If from all of history, you could meet and "do lunch" (a little California lingo there) with ONE person from all of history, who would it be and why? And (this is the really difficult part), limit it to only ONE. Who would it be?


My choice would be George Washington, and I'd do more of the talking I think. I would like to tell him about what he and his friends started. I read somewhere not long ago that George Washington is the only military ruler in the past 2000 years to willingly give up power to the people. Not sure if that's true or not, but it is something to consider.

So, I'll do lunch with George. How about you? Make your reservations.

FDR & Truman

They both brought the United States out of the Depression & helped us through a deadly war

The framers of the constitution, so I can get them to rewrite the 2nd amendment to avoid confusion.

You guys are cheating! I said "ONE"! That's what makes it difficult. You only have reservations for yourself and ONE guest.

Well, I'd like to pick some great leader or political official, but I'm afraid that when I come back and say, "The founding fathers really meant this or that, you guys would ask me for sources.

So, I'll go with something else.

I'm really into music, so I'd have to say a musician would be at the top. Of course, a lot of the musicians I'd like to meet are still alive like Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Trey Anastasio, Buddy Guy, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Quarkhead, etc.

So, dead musicians. I guess I'd have to go with Jerry Garcia. The guy lead a band for 30 years and inspired millions of people. I think he'd have a few good stories to tell about his long strange trip...

Mike

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.

I'd love to hear his side of things. Find out how he built the 'Semyorka' and sent Gagarin into orbit and what it was like in those cold dark days of the cold war.

Most of all though, I'd like to tell him thank you. He never received the credit he was due, and died all to soon under the hands of an incompetant surgeon. Had he survived, then perhaps the Russians would have made it to the moon as well...

Does Jeremy Shockey count? I would probably want to meet the Buddha.

Ben Franklin, he was said to love to entertain guests at dinner parties. He played the fiddle and supposedly coaxed the likes of even Thomas Jefferson to do a little jig on ocassion. The humor from Poor Richards almanac proves he was a wit, an the accomplishments he made in politics and science mean he was extemely intelligent.

The seems like he would be fun to hang out with.

Saint Peter. I am sure he would have some interesting tales.

Tough call. I think I'd have to go with Artur Rimbaud, one of the world's greatest poets (and an occasional avatar of mine). It'd have to be before he turned twenty, though (when he quit writing to become a mercenary, trader, and gun-runner).

"when I was young and golden,
I thought all I needed was experience
and I could create new colours,
a new god"

I'd probably spend the whole time angling to do more than lunch, but, hey - what are historical fantasies for?

Ok, this one was pretty easy for me.

I'd go kosher and invite Jesus Christ to lunch. Of course, I'd have to ask him to wear a white carnation since no one knows what he looks like

I am not religious, but I do believe he existed on this earth, so he does qualify for this thread, right, Aquilla?

I would ask all the obvious questions and put a lot of debates and, hopefully a lot of world strife, to bed forever (I am ignoring the other possibilities. This is a utopic topic and I am perfectly content being positive about this )

I would probably also try and convince him to join the forum. Although, most of us would probably run him off because he quoted the Bible too often as his sources.

Who better than Jesus Christ himself to answer such great debate questions as Jesus a mortal?, Jesus, a white guy? and we could finally put an end to this thread The "sense" of evolution, Does it make sense, and should we care? once and for all.

I would think so, Jaime. I was wondering if anyone would choose him. We'd make sure you two had a good table with a view and try to seat you next to Mike and Jerry Garcia. That would make for a most fascinating lunch I think.

And they could save on the drinks order - all they'd need is water! Though he'd probably turn it into Manischewitz or Mogen David.

Since we've got the time machine, I'll also assume we've got babelfish as well. So, I would pick Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha. No doubt.

Oh, and Jaime, Jesus certainly wouldn't be quoting from the New Testament! I'd bring a copy and ask him lots of questions about it, though...

Yea, I thought about picking Jesus or Buddha but the why part made me realize I wasn't too committed. Then I thought about meeting a possibly misunderstood person from history like Louis XIV or Ivan the Terrible.

But I decided to leave the cerebral and go for the sensual. I would pick Helen of Troy just to see if her presence would make me want to cause a world war.

That's a tough question, limiting it to one. Sir Winston Churchill. He was a brilliant man of great spirit and rose to the occasion when England needed him. And I've heard so many stories about him from my dad.

As far as Jesus goes, I do want to meet him someday. But I figure it will be when this life is over.

Only one? I would want Jesus, Paul, and all of the Popes so I could watch him chew their butts for distorting his message.