Lincoln was from a whole different world!

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019

This strikes us as rational conduct:
We well remember the first time we read Lincoln's second inaugural address.

We'd taken a class of Baltimore fifth graders on a field trip to Washington. We were standing inside the Lincoln Memorial; the entire short address is inscribed on one interior wall.

We recall our stupefaction at the thought that a human being, on this very planet, had ever issued such a radical moral statement. This weekend, as part of C-Span's visit to Springfield, Illinois, the stupefaction we experienced that day was largely brought back home.

The episode in question was described by Samuel Wheeler, a director of the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. His discussion of the episode in question starts about 13 minutes into this C-Span videotape.

As he starts, Wheeler says he wants to show viewers a letter written by Lincoln in the last few weeks of his life. According to Wheeler, a woman had written to Lincoln, asking him to send her a hand-written copy of the second inaugural address.

Lincoln didn't write out the whole address, but he did send the woman part of the speech. Wheeler starts his account of the incident by saying this:
WHEELER (1/21/19): The second inaugural is the shortest inaugural address in American history. It's just 702 words.

It is incredibly poignant. It also may be the best religious meditation on the meaning of the Civil War and, as they said at the time, Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural, it sounded more like a sermon than it did a standard political speech.
Lincoln wrote out, and sent the woman, only one paragraph of the address. As Wheeler's story continued, he quoted one of the parts of Lincoln's address which had astonished us long ago:
WHEELER (continuing directly): What's interesting is Mr. Lincoln just writes out one paragraph from the second inaugural, and it's not the the most famous paragraph that we remember today: "With malice toward none, with charity from all."

Instead, Abraham Lincoln writes out this paragraph:

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said: "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
Say what? Did an actual human being ever actually say such a thing, in a public address no less? We asked that question long ago, responding also to this larger context:
LINCOLN (3/4/65): Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.

Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged.

The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh."

If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses
which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said: "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
We in the North did this awful thing too. So this president said.

In that astonishing passage, Lincoln stood before the victors and said that we the victors deserve to pay the price for this awful sin too. If every drop of the bondsman's blood must be redeemed by our own blood, North and South, can anyone find fault with God's judgments?

On that marvelous C-Span tape, Wheeler continues:
WHEELER (continuing directly from above): Abraham Lincoln had been searching, throughout the American Civil War, to figure out what's God's purpose, why the American people have to suffer such a horrible calamity of civil war.

Four years this war had gone on. More than 600,000 casualties by this point. Mr. Lincoln spent a lot of time talking to God. This is the answer that he thinks God is sending to America:

Both sides, North and South, have to suffer because both sides played a role in the egregious sin of American slavery.

Abraham Lincoln feared that people might not react really well to his words in the second inaugural, to his conclusion of why their suffering had to occur, because, in Abraham Lincoln's words, people don't often like to be told when they're wrong.
We humans don't like to be told when we're wrong! So Lincoln apparently said.

We recall being astonished when we read Lincoln's address for the first time that day.

In our view, Lincoln's assessment was profoundly rational. That's why we found it so strange, so strikingly out of place among the works of our kind.

Starting tomorrow: Advantage Harari!

40 comments:

  1. You're being totally irrational, Bob. Because no one cares what any lousy politician says or writes.

    That one, for example, authorized firing cannons at civilian (albeit rioting) population of New York city.

    But because he said some words, he's a god to you. C'mon, Bob.

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    1. Now you're demeaning the late great Abe Lincoln as a "lousy politician?" And "no one cares" about what a "lousy politician" (which according to you every politician is, as far as I can determine, (though for some lunatic reason you've never explained, El Trumpo is apparently excluded from this status) - there is at least one person on the planet,, and undoubtedly quite a few more quite certainly, who cares what some "lousy politician" says or writes - for example that lady who asked for a copy of Lincoln's speech. (Why she couldn't just find it on the internet is another question.) And I think there is a range between "lousy politician" and a "god" within which I would suggest Lincoln could be placed, it's not either/or.

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    2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, dembot.

      A politician may represent something, symbolize something, but that's not a reason to idolize them, to look for any special meaning or wisdom in their bullshit speeches. That's all.

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    3. Trump is not necessarily a lousy politician, his base is susceptible to sleazy cons.

      (the internet was not available back then)

      I'll take any of our current progressive politicians over Lincoln, I don't see Lincoln having any skills dealing with the slavery caused by corporate capitalism.

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    4. Well, Lincoln is, in a way, a symbol of capitalism.

      A railroad lawyer, rising to the top during the period of socioeconomic transition to full-blown capitalist economy.

      And actually slavery wasn't a huge obstacle to this transition (imo), but the sovereignty of US states was. In the same way as the sovereignty of World's nations is today.

      And so, northern capitalist elite dealt with that. Just like these days they're trying to destroy the sovereignty of nations wold-wide.

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    5. Lincoln is a symbol of capitalism!

      This is what you get with Affirmative Action for Wingnuts in our educational institutions.

      The states were not sovereign, jackass, ever since they all ratified the Constitution of the United States.

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    6. The end of slavery led to capitalism as a slightly more subtle way of having slave labor.

      Trump's global ambitions can be seen in Venezuela where he hopes to destroy a society enough to plunder it's resources.

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    7. Tell me more about other people's hopes, and your mind-reading abilities, dembot.

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    8. Surely you jest, sire, it is as plain as the fake skin tone of your preferred leader.

      Trump on Libya: "We should attack it for 50% of oil"

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    9. Dembot, I watched your video with carefully picked out soundbites.

      One phrase I didn't hear there was "we should attack it for 50% of oil" - the phrase your goebbelsian bosses put into quotation marks.

      And of course you, dembot, obediently reproduced it here.

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    10. Incidentally, dembot, if you still have two brain cells to rub together (which I'm pretty sure you don't), think about it for a minute:

      Three liberal psycho-witches - Clinton, Rice, and Power - destroyed the most prosperous country in Africa. Wiped it off the map, pretty much. And not for 50% of oil - just for the hell of it, because they could. Psychos.

      Not to mention that liberal psycho-witch Clinton then publicly, on prime-time TV, giggled about murdering one of the most successful anti-colonial leaders in history.

      And now the same sort of nauseating liberals tell you to hate the guy who actually stopped the destruction of the great country of Syria. The destruction that those same liberal scumbags were perpetrating for years. Nearly destroying Europe too, in the process. To hate and despise this guy - because he said some words.

      Dembot, do you have any brains at all?

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    11. Aw who hates and despises?

      "We'll help you but we want 50%"

      Son, by "help" Trump meant attack and overthrow the Libyan leaders with military force.

      Breathe, boy, nice and slow. Now look at what Trump has done in Venezy - had his (murderous) buddies flood the market to tank prices, crippling sanctions for no reason, supported a coup, threatened military action. Ha, he's got it bad, he's got it bad, he's got it bad, he's hot for Venezuela oil.

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    12. Dembot. If you find yourself picking 10-second-long soundbites out of context and fabricating quotes to demonize someone -- then you just might be a dembot. But I repeat myself.

      By the way, dembot: the "flood the market to tank prices" thing happened in 2014. So, he's also guilty of an illegal use of the time-machine.

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    13. Here's a chair, sit down chile. Enjoy a plate of Khashoggi, I hear it's a special recipe handed down from Trump's family.

      You may be unaware that Trump had a vlog, hilarious lunatic rantings right from his very desk. In fact Trump called it "From The Desk of Donald Trump". Here is the original clip on Libya:

      From The Desk Of Donald Trump: Libya (2/28/11)

      Nothing is out of context, other than Trump and his followers. You're out of context, you're out of context!

      And Justice for All You're Out of Order

      For those about to roll your eyes, we salute you. Having gone by the way merely revealed your obfuscation, Trump's relationship with his nefarious buddies (soulfully aka The Flooders) goes way back before 2014:


      Trump and Saudi Arabia: Deep business ties spark new scrutiny


      Lord, the gypsy was right.

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    14. Whoa, it's 5:01 AM, the dembot shift starts, and well-rested dembot jumps right into action. Promotion to dembot assistant manager can't be too far now.

      "Here is the original clip on Libya"

      Thanks dembot. It actually makes a lot of sense (and accurately predicts the 2012 Benghazi incident), compared to what liberal psychos did to Libya, just for fun.

      "Trump's relationship with his nefarious buddies (soulfully aka The Flooders) goes way back before 2014"

      So, he used the time-machine to rig the oil markets in 2014 and you managed to link a totally irrelevant CBS hit-piece from your dembot database? That's truly amazing, dembot. Extremely convincing indeed.

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    15. Steady as she goes.

      The original clip is the same as the previous clip, both are of Trump, playing the globalist, offering military force to accomplish a coup in a sovereign nation in return for at least half the nation's resources. You can tap dance on a pinhead as much as you like but the story remains the same, Trump is an empire-minded corporatist globalist, oil often being his preferred "pussy" to grab.

      The link to the CBS report details the deep relationship between Trump and Saudi Arabia that goes back decades, negating your fevered time-machine distress.

      Trump has repeatedly pushed to go to war with North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela, while his attempts to end war in Afghanistan and Syria are feckless.

      Trump wants Venezuela oil. Wants it now! Will have his buddies beat Venezuela up if they refuse. wah

      As Trump's national security advisor McMaster noted, Trump has "the intelligence of a kindergartner." Soon after McMaster left, Trump's Defense Secretary quit in disgust, offering a “a 21 gun f*** you”:

      "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances. Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

      What's unconvincing is you maintaining your ignorance to the reality of Trump's desire to rape the world for his strange and demented needs of dealing with unresolved issues of father abandonment. You keep playing your little game, nobody is fooled, it's good for a laugh every now and again.

      Delete
  2. The wages for the Jussie Smollett hate hoax for the leftists who masturbated over it will be Trump's second term.

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    Replies
    1. Trump's second term will be clinched by the same thing his first term was. The United States' insatiable appetite for white supremacy.

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    2. Even the lower tier of Dems running for president beat Trump in the polls. 2018 made it clear Trump is a one-termer, it didn't take much work for Dems to figure out how to get the vote out.

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    3. In 2016, Trump appeared inexperienced and unqualified, if not insane. It was reasonable to fear the worst: economic disaster, new wars, ISIS ascendant, etc. But, if present trends continue, in 2020 Trump can point to a booming economy, American military disengagement from Afghanistan and Syria, and the total defeat of ISIS.

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    4. "He is still inexperienced, monumentally unqualified and horrifically insane."

      He's now more experienced than the disastrous Obama when he entered his first term. If he's also unqualified and horrifically insane, he's still better than any possible Democrat.

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    5. mm - I supported a candidate whose policies caused a huge drop in the number of black murder victims and brought many, many black Americans out of poverty. IMHO that's the opposite of racism.

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    6. I don't care. I believe Putin.

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    7. Nobody, other than Trump's base, believes those ridiculous and unfounded notions of the impact of his policies - the few that have been enacted have only benefited the wealthy and those inclined to pollute. The true results of Trump's limited policy impact was the trouncing the Republicans got in the 2018 election.

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    8. @5:44 PM.

      What does it mean to be "unqualified" (let alone "monumentally unqualified") in this case?

      Apart from the trivial requirements - age and citizenship at birth - the only qualification is to be voted for by state electors.

      He got that. Therefore he's the only one who is qualified.

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    9. The jury is still out on Trump. No one is going to think he's a great President until his EPA rules kill at least one of DavidinCal's grandkids.

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  3. “in Abraham Lincoln's words, people don't often like to be told when they're wrong.”

    This is the problem with paraphrase. Here is what Lincoln actually said about his second inaugural address:

    “I believe it is not immediately popular. Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them.”

    He claims that God’s will is all powerful, but unknowable. Yes, he stated on other occasions that slavery was enabled by the entire nation, but he is also quite clear in his judgment of it:

    “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.”

    “In my opinion the religion that makes men rebel and fight against their government is not the genuine article, nor is the religion the right sort which reconciles them to the idea of eating their bread in the sweat of other men's faces. It is not the kind to get to heaven on.”

    “Let us be diverted by none of those sophistical contrivances wherewith we are so industriously plied and belabored — contrivances such as groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong, vain as the search for a man who should be neither a living man nor a dead man “

    “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

    And so on. Admitting culpability in the existence or perpetuation of slavery was not an admittance of moral relativism about its evil. His words in the second inaugural address were about healing the wounds of the war, which would shortly come to an end.

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  4. No, Mr. Somerby, you're not going to "both side" the fucking Civil War and distort Lincoln's words.


    Here, let's go back to the second paragraph of Lincoln's second inaugural address:

    Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.

    What next Bob, you going to give us a sympathetic review of the "lost cause"?

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  5. From Lincol’s so-called “meditations on the divine will”:
    “In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both *may* be, and one *must* be wrong. God cannot be *for*, and *against* the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is somewhat different from the purpose of either party—and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect this.”

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  6. Lincoln was “moral saint” perhaps, but he was also a pragmatic politician. He was perfectly willing to allow slavery to continue in the South if that could have preserved the Union. It didn’t work. Here he is as an everyday leader of the war effort:

    “if the enemy shall sell or enslave anyone because of his color, the offense shall be punished by retaliation upon the enemy's prisoners in our possession. It is therefore ordered that for every soldier of the United States killed in violation of the laws of war, a rebel soldier shall be executed; and for every one enslaved by the enemy or sold into slavery, a rebel soldier shall be placed at hard labor on the public works and continued at such labor until the other shall be released and receive the treatment due to a prisoner of war”

    His moral sainthood would come later.

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  7. Lincoln fretted over the will and purpose of an imaginary figure. Yup sounds rational.

    The Bible makes explicit that God approves of and endorses slavery, supplying rules on how to handle slaves under various circumstances.

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    Replies
    1. The Junior College freshman class weighs in.

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    2. What is "Junior College freshman class" about the comment?

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  8. Taking up anon 2:23’s excellent comment, it would seem that religion is an example of Harari’s “fiction”. As such, it can lead humans into rather bad places. Such as, going to war over the notion that “God” will vindicate the valiant heroes of the South.

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  9. @2:31, I am in the middle of the book, and you are right. Harari does list religion as one of the guiding fictions. He also considers capitalism and communism to be religions.

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