RIP Mandela
 

A man of great actions and great words - the world has lost a crusader for peace and human rights. RIP Mandela!

He was the right man to bring South Africa to where it is today without a bloody battle. Simply amazing courage, vision and leadership. The movie about him is very good.

A patient, courageous man. I'm glad I lived through his era.

Remember that revolutions leave wounded people on both sides. Not just flesh wounds. People lose their property and way of life and that hurts long after the revolution is won. Or lost.

I claim to be probably the only member of this forum who voted for him. It's a pity his successors are such worthless idiots. He was certainly unique and probably too hard an act to follow.

- Peter.

It certainly has. Rest in peace, Mr. Mandela.

There's a dang good chance that you are!

Look at what you get to vote for here and now... ;)

Great loss of a courageous man. I actually had a chance to meet him (sort of} back in November 2001 in Toronto. Back when I used to work full time I was part of a high speed RCMP motorcade driving members of his entourage to several venues for a few days. The limo company I worked for has a contract with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Protocol Office.

http://img.src.ca/2013/07/18/635x357...lson_sn635.jpg
Park Public School was renamed Nelson Mandela Park Public School during his final visit in November 2001.

I can't feel the same sentiment as is being displayed here. This is the same man that founded uMkhonto we Sizwe. This is the same man who spent many years of life was spent in prison for pushing communist agenda in SA. The same man that, after being elected, was filmed chanting a pledge to kill all whites in South Africa. The same man that was married to a woman that got her rocks off "necklacing" the ANC's enemies...that means she would fill a tire with petrol, place it around their necks, and light them.

Since 1994, 68,000 whites have been brutally tortured and murdered by blacks in South Africa, in ways too gruesome to describe, including almost 4,000 Boers whose farms were confiscated by savage murderers, a combined area of over 25,000 square miles. (citing an article entitled The Real Mandela published in the American Free Press)

No, I have no wishes of peace for this man...

Politicians want you to know them by what they say.

The guy was no saint. He was however a statesman who in later years was able to rise above his origins and work towards a hopeful future for the country. As regards his wife and the violence. All true but neither directly his fault or frankly much under his control.

I think he did about the best he could under the circumstances. But ultimately you can only do so much when the raw material is dross.

- Peter.

JP, its nice how you conveniently ignore the circumstances under which Mandela's ANC had to resort to violence.

Mandela made choices no man should ever have to make about whether to lead a people into bloodshed for a just cause.

Good on you Peter.

And yes, his successors are truly worthless, corrupt idiots.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the re-occuring theme through out African countries once they gain independence.

Whether by design, on this issue communists were on the right side of history, while the U.S. and U.K. failed.

Reagan and Thacher continued support for S.A.'s apartheid regime, so the communists probably saw an opportuninty to foster some "goodwill" most likely to just further their own agenda.

And, I may add, we continue to support apartheid in the Middle East when it's convenient for us (or to appease our local religious nutjobs).

Unspoken motto: I can get behind anything if there is something in it for me.

Follow the money. Who? When? Where?