After five years Sarah Palin still doesn't know shit about history

From Sarah's Fecebook page:

God Bless the legacy of our 16th President. He served with honesty and integrity, held our nation together in the worst of times, understood and assured the blessings of liberty for all Americans, and didn’t succumb to the special interests that would destroy our Union for personal gain. With foresight towards developing our natural resources, the man Lincoln appointed as his Secretary of State wisely purchased the territory of Alaska. This President truly understood the heart of the United States. He gave his last full measure of devotion to keep our nation as one and secure the foundation of those truths we still hold self-evident.

To quote his immortal words, it is for us the living to be dedicated to the task remaining before us. The United States deserves leaders that ascribe to the simple principles that guided this great man. From a log cabin in Kentucky to the White House, he espoused the American ideal of truth and honesty. He didn’t shy from controversy, and the fire of freedom burned bright within him and guided him throughout his life.

May all our elected officials take a long look at what made Lincoln a great leader. Our elected officials have from our history the perfect example of selfless leadership.

On this, Abraham Lincoln’s 205th birthday, please take a moment to reflect on what it means to be a God-fearing leader, a great president, and a true American. Ask yourself if our politicians and influential celebrities who shape society live up to Lincoln’s shining example, and if not, hold them accountable instead of rewarding them with continued privilege. It’s our nation, and Lincoln gave his life to assure that it remained the “last best hope on earth.”

Happy Birthday, Honest Abe!

I need to clear up some things here.  

For starters yes Lincoln appointed William Seward Secretary of State.  However the purchase of Alaska happened TWO YEARS after Lincoln's assassination.  Andrew Johnson was the president in 1867.  The same Andrew Johnson who was impeached, and was acquitted by just one vote, the same Andrew Johnson who got drunk at Lincoln's inauguration. 

Abraham Lincoln is the sort of person Sarah Palin despises.  She is all for state's rights but Lincoln wanted to ban slavery in all the US.  If Sarah was alive in 1861 she would be jumping up and down screaming, NO, HE CAN'T DO THAT!  IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL!  

He also issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was an executive order freeing all slaves.  Sarah sure hates it when President Obama issues one.  

Nice try Skank.  You need to watch Lincoln again.  Lincoln did do some things that would have gotten him impeached if the public found out.  But I agree with him on it because it saved the Union.

Lincoln

Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday so I thought I would write a review of the movie Lincoln.

I saw Lincoln over Thanksgiving weekend while in Wisconsin.  I highly recommend it to everyone.

Growing up I admired Lincoln a lot.  I visited his home in Springfield, his grave, his birthplace in Kentucky, and his home in New Salem IL.  Now that I'm a Democrat I admit a little luster has tarnished but he still commands my respect.

One thing I learned in Lincoln was that even though he was a great leader, he was a politician and was willing to circumvent the laws to get what he wanted, like bribing lame duck Congressmen to vote his way on the 13th amendment, and lying to Congress about a potential peace offering from the confederacy.

Lincoln was a smart man, he was a lawyer and new all the tricks..

One thing that I disagree with Lincoln on is his refusal to allow Robert to serve in the military.  Robert was a grown man for pete's sake!  I know Mary had mental issues and took Willie's death hard (they lost another son Eddie years before, where's the grief there?) but to not allow Robert to serve was a disservice.  During WW2 all four of Franklin D. Roosevelt's sons served willingly, was in some of the worst battles of the war (Casablanca, Makin, Okinawa).  If FDR's sons could do it so and he allowed, then Lincoln should have.

Lincoln was a funny man.  Watch the movie for his humor.

All in all a great president and worthy of being on the $5 bill.

Since Sarah Palin was told to shut up she should just skip the GOP convention she should visit Mt. Rushmore instead

While I was in South Dakota I went to Mt Rushmore. It is a beautiful work of art honoring some of our best presidents-George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

In the evening they have a lighting ceremony which a ranger gives a talk, show a video, take down the flag and light the faces. It is truly an inspiring experience.

Last year Sarah went out on her bus tour and visited the Liberty Bell, got her facts wrong about Paul Revere, visited DC and Ronald Reagan's birthplace.

There is one place Sarah should visit.

Mt. Rushmore-the SHRINE OF DEMOCRACY.

I don't know if Sarah has ever been to Rushmore but if she hasn't why not?

Two founding fathers are sculpted up there...Washington and Jefferson. But maybe Sarah does not know that.

Perhaps Sarah secretly hates the presidents that are on Mt. Rushmore.

George Washington may have been gay and certainly dressed like one. He also refused to be a king and would not run for a third term.

Thomas Jefferson was a deist and wrote his own version of the Bible.

Abraham Lincoln stomped on state's rights and freed the brown skinned people.

Theodore Roosevelt was for the common man and was a conservationist and trust buster.

Sarah would learn a lot if she visited Mt Rushmore. So would her family.

The Sturgis rally is over now so it won't be as crowded either.

What are you waiting for Sarah?

April 12-a sad day in American History

Two very significant events happened on April 12.

April 12, 1861-the first shots of the American Civil War fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.  The war lasted from April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865.  President Abraham Lincoln was shot five days after the war ended in Ford Theatre and died the next day  What led to the Civil War was the argument of slavery.  Lincoln campaigned in the 1860 Presidential Election against expanding slavery beyond the states that already existed.  Lincoln won the election against Stephen A. Douglas who felt should be left up to the states.

After Lincoln was elected in November, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America. These states loved slavery and hated anyone who was not like them.

By April the war was started.  For a few years the South was winning the war, but the Battle of Gettsyburg in 1863 which was won by the Union changed the tide of the War.  Following the battle Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address.  The North started pushing back and the following year led by William Tecumseh Sherman burned Atlanta and marched to the Sea  Also in 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all the slaves. 

In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected president defeating one of his Generals George B McClellan.   On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse ending the war.

Fast forward to 80 years later.  April 12, 1945 while at his summer home in Warm Springs GA, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt succumbed to a cerebral hemhorrage.  He was only 63.

Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in US history along with Lincoln.  He was also elected to four terms, more than any other president.  He was born in Hyde Park NY on Jan 30, 1882.  He was born into wealth and privilege, graduated from the Groton School and Harvard University.  He married his 5th cousin Eleanor Roosevelt who was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt was elected to the NY State Senate in 1910 and re-elected in 1912.  In 1913 he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy.  He held this position until 1920 when he resigned to run for Vice President of the United States  He was defeated.

In 1921 while vacationing with his family at Campobello Island in Canada, he was stricken with polio and spent several years recovering in Warm Springs and Hyde Park.  He never fully recovered and had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  In public he would use crutches and a cane.

In 1928 and 1930 Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York.  By 1932 he was considered a contender for the Democrat nominee for President.   He won in a landslide over one of the worst presidents in history Herbert Hoover who would not do anything to stop the bleeding of the Great Depression.

Roosevelt's New Deal helped bring the Depression down some and gave people hope.  Labor legislation such as overtime pay and better working conditions improved lives.  Social Security helped old people retire and enjoy their twilight years.  The FDIC made bank deposits secure.  The SEC cracked down on unethical stock market manipulation which led to the Great Depression.

Roosevelt was elected three more times-1936, 1940, and 1944.  On December 7, 1941 Japan forces bombed Pearl Harbor, dragging the US into World War II.  Roosevelt showed his competence during the war, picking the right commanders, boosting morale at home and on the front lines, and working with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin.  Unfortunately he did not see the end of World War II as he passed away on April 12, 1945.  V-E Day was May 1 and V-J Day was Sept 2, 1945.

It is ironic that April 12 is linked to the two greatest presidents in US History, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. They both handled three of the greatest crises this country has had to endure (Civil War, Great Depression, World War II) very well and as a result the United State of America is a much better country.