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Turn eyes to the real Lincoln

To the editor:

The writer of “Couldn’t believe his eyes” (Feb. 13th Journal) understandably wants us to scrutinize Trump. I in turn invite him to scrutinize Lincoln, whom he groups with Washington, Jefferson, and Keller, and calls “Honest Abe.”

An excellent introduction to little-known facts about Lincoln is Episode #11 of the Tom Woods Show, beginning five minutes in. One could also proceed to Episode #95, or to such books as Thomas DiLorenzo’s “Lincoln Unmasked — What You’re NOT Supposed to Know about Dishonest Abe.” (Misconceptions about Lincoln, by the way, are matched by misconceptions about slavery. See the book “Complicity — How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery.”)

Trump as king? Indeed, the impulse to acquire and exercise ever more power is always a threat. My own thoughts turn especially to Obama, who referred with disdain to those who cling to guns or religion; to Hillary Clinton, who said that religious beliefs have to be changed; to Supreme Court justices who strike down state laws against murdering unborn infants, and who redefine marriage; and to political candidates who think there is virtually no limit to what the government may possess or control.

Or we could go back to 1940. “What he [FDR] wanted above all was to get the nomination of both the Republican and Democratic parties. He was not satisfied with breaking tradition; he wanted everyone to celebrate its shattering. At his insistence, a number of columnists and commentators were persuaded to urge Republicans not to contest the election because of the war which had started the year before. It did not seem to have occurred to the New Dealers or to Roosevelt that they were advocating that the best way to fight dictatorship abroad was to introduce it at home. Many were still so enchanted with FDR they could see no hint in this suggestion: that Roosevelt might dearly love to have been offered a crown. I am sure if he had been, he would have pushed it away, but no more finally than he pushed away the maneuvered third-term nomination and the fourth that inevitably followed.” (Walter Trohan, “Political Animals,” p. 125)

R.E. Wehrwein

New Ulm

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