This week: Personal Heroes

The GOP is working hard to emphasize Bob Dole's status as a war hero. But what does it mean to be a hero?

Do you have a personal hero? It can be anyone from a sports figure to a grandparent. Tell us about your hero, and explain why she or he holds that esteemed position.

For past survey results, check our survey archive.

A new Politics & Community survey is published each Thursday.

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CherOkie: My Husband...because he can LIVE with Me! I've got a husband but want a lover. I've got 2 sons that I force to cook & clean. I've got a nice home and want a housekeeper. Yep...I work too. I'm tired when I get home too! I bitch all the time when I do laundry or have to do for my family. My husband needs my support and all I do is criticize about what he cannot do instead of what he has done great! He deserves a nice sweet passive woman, not an executive woman that rants and raves when he comes home. -CherOkie

snapple: Pat Buchanon is my hero. I wish more people were like Pat. The liberal media went out of their way to bash Pat. Too bad the people in this country are so easily bamboozled. I guess it's nothing more than monkey see, monkey do.
Why ask who is your hero? This question would have been easily answered up until the Vietnam era. Now, this country is so morally confused the question becomes an enigma.

yellowrose: My hero is my best friend, zBrandi because she has the nerve or be spontaneous and courageous. She transfered schools and 1200 miles across the country. I wish I could be as spunky and nervy as her.

dante: Uh gee, I guess 'snapple' would consider me one of the easily bamboozled. However, I guess since I can correctly spell the name of my hero, I won't feel ashamed to comment. My hero is Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro is one of the greatest humanitarians of this century. I don't want to take issue with snapple, but the Conservative (read Capitalist) media have portrayed the Cuban leader as a madman. I guess they would have preferred the oppressive dictator Batista who protected U.S. investments and not much else. Viva la Revolucion!

Jim20: Bob Dole is no more a "Hero" than any of the other, (Former, Present, or Future), members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. When he lets that tag be put on him, for the purpose of getting votes, then he has taken a cheap shot. My "HEROs" are those that have made the supreme sacrifice. May they be Police, Firefighters, Military, or just an ordinary human being. They did not do this for any recognition,that may be bestowed upon them, they did not ask your political party, your race, religion, sex, beliefs, they made that supreme sacrifice, because of the love that they have for their fellow man. When anyone has not made the supreme sacrifice and lets himself be labeled a HERO for political purposes is a disgrace. This old Veteran (Mid 50-Mid 70's) has spoken.

Applecheeks: My hero is my mother. At 79, with Parkinsons disease, Menniers' Syndrome and Osteoporosis, she still does as much as she possibly can each day, and she rarely complains...in fact she'd rather you didn't even talk about any of her physical problems. Getting old isn't for sissies, and my Mom is definitely not one!!

formicacid: Tommy Ranks taught me to cherish knowledge, listen to all sides of an issue, cut through all the crap, never stop thinking, and to stand up for my beliefs. He is one of the most intelligent humans I know, and if I have anything close to a hero in my life, it's Tommy.

jcole: My hero is Muhammad Ali, because he had the courage of his convictions at a time when it meant risking everything he had, at the peak of his fame, to stand up for his convictions and refuse to fight in Vietnam. The difference between him and "Snapple's" hero is that Ali is exactly the opposite of a moron like Pat Buchanan: where Ali risked the rest of his career and life for his convictions, opportunists like Buchanan merely parlay their convictions into opportunities to enrich themselves: people like that aren't heros, they're parasites. Ali, in contrast, has spent the last thirty years spreading a message of spiritual reconciliation and peace throughout the world, and is probably the most recognized person in the world today. Even in his current sad medical condition, he is an inspiration.

Dickj: Most people are too easily impressed by the exploits of others. A true hero is the one a person sets the goal to overcome or be-better- than. Hero-worship is self-defeating and lends to second place. The best hero is yourself. Then you only have one to best.

jnewton: My hero of the moment is my boss at work. As a capable and intelligent sergeant at a metropolitian police department, he shunned the possibilty of a more lucrative career for a profession that allows him to have a positive impact within the community. His position of respect is impressive, but it is even more impressive because he was born without a left hand. I have learned never to assume there is anything he cannot do. He also is a father of 3 and a devoted family man who constantly dotes on his family. I would respect him for any one of the three traits, but the combination of the three make him a rare commoditiy in the 1990's.

hcm: The problem with being a hero is that, for many, it only seems to happen once (after which the 'hero' rests on his/her laurels). A true hero is consistently heroic ... and usually unsung in his/her own time.
The other problem with heroes is that their heroic accomplishment is frequently used as justification or qualification for future unrelated achievement.

TripodF: My hero is Frank Ponchorello, or better known as Ponch. The hero of the television show CHiPs. My web page says it all at www.geocities.com/tokyo/5806/index.html.

mard1: My personal hero who profoundly changed my lifestyle (although not 100%) was Mahatma Ghandi [ the great Soul - in Rabindranath Tagoore's words ]. He preached non-violence, to be truthful to our conscience, to persevere and to possess and polish good morals. The day (in 1975, I suppose) I read his autobiography " My experiments with truth" I underwent lot of behavioral changes. I reflected on lot of things which I had never before considered. I relived his moments of testing times and his struggles. His words brought peace and calm to my then troubled mind. Although he is long gone, his detailed life history has inculcated many good values in me which are unknowingly appreciated by my friends and colleagues.
I thank him, my hero, Mahatma, for his good deeds.

acorrigan: As much as I hate to sound like a copycat, I must vote for my first thought when I read Who is your Hero? My hero is my husband of 29 years. He's my hero because he's been a loving, caring, fun partner all these years. He's also the best Dad and Pop Pop in the whole world. More of his wonderful attributes: he's a terrific travelling and beach buddy, an interesting conversationalist, a great photographer, and I could go on all night. I'll close by saying to him----I LOVE YOU, JIM!!!!!

ALederer: John Aristotle Phillips: A Princeton student, who in the 1970's designed a nuclear bomb. He used his fame to raise public awareness of nuclear proliferation and the dangers of sending plutonium to third world nations that were claiming to build nuclear power plants.

AlMiller: Frank Zappa wrote original music from the mid-60s until he died in 1993. He never sold out to commercialism and always spoke his mind. Zappa was a vocal opponent of media censorship and the so-called "Moral Majority," whose leaders such as Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker were the most insidious money-grabbing hypocrites on the face of the Earth. If Frank Zappa were alive today, he would have a field day with the Mother of All Jerks, Pat Buchanan.

RFester: A hero to me is someone who does what is right regardless of personal consequences. I am neither Republican nor Democrat but I think Jim20 is grinding his own political ax at the expense of Bob Dole. I believe that his service in WWII in Italy fighting facism was heroic. Mr. Dole was truly in the line of fire and by all accounts, behaved heroically. Should Dole try to shed the label? I suggest to JIM 20 that once the press puts a label on someone they are stuck with it and have little choice in the matter. Having said this, I do not intend to villify Mr. Clinton by implication. Without proof to the contrary, I assume that he acted according to his own conscience when called to serve.

My personal hero?

My dad, George, who died three years ago. He worked long hours for short wages--often when he was sick--to take care of his family. Today too many fathers take the easy way out. Thanks for sticking it out, Pop, and making a better life for your three sons.

Now that you've read through the responses, add a few thoughts of your own.