One Man Against the World

[Tim May]

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