Dear Young Reader

During a trip into a used book store yesterday I stumbled across the teen-age abridged edition of 'Profiles In Courage' by John F Kennedy.  Having never read it before, and seeing it was a first edition marked for 45 cents, I snatched it up rather quickly.

Glancing through the book Ive noticed quite a number of lines and paragraphs that I find relevant in our modern times. but the forward titled 'Dear Young Reader' I find most relevant and would like to share with the dkos community, especially with the atmosphere around here the last few days with the whole in-fighting on the FISA issue, Clark statements, and others.

I dont think this breaks site rules, as its only a few paragraphs, but if I'm wrong please correct me.

Dear Young Reader:

This is largely a book about politicians who were failures.

Most where deprived of any hope of achieving their most cherished goals in public life. Many were rejected by the people and foced to live in oscurity away from the political arena which they enjoyed so much.

But what is important about these men is not their failures but why they failed - not the goals they did not reach, but what kept them from these goals. Each of them had some principle or idea which he believed in; and when the time came, each of them chose to act according to his beliefs even though to do so meant unpopularity and criticism and often defeat in elections.

That is why this book is called Profiles In Courage. For it takes great courage to do what you think is right even though it may mean the end of your career and the dislike and criticism of your friends and neighbors. Many people never have the opportunity to show such courage. But all of us have the opportunity to recognize such courage in others, to respect the person who is doing what he believes to be right even though we think he is wrong.

That is why this book is more than an exciting story of great men. It is a lesson to all of us that courage is much more than bravery on a battlefield; that it can mean acting according to your beliefs whatever the consequences. And it is also a lesson that we can all share in such courage by refusing to join with those people who make unreasoning attacks on the man who is doing or saying what he honestly believes to be right.