On Sunday, February 23, 2003, at 08:46 PM, Kevin S. Van Horn wrote:

I've been reading DiLorenzo's book, _The Real Lincoln_, and this description is a pretty close fit to Abraham Lincoln, too.

Eric Cordian wrote:

...

--- A great, civilized nation democratically elected a fanatic demagogue, who preached war. Actually, he did not really receive the majority of votes, but, somehow, his ascent to power was arranged nevertheless.

Lincoln only got 40% of the popular vote. At the time he was elected, it was generally assumed, and had been since the founding, that secession was a fundamental right of the states. The idea that the Federal Government could go to war to prevent states from leaving the union was unheard of.

JFK's father bought him the election. Look at the voting in Illinois, look at his father, the bootlegger. (I have nothing against bootlegging, but the hypocrisy of the Kennedy Clan railing against perceived moral crimes while making their family fortune off of bootlegging and graft is precious.)

...

--- Soon after assuming power, he manipulated a dramatic incident in order to tighten his grip upon the country

Fort Sumter.

Bay of Pigs backfired, so Cuban Missile Crisis was the reserve plan.

...

and prepare for attack on smaller nations.

Such as the Confederacy and various Amerind nations.

Escalating a nonexistent alliance with the Republic of South Vietnam, a cabal of dictators, into a war. I'm old enough to remember the Kennedy years and to remember how many people thought a bullet ought to end his power grab. Of course, he was canonized and sainted after his "sacrifice," and so one seldom heard after this death the call I remember from 1961-62: "Someone ought to put a bullet in that bastard's head." How soon we forget, and how much we have forgotten in this modern era that calling for the kiling of the Chief Criminal used to be a lot more common than it is today. It used to be we knew when bozos needed killing, and we weren't afraid of opining thusly. Today, however, The Criminal Whose Name May Not Be Uttered is uniquely protected from "Someone ought to frag his ass" comments. I liked it better when we thought "Good riddance!" when the Kennedy criminals were killed. --Tim May