I received this email a few hours ago from a friend of mine. He is a private practice family lawyer in the South, not a Wall Street type. He wrote it, so it is original and not something that has zipped around the Internet a couple million times.
My friend is a member of the most reviled demographic in America today; he's an upper-middle class white Christian male. They are the only group it is considered acceptable to hate, and they pay the majority of the freight for the rest of the country.
The email truly stands on its own, so without further ado:
I'm listening to news radio while I do paper work in my office today. I'm sorry but I have to comment on the current executive office. You can delete this or you can print it and line the bottom of your bird cage. But, in advance, say a prayer for Carol with the knowledge that she listens to my rantings like this daily without complaint. God bless her.As I listen to the liberal pundits and Obama himself repeatedly compare our new president to Abraham Lincoln, I want to fish slap them across the face and sarcastically ask them "Have you ever studied or seriously read anything written by Lincoln?" Clearly they have not because the comparisons are woefully misguided and just plain wrong. Unfortunately, when Obama proudly compares himself to our 16th President, most citizens are too lazy or too stupid (or both) to get off their dead asses and hold Obama to the comparison. Obama said it, they believe it, pass the ketchup. Any American adult who has exercised moderate self-educational discipline and forgone People magazine as their post-high school tutelage will know that Obama and Lincoln are worlds apart, ideologically speaking. As my mother-in-law once said to Obama when she met him during his campaign, "I knew Abraham Lincoln; Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Abraham Lincoln!" (Sorry Janice.)
Obama's speeches have become so littered with tips of the hat from Lincoln to Obama that they appear to be comedy sketches from SNL. Any day now, I'm waiting for Obama to step up to the podium and proclaim that, "What this country needs...is more cowbell!" Seriously. That is how comical and disoriented his post-campaign, campaign has become in less than one month. Regrettably, no one is laughing as they watch their financial future dwindle and the government nationalize more and more of our free market economy.
Do not forget for a second that the current form of government that Obama and his ilk are pushing upon the American citizens is the exact form of government that my father and many of your fathers and grandfathers fought and died to successfully extinguish during WWII. Now, many of us joyfully embrace it. Never. I cannot imagine the sense of betrayal that my father or uncle, who survived the Bataan Death March and over three torturous years as a POW, would feel today if they were alive to see the socialist-communist regime that has manifested itself in Washington. The Democrats should hold their heads in shame for selling out the generation that provides the luxuries they so thanklessly enjoy. It should be a mandate that every Congressman take a lone, one hour walk through Arlington National Cemetery before every vote on this "stimulus package."
Nevertheless, Obama is the new Lincoln? No way. The following is often referred to as The Ten Cannots. It is attributed to Abraham Lincoln but arguably written by a protestant minister in the same time period. President Reagan referred to Lincoln when citing The Ten Cannots because it is akin to Lincoln's philosophy. The approaching 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and the current economic debate made me recall first reading The Ten Cannots as a teenager in a small book my father had of which I cannot recall the name. I think it is appropritate to re-read The Ten Cannots whilst Obama restructures our government and stuffs the stimulus package with more pork than Sal & Judy's braciolone. Clearly, it shows the ideological distinction between our 16th President and the gentleman currently seated at the Resolute Desk.
1) You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2) You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
3) You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
4) You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
5) You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
6) You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
7) You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
8) You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
9) You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
10) You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.I'm sorry but I cannot find Barrack Obama anywhere within these statements.
When I asked him for his permission to reprint his email on WSO, this was his response:
Of course, pass it on. If there are more people interested in reading it, the happier I will be. I feel nauseated by this assface in office. Each day I see more and more incompetence and poor judgment. Historically, I've never been a Chicken Little kind of guy and believed the USA could pull through nearly anything. However, I am beginning to think that these schoolboys are completely out of their league and truly have the capacity to collapse the economics and politics of America.
nice work edmundo, this is good shit
Bookmarked.
Forwarded.
Posted on facebook.
Bookmarked, forwarded AND posted on facebook. This is really great. Thanks for sharing Edmundo.
I did study Abraham Lincoln, as I am a US history Major focusing on the civil war. Obviously it is too early to tell if Obama is similar to Lincoln, but one obvious similarity is that both of them are not simply politicians. They both believe in what they say. And they are both incredible orators. The Gettysburg address is obviously the most incredible thing that an American has ever said, and I think Obama has the ability to channel that kind of love for our nation that Lincoln was brilliant at.
Just my 2 cents
And that is what its worth...if you give me two cents after you say it.
For one, WWII was never against the communists. Trying to say the stimulus package is an affront to those buried at the Arlington National Cemetery is plain crass. I've also heard much more comparisons to FDR than to Lincoln, and I must say there is something to that.
Finally, trying to apply these ten cannots to the situation is misguided. Class warfare is not Obama's goal. While Obama is placing too much blame on Wall Street, any good politician would do so. Also, compare Obama's plans on compensation caps to Congress's, who's trying to destroy the rich now? Point 10 is irrelevant: the next bull market will not be spearheaded by the public sector, but I would point you to the week following the Lehman bankruptcy if you want to know what would happen without the government.
I'm not particularly enthused about this plan, and quite frankly the news's obsession with the president is sickening. But before writing such a pretentious tirade against a man who's been in office for less than a month, try and remember the guy who sent thousands of Americans to die in the desert at the tune of a likely $1.9 trillion that no one will ever see again.
Who cares. Obama's election saves us from the terrorists and many others that hate America (Harder for Bin Laden to foster hatred against a country led by Barack Hussein Obama), and his anti-wall street campaign will probably end when the economy picks up again.
While I agree that the "Ten Cannots" would clearly show the differences between O'Bama and Lincoln, they are not actually attributable to Lincoln. Granted, my source is "cincinattiskeptics.com," whatever that is, but
"But alas! Lincoln did not say these things. They were written in 1916 by the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian clergyman and pamphlet writer. In 1942, a group called the Committee for Constitutional Government gave out a great many leaflets entitled "Lincoln on Limitations" that contained on one side a real Lincoln quote and on the other side the 10 Boetcker statements. Boetcker was credited with his statements on the leaflet, but their proximity in print to one real quote by Lincoln, plus the title of the leaflet, led people to think that Lincoln had said the ten listed statements. They were repeated in many printed sources, and are still regarded by many as authentic Lincoln quotes. Carl Sandburg, Lincoln's most famous biographer, dismissed them as spurious." http://www.cincinnatiskeptics.org/blurbs/lincoln-cannots.html
That being said, I believe O'Bama is treading dangerous waters by eliciting the comparison. Lincoln has an ESTABLISHED record as one of the greatest presidents ever. O'Bama has been president for a little over a month. Comparing the two would be akin to comparing Lebron to Jordan a few years back: It's worked out so far, but who knows if Lebron will bust a knee in a month and leave his legacy unfinished.
Watch out! Kevin Durant is right behind Lebron, and he just turned 20.
But I digress.
But must admit I don't see the connection to WWII. That said, I believe any one who seriously believes Obama is comparable to Lincoln should reexamine their intelligence. From his first moment in office, Obama has shown no interest in governing, choosing to forsake his sworn duties in favor of pandering to the masses. There is a reason America is not a true democracy - our founding father's greatest fear was the tyranny of the majority that saw Socrates condemned to death. They saw the duty of those entrusted with governing to act not for the people's desires, but for their interests. Now we find ourselves with a president who not only shows no interest in differentiating his opinions from the those of bums on the street, but of further inflaming the views of the ignorant. In my mind, that is the true connection to WWII, that Obama is acting no different from Hitler. You may think the comparison harsh, but he truly is acting no differently - he has settled upon a convenient minority to scapegoat for economic woes, and is stripping them of their rights, money and enterprises. That is the sort of evil that our fathers fought against.
Comparing Obama to Hitler is extreme. You might want to think through your statement some more...
And Edmundo, do you get paid per post, or do you get more compensation if a lot of people respond?
I don't think Hitler had a bailout plan for the Jews..
This is so stupid I hardly know where to begin. It is next to impossible to imagine that Obama could have done enough in a single month of office to warrant the hatred people like you toss his way, especially given that the alternative was a party that has a proven track record of fucking things up.
"Most hated demographic in America..."
How could you even imagine this was true in a society that is mostly populated by whites, and mostly run by white males. You clearly like feeling sorry for yourself. You should watch the KKK-esque need to protect white christinity thing though, its rather unattractive.
Here are a few people that tend to have it worse in terms of general perception:
1) Blacks and latinos who don't speak proper English. 2) Atheists. 3) Gays.
In fact, I'm sure very few people wake up and think "damn, those upper-middle class WASP males are destroying America", whereas every day there are people out there with a direct vendetta against the three groups I've just mentioned. People like you, however, freak out when any group comes out to defend these people because
~OMG I remember the days when it was okay to just run over such undesirables and now gasp look what theyr'e doing on MTV and gasp they want rights and etc etc...~
Seriously man, wtf.
I didn't say WASPs were the most hated demographic in America, I said they were the only demographic it was socially acceptable to hate. Adjust your meds, for chrissakes.
Tell somebody you hate the blacks, or the Mexicans, or the gays and see how it goes over. Probably like a turd in a punchbowl. Now tell them you hate rich white guys. You'll probably get a slap on the back and hear,"Yeah, me too!" That's what I'm talking about.
Lay off the Obama kool-aid, dude.
Actually, I like Obama a lot more now than I did pre-election, but I'm definitely not on his kool-aid. I just think its wrong how much hate he gets for legitimately trying to do what he believes (and many intelligent people agree) is best for America. Now, if he was busy acting on his anti free trade, pro free universal everything campaign promises I'd understand, but really, he just hasn't even done enough.
I notice you exclude atheists and added "rich" instead of "upper-middle-class". In that case I might agree, but only because people dislike those who are better off than themselves. No one goes around showering love on rich middle aged black guys (unless they rap or play golf lol).
If anyone is like Lincoln, it's George W. Bush. No, I am not crazy. Lincoln was extremely unpopular during most of his time in office; the southern states seceded from the Union largely because he won the election of 1860! In order to keep the Union together, he violated many civil liberties and, in many cases, acted Unconstitutionally. Think about it: he shut down newspapers that were against the war, suspended habeas corpus, instituted a blockade of the Confederate states, and spent government money without permission. His justification for violating the Constitution was that if he did not, there would be no more Constitution left to save. Thankfully, historians have shown him in the positive light he deserves. Am I saying George Bush will go down as a great President? Probably not. But Lincoln came into his Presidency against great adversity, no mandate at all. Now we have Obama who, according to the newsmedia, can allegedly walk on water. I actually heard one commentator on CNN say, "I think Barack Obama can singlehandedly turn this economy around." Barack Obama is more Jimmy Carter than he is Lincoln or FDR.
The Hitler comparison is more than a bit off base, but not outrageous. Hitler was an excellent orator and seized power when Germany's economy was in ruins by promising to restore the country to greatness. I just don't like the idea of having to rely on the government for the rest of our lives to make politicians feel like they are important.
The Hitler comparison is downright fucking stupid.
Hitler was a psychopath who siezed power by murdering his political opponents and condemning minorities.
You don't think Obama is comparable to Lincoln just becuase they are both great orators and yet you think he is comparable to Hitler because...they are both great orators.
1920's Germany- nothing like 2008 U.S. 1864 U.S. - nothing like 2008 U.S.
Its laughable to me that bankers are so scarred at how Obama has burned them that they think they're being persecuted by Hitler.
ROFLMAO that is incredible!
You know who else scapegoated bankers...both FDRs. In fact, the U.S. has a nice long history of calling out Wall Street whenever things go wrong. You guys really ought to stop taking it personally.
The Hitler comparison is downright fucking stupid.
Hitler was a psychopath who siezed power by murdering his political opponents and condemning minorities.
You don't think Obama is comparable to Lincoln just becuase they are both great orators and yet you think he is comparable to Hitler because...they are both great orators.
1920's Germany- nothing like 2008 U.S. 1864 U.S. - nothing like 2008 U.S.
Its laughable to me that bankers are so scarred at how Obama has burned them that they think they're being persecuted by Hitler.
ROFLMAO that is incredible!
You know who else scapegoated bankers...both FDRs. In fact, the U.S. has a nice long history of calling out Wall Street whenever things go wrong. You guys really ought to stop taking it personally.
Lonely 19 year old boys and second rate law hacks stay away from the internet; it's frightening the shit that makes it on to the web.
This thread is pretty disgusting and should be deleted. The underlying fear and hatred is pathetic. The analogy to Hitler is down right shameful; it's not only disrespectful to the Jews but also to the Americans and Europeans that died in WWII.
Comparing W. to Lincoln is outright shameful. Lincoln abolished slavery and won the Civil War. George W. Bush watched the economy disintegrate and started a war that can't possibly be won.
I don't know much about Edmundo's friend and don't have much of an opinion on the 10 Cannots aside from that I agree with them and they seem pretty essential to American capitalism.
I would like to note that the 10 Cannots pamphlet has absolutely nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln, I'm not sure why your friend thinks it does. Not only was it published well after Lincoln died, but it was published 12 presidents after Lincoln.
Ok, and? I can list of statements from the 1981 Alabama State Fair Announcer Russ Hollobough, and will not be able to find Barrack Obama anywhere in those statements either. Not sure exactly what good ol' Russ or his statements have to do with Barrack Obama or Abraham Lincoln.
I don't see why/how Reagan believed the 10 Cannots are congruent to Lincoln's principals considering Lincoln's presidency was for the most part focused on the Civil War and 13th amendment; not exactly sure where saving the most sophisticated economy in the world(which at that time was not the US) came into play (and I'm not saying Obama is worth his weight in Mexican donkey semen for his efforts to save the financial system).
Also the comparison first and foremost stems from how iconic Lincoln is in American history for putting an end to slavery and now a black man holds that same office. Not sure why that is hard to identify. Second, they're both from Illinois. Third, they're both great orators, as someone else mentioned.
Although it may seem that Im politically irked from the e-mail, its the arrogance/ignorance of the author that really irks me. He repeatedly calls people lazy/stupid etc... then goes on to say:
People compare Obama to Lincoln. Which is not true because a German minister who immigrated to the US made these statements 50 years after Abraham Lincoln died, and 70 years after that Reagan said that the minister's statements reminded him of Lincoln. Since Reagan knew Lincoln very well(they were brothers and all), and everyone knows William Boetcker was actually Lincoln's pen name(Lincoln faked his death in order to publish a pamphlet 50 years later when he was 107), I cannot find Barrack Obama anywhere within Willaim Boetcker's statements, therefore Obama and Lincoln are nothing alike. (which I, Marcus, can neither confirm nor deny)
I couldn't help but rebut the "southern intellectual"(an oxy-moron if I've ever heard one) I admittedly love to hate. I spent some years in the south and the level stupidity they exhibit is second to none. Not only do they know nothing about nothing, but they seem to have deeply rooted opinions on everything based on solid fundamental beliefs such as I drink Budweiser because its American, I hate Mexican's because they steal American jobs, I drive a Ford cuz thats what my pa drove, I'm going to boycott McD french fries because the French didn't support the US invasion of Iraq. Can't count on those yellow-belly pansies for anything, it is wasn't for us they'd be eating Knockwurst right now. If you asked them about French participation in the American Revolution, they casually say they are the Lord's child and don't believe in evolution.
I apologize for saying this so crudely, but I think you are a fucking idiot.
PS- oxymoron is one word, not hyphenated.
Sticking up for your inbred way of life, how noble of you. Now if only you could stop banging your siblings and get your ass to a dentist.... you'd almost pass as a third-rate American.
Just to comment on upper-class WASPs being okay to hate on: I'm an upper middle class WASP, and I could care less if people feel the need to "hate" on me or some of my wealthier friends. The "hate" some people can harbor towards the upper class is really just envy. It may be ignorant, but not despicable in the way that actually hating any group, whether ethnic, religious... If you're an upper-class WASP, you have unparalleled access to the best schools and careers, provided you're not a complete idiot. To feel entitled to anything more is ludicrous: your ethnic background and school district will not limit your opportunities.
While the current outcry over compensation taps into populist sentiment, the reason the govt. is pushing for compensation caps is that they indirectly funded many of last year's bonus pools. If you can't understand why that's a dilemma, you're probably incapable of repeating whatever propelled your family into the upper class.
so to sum that last post up, as puff daddy once said, "jealousy is a mother fucker, you weak jealous mother fucker"
"That's not all, MC's have the gall, to pray and pray on my downfall." Forget Obama , Lincoln and FDR, Bad Boy saw this coming years ago.
Thanks for sharing this, very interesting. Talking about politics, law and constitution, we can all say that a respect for law and its constitution is indeed a good politics in return. The federal state promulgates amendments in the US constitution to protect the rights of the citizenry. Let me site to you one of its amendment. The 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the amendments which doesn't get brought up a whole lot. The 10th Amendment states that all rights not given expressly to the government are reserved to the states, or the people. Granted, this should apply to payday loan regulations, but not a whole lot of people take that view. Tax Day Protests are beginning and the 10th amendment is being used to reject any stimulus funds directed to states, if the state governments aren't willing to accept them. It seems that segments of the people are not willing to get short term loans on 10th Amendment grounds.
trying to bring everyone to mutual understanding coz that's plain gay (no offense to all ye boy lovers - really, none at all - it's just a manner of politically incorrect yet efficient speech) but i have to comment. i completely agree with a majority of the original post. i think obama doesn't know what the hell he's doing, but i also think he has good intentions. then again we all know where that leads us to. but the main point i'd like to emphasize is that it's not the democrats that will bring down america and the almighty dollar, but america itself. it sounds corny, but it really is true. look at the culture developing in america. look at the extreme consumerism. the uncontrolled extreme capitalist way of doing things. i'm all for capitalism for lack of a well functioning and efficient socialism (that's a different discussion) but the kind of capitalism that's developed in the US is too careless and unbridled. it's irresponsible. but to top it off, just compare the work ethic of the average american (not talking about hardcore consultants/bankers/computer engineers, talking about the factory workers, clerks, etc) to that of the asian worker. to see a greater contrast, use the european worker compared to the asian. in asia they work 12 hour days as a standard, whereas in europe most shops close in the afternoon. productivity of the average worker is what's allowing mexicans to steal american jobs as someone here remarked (out of my context but it serves my purpose here). the reason america may fall is because it's becoming lazy, not democratic (as opposed to republican).
random hackneyed words of wisdom
I think that's a great point. Labor unions in this country definitely contribute to Americans' the lack of productivity; of course Democrats are organized labor's biggest ally. Look at the auto industry. Do we ever hear about abuse at Toyota, BMW, or Honda plants in America? Their workers are paid well, treated well and are more productive even without union protection. Meanwhile, at the American auto plants, the UAW fights for all these concessions which basically reward laziness and have now helped sink these companies, along with extremely poor management.
Americans have definitely become lazy and entitled. We are obsessed with instant results, instant gratification. Look at the commercials on TV reflecting this attitude: "Lose 100 pounds by Labor Day," "Open an account in 7 minutes or less," "Instant energy in a bottle." Nobody wants to work for anything anymore. You just can't live in million dollar house or drive a $40,000 car if you make $50 grand a year. Americans need to save more and be happy living within their means. This recession is the tough medicine that we all need to swallow and some people need to choke on.
...I have 2 problems with this thread: a) It assumes implicitly that lincoln was some kind of god, which is total myth-making. Lincoln presided over the death of 500,000 Americans in a War to prevent seccesion, which was intended by the founders to be an inherent right of statehood. No the Civil War was not about slavery. He also suspended habeas corpus, was personally a virulent racist, and had absolutely no concept of personal liberty for Americans. 2) While the 10 "don'ts" are good, it was Bush who brought us to where we are, not Obama, Bush should have read this list before he massively increased the size of the budget, before he embarked on the massive nation-building effort in Afghanistan, before he needlessly invaded Iraq, before he sunk our nation forever into debt so he could pursue his utopian vision of the middle east. Those fantasies are why we will have higher taxes and bigger government, not anything Obama has done.
Edmoundo, where was your friend when Bush was expanding the size of government at the fastest pace in history?
Couldn't agree more with both points, Bondarb. If you look back at a few posts I've made you'll see that I consider Lincoln the worst president in history and GW Bush 3rd or 4th worst.
As for my buddy, I don't think he had any great love for Bush, but he couldn't stomach the alternatives at the time. By and large, Southrons (that is the correct term, Southerner is incorrect) gave Bush a pass by looking the other way and muttering, "Bless his heart", like you would with a retarded child.
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Thank you, Hephaestus & BondArb and a few others, for swimming against the tide and trying to make this a reality-based thread. Too many can't resist insane rhetoric and political/ideological mythology.
insane rhetoric and ideo-political mythology (and slogan-speak) shouldn't surprise anyone - it's the uneducated's sole means of intellectual discussion. don't hold it against the mindless masses, but rather murmur under your breath "bless their misguided little hearts" and pray to god that IQ-related evolution will make the necessary leap for the majority before they destroy us all.
random hackneyed words of wisdom
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