How would they measure up?

Last night, the senators did their work for the health care industry and the reason we know that is we can see what the stock market did today. This group of legislators working in behalf of their sponsors took off the hands of the insurance companies another group of high risk people, all of them over age 55. The voting public can be told that change has happened, that all senators deserve re-election and all insurance companies will continue to operate as money laundries doing nothing for anyone's health.

I wonder how these individuals would survive in on their own or in a small community where each person has to prove their valor and skill? Wonder how they would measure of against the figures in history, these great men of our country?

Jack Weatherford wrote a brilliant book called GENGHIS KHAH AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD. We were told in grade school that Genghis Khan ruthless nomad warrior and looted the civilized world. The Mongol army never numbered more than 100,000 warriors, yet they subjugated more lands and people in twenty-five years than the Romans conquered in four hundred. If we understood this fact alone it would make sense to study his genius and apply some of it to today's world, seems The United States like to be at war continuously.

Secondly, Genghis Khan formed governments with laws above rulers, freedoms and educational systems, institutionalize free trade, encourage religious freedom. The list of his accomplishments are too long write here. One thing I admire is simple, the Mongols never forced their language, their gods, their architectural style- their culture- on the conquered territories unlike the Romans, the British , the Dutch or the Spanish or dare I say the Americans. They did spread knowledge of medicine, science, music and crafts to local people everywhere unlike like other civilizations that did it mainly in a centralize capitol.

There was a book in the 70's that listed the most important individuals that ever lived, Genghis Khan made the top of the list. The reason was he united the eastern or western parts of the earth and started trade routes that spread all knowledge, trade and food. Guess the book is out of print. The way the religious wars of recent times have started up again, whoever published an updated verision, would put their leader as the top man, no doubt!