BEYOND WORDS

‘As Lincoln Looks Down’

NEWSWEEK asked readers to submit letters describing their feelings on Jan. 20, 2009. A selection of those reflections.

Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jan 28, 2009

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  • Posted By: Bill Smith @ 01/29/2009 2:05:51 PM

    Lincoln was an evil dictator and an avid racist. Only those "educated" in a government school worship him. When will Amerikans wake up and stop believing the myths about this evil man?

    • Posted By: briggada @ 01/30/2009 12:25:23 AM

      People still don't talk about Lincoln because he was a perfect president. He was far from it. The Emancipation Proclamation effectively did nothing. He wasn't an advocate of equality between the races. The reason people still talk about Lincoln is because he was able to unify people with his words. Just like Kennedy, who was also far from a "great president" if you actually look at his presidency, like the Bay of Pigs and his questionable personal life, you'll realize that like Lincoln, his presidency was far from perfect. But we remember them as great men in history because of their ability to rally their constituents.

      • Posted By: Bill Smith @ 01/30/2009 7:15:17 AM

        I will remember them as the evil men they were. Lincoln never freed even one slave. He could not stand the negro and damn sure did not want to be equal with them.

        Based off your opinion, Hitler was a great man because he could speak well and rally the sheep.

        • Posted By: briggada @ 02/05/2009 12:49:28 AM

          Just to be an ass, I'll go along with the notion of Hitler as a 'great man.' Before World War II, Hitler brought Germany back from economic ruin, united the people of the broken country and brought them back to world prominence. Even Times magazine recognized this feat when they gave him the Times Man of the Year award in 1938. Unfortunately, a few years later he began his master plan and the rest is history. Had he not unleashed this great evil on the world, history would definitely have a different outlook on him.

          And just to clarify, I DO NOT view Hitler as a great person by any means. The things he did were atrocious.

        • Posted By: briggada @ 02/04/2009 11:52:39 PM

          I would never say that Hitler was a great man. The things he did were horrendous. And yes, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves that were already in Union control, it didn't effect any slaves that were still in Confederate held lands. But then again, even if he would have "freed" slaves in those territories, it wouldn't have done anything anyways because going to war with the South was an admittance that the Confederate States of America were a separate entity, so he couldn't have freed them anyways because he had no authority in the CSA. And yes, Lincoln had his faults, but honestly, what President hasn't? Like I said, none of them were perfect, but history remembers them as great.

    • Posted By: ben nevis @ 01/30/2009 12:03:18 PM

      Bill you are such a bitter old man, one who doesn't know history. However you have rekindled my thoughts about Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois and M.L. King, I think of them in the same way you think of Lincoln

      • Posted By: Bill Smith @ 01/30/2009 12:15:42 PM

        Anyone who thinks of Lincoln as other than an evil man has no clue about history. What little history they did learn was in a government school. If I did rekindle you interest in real history, you would know that MLK was a communist who did major damage to freedom in Amerika, namely private property rights.

        Now, please tell us why I am bitter for speaking the truth.

  • Posted By: atsegga @ 01/28/2009 5:31:27 PM

    The Borgen Project has some good info on the cost of addressing global poverty.

    $30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
    $550 billion: U.S. Defense budget

    • Posted By: Bill Smith @ 01/29/2009 2:07:32 PM

      World hunger will never end because people keep thinking the state can do something about. The best thing to do would be to stop stealing money from the people and let them spend it how they see fit. At least that would happen in a free country.

  • Posted By: atsegga @ 01/28/2009 5:31:42 PM

    The Borgen Project has some good info on the cost of addressing global poverty.

    $30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
    $550 billion: U.S. Defense budget

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