Lincoln and the Enigma of Truth....
LINCOLN: NO WAR WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.
Abraham Lincoln, the greatest Republican president, wrote the following letter, when he was a U.S. Congressman, to his young law partner, William Herndon, denouncing the President for starting a war against Mexico, without the consent of the Congress.
In the letter, Lincoln opposes the President's argument that a "preemptive strike" was needed, and that only he need be the judge of that, by using principles from the founding fathers. George W. Bush: take heed. (This letter was written three months after Lincoln's famous "Spot Resolution," where he had questioned whether the "spot" that the Mexican forces initially attacked, was, in fact, American territory. The spelling and emphasis are as in the original letter.)
To William H. Herndon
Dear William: Washington, Feb. 15, 1848
Your letter of the 29th Jany. was received last night. Being exclusively a constitutional argument, I wish to submit some reflections upon it in the same spirit of kindness that I know actuates you. Let me first state what I understand to be your position. It is, that if it shall become NECESSARY, TO REPEL INVASION, the President may, without violation of the Constitution, cross the line, and INVADE the teritory(sic) of another country; and that whether such NECESSITY exists in any given case, the President is to be the SOLE judge.
Before going further, consider well whether this is, or is not your position. If it is, it is a position that neither the President himself, nor any friend of his, so far as I know, has ever taken. Their only positions are first, that the soil was OURS where hostilities commenced, and second, that whether it was rightfully ours OR NOT, CONGRESS HAD ANNEXED IT, and the President, for that reason was bound to defend it, both of which are as clearly proved to be false in fact, as you can prove that your house is not mine. That soil was not ours; and Congress did not annex or attempt to annex it. But to return to your position:
Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever HE shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, WHENEVER HE MAY CHOOSE TO SAY he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix ANY LIMIT to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose. If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us" but he will say to you "be silent; I see it, if you don't."
The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress, was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons. Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that NO ONE MAN should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the whole matter, and places our President where kings have always stood. Write soon again.
Yours truly,
Abraham Lincoln
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>>The Union soldiers in the battle actually fought against self-determination: it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves. The Confederates went into battle free; they came out with their freedom subject to the supervision of the rest of the country--and for nearly twenty years that veto was so efficient that they enjoyed scarcely more liberty, in the political sense, than so many convicts in the penitentiary.">>
Slavery was the core FRAUD that needed to be addressed in the Civil War and it remains that core FRAUD that needs to be addressed today.
Blacks were enslaved physically-temporally-naturally, but in respect of your argument, so too, was the Union enslaved by the combined forces of politics and industrialization.
Lincoln may have freed the slaves but at what cost? Fast forward to the 14th Ammendment which, in effect, made us all de facto citizen slaves of the private corporate federal United States, Inc.
Now we must resolve the FINAL WAR to end all wars over ONE issue: SLAVERY. This is a spiritual war. It will be fought, waged and won deep in the minds, hearts and souls of every single individual walking the face of this earth.
For it all gets down to a belief in a higher power - ie. whether we truly believe that ALL of our rights and freedoms come direclty from benevolent creator God. And if we don't then the only alternative is to face more of the same which is the SLAVERY of man.
Peace and God Bless!
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