"With malice toward none; with charity for all...."

[ColesCountyDem]

...With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations....

Abraham Lincoln

Second Inaugural Address

March 4th, 1865

With these heartfelt words-- this prayer, if you will-- my fellow Illinoisan, President Abraham Lincoln, expressed both his vision and his hope for a new beginning for our Republic. In that same spirit, I offer them to you, whether you be Clinton, Kucinich, Edwards, Dodd, Biden, Richardson, et al, supporters.

It is my hope, as it was President Lincoln's, that all men and women of good will can both see the difficult work ahead of us and join together with us in putting aside our prior differences to see that it comes to pass. A political party-- especially the Democratic Party-- is like a family: the more deeply we love each other, the more desperately and bitterly we quarrel, at times. That said, not only do WE need each other but, more importantly, our NATION needs us to set aside those differences, to forgive those slights and insults-- both real and imagined-- and extend to one another the hand of friendship and the kiss of peace.

Please take my hand, accept my embrace and apology, because you are my progressive brothers and sisters, and I need you to join with me in the great, common cause of restoring our Republic.

Peace be with you.

:hug:

[JVS]

1. Abe's worst mistake.

He should have had every confederate soldier shot.

[ColesCountyDem]

2. Or Congress's, for ignoring his wisdom... n/t

[JVS]

3. Death to treasonous scum! The congress was not harsh enough.

[ColesCountyDem]

4. So, we should hang everyone who didn't support Sen. Obama?

I'm just trying to follow your reasoning here...

:wtf:

[JVS]

5. No. You should pick examples of reconciliation that were not mistakes of such magnitude as to be...

national tragedies.

[ColesCountyDem]

6. There was no 'reconciliation', and THAT was the mistake.

Lincoln died just one month and ten days later, and Reconstruction under the radical Republicans controlling Congress was anything but 'charitable'.

It's a good thing to actually know American history...

[JVS]

7. Reconstruction was too charitable. Southern society was not broken of its defiance.

[ColesCountyDem]

9. Nor the North of its arrogance and self-righteousness.

The North was every bit as bigoted toward blacks; it was simply that many Southerners were more open about it. Take a look at Chicago or South Boston, e.g., for examples of this bigotry and hatred.

[JVS]

10. It was only reconstruction that prevented Jim Crow from being done earlier

Once reconstruction ended, it was back to virtual slavery.

Everyone who raised arms against the Union should have been shot.

[ColesCountyDem]

12. Jawol!

Zey should all have been shot, ja? Zat is VERY progressive!

:eyes:

[JVS]

14. It's better than leaving the slaveocracy intact.

All who fought against the Union deserved death.

[ColesCountyDem]

15. What a novel idea.

Even the most radical of Republicans never suggested such a thing!

:wtf:

[JVS]

16. I have a feeling that General Sherman might have come close to such a view.

He was a great leader and patriot!

[ColesCountyDem]

18. Actually, his views were nothing of the sort.

Not even Gen. Sheridan, who burned the Shenandoah to deprive the Army of Northern Virginia of food, etc. felt that way.

[rug]

17. Should all German soldiers have been shot after World War II?

If so, elaborate.

[Moochy]

11. "more open about it" = "used to own slaves"

Is that the equation?

[ColesCountyDem]

13. No, it isn't the equation. n/t

:eyes:

[ColesCountyDem]

8. Self-kick. n/t