We begin in 1492...

Rudolph Raisin in a lighter moment with Albert Einstein

March 14, 1951

Well, kids, I hope you enjoyed these pictures from the Raisin and Mighty Mikk0mouse family albums. Maybe we can do this again when we hit another milestone. Of course, there would be no milestones without the Raisinettes, and we are eternally grateful to all of you.

Original paintings and photographs:
Santa Maria
Mighty MiguelMouse (Christopher Columbus)
Declaration of Independence
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Spirit of '76
Antietam
Yalta
Harry Truman
Albert Einstein

With his characteristic eloquence and elegance, Lincoln says

Perhaps we have come to the dreadful day of awakening, and the dream is ended.  If so, I am afraid it must be ended forever.  I cannot believe that ever again will men have the opportunity we have had.  Perhaps we should admit that, and concede that out ideals of liberty and equality are decadent and doomed.  I have hear of an eastern monarch who once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence which would be true and appropriate in all times and situations.  They presented him with the word, “And this too shall pass away.”

Had Lincoln’s words ended just where I ended them above, this speech might be remembered as defeatist and depressing—clear evidence of his clinical depression—but Lincoln goes on to say that, as comforting as it might be to say “This too shall pass away,” it is no way to live.  He exhorts the crowd to develop “the natural world that is about us and the intellectual and moral world that is within us” and believe we can make ourselves better.

I’ve been sick this week and have been living in the “this too shall pass” mode, wondering how I might hunker down and let my illness (and all the other mishaps that seem to gather around me) just pass over.  Sometimes, I don’t have the courage or will to do what Lincoln asks and simply want to get to the end of what I’m doing and move on. Completion could easily become the standard for my life.

Yesterday I learned the mood in the United States has dropped 14%.  Please don’t ask me how they measured this statistic or what it means, but I believe something is different with us right now.  The economy has certainly soured and the war in Iraq drained our confidence and initiative, but the malaise runs deeper.  Without a clear goal to pursue, we are left with simply hoping everything passes over.  We’re not practiced at the hard work of extricating ourselves.  We’ve lived so long now practicing comfort and escape.  But we do have extrication to do.

Perhaps I’m only projecting because I’ve felt so ill this week, but I wonder where the gumption of Lincoln has gone. I can hardly imagine either of the major presidential candidates making a statement like Lincoln’s.  To be fair, I doubt Lincoln spoke so candidly in his campaign, but I’m tired of national self-congratulation and the sense that this ship will, with minor adjustments, right itself.  We seem too critical of any candidate who criticizes our nation when what we really need—especially after the last eight years of fairy tales—is critical self-examination.  I'm tired of vapid patriotism. The greatest courage is facing the troubles you’ve fallen into. We've said it so many times before in an empty political way, but this time it seems true—we are at a crossroads.

In Kurt Vonnegut’s Timequake (where I was reminded of Lincoln’s speech), he has Kilgore Trout welcome back free will with the words “You were sick, but now you’re well, and there’s work to do.”

To me, we seem far from well, but we can’t reach that stage without first acknowledging we’re sick.  Once we can say so in the past tense, we can move on.

Hahahaha..!! How cool are those words, huh?

Abraham Lincoln said those words about 150 years ago. And they capture the essence of what it takes to be the best.

I think that that is the state of mind I need to be in right now and the mindset I need to have if I want to presevere and succeed in life.

A Memorial Building was designed by John Russell Pope for the birthplace site of Abraham Lincoln. In 1909 the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt and the building was dedicated in 1911 by William Howard Taft.

Almost a hundred years after Thomas Lincoln moved from Sinking Spring Farm, the log cabin was placed inside the Memorial Building. The Memorial Building features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling, and 16 fence poles, representing Lincoln being the 16th president. There are 56 steps leading up to the building, representing his age at the time of his death.


READ MORE-
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

With hindsight we know how the activities of 1856 played out in history.  We know the path that Abraham Lincoln would take in 1860, based on the formation of a new political party only fours years before.  But as I read "The Case Of Abraham Lincoln" it kept occurring to me that this Abe Lincoln that Fenster writes of was not sure where the events would leave him, or the nation.  That is how all history books should be considered, as the participants in the books are living day to day.  It is only the reader that has the luxury of knowing how it all winds up.  

Julie Fenster, while cramming two large tales into one volume, (a Springfield murder trial, and the birth of the Republican Party) writes so the reader can see the mindset of Lincoln as he ponders where his political life (if he even had one) might lead after only a short stint in Congress.  With skill and forethought Lincoln worked to position himself, and a new political party, for the tumultuous years that were drawing close.  Yet one can sense his wonder about the future, and his hope that he might have one in the new party. 

With this book a more complete picture of Lincoln emerges.  With more books written about Abe than other President one might think there is nothing new to learn.  Fenster proves that wrong as she tell the tales of his months on the road as a circuit traveling lawyer, the cases that he takes, and points out that Lincoln was a unique lawyer in that he took cases only where he believed the client.  She tells of Lincoln playing with his animals and children at home while sprawled for hours on the floor.  Lincoln is even found with an apron on in the kitchen.  There are glimpses of Lincoln here that are tender, while others in the book are very calculating.  All foreshadow the greatness that he embodies which will lead the nation through the Civil War.

Lincoln, Fenster points out, may have been the first person to use 'junk mail', as in 1856 when he had a professional printer provide many copies of a letter for the fall campaign that only needed names and a date.  With his own handwriting that matched exactly the printed copy, he was able to promote his party and candidates in a way that had not been thought of by others at the time.

My only complaint with the book was the fascinating murder trial that will place Lincoln on the side of the defense, might have been a separate work.  With often-bumpy transitions, Fenster writes of what is a truly intriguing murder and the aftermath in Springfield, but then leaves the reader for long stretches as she looks at the formation of the Republican Party.  Both are readable and engrossing subjects, but tend not to blend well at times.

Technorati Tags: AbrahamLincoln, JulieFenster, TheCaseOfAbrahamLincoln,

Well, the first part of that isn't entirely true, but I did spend fifteen months writing a rather long historiographical thesis on Theodore Roosevelt back in college.  In that work I used some of John McCain's campaign rhetoric from early 2000 as evidence of TR's increasing influence amongst politicians of both parties today (I also quoted from BJ's 2000 State of the Union Address where he name-drops TR).  Back in February 2000 McCain unsuccessfully tried to make himself out to be the heir of both TR and Ronald Reagan, and he's trying it again in 2008. 

We can laugh at McCain's "Reaganesque" boasts as shallow and empty, but why's he stuck on TR?  Most people only know a few things about TR: trust-buster, Mt. Rushmore, those teeth, the "Teddy bear," conservation.  Like his Reagan comparison, McCain is being very selective with how he chooses to connect himself to TR:

• TR's domestic policies laid the philosophical foundation for modern "big-government" in his cousin's New Deal two generations later -- not very Reaganesque in my opinion. 
• TR was a "conservationist" not a "preservationist", meaning that TR would have been OK with drilling in ANWAR since the footprint is so small (preservationists, on the other hand, want humans completely out of undeveloped areas).  McCain's still being difficult on that issue.
• TR was described as a "maverick" for bucking the era's MSM by not fitting their typical Republican stereotype.  Yet, TR understood politics, alienated some, but still had most of his party enthusiastic about him and mostly adhered to the party's platform.  No conservative is enthusiastic about McCain and McCain doesn't seem to care -- he's more interested in growing the party 1970s-style by making it resemble the Democrats.  Plus, TR's being a "maverick" eventually led to a party split in 1912 which gave Wilson the presidency.  Why should any self-respecting Republican embrace a maverick like that today?  McCain's obviously being selective here.
• Instead of trying to get along with fractious immigrant groups, TR firmly believed and articulated that "hyphenated Americanism" is un-American and unpatriotic.  McCain wants to coddle 12-15 million illegals and still hasn't proposed making English the official language of government, a highly popular position with the general public.

However, TR had an unabashed pro-American foreign policy like Reagan.  Maybe that's an area where McCain's rhetoric can get away with the comparison.  But don't be fooled!  McCain does not have the clear vision of a Ronald Reagan, nor the vigor or political climate that made TR such an influential politician.  We have a Ford, not a Lincoln; we have a McCain, not a Reagan.

AP photo.  National Photo Collection, Library of Congress.

this is a pikcher of trixie in the front driveway of mama and dadas howse in the mithical land of noo york she thinks she wuz abowt ate munths old in this pikcher and holy cow luk at that hyooj pile of chopd wud in the bakgrownd did abraham linkin liv their or sumthing?????? oh sorry i got distrakted okay mooooving on

as yoo can see trixie wuz verry sad becuz her previus owners had told the pownd all sorts of bad things abowt her like she wuz destruktive and agressiv and jumpd up on peepel nun of wich was troo but stil nobody likes to hav roomers spred abowt them not even dogs

soon mama and dada introdoosd tucker to his new foster sister i think this is wot the mooveez refer to as "meeting kyoot" but as yoo can see he imediatly started beeing obnokshus he just cant help it however trixie wuz verry induljent probly becuz she didnt want to go bak to the pownd sum things are even wurse than an obnokshus brother

hay luk mama and dadas old howse was made owt of logs now i am shoor abraham linkin must have livd their!!!!!

wunse introdukshuns wer owt of the way trixie started chaysing tucker all arownd the yard unforchoonatly she has yet to catch him even after all theez yeerz

by the end of the day tucker and trixie were the best of frends and thats the way it has stayd ever sinse well until i came along ennyway now im tuckers best frend ha ha ok bye

Geez. If this keeps up, Printeresting is going to have to assign a full-time writer to the presidential campaign. More political print/graphics in the news, this time in Boston. Ron English and Gallery XIV legally posted giant prints featuring an image of an Obama/Lincoln hybrid portrait. The comparison to Lincoln is not an entirely new one though this is the first time I've seen a literal juxtaposition of their two faces. The effect is somewhat jarring. From the Boston Globe...

English said he was born and raised in Illinois and is an Obama supporter. He said he wanted the image to serve as a springboard for conversation about Obama's candidacy. "I believe Obama will take up Lincoln's challenge of uniting the country," English wrote. "This is the most excited I've ever been about a presidential candidate and I'm looking for ways that I can contribute as an artist and a citizen." Some say the comparisons between Obama and Lincoln only go so far. 

That last sentence is pretty funny.

The street installation has created controversy with neighborhood businesses and residents largely because of the influx of English fans, a number of whom have done some of their own illegal postings of the images around town. This brings up the issue raised in the last Obamagraphics post, namely, whether or not artists making propaganda without campaign oversight help or hurt the cause. Does Obama take flack for English's zealous endorsement? Is any publicity good publicity?

(Thanks to RL for the links/story)

I've often thought that one of the best ways for Republicans to attack Obama is by setting the expectations for him absurdly high; by wearing people out with talk of Obama representing the second coming of Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., because this may lead to an eventual backlash.

This morning I overheard my room mates' TV set which was tuned into MSNBC's Morning Joe. That sneaky bastard Scarborough was talking and he said something to the effect of: "...there you have it folks, Barack Obama is Abraham Lincoln."

I missed the context of Scarborough's statement but he may have been talking about the above mural project which is causing bit of controversy in Boston. The 13 foot tall Obama-as-Lincoln graphics were created by a famous street artist named Ron English (official website here.)

Barack Obama is a talented, capable, intelligent man, with the right message for this moment in history.

But street art aside, Obama is not this country's next Abraham Lincoln. Nor, for that matter, is he a 21st century Dr King. 

Draw comparisons in theme, tone, style and substance.  Talk about how Obama has benefitted from the inspirational giants who came before him. But it remains to be seen if he has the moral courage within to justify being viewed as either of those two men's successors. 

Related:

RFK, OBAMA, AND HOW BOB DYLAN IS ALWAYS RIGHT

YOUR TIME IN THE SUN: OBAMA v RFK

The Nationals are in need of some home cooking after a brutal week which netted as many devastating injuries as team victories. For loyal Nats fans, it seems like an eternity since Nationals Park was packed and rocking for the team's last home series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Regular readers don't need to be reminded that this is Abe Lincoln's T-shirt Tuesday. The first 10,000 fans to enter Nationals Park on Tuesday will receive a free Washington Nationals Abraham Lincoln T-Shirt. Given his recent record, it's doubtful that Abe needs any help to win the presidents race, but it should be noted that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson won on their free t-shirt nights, so the pressure is now squarely on Abe.

The homsetand will also feature Friday night fireworks, Hispanic Heritage night, and another free movie Saturday night after the game on the Nationals Park HD scoreboard. As for the presidents race, it's hard to imagine how our racing presidents could top the excitement of the last homestand. After a week that featured kangaroos, president-on-president violence, sabotage, grudge matches, and an "unsanctioned" victory by Teddy Roosevelt, it was good to get a week off. I'm assuming that Teddy has gotten over it as well and will not be working with the grounds crew on Tuesday.

Photo by flickr member jsmjr

 About 3 months ago I promised to write this little post. I had decided to forego it in light of the fact I was deciding to quit blogging for a spell. With my new energy [maybe a slightly manic spell] I put forth some effort to write like the old, dusty men who ran this country years ago. My apologies to them and their words of wisdom. Hopefully you can stand the preachiness and understand the subtle ways I dismiss certain ideas that have operated during the past few years. The [Block Text] in bold is not to be read.

[History of our Country’s Patriotism]
The time was mid-summer, 1776. A powerful nation stood as an insurmountable barrier to the prosperity and operation of a 170-year old colony of thirteen, then divided. The previous decade had seen tumultuous and dangerous circumstances rule the day. No one felt free; and the far away King did not listen. Crisis was assured.

The wisest course of action would have been to accept the situation as is: to not infuriate and throw off the mighty government that held sway; to give up in the darkest hours of a fledgling Nation under haphazard leadership; to deny the Dream of Peace, Prosperity and Freedom. But our Forefathers determined that it was a time to break those bonds and strike a new accord. To declare it could do better and should be free to design its future.

In our 232 years as a Nation hence, we the people have forged an everlasting union to the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence. That we shall evince an equitable design for all Man to see; to make Freedom our truest value; that a single Proclamation can change the Course of human events; and that all Men shall be Equal under God Almighty.

In those same 232 years, we have past through trying times and evolved through the world events and the ingenuity of Man, of America. That even in conflict, we reached for the same founding ideals, the same credos, the same hope to guide us to a better day and build upon the unshakeable foundation we shall never succumb, and never allow to be compromised.

We are the generation of settlers born out of Plymouth Rock. We are the Puritans and Lutherans. We are the merchants, the farmers, the toilers in the trades. We are the writers and founders of American Independence. We are the Natives of this land. We are the downtrodden and the dreamers. The Immigrants of Europe, Asia and Africa. We are the Gilded Age, the voices of tired laborers, wounded soldiers, Western prairie settlers and the caregivers in times of war, and of peace. We are survivors of Two World Wars. The people of the hardest times, The Great Depression. The Boomers who came after them. We also bore witness to a hidden war; we bare witness now to a nation still divided by color, creed and disproportionate prosperity since Vietnam. And we continue to forge ahead; through crises, and the completion of our inspired mission.

We have also found fellowship in our mutual belief in humanity. The cause of designing a new Nation. The dreams of our fathers and mothers. And the sacrifices of our sons and daughters made time and time again. This hearty experiment in Democracy, which has spread to the far reaches of the Earth, has been buttressed on the unfettered and unquenchable fire of liberty burning in the bellies of the American people. We are all responsible for its existence.

[Challenges of the past eight years]
As we take stock of our most recent events, the designs and desires of various masters, it is best to separate ourselves from that, and those, that have done us greatest harm by understanding our needs for Justice must not be at the price of our Principles. As President Kennedy intoned: “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.” [Amherst College, Oct. 26, 1963.]

Our nation’s power comes from an abiding strength in it, and the wise frugality of its use; but also the knowledge that the repository of our power is vast, and can be unleashed with rapidity. To garner Justice we will do whatever it takes without hesitation. In the use of such power we will employ that which will protect us, and keep us Free as our Forefathers rightfully designed. But the Poetry of America is to decree Our Rights are sacrosanct; untouchable by foreign and alien ideologies. We shall prevail over all enemies with our adamant poetry and our indomitable spirit. Our Security will be eyed clearly; under a will, resolute; and our Nation shall carry forth a strong message to all that would seek to do us harm. But our everlasting American spirit is promote Justice in our relationships; cultivate peace and harmony; and to seek out prosperous alliances iron bound in fairness.

[The present & future agenda]
Within the boundaries of this great Nation, lie incalculable resources and an innovative spirit yet untapped. America’s necessity always breeds American innovation. It runs in the blood of all of us. That is why in our present environmental and energy confinements there are opportunities to grow beyond the dogmas of the past, which lack the ability to confront the stormy present. That is why we will beat back our future’s most perilous foe, that of economic instability from scant energy sources, before the year 2020. Hindsight will see this day, this moment, as the point where America decided on the best course to free ourselves from a five-score dependence on fossil fuels. But it is that greatest resource of all, our ingenuity in the face of greatest peril, which will win the day.

We will also forge a new path to make it possible for all Americans to survive in the worst of unforeseen circumstances: that of ill health and debilitating hospital stays. Our government has often succeeded in giving a hand to those less fortunate in the worst of times. To create jobs; to revitalize the markets; to make a New Deal for Americans. It is time to do the same for the sick and unable to pay their medical bills. As we are all too aware, our personal health is at the foundation of our economic vitality. Nearly 20% of our economy is tied to deterioration of health. But with this enormous price, one-fifth of America cannot continue to achieve greater prosperity. It is vital that we address this shortcoming before my first term is out. Achieve a balanced solution that gives the best care at the lowest possible cost. And utilize again the best minds and opportunities to achieve universal healthcare in America.

More measures will be taken to secure our Nation’s future. We will not lock out those who desire access to the promise and prosperity of America, but we will not allow foreign passage to make a mockery of our laws. We will forcefully hold our sovereignty by the standards laid in the Constitution of the United States of America. We will hold clear and open discussions about the legitimate right to seek legal asylum in this great nation and remedy those that are here all ready under inauspicious terms.

We will reinvest in our educational systems; build better, and up-to-date transit systems; and make fair the tax laws and legal precedents of America, for all Americans. Yes we can reach for the stars and fill our breadbaskets. We can reconstitute an age of volunteerism, building infrastructure and homes and levies so they will not break. We shall make a promise to assist those in need and ask only they put their best foot forward. We can and shall help our Veterans who toiled bravely thousands of miles from their homes so that our streets and towns can remain prosperous and free.

[The greatness of America harnessed again]
We can do this all with the humble sacrifice and the forceful temerity that bore our Forefathers so well in their most trying times. It is the nature and depth of their sacrifice that brought us to this auspicious moment as the greatest Nation on the face of this Earth. A Nation that shall not perish with the undoubted sacrifices made by those that properly ask what they can do for this country in continuing to make it a Nation for the People, by the People and of the People.

God Bless America!

Ideas from Kennedy, FDR, Lincoln and Washington are included in the passages. Apologies for my butchering of them...

2. Did you know ...in 1876, Abraham Lincoln's body was almost the victim of a grave robbing plot? Unbelievably, it's true. On November 7, 1876, election night in the United States, the plot was launched. A gang of professional counterfeiters working out of central Illinois had recently lost one of their key engravers. Ben Boyd, to prison. It was the intention of the gang to steal Lincoln's body, stuff it in a sack, drive it to Indiana and bury it in the sand dunes. They would then ransom the corpse back to the country for $200,000.00 along with the prison release of Boyd. Unfortunately for the counterfeiters, a Secret Service informer had infiltrated the gang and was actually sent with the two grave robbers assigned to steal the body. The night was dark and quiet. They cut the padlock from the iron door and entered the tomb. The men pried the top off the marble sarcophagus and attempted to lift the heavy coffin from it. Due to the weight of the casket, they were only able to move it about 15" or so. The men instructed the informant to go and bring the horse drawn cart to them. After he left, he doubled back and signaled a group of waiting Secret Service agents hiding on the grounds. The two grave robbers had stepped out of the tomb for air, spotted the agents surrounding the tomb and escaped. However, the agents guessed where to find the two men and arrested them the next day.

There a many detailed articles about the event on the internet. One essay by Thomas R. Turner can be found at http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jala/29.1/turner.html.

3. Did you know ... that four soldiers of the Veteran Reserve Corps were assigned the duty of springing the traps that hung the Lincoln conspirators?

The conspirators stood on two separate hinged platforms which were each supported by one vertical heavy wooden post. Stationed below the platform were four soldiers assigned to knock these posts out. On a signal from executioner Christian Rath, the posts were knocked out, thus springing the traps. Reports differ as to how many soldiers actually did the deed (two or four). As you can see from the photo by Alexander Gardner, four soldiers are present beneath the gallows. The soldier at the front left, leaning on the post is Corporal WIlliam Coxshall. At the time of the photo Coxshall, who was impatiently waiting for the formal process on the scaffold to end, stated the following. "I became nauseated, what with the heat and waiting, and taking hold of the supporting post, I hung on and vomited".

In an engraving (below) from Harper's Weekly dated July 22, 1865, two soldiers, not four are shown dislodging the posts. So the actual number seems to conflict. Do you know the answer to this question?

Best

Barry

outreach@awesometalks.com

From a Video Script Produced by Patrick S. J. Carmack

Directed by Bill Still
Royalty Production Company 1998

[QUOTE]
One month after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the first shots of the American Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina on April 12,1861. …

Certainly slavery was a cause for the Civil War, but not the primary cause. Lincoln knew that the economy of the South depended upon slavery and so (before the Civil War) he had no intention of eliminating it. Lincoln had put it this way in his inaugural address only one month earlier:

“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it now exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”

Even after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, Lincoln continued to insist that the Civil War was not about the issue of slavery:

“My paramount objective is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it.”

So what was the Civil War all about? There were many factors at play. Northern industrialists had used protective tariffs to prevent their southern states from buying cheaper European goods. Europe retaliated by stopping cotton imports from the South. The Southern states were in a financial bind. They were forced to pay more for most of the necessities of life while their income from cotton exports plummeted. The South grew ncreasingly angry.

But there were other factors at work. … The central bankers now saw an pportunity to use the North/South divisions to split the rich new nation - t divide and conquer by war. Was this just some sort of wild conspiracy theory? Well, let’s look at what a well placed observer of the scene had to say at time.

This was Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany, the man who united the German states in 1871. A few years later, in 1876, he is quoted as saying:

“It is not to be doubted, I know of absolute certainty,” Bismarck declared, “that the division of the United States into two federations of equal power was decided long before the Civil War by the high financial powers of Europe. These bankers were afraid that the United States, if they remained as one block and were to develop as one nation, would attain economic and financial independence, which would upset the capitalist domination of Europe over the world.”

Within months after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, the central bankers loaned Napoleon III of France (the nephew of the Waterloo Napoleon) 210 million francs to seize Mexico and station troops along the southern border of the U.S., taking advantage of the Civil War to violate the Monroe Doctrine and return Mexico to colonial rule.

No matter what the outcome of the Civil War, it was hoped that a war-weakened America, heavily indebted to the Money Changers, would open up Central and South America once again to European colonization and domination.

At the same time, Great Britain moved 11,000 troops into Canada and positioned them along America’s northern border. The British fleet went on war alert should their quick intervention be called for.

Lincoln knew he was in a bind. He agonized over the fate of the Union. There was a lot more to it than just differences between the North and the South. That’s why his emphasis was always on “Union” and not merely the defeat of the South. But Lincoln needed money to win.

In 1861, Lincoln and his Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, went to New York to apply for the necessary war loans. The Money Changers, anxious to maximize their war profits, only offered loans at 24-36% interest. Lincoln said thanks, but no thanks, and returned to Washington. He sent for an old friend, Colonel Dick Taylor of Chicago, and put him onto the problem off financing the War. At one particular meeting, Lincoln asked Taylor how else to finance the war. Taylor put it this way:

“Why, Lincoln, that is easy; just get Congress to pass a bill authorizing the printing of full legal tender treasury notes… pay your soldiers with them and go ahead and win your war with them also.”

When Lincoln asked if the people of the United States would accept the notes, Taylor said:

“The people or anyone else will not have any choice in the matter, if you make them full legal tender. They will have the full sanction of the government and be just as good as any money … the stamp of full legal tender by the Government is the thing that makes money good any time, and this will always be as good as any other money inside the borders of our country. ”

So that’s exactly what Lincoln did. From 1862 to 1865, with Congressional authorization, he printed up $432,000,000 of the new bills.

In order to distinguish them from private bank notes in circulation, he had them printed with green ink on the back side. That’s why the notes were called “Greenbacks.” With this new money, Lincoln paid the troops, and bought their supplies. During the course of the war, nearly all of the 450 million dollars of Greenbacks authorized by Congress were printed at no interest to the federal government.

By now Lincoln realized who was really pulling the strings and what was at stake for the American people. … This is how he explained his monetary views:

“The Government should create, issue, and circulate all the currency and credit needed to satisfy the spending power of the Government and the buying power of consumers… The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of Government, but it is the Government’s greatest creative opportunity… By the adoption of these principles, the long-felt want for a uniform medium will be satisfied. The taxpayers will be saved immense sums of interest. The financing of all public enterprises, and the conduct of the Treasury will become matters of practical administration. Money will cease to be master and become the servant of humanity.”

Meanwhile in Britain a truly incredible editorial in the London Times explained the Bank of England’s attitude towards Lincoln’s Greenbacks.

“If this mischievous financial policy, which has its origin in North America, shall become indurate down to a fixture, then the Government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous without precedent in the history of the world. The brains, and wealth of all countries will go to North America. That country must be destroyed or it will destroy every monarchy on the globe.”

Keep in mind, by this time the European monarchs were already chained to their private central banks, hence the bankers’ concern to preserve their captive monarchs. Within four days of the passage of the law that allowed Greenbacks to be issued, bankers met in convention in Washington to discuss the situation. It was agreed that Greenbacks would surely be their ruin. Something had to be done. They devised a scheme gradually to undermine the value of the Greenbacks.

Seemingly unimportant limitations on the use of Greenbacks (printed on the green back), insisted on by the bankers, forbidding their use to pay import duties and interest on the public debt, were utilized by the banks to slap a surcharge on Greenbacks of up to 185%. This undermined the confidence of the people in Greenbacks and necessitated further concessions to the bankers to obtain more, discounted as the Greenbacks now were.

This scheme was effective - so effective that the next year, 1863, with Federal and Confederate troops beginning to mass for the decisive battle of the Civil War, and the Treasury in need of further Congressional authority at that time to issue more Greenbacks, Lincoln gave in to the pressure, which he described:

“They persist, they have argued me almost blind - I am worse off than St. Paul. He was in a strait between two. I am in a strait between twenty and they are bankers and financiers.”

Lincoln allowed the bankers to push through the National Banking Act of 1863 in exchange for their support for the urgently needed additional Greenbacks. This act created “National Banks” (hence the N.A. still in use after National banks’ names) and gave them a virtual tax-free status. The new banks also got the exclusive power to create the new form of money - National Bank Notes. Though Greenbacks continued to circulate, their quantity was limited and no more were authorized after the war.

[END QUOTE]

The ones who REALLY pull the strings in politics are the ones who pull the PURSE strings. Sharon, Bush, Blair and their ilk are merely puppets. The REAL tyrants - the Mammonites, the Plutocrats, the gazillionaires – almost always remain nameless!

Courtesy Ardeshir Mehta and togethernet

A Memorial Building was designed by John Russell Pope for the birthplace site of Abraham Lincoln. In 1909 the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt and the building was dedicated in 1911 by William Howard Taft.

Almost a hundred years after Thomas Lincoln moved from Sinking Spring Farm, the log cabin was placed inside the Memorial Building. The Memorial Building features 16 windows, 16 rosettes on the ceiling, and 16 fence poles, representing Lincoln being the 16th president. There are 56 steps leading up to the building, representing his age at the time of his death.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site

So here is a filler comic that prepared earlier, about a former American President who has led the public to believe he is either dead or trapped inside an imposing statue of himself in stasis for over a century.

You will be left today only with the imposing bust of the great Emancipator (or as I like to think of him, the great Imposernator) reminding you to

"Drive safely, and carry a big stick!!"

buuuuuuut I think he might just be confusing himself with Teddy Roosevelt. How do I tell him without hurting his feelings!? :/

A link to further Theodore Roosevelt quotations? Thank you, the wide and bewildering world of the internets! You have once again saved my relationship with a former world leader! Good day and good night.

News and links:

There is a photo caption on this news page that says "Amazing scenes of enormous Mass", which was amusing for a few moments before the harsh, grim reality of life reasserted itself. :)

Anybody with any interest at all in gaming, like Morbidiculous certainly CLAIMS to have, knows that E3 is currently taking place. So to continue giving a feeble impression that we do, here is the latest coverage from Kotaku, Gamespot, N4G, and 1UP.

And thankfully, Games Radar is currently doing a special weekly feature on... the booth "babes" at the convention. Which is great, because I was just wondering if they could go one day without using the word "sexy" as a noun and making me feel ashamed and embarassed to ever label myself a gamer!

Um, whoops. Freudian slip! I meant to say IT'S GIRILLS LOL AM I IRATE RIGHT GUYS

According to published reports from the day of the Lincoln conspirator hangings on July 7, 1865, at least two, if not three of the executed, did not die cleanly (immediately). In fact, David E. Herald suffered for a short time while Lewis Powell (aka Paine) took several minutes to die. Did the hangman, Captain Christian Rath of the Seventeenth Michigan Infantry, First Division, Ninth Corps, do his best even though it resulted in a questionable outcome? Or did Rath know exactly what he was doing and spitefully adjusted the ropes improperly to ensure that the victims suffered harshly for their crimes! 

One could argue that professional hangmen do not always make the correct decisions in carrying out their duties and as a result, the condemned can unintentionally experience agonizing deaths. In America, during the time of the Civil War, a "short drop" was used as the standard in hanging. This would involve a drop of 4 to 6 feet regardless of the height or weight of the criminal. England would later develop the "long drop", where precise calculations of the criminal's height and weight would be made to determine the appropriate distance of the drop. According to the article "Hanged by the Neck Until You Are Dead" at http://www.geocities.com/trctl11/hanging.html "A standard drop of 5 feet was used for the Lincoln conspirators despite significant weight variations".

What factors can be attributed to Rath's performance on the scaffold on that hot July day? Considering that 3 out of 4 hangings appear to have been mishandled (75%), it is easy to become suspicious about the results. The first question to ask is whether Rath was a competent or experienced hangman?  Whether yes or no, the appearance of potential sabotage is raised.

The second question is more 'conspiracy based' and eludes to a more sinister motive. Could Rath have intentionally manipulated the event, shortening the ropes to the detriment of the victims? Given the mood of the day and the outright blood lust to avenge both Lincoln's assassination and to punish the South for the war, it is plausible that this scenario is possible. Perhaps Rath, acting alone, or on orders from his commanders or government officials, ensured that some, if not all, of the conspirators experienced difficult deaths. In particular, Lewis Powell and David E. Herald, who were directly involved in the attack on Secretary of State William Seward, suffered the most on the gallows.

In the end, it's all conjecture but makes for an interesting discussion/debate. My personal belief is that the hangings were appropriately arranged based on the knowledge and standard of the day. Please feel free to add your input and opinions. If you have more accurate information, please include your references for all to review.

I look forward to hearing from you on this subject.

Best

Barry

outreach@awesometalks.com

Where a measured drop is used, it takes between a quarter and a third of a second for a person to reach the end of the rope after the trap opens. The force produced by the prisoner's body weight multiplied by the length of fall and the force of gravity, coupled with the position of the knot is designed to cause a virtually instant fracture-dislocation of the neck which leads to death by comatose asphyxia. Typically brain death will occur in around 3-6 minutes and whole body death within 5-15 minutes.
The cause of death is still asphyxia but the condemned person is deeply unconscious at the time due to dislocation of the cervical vertebrae and the crushing or separation of the spinal cord. The face may come engorged and then cyanosed and the tongue may protrude. Some slight movements of the limbs and body may occasionally occur and are attributed to spinal reflexes. The prisoner may urinate and/or defecate as their muscles relax. The heart can continue to beat for as long as 25 minutes after the drop.

Does the prisoner feel pain after the drop?
Obviously no one can be sure but it is generally held that if they do feel pain, it is only during the instant that their neck is broken.
The witnessed hangings of WestleyAllan Dodd (see above) in Washington and Billy Bailey in Delaware did not indicate any obvious signs of conscious suffering.
It is probable that many people blackout as they fall through the trap and are already unconscious before they reach the end of the drop.
However, according to Harold Hillman, a British physiologist who has studied executions, "the dangling person probably feels cervical pain, and suffers from an acute headache, as a result of the rope closing off the veins of the neck. It had been generally assumed that fracture-dislocation of the neck causes instantaneous loss of sensation. Sensory pathways from below the neck are ruptured, but the sensory signals from the skin above the noose and from the trigeminal nerve may continue to reach the brain until hypoxia blocks them".
In the opinion of Dr. Cornelius Rosse, the chairman of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Washington School of Medicine, the belief that fracture of the spinal cord causes instantaneous death is wrong in all but a small fraction of cases.

END.

Now, as you can see (or maybe you can't), I've arrived at the Dale/Huntingburg exit on I-64 in southwestern Indiana.  This used to be a favored stopping point of mine on trips to Terre Haute, Vincennes, etc.  There was a gas station here and a convenience store.   I haven't been through here in some time, so I don't know what's there now...but there used to always be construction at this exit.  Anyway, now for your Dale factoid:

Founded in 1843, Dale was originally called Elizabeth and was renamed for Robert Dale Owen of New Harmony, the town's congressman at the time.  Actress Florence Henderson of "The Brady Bunch" was born in Dale and President Abraham Lincoln was raised on a nearby farm.  His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is buried on that farm site.  As well, there is only one stop-light in Dale.

So there you go.  I finally made it to someplace that had something interesting going on.  Of course, it'll probably be another 75 miles before I get something else interesting.

In other news, yea though I bemoan the fact that I have not been running, my biking prowess has increased.  Over the course of the weekend, I put 35 miles on the bike.  My butt is killing me and the rest of my body aches, but it was some gorgeous weather in which to ride.  Also, for TAFKAA and SV of Northpeak...we did some hills on those rides and training is slow, but it's coming along.  The pics look great by the way.

I've also been meaning to get some pics of me in my bike gear because I know that you of the InterTubes and Webranet are dying to see them. Maybe soon I'll have a photo shoot and get some shots of me decked out in my bike regalia.

Check out the movie review page as it has been updated heavily.  Everything else...not so much.

See you in the funny papers!

Then comes the saying in our hearts "Let the games begin, if he wants it this way then i'll give it to him". More often than not we end up hurting ourselves in the process. We are better of talking out our differences with our perceived enemies than trying to use force. Even as the saying goes "action speak louder than words" why don't we just repay all bad actions against us with good ones. This is a more effective way of doing so.

As Abraham Lincoln said once " I destroy my enemies by making them friends"

Take this advice

CIAO!!!!

"Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother"

“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”

"Education is not just sitting in a schoolhouse. Education is learning, and that can be done anytime and anywhere -- as long as the mind is willing."

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go"

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.
I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."

"I fear explanations explanatory of things explained."

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to men.
All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

So, I posted the video on here.

A day or so later I received a comment from a lady whom I do not even know. She blasted the video out of the water - it was sacrilegious. Had the message come from a family member or friend, I may have let it slide, but since this was an unknown, uninvited individual, in my typical, sharp tongued response, I responded. The following day she wrote, "I hope you burn in hell."

Well, I guess she will only know her wish has come true once she checks me off the list when I arrive.

Last week, while walking through Chicago, we were waiting on a corner stop light to change, and a car cut in front of another car, upsetting the driver who was cut off. The woman who was cut off began screaming obscenities out her window, flipping off the offender, and as she pulled away on the back of her car was the metallic "fish symbol" and a bumper sticker that read, "God is my co-pilot." There was also another bumper sticker with the name and address of what I am assuming was where she attended church. In the back seat, were three children, one in an infant seat.

So where does one begin to comment on such an observation?

Well, my first thought was, "If God is your co-pilot, was he crawling under the dash from embarrassment?" After all, she had strung together a line of profanity that would have made the nastiest sailor blush.

Oh, and why is it only people can "cuss like a sailor"? I have known several air force friends here in Dayton who cuss, but we never say, "he cusses like an air force captain!" Or if you ever knew my neighbor in Elwood (Nick), who, with a pipe clenched between his teeth could mutter a string to make George Carlin (RIP) proud...

Last Tuesday, my good friend, Christi, and I were chatting after her children's lessons. I met Christi and her family when I was director of music at Normandy United Methodist Church in 1996. Christi was not in the music program itself, but I directed her husband and children in several shows, and was just always drawn to Christi's spirit.

Christi is a year older than me, and still has a marvelous sense of youth. I finally decided that it was not an element of youth, but more so, a deep rooted sense of happiness, and internal understanding. Christi knows her self, and realizes that we are always in the process of changing as we grow. Christi has a fantastic sense of self that offers her so much freedom - and I love that freedom she possesses.

Christi is not at all about making physical impressions, but you can believe she will make an inspiring impression. I have observed her meeting new people - especially students and families here in my home during lessons - and she makes a sincere, thorough attempt to know the new faces and engage them in conversation. One mother commented, "She always makes me feel so good about my self when I leave your house."

That's Christi.

Christi would never go on to someone's blog and write rude, distasteful comments concerning something with which she disagreed. In fact, she would find something positive to say.

And I could imagine Christi, had she been the driver in which someone cut in front on a busy street, Christi would probably say, "Well, that person has a reason, or an emergency and needs to be ahead of me. Please God, deliver them safely to their destination."

I have many friends of many religious faiths - Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Latter Day Saints, Christian Science, and Baha'i. I have several wonderful friends who belong to no religious order, yet they possess all the wonderful qualities of those who do practice organized religion. Although Christi is Christian, her great faith is not ruled by doctrine, nor prejudice that often accompanies specific religions.

When I think of God, I think of Christi, and when I think of Christi, I think of God. Christi does not seem to live a doctrinal faith as much as she seems to live with God, always. Love is her bottom line. And Christi seems to practice this, both intentionally, and unintentionally. Love is just a part of Christi.

Tuesday evening, we were discussing how some individuals claim Christianity, but yet, are some of the most cruel hearted, and vicious people out there. Christi said, rather matter of fact, but with a degree of true sadness, "Sometimes, Christians can be some of the meanest people..."

I have seen this over and over.

I once was director of music at a church where the pastoral staff was involved in inappropriate behaviors of all natures - sexual affairs, lying, manipulative, shifting of funds, and other pathetic behaviors that were far from Christ-like behaviors - or appropriate behaviors in general. Yet, church councils, and a majority of the parishioners simply turned their heads to the inappropriate behaviors.

I can remember growing up in church and observing people during church. Since our family frequently joined other church families for various gatherings, I also observed an entirely different side - one that was disturbing.

At age 12, I chose not to join the Methodist church through confirmation. One Sunday morning, we arrived at church later than usual, and the congregation was in an uproar. The evening before, Carol Burnette and Company had an episode with "Eunice & Mamma" and our congregation believed Ms. Burnette's program was making fun of religion. We had watched it, and I remember my grandmother stating she saw nothing wrong with the episode. The gentleman in front of us said that his family would never watch the Carol Burnette Show ever again. I turned and asked if we could still watch the program, and the gentleman turned and commanded, "You better not!"

Hmmm...

I sat there, stewing. I was furious that someone else told me I could not do something. Mother, and my grandparents - who were a also a tremendous influence in my life - not only provided, but encouraged me to adopt a strong sense of studying my options, or choices. Never would they have said, "You cannot watch Carol Burnette!" Never did they say, "You should not listen to your 8-Track tape of Jesus Christ, Superstar or Godspell." And when I played the roles of Jesus and Joseph, I don't believe anyone was offended, and in some ways, those productions could be considered blasphemous.

When it came time to go to confirmation that night, my grandfather, who could have gotten very sour over my decision to not continue with confirmation, asked why. I explained my reasons. Rather than getting all pissy, as he could so easily do, he smiled and said, "I understand completely. I only ask this - if you never ever decide to join a church as a member, or even attend church, I do hope you will always walk with God."

And 32 years later, I am still walking with God. I cannot buy into any particular doctrine, especially when certain religions believe their way is the only way. In college, I heard campus ministers claim, over and over, that if you did not believe in Christ you would burn in hell. I never heard any of my Buddhist, or Jewish friends say, "If you don't believe in our God, you will be consumed by the flames of hell."

About two years ago, I was asked to give a sermon on Lincoln since that particular Sunday fell on President Lincoln's birthday. The whole point was, "Was Lincoln a Christian?" In all the evidence on Lincoln, it is generally believed he did not buy into any particular religion, and stated that he would join the church with the words carved over the altar, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, heart, soul and strength." My final conclusion was that Lincoln "may not have been a technical Christian," as indicated by his wife, but rather, "Lincoln was most certainly Christ-like." (And I am still grateful to my friend, Jeff Carter for guiding me to that conclusion!)

Disciple means "to teach." A derivative is "discipline." We discuss this in the pre-adoptive training classes when I teach the discipline unit. When I think of Christ, I think of this tremendous human being who brought light into the dark lives of many. Where the Old Testament seemed to promote so many "don't's" - Christ was all about the "do's" in life - do love one another, do love God, do help one another, do help those less fortunate..."  If there were any "dont's" in his message it was "don't discriminate."

Christi punched this particular item around last Tuesday. Christ did not discriminate. The fellow loved everyone. He dined with those who were ostracized by political or religious establishments, he touched those others abandoned, and there did not seem to be any one not worthy of receiving his love and attention. Christ was not mean. Even when persecuted, he was still loving and forgiving.

And this also describes Christi!

We attended one church, and although I do not buy into the doctrine, I do love the familiar hymns, the sense of community, and the values that help support what I teach my own sons. My youngest son is at the age where some teenagers question - which is fine. In our house, if you question something, you must seek answers, or research your question. You must support your reasons for questioning. However, we both agreed that we wanted to take a sabbatical from organized religion. He belongs to a wonderful youth group that is all about spirituality, not doctrine, and he is expressly interested in this component - as am I.

Our decision happened to fall when we were incredibly busy with percussion ensemble season, show choir contests, and my own illness. For a while, people from church would send emails stating they missed us. Then the emails changed to "where are you?" There are a few who will send messages, or jokes, but for the most part, we have been written off. One person, with whom I continued to send jokes, responded a few weeks ago with "since you cannot come to church please don't send me any future emails."

Hmmm....

I did not entertain that email as "mean," but it did open up some other avenues for thought. It seemed to touch upon a sense of possessiveness I had not really observed before, but now looking back, all the churches with which I have been involved have had an air of possessiveness. The goal seems to be on building membership, tithing and apportionment's for the denominational hierarchy, and claiming lost sheep in the name of Christ. When my childhood church was irked over Carol Burnette, there was even a possessive mind set of controlling what we watched on television. When in college, I received a letter from my home church stating I should sign a petition and avoid seeing The Last Temptation of Christ. When I did not respond, I received a telephone call in my dorm room - from the same person who told me I was not to watch Carol Burnette! For those who know me well, imagine my reaction!

I saw The Last Temptation of Christ. What is more, I saw it with the pastor of the Lutheran Church where I was director of music! He and I both agreed it was art, and that should a person be shaken in their faith from seeing the movie, their faith may not have been on the right track.

Later when I saw the gentleman from church, I told him of my experience watching the movie I was to boycott... he shook his head and walked away. Nearly twenty years later, he was still avoiding me at my grandfather's funeral.

I had one Christian friend who admonished me because I allow my son to watch Family Guy!

Hell, I watch it, too. This same friend loves The Simpsons - though milder than Family Guy, it still contains some eye openers. I assured my friend that before I watched Family Guy, I never missed a program with Jimmy Swaggart... she had nothing else to say.  Of course, this same person indicated I could not be a good Christian because I supported Hilary Clinton for the Democratic candidate for president.

I don't consider this particular person "mean," just misguided by her religious instruction - but not her faith.

I also had a friend shame me because I like Rosie O'Donnell. I was coached that I should not like her because she is Lesbian, and because she is so outspoken.

Lesbian? Wasn't Danny Thomas one? [insert chuckle, here].

And outspoken?

A lot of people are... Rev. Jesse Jackson is outspoken - and wasn't he a bit un-Christian this week with his comments about Obama??? Isn't JJ a Christian? Rev. Al Sharpton is outspoken. But this friend could not believe I supported Rosie!

Well, Rosie adopts kids, I adopt kids. Rosie is big with adoption, I am big with adoption. Rosie does a lot of great things that do not receive press recognition. Good for her! Now, this friend who does not like Rosie is always certain her works for the hungry/homeless, her contributions at church, her contributions at her children's school always receives recognition. In programs for Victoria, Schuster Center, or other area arts related products, her name is always listed as a contributer. Rosie receives recognition, too, but there are a number of things she does that go unnoticed.

Bravo!

Besides... who I prefer as politicians, or celebrities is still my choice, and well, my business.

What I shared with Christi the other evening was my growing concern for this "shoot to kill" attitude with some Christians. If a person is not Christian, they are often considered "evil." In this current election, religion played way too much a part of the concerns. I truly do not care the denomination to which a politician belongs. Throughout our history, we have had a variety of denominations living in the White House, or serving in other arenas in our government. And I am sure we have had leaders claiming a denomination without even practicing.

In 1960, my great-grandfather changed his political affiliation because the Democratic party nominated a Catholic! Was my great-grandfather mean? Hell no! Virgil Barmes was one of the most loving, adorable people in the world. During the Depression, he worked for a granary that was owned by a Catholic, and the owner was firing non-Catholics to hire fellow Catholics.

For me, what is important is that the individual has some sort of spiritual base, or center. Many are hopping on the band wagon regarding Obama's current or past religious affiliations. If it was true that he did not use a Christian Bible while being sworn in, why does it matter? When a person is being sworn in to political office, they are taking an oath to uphold our constitution - federal, state, county, community.

Besides, how many politicians have placed their hand on The Bible, and turned out to be some of the biggest liars and crooks in public office?

There was one Republican candidate I really liked - Mit Romney, I believe - who was a member of The Latter Day Saints (Mormons). I cannot begin to tell you how many friends commented on his religious affiliation. When I asked about his politics, very few could tell me any more about him. They were so focused on the fact that he was Mormon! I found this more disturbing than sad.

Christi's comment just seemed to hang with me these past few days, and I simply jotted down some of my thoughts, experiences and observations. I am sure my comments on this page will be crucified by some as blasphemous, condemning me to hell, etc.. That's fine. But I bet I will be able to tell to which faith they belong!

I am so glad someone like Christi is in my life. Without it being her mission each week, she always tends to bring me back to center. Because of Christi, and many other wonderful friends, I believe, even more, in my theory of "The God Wheel." I always think of a bicycle wheel... God is the hub and God is directly connected to use via the spokes. However, we are connected to one another by the rim which also connects us all back to the God source! Before some swing a cross, I am not saying we are God, but I do believe - my personal belief - that we are all a part of God and God is a part of us - an interconnectedness!

God isn't my co-pilot. God drives through me.

I am sure if the lady who was so alarmed by my video posting of the show choir reads this post, she will have a priest perform an exorcism!

When I arrived for my appointment, Kimberly, my hairdresser and in her mid-twenties, greeted me and showed me to a seat.  She starts the proceedings with a scalp massage and began talking about Jesse Jackson's comment on Barack Obama and then meandered to how she thought Bill Clinton was cute.

I said I couldn't stand Bill Clinton and, in my opinion, he is a liar, cheat -- I never got to finish.  "And a philanderer who brought disgrace to the office of the presidency," chimed a voice behind me.  It belonged to Charlene, the forty-something proprietor of the salon.

[The names of the people have been changed in case of repercussions.]

Kimberly went to fetch a gown so I continued the conversation with Charlene and asked her where her support would lie in the forthcoming presidential election.  As someone without a vote, I view myself as a neutral observer and it seems Americans do too because they often engage in political talk with greater candour than they perhaps would with a fellow American.

"We are for the Republican ticket here," replied Charlene.  "I don't want to be paying all of Obama's higher taxes to support people on welfare and, as a small business owner, having to pay higher capital gains tax.  And if the girls want to continue working here, they had better vote Republican too."

In fairness to Charlene, my back was turned to her so it was hard to judge whether that last statement was said tongue-in-cheek, but from the stridency in her voice, and what preceded it, I assumed it was not.  The arrival of another client put an end to the conversation.

When Kimberly returned, I whispered, "Is Charlene a Baptist?"

"Oh yeah," she replied.

Previously, I had thought such intolerance only extended to evangelical Baptist pastors but it seems they have fostered blind adherence among their congregations.  These people trumpet the freedom and democracy that allow their beliefs to exist and then deny the very same to those who hold different views.

Somewhere along the line, they seem to have forgotten that the religion they worship is Christianity, a faith whose basic tenets are tolerance, compassion and forgiveness.  They often quote The Bible to justify their message but maybe they should try reading the New Testament and the true Christian message.

If Charlene were to do that, she would find the verse saying, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  I believe those words are attributed to Jesus Christ.

Ah, yes but, no but, yes but, no but....  [Apologies to "Little Britain" but Charlene is about at the intellectual level of the Vicky Pollard character.]

Not only did I find Charlene's comment apalling but also worrying.  Telling an employee how to vote and that they will lose their job if they do not vote that way might go down well with Robert Mugabe but it is not my idea of freedom, which neo-con Americans seem so proud to proclaim.

How did the Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, allow itself to become hijacked by these kinds of people?  Perhaps Lincoln's Gettysburg Address should be rewritten: government of the people, by right-wing bigots, for right-wing bigots.

In this version of DID YOU KNOW (Part 10) ABRAHAM LINCOLN, you'll discover that there are an amazing amount of unique facts found about Mr. Lincoln after his death.

1. Did you know ... that Abraham Lincoln was the first President of the United States to be embalmed?

2. Did you know ... that after the president's death, over one million people looked upon Lincoln's face in open casket viewings?

It's true. After it was decided that Lincoln would be buried in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, a special funerary train trip was planned. Lincoln's Funeral Train would essentially take the reverse route used by the President-elect in 1861 from Springfield to Washington. This time however, both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh would be bypassed in favor of Chicago.

                                                                             This car, called the United States, carried the coffins of both President Lincoln and his son, WIllie.

[caption id="attachment_135" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Lincoln Funeral Train in Harrisburg, PA."][/caption]

The coffin with the remains of Lincoln's 11 year old son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever in the White House in 1862, was placed on the train with his father. Both would be buried together in Springfield.

The train dubbed "The Lincoln Special" left Washington DC on April 21, 1865 and arrived in Springfield on May 3rd.

During the 1,654 mile, 13 day trek, the train traveled through 180 towns and cities, of which only 11 were allowed to host open-casket viewings. These cities were:

1.   Baltimore, MD

2.   Harrisburg, PA

3.   Philadelphia, PA

4.   New York, NY

5.   Albany, NY

6.   Buffalo, NY

7.   Cleveland, OH

8.   Columbus, OH

9.   Indianapolis, IN

10.  Chicago, IL

11.  Springfield, IL

Sidebar:As early as the New York stopover, observers noticed that Lincoln's face was showing signs of blackening and discolorization. For the remainder of the trip, undertakers would frequently apply white chalk powder, rouge and amber makeup to make the President appear as normal as possible.

3. Did you know ... that only one photograph is known to exist of President Lincoln lying in his open coffin? It was taken on Monday, April 24, 1865 in the rotunda of New York's City Hall while the president's body was prepared for public viewing. New York photographer Jeremiah Gurney, Jr. took several photographs of Lincoln while lying in state. The following day, after hearing about the existence of these photographs, a furious Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton ordered that all the plates, prints and engravings be destroyed. This order was carried out with the photographer's cooperation. One print did escape this fate and was sent to Stanton himself. He kept it hidden in his papers for fear of rebuke by Mary Lincoln. In 1887, Stanton's son Lewis, discovered it and sent it to John Nicolay believing that he, and John Hay, Lincoln's former secretaries, would use it in their 10-volume life of Lincoln.  They did not. It remained out of the public eye until 1952-53 when a fifteen-year old boy named Ronald Rietveld, found it amongst John Nicolay's papers at the Illinois State Historical Library. 

Sidebar: When Stanton found out about the photographs, he sent a telegram to Brigadier-General Townsend accompanying the President's body on his final journey. Taken from the book "Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography" by Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., here are the series of telegrams that went back and forth between Stanton and Townsend regarding this incident. 

Washington City,

April 25, 1865 – 11:40 p.m.

Brigadier-General Townsend,

Adjutant-General, New York:

    I see by the New York papers this evening that a photograph of the corpse…was allowed to be taken yesterday in New York. I cannot sufficiently express my surprise and disapproval of such an act while the body was in your charge. You will report what officers of the funeral escort were or ought to have been on duty at the time this was done, and immediately relieve them…. You will also direct the provost-marshall to go to the photographer, seize and destroy the plates and any pictures or engravings that may have been made, and consider yourself responsible if the offense is repeated.

 Edwin M. Stanton

Secretary of War.

 ****

Albany, N.Y.

April 26, 1865

(Received 10:40 a.m.)

Hon. E. M. Stanton

Secretary of War:

    Your dispatch of this date is received. The photograph was taken when I was present…. I have telegraphed General Dix your orders about seizing the plates. To whom shall I turn over the special charge given me in order to execute your instructions to relieve the officer responsible…?

 E. D. Townsend,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

****

Washington City,

April 26, 1865 – 12:30 p.m.

Brig.Gen. E. D. Townsend,

 … You being in charge, and present at the time, the sole responsibility rests upon you; but having no other officer … that can relieve you and take your place you will continue in charge of the remains under your instructions until they are finally interred….

Edwin M. Stanton,

Secretary of War.

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Albany, N.Y.

April 26, 1865

 Hon. E. M. Stanton

    General Dix, who is here, suggests that I should explain to you how the photograph was taken. The remains had just been arranged in state in the City Hall, at the head of the stairway, where the people would ascend on one side and descend on the other…. The photographer was in a gallery twenty feet higher than the body, and at least forty distant from it. Admiral Davis stood at the head and I at the foot of the coffin. No-one else was in view. The effect of the picture would be general taking in the whole scene, but not giving the features of the corpse.

 E. D. Townsend

1816 ~ Su familia fue forzada a salir de su hogar, a la edad de 7 años tuvo que empezar a trabajar para ayudar con los gastos.

1818 ~ Su madre murió.

1831 ~ Fracasó en todos los negocios que emprendió.

1832 ~ Compitió para la Legislatura estatal y perdió. También perdió su trabajo y fue rechazado para entrar a la escuela de leyes.

1833 ~ Pidió prestado un dinero para empezar un negocio, fracasó y gastó 17 años de su vida para pagar la deuda.

1834 ~ Volvió a competir para la legislatura estatal y ganó.

1835 ~ Se comprometió en matrimonio, su novia murió.

1836 ~ Tuvo una crisis nerviosa y estuvo en cama por 6 meses.

1838 ~ Compitió para presidente de la cámara estatal y otra vez fue derrotado.

1840 ~ Se postuló para gobernador y fue derrotado.

1843 ~ Compitió para el congreso federal, y perdió.

1846 ~ Se postuló de nuevo para el congreso federal y ganó

1848 ~ Compitió en la reelección del congreso, y volvió a perder.

1849 ~ Se postuló para Oficial estatal y fue rechazado.

1854 ~ Compitió para senador y volvió a perder

1856 ~ Buscó la nominación a la vicepresidencia y obtuvo la ridícula suma de menos de 100 votos.

1858 ~ Compitió de nuevo para senador, y ¿qué creen?.. volvió a perder

1860 ~ Fue elegido presidente de su país..

Actualmente es quizás el presidente más querido y recordado en la historia de su país..
Su nombre es Abraham Lincoln.

“Perseverad en la oración, velando en ella con acción de gracias.” Colosenses 4:2

“Sea vuestra palabra siempre con gracia, sazonada con sal, para que sepáis cómo debéis responder a cada uno.” Colosenses 4:6