Good post Reg, one thing I feel is important to differentiate between the founding fathers and tibetan lamas is that the latter have a very strong tradition in all lineages of passing things on from master to student going right back to the beginning. It keeps the teachings very alive, and I feel more so than Abe or 'Jeff' Jefferson (sounds like a prog rock star dunnit) can so I feel that they are able to powerfully use the wisdom in fact moreso than other political or spiritual leaders. Tibet for me is where the beliefs and teachings have been truly practised lately, note the difference between how the Dalai Lama responds to China and how Americans respond to acts of aggression from outside. Yes I know that the Tibetans did have uprisings but they were not sanctioned by religion. I think one has to use discriminating wisdom and not lump all of these teachings together that can be confusing and dangerous I'd say.