.

Nothing wrong with your list of politicians, but Harry Truman needs to be included too.

Do you have an educator category? If so, you need to include Booker T. Washington and Sequoyah.

Are these supposed to be 'Great' Americans or 'Powerful and Influential' Americans? Henry Ford is definitely in the second category, but sure in my book he isn't in the 'Great' category, he was a liar, cheat, labor exploiter, union buster and racist, to name a few of his personal traits.

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

John Walsh, of AMW.  Probably didn't make the list, but he should be on it.  The guy is tireless, unselfish, and committed.

And Condie Rice. She's amazing in many respects.  Extremely mature, intelligent, diplomatic, charismatic, and has a great sense of foresight/awareness of global threats to the nation.

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

America is a nation of immigrants, and here is a list
from the American Immigration Law Foundation of
immigrants who have affected the life of our country
and touched the lives of people, a list including Albert Einstein,
Joseph Pulitzer, Felix Frankfurter, Irving Berlin and I.M. Pei.

http://www.ailf.org/store/store_poster_bios.asp

... in response to Re: Greatest American Immigrants, posted by Gary Bala on Apr 24, 2005

Have to differ with you, Gary. I work in an I. M. Pei building. It is aesthetically ugly, full of wasted space, poorly laid out, inefficient, impossible to heat and air condition properly and expensive to maintain. He might be a nice guy, good to his wife and kids and maybe he even helps orphans, but for my money, I wouldn't let him design a chicken coup, let alone another major public building.

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

Reagan has to be in the top five.  For saving the world from communism/liberalism.

... in response to Re: Greatest Americans, posted by larrydarrell on Apr 23, 2005

Amen!

             OkieMan

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

Pete,

I like your list.  It's a start.  Now, do I understand that you are talking about the Top 100 list for americans, since the beginning of the colonies to now?  That is over 300 years of history.  Like you were pointing to, there are many categories or vocations of the people we could mention.  Naturally, there are people with more visability than others. Science:  Do you include Einstien?  He lived here in the States for many years.  I am not sure if he every became a citizen.  But, there are many others.  Tied in with that are the great inventors:  Edison, Bell, Ford, Firestone, etc... the list goes on.  Medicine:  Dr. Jonas Salk, who invented the polio vaccine.  What a life saver.
Astronauts and NASA personnel: Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, etc.  Politics:  Naturally the Founding Fathers: like Washington, Jefferson, Ben Franklin. Lincoln came later and is still huge!  You mentioned FDR, and I can't disagee that he made a huge impact; but I liked his cousin Teddy even better.  To me, Teddy Roosevelt was an incredible man, as well as an incredible President. Frankly, for my part, I would also have to include Ronald Reagan.  People either loved him or hated him. I am in the former category.  The list could go on and on.  Entertainment/Actors: Gable, the Duke, Gary Cooper, Bogie and Cary Grant. to name a few.  Singers: Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis, etc.

                            OkieMan

... in response to Greatest Americans, posted by Pete E on Apr 23, 2005

Pete,

The people you mention are clear candidates for great Americans.  When I was a teen I would have voted for some of them.  Now that I am an adult, have lived a bit, and travelled a bit, my perspective has changed.

Truly great people are RARELY also famous people.  In my opinion, the truly great Americans are the ones who spent their lives holding the fabric of society together and strengthening that fabric.  These are almost always ordinary people who work anonymously and efficiently in their jobs so that most people just take them for granted.  I expect my computer, my electricity, my car, etc to work perfectly ALL THE TIME.  My life is made infinitely easier due to those Americans who make sure that the things I rely on in my daily life work as they are supposed to all the time.  

Gary Bala just posted a thread about the Vermont Service Center.  If I was able to expect that kind of service from all government agencies, then government workers would candidates for greatest Americans.  Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey, Lou Gehrig, JFK, etc just don't affect my life in the same way.

... in response to Re: Greatest Americans, posted by Brazilophile on Apr 23, 2005

"Truly great people are RARELY also famous people. In my opinion, the truly great Americans are the ones who spent their lives holding the fabric of society together and strengthening that fabric."

 So true. I just skimmed that list, and pretty much no one sounded "great" to me. Rich, famous, egotistical, bizarre, maybe. Michael Moore? Hard to think of a more contemptible wretch of a human being.

... in response to Re: Re: Greatest Americans, posted by Bueller on Apr 23, 2005

I agree, Michael Moore is lower than pond scum!  However, I wish I could make some documentary movie and make as much money as he did.  But, my prospective and subject matter would be vastly different than that dirt bag!

                          OkieMan

... in response to Re: Re: Greatest Americans, posted by Bueller on Apr 23, 2005

It sounds trite but, Washington.

He could have made himself King, and the entire course of the nation would have been changed. Instead he subjected himself to the elected officials. Later, he served as chief executive, and retired from office when his term was done. Unfortunately, history played out differently in Latin America.

Certainly Lincoln, who kept the nation together when it would have been easier to let it fall apart.

Martin Luther King. Imagine if the civil rights movement had adopted a suicide bombing strategy. We'd look like the Middle East today. Instead he pushed change peacefully through civil disobedience. He was a great American.