Early biographers, informed by Lincoln’s former Springfield law partner William Herndon, wrote first takes of the president that would be unrecognizable to the heroic image that Americans know today from books like Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning performance. And the public made Josiah Holland’s Life of Lincoln, which erroneously portrayed the president who was gunned down on Good Friday as “an eminently Christian president,” an instant best seller. Other early depictions portray Lincoln as bumbling and deeply flawed. With his new dual biography, Lincoln’s Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln’s Image, … Continue reading About Our Heroes…

All of us have all been through some traumatic times in our lives. Some of us much more than others. It could be a health event, maybe a divorce, or a death of a friend or family member. One outcome that is almost assured from these events is a pity party. That is we question “why us?” or maybe “why did God do this to me?” I think having pity, even on ourselves, is just human nature. It is the extent of the pity that separates us. Do we get over it and face our new life challenges or do … Continue reading The Pity Party…

  From my Facebook Link…. Continue reading A Peaceful People….

I can still vividly recall when President Bush rode over the Hurricane Katrina devastation in a helicopter. From a thousand feet above he would shake his head and make a comment of two. From many of his actions, including this one, he just seemed to not really care or want to be personally involved. He was very much different from his predecessor in that regard.  Looking at the tragedy from far above make the people’s suffering seem very remote. I think that is the way he wanted it to be. Yes he was very forceful after 9/11 where he had … Continue reading A Helicopter View Of Poverty…

Anyone who has spent much time on this blog knows that I am a big fan of Wikipedia. I give them at least a couple of donations every year to support their efforts. It was only recently that I discovered Wikimedia Commons. Click on the graphic to the right to go there. Wikimedia Commons has literally thousands of public domain media for all you bloggers out there. You don’t have to worry about infringement of copyrights when you used any of their images. Try them out. You won’t be disappointed and if you like them or Wikipedia give them a … Continue reading About Wikimedia Commons….

I can remember in my younger years how when I came across older people who didn’t know some of the things I did I automatically thought they were just senile old folks who were no longer living in the “real” world.  They were simply out of tune with the times. They just didn’t see the world as I did. Of course now that I am one of those “old” folks I can understand their “ignorance”. In fact I am most like them now. I am just out of tune when it comes to anything in the music area. I have … Continue reading Out Of Tune…..

Looking at all the religious oligarchies around the world I am thankful that the U.S. is not a Christian nation. Without exception those countries that adhere to a strict religious dogma are plagued with strife, war, and are constantly battling with their neighbors. I am totally convinced that the reason that the U.S. is what it is today because of our diversity. We are a nation of immigrants from hundreds of countries and religious beliefs.  I can easily see that the diversity level in the blue States is glaringly higher than in most red States. Maybe this accounts for some … Continue reading Being Thankful That The United States Is Not A Christian Nation….

I spent the first couple decades of my life as a Catholic. That was the dogma that my parents chose for me. They, for the most part, were not “real” Catholics but for whatever reason they thought that we kids should be.  One of the things I thought was kind of neat about being a Catholic was that there seemed to be a patron saint for almost anything you could think of. In some ways the Catholic church is kind of like their Jewish bretheran in that they have a strict list of rules for things like making saints as … Continue reading Patron Saints….