Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others.
As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor; let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own, and his children's liberty.
Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and Let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.
While ever a state of feeling, such as this, shall universally, or even, very generally prevail throughout the nation, vain will be every effort, and fruitless every attempt, to subvert our national freedom.
- Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838 Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. - Abraham Lincoln
I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. - Abraham Lincoln
Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. - Abraham Lincoln
I freely acknowledge myself the servant of the people, according to the bond of service - the United States Constitution; and that, as such, I am responsible to them. - Abraham Lincoln
If all men were just, there still would be some, though not so much, need of government. - Abraham Lincoln
The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere. - Abraham Lincoln
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. - Abraham Lincoln
Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived. - Abraham Lincoln
Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. - Abraham Lincoln
Peace is a thing which a person must be willing to fight for. - Abraham Lincoln
I appeal to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and the existence of our National Union, and the perpetuity of popular government; and to redress wrongs already long enough endured. - Abraham Lincoln
My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth. - Abraham Lincoln
While the people retain their virtue, and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government, in the short space of four years. - Abraham Lincoln
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. - Abraham Lincoln
The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in want of one. - Abraham Lincoln
Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Abraham Lincoln
There is more involved in this contest than is realized by every one. There is involved in this struggle the question whether your children and my children shall enjoy the privileges we have enjoyed. - Abraham Lincoln
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. - Abraham Lincoln
Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. - Abraham Lincoln
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. - Abraham Lincoln
Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. - Abraham Lincoln
I laugh because I must not cry. That is all. That is all. - Abraham Lincoln
I have borne a laborious, and, in some respects to myself, a painful part in the contest. Through all, I have neither assailed, nor wrestled with any part of the constitution. - Abraham Lincoln
We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. - Abraham Lincoln
It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong. - Abraham Lincoln
Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way. - Abraham Lincoln
I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts. - Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion. - Abraham Lincoln
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. - Abraham Lincoln
If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. - Abraham Lincoln
I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being. - Abraham Lincoln
I had been told I was on the road to hell, but I had no idea it was just a mile down the road with a dome on it. - Abraham Lincoln
These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people. - Abraham Lincoln
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
There are no accidents in my philosophy. Every effect must have its cause. The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future. All these are links in the endless chain stretching from the finite to the infinite. - Abraham Lincoln
Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed. - Abraham Lincoln
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. - Abraham Lincoln
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. - Abraham Lincoln
I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground. - Abraham Lincoln (Reply to friends who chided him for delaying them by stopping to return a fledgling to its nest.)
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. - Abraham Lincoln
Worse than traitors in arms are the men who pretend loyalty to the flag, feast and fatten on the misfortunes of the Nation, while patriotic blood is crimsoning the plains. . . and their countrymen moldering the dust. - Abraham Lincoln
Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world. - Abraham Lincoln
Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. - Abraham Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. - Abraham Lincoln
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. - Abraham Lincoln
Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. - Abraham Lincoln
Our safety, our liberty, depends upon preserving the Constitution of the United States as our fathers made it inviolate. The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln
I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. - Abraham Lincoln
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. - Abraham Lincoln
A house divided against itself cannot stand. - Abraham Lincoln
I have never had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the Declaration of Independence, that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it. - Abraham Lincoln
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln
The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. - Abraham Lincoln
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. - Abraham Lincoln
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. - Abraham Lincoln
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The news media needed a poll to figure this out?
This poll just in from the Washington Post: Shocking! We the People don't blame the new president (in office for less than three months) for the disastrous economy that he inherited!
Imagine that!
Good to know we're not as dumb as we look, eh? (Or as dumb as the news establishment owners would like us to be.)
But can this really be... news? Does this drivel pass for news these days?
The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama's election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president, for turmoil in the economy, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Please bear with me -- I can't get over this new look in national electoral maps.
It's the light blue state in the middle that confounds me. I have never seen this before. Since my earliest memory, it has never been anything but red. I'm still not quite convinced that this is real, but looking at it has me scratching my head and wondering.
Something very historic is happening in our nation...
Benefiting from overwhelming support among voters who didn't cast a ballot for President in 2004, Barack Obama has a small lead in Indiana.
New voters are going for Obama at a clip of 68-24, allowing him to overcome a 48-45 lead John McCain has with folks who did vote in the last Presidential election.
Obama has a 49-39 advantage with Hoosier state independents, and is doing almost as good a job as McCain of holding the support of voters within his own party. Obama is winning 84% of Democrats while McCain gets 86% of Republicans.
Obama is winning 89% of the black vote and remaining competitive enough among white voters to keep the overall lead. McCain is winning whites 51-42.
Cheers to Hoosiers for polling - and soon voting - in their best interest!
Who fared better in Wednesday's presidential debate?
Sen. John McCain 18% 46942 Sen. Barack Obama 78% 202364
No clear winner 4% 10782 Total Votes: 260088
Every single MSM (mainstream media) voter poll showed that Obama won the debate, hands down -- and by a wide margin. Yet the pundits... and the national media seem to believe - or want us to believe - that McCain made some sort of a big comeback. Its strange and a little creepy, their refusal to believe the polls. Talking points again?
Today's little Quicknews blurb from CNN was all about McCain:
MCCAIN PUTS OBAMA ON THE SPOT IN FINAL DEBATE
Sen. John McCain played offense against Sen. Barack Obama during much of the final presidential debate as he challenged his rival on his policies, judgment and character.
No mention of the fact that McCain's unsavory 'attactics' continued to piss people off -- if I may be so blunt.
I notice that CNN's lead story was also about McCain: "I am not Bush." Sure... McCain is an older, angrier Bush who happened to vote with Bush over 90% of the time. Apparently CNN feels McCain needs a little lift today; or the public needs a perception correction. Those damn polls...
I wonder which debate CNN was watching; the one they were moderating, or the one I saw with my own eyes.
The debate I saw showed a McCain on the hot seat for most of the night -- sarcastic, defensive, rolling his eyes and losing his temper. The rolling eyes were quite annoying and condescending.
McCain also made a few comments that really turned me off; and showed he wasn't the careful, compassionate leader that he'd like us to believe. Obama - in contrast - came off as consistent, calm and believable.
If I had to choose between the two simply on personality, I'd easily choose Obama. McCain came off as a small-minded, petulant old man who thought he was better than his opponent (and no doubt better than me.) Obama spoke directly to the people and addressed the issues, rather than wasting time on small-time bickering and personal insults.
But then, that's just me... the Independent voter. And I choose based on the issues. Obama addressed the issues -- and I agree with his stance. I believe he has the leadership ability and vision to lead this country. McCain spent most of his time attacking Obama. I saw no leadership, no vision... I felt he wasted my time, and I'm glad these debates are finally over. I've seen enough sarcasm and rolling eyes to last a lifetime.
I guess I wasn't alone.
CBS poll of undecided voters:
Who won the debate?
McCain (R) 22 Obama (D) 53
Shares your values:
Obama, Before the debate: 54 Obama, After the debate: 63
McCain, Before the debate: 53 McCain, After the debate: 56
CNN poll of voters who watched debate:
Who won the debate?
McCain (R) 31 Obama (D) 58
Favorable/Unfavorable
Obama, before debate: 63/35 Obama, after debate: 66/33
McCain, before debate: 51/45 McCain, after debate: 49/49
So after this debate, McCain's popularity went down even further - and Obama's went up.
Polls are such a drag, aren't they CNN? You collect the data, and so you have to post it... but then you spend the rest of your time trying to counter it by explaining to us - the people who just told you what we think - that what we think doesn't matter.
Good luck with that. Many of us are voting right now, all month long.
Add to that, the latest Newsweek poll shows that Bush has dropped to 26% (how on earth can he be polling higher than Congress? Is it just that we expected Congress to at least... be smarter?) Newsweek actually has Congress at 25%... but come on guys, surely you can do better than that!
June 21, 2007 - In 19 months, George W. Bush will leave the White House for the last time. The latest NEWSWEEK Poll suggests that he faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to his side before he goes. In the new poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, President Bush’s approval rating has reached a record low. Only 26 percent of Americans, just over one in four, approve of the job the 43rd president is doing; while, a record 65 percent disapprove, including nearly a third of Republicans.
Hmm.
Um, my friends in the House and the Senate: maybe you have nothing to lose by at least trying that impeachment thing? Or perhaps prosecuting people who lie under oath and engage in domestic spying without warrants?
You know, like upholding your oaths of office? That kind of thing? Something other than wringing your hands, saying you can't stop the war, you can't impeach, you can't get the emails, you can't pass any legislation, you can't... do... anything... we... sent... you... there... to... do...
Pathetic.
Interesting sidebar to the Gallup poll:
Of the 16 societal institutions tested in Gallup's 2007 update, Americans express the most confidence in the military. They have the least confidence in HMOs and Congress. Americans have much more confidence in "small" business than in "big" business.
Reaganomics not working out so well? I think we just barfed all over 'Generica.'
Oh, and we'd like just a few items that are NOT made in China, if you don't mind. Household items that aren't full of toxic chemicals and lead, and food that won't kill us or our pets. Think you can handle all of that?
