THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA

An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 35, February 20, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- STATESPERSON & LIBERAL ACTIVIST:
THE POLITICAL LEFT'S EFFORT TO DOCTOR HISTORY
By Paul Walfield

On February 4, 2003, CNSNews.Com reported a disturbing event at the Lincoln Memo- rial in Washington, D.C.  It seems that the Discovery Channel was commissioned to pro- duce a video for the Memorial and, in so doing, chose to display the socalled "fact" that Abraham Lincoln was not only against slavery, he was against guns, the war in Vietnam, pro-lifers, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and homophobes, among other things.

In this article, I wish to discuss the use by the contemporary political Left of anything to further their agenda, especially methods that do not allow for opposing views or even questions.

Marc Morano of CNSNews has reported that tours of the Lincoln Memorial in Wash- ington, D.C., aren't what they used to be.  I can remember my first visit to D.C. way back when my parents were telling me about the Lincoln Memorial, walking up the huge steps, and seeing the great man seated and looking majestic.  I can even remember seeing his words etched in the stone all around me as I stood at his feet.  It was striking, it was awe-inspiring.  I thought I had learned a good deal about Lincoln in school and felt like I knew him.  I guess I was wrong.  Now, according to the Discovery Channel, Abraham Lincoln, Republican and the 16th President of the United States, was in reality, a Liberal Democrat.  Moreover, not just any Liberal Democrat, he was slightly to the left of the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone.

The video produced by the Discovery Channel is displayed in the Lincoln Legacy Room at the Memorial.  The video is for all who come to the Memorial to get a better under- standing of what Mr. Lincoln stood for.

According to CNSNews, the video at the Lincoln Memorial "includes signs reading "Gay & Lesbian Sexual Rights," "Council of Churches Lesbian Rights," "National Organization for Women" (NOW), "Reagan's Wrongs Equal Women's Rights," "ERA Yes," "Ratify the Era," "I had an illegal abortion in 1967 - Never Again," "Keep Abortion Legal," "I am pro-choice America," a Vietnam-era video clip of a woman asking: "President Nixon where are our men?" and a sign reading, "Who will Decide NARAL (National Abortion Rights & Reproductive Action League) "In Opposition to King Richard [Nixon]," "U.S. out Now," "Equal Opportunity for All," "Peace," "Hell No We Won't Go," "No More Lies, Sign the Treaty Now Coalition," and marchers chanting U.S. Out Now".  There was no showing of any opposing or contrary demonstra- tions except to show pro-life activists tangling with pro-abortionists.

All to the tune of "We Shall Overcome."

There was a tendency among the young and impressionable to accept what they learn in school about our former Presidents, whether it was the honesty of George Washington, the bravery of Teddy Roosevelt, or the wit and wisdom of John F. Kennedy.  It's not that we received a "complete" picture of the men, uh people; we just got what we needed.  And what we got was based upon historical fact.  Now, using the "What would Jesus Drive?" mentality, the folks on the Left have decided to extrapolate Abe Lincoln's views from the 1800's to their present-day agenda.  Whether it is abortion on demand, Gay Rights, Gun Control or not fighting Communism, Honest Abe may not be with them in body, but he is in spirit.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is part of the National Park Service and does not charge an entrance fee.  In 2001, there were 4,115,139 visitors to the Lincoln Memorial. It costs the taxpayers a little over 2 million dollars per year to maintain the Memorial.

Nowadays, it may be politically correct for students to question our government about everything they do, and to find nefarious motives present in any endeavor undertaken by the present Bush administration.  It has gotten so bad that President Bush is viewed by some to be a greater danger than Saddam Hussein of Iraq, or Kim Jung Il of North Korea.  Students don't learn to dislike their government innately; they have to be taught.

It isn't clear when it became trendy to teach Americans not just what was known by historical record, but to teach by opinion.  We all know, or at least have heard, of other governments, those that lack self-esteem or are just plain paranoid, indoctrinating their citizens--both young and old--to the party line.

It looks like the Left, knowing that their ideology cannot withstand being scrutinized or even questioned, has undertaken the last policy of all totalitarians; they program their message to an audience without fear of being challenged during the indoctrination.

No one can know for a fact how Mr. Lincoln would feel today about any of the things the Left claims are part of his 19th century struggle against injustice.  What we do know is that he was willing to go to war to keep America united.  The Left, with their penchant to claim allegiance to a free and just land while they stifle any opposing views, can do little but divide America, not along the Mason-Dixon line, but rather our consciousness.

More on Liberals, Statists, Socialists, & Other Leftists



Paul Walfield is a freelance writer and member of the State Bar of California, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and post-graduate study in behavioral and analyt- ical psychology. He resided for a number of years in the small town of Houlton, Maine and is now a California attorney. Paul can be contacted at the following email address: paul.walfield@cox.net




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