�White Hats.� The term invokes visions of the heroic �good guys� riding to the rescue, saving shrieking young ladies tied to the railroad tracks, not to mention the obligatory �widders �n orphans� who were being menaced by a crooked landlord or an evil banker. (Although I never understood why didn�t they ever make for a REALLY happy story and just shoot the gawddamn banker?!)
Be that as it may, the �white hats,� like the westerns the term sprung from, aren�t in fashion any more. There are no more Gary Coopers, or Erroll Flynns, Henry Fondas and the like. But that�s okay, because all those �white hats� were larger-than-life fictitous characters. The �white hats� that this section deals with are real-life people. Some of them are heroes of mine. Some of them are friends. Some I have met, and some I haven�t. But, in one way or another, they are all special people to me.
When I first envisioned this section of the site, I had plans of including people like Nelson Mandella and Bishop Desmond Tutu, but I have reconsidered. Both men are very worthy of praise and recognition (how IS it that South Africa has bred such towering giants of peace, humanity, and humility, while so many other countries have such an obvious shortage?) Nevertheless, both men could be (and are) on many lists all around the globe, and there is no need to be redundant. I would much rather highlight the people who are important to me, personally, in one way or another. People who don�t always have the �name recognition� that Mssrs. Mandella and Tutu enjoy, but who are great persons, nonetheless.
This section will grow, as I get the time to add more pages. At the drop of a hat, I could list dozens and dozens of people who belong here, but I will resist the urge. All I WILL say at this point is that the people who are included here ALL belong here� I can hear some of my friends having fits over being included� because this is a section not just for my heroes, but also my friends and �other good folks,� And the chief criterion here is that these people are special to ME. So don�t be embarassed. Think of it as an electronic bouquet.....
