Pseudo-Abe Don Young's pseudo-Americanism

[BurtWorm]

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) quoted a contemporary scholar, not Abraham Lincoln. (Al Grillo - AP)

IN WHOSE OWN WORDS?
Honest, It Wasn't Abe's Comment

Friday, February 16, 2007; Page A21

During floor debate on the Iraq war yesterday, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) quoted Abraham Lincoln as advocating the hanging of lawmakers who undermine military morale during wartime.

"Congressmen who willfully take action during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs, and should be arrested, exiled or hanged," Young declared.

One problem: Lincoln never said such a thing.

Conservative scholar J. Michael Waller did, in an article for Insight magazine in December 2003. Waller later told Annenberg Political Fact Check that the supposed quote "is not a quote at all" but that a copy editor mistakenly put quotation marks around his words, making them appear to be Lincoln's.

Annenberg has counted 18,000 references to the Lincoln "quote" by those who typically support President Bush's war policy.

After he left the House floor yesterday, Young found out that -- whoops -- he had mistakenly put words in Abe's mouth. His spokeswoman, Meredith Kenny, says the congressman took the quote from an article he read in the Washington Times on Tuesday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/15/AR2007021501525.html?nav=rss_politics


How could anyone who knew anything at all about Abraham Lincoln think he would ever have said anything as lame-brained, divisive and shallow as the Waller quote? (Conservative scholar? That's what kind of scholarship conservatism is turning out these days? :puke: )

This is so typical of Republics, to get something so entirely wrong about someone who represents the very best America (not to mention the Republic Party) has ever had to offer the world. People who are this PROFOUNDLY ignorant about this country should not be permitted to get away with passing themselves off as patriots. They should be called on their America-hating bullshit and fined through the nose if they so much as look at an American flag, let alone pin one to their lapels. Evil bastids! :insert American smiley spitting three times:

[Journeyman]

1. Unfortunately, people of all stripe misuse Mr Lincoln to serve their needs...

whenever they feel it will advance their cause. Here on DU, over the last 6 years, a bogus Lincoln quote about the danger of unbridled corporate power is posted repeatedly, yet even when its shown to be a fabrication I've had people here tell me its of no consequence since the truth of the statement is so self-evident Mr Lincoln should have said it.

This comment, however, is particularly disturbing, as its partisans use it to threaten those of us who disagree with them. And, as you point out Burtworm, its truly a shallow quote, especially so for any student of Mr Lincoln. There are far too many instances where Mr Lincoln actually dealt with people who willfully sought to undermine the military's morale and purpose, and his actions were always more refined than the crude attitude shown here. The Vallandigham Affair, and Mr Lincoln's constant Copperhead vexations, are but some of the examples that illustrate his attitude and actions towards those who sought to disrupt the Union internally. And though Clement Valandigham was exiled, many Copperheads arrested, and some hung, Mr Lincoln recognized throughout the importance of civil dispute -- even in the midst of Civil War -- and did not act without cause.

[BurtWorm]

2. His own party was furious with him for arguing against criminalizing rebellion.

There is always a temptation among partisans to make out the heroes of history to be in agreement with their side. Of course it bugs the shit out of me to see the right wing misquoting the Founders, or misreading them. On Usenet there used to be a frother who would post weekly quotes from Jefferson that were almost always saying the exact opposite of what he thought they were saying. It's really amazing!

But, of course, the right isn't alone in letting their politics distort their willingness to see reality for what it is.