It's true that Abraham Lincoln was one of our greatest presidents. Many of his actions and speeches have served through the years to inspire political leaders on both sides of the aisle in Congress and in the White House.
Lincoln's greatest accomplishment as president - most historians would agree - was saving the Union and declaring war on the South whose states seceded from the United States of America. But you know what?
Lincoln had it wrong. He should have let the fucking South secede from the Union.
But what about slavery, you ask? Well, what about it? Slavery, in my opinion, would have eventually ended. It may have taken years to happen but one by one, then by the hundreds and then thousands,
slaves would have revolted against their masters and achieved freedom, possibly much sooner than they did (in the second half of the 20th century).
No way could the South have contained hundreds of thousands and then millions of black slaves and prevented a revolution.
In saving the Union, Lincoln costs the lives of more than one million American men from both the North and the South. Was it worth it?
I don't think so.
Fast forward to the 21st century. To be specific - Super Tuesday, March 13, 2012. On this date
primaries were held in Alabama and Mississippi for the Republican Party's presidential candidate.
Two candidates - Rich Santorum and Newt Gingrich - took 64 percent of the vote in Mississippi and
63 percent in Alabama
I don't need to say too much about either of these candidates. They appeal to a segment of the population that is ignorant, intolerant and racist. And where do most of these people live?
You guessed it! In the South, dude.
Texas.
Louisiana
Mississippi'
Arkansas
Georgia
Florida
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Ok. Ok. I know what you're thinking. How could we possibly get along without having
Florida in the Union? No problem. Until Henry Ford started mass production of model Ts and roads were paved and interstate highways were constructed, it would have taken forever to get from say Boston to Miami (or whatever it was called before Fla. became a state), so forget about it.
Except for New Orleans, there is absolutely no reason to have Louisiana in the Union. And
any American president worth his salt could have annexed New Orleans and declared it a no fly zone or whatever. Problem solved.
Forget about Alabama. Who needs it. The same goes for Arkansas (regardless of the fact that Bubba Clinton was born there), and Kentucky.
And South Carolina. Jesus. The state that gave us Strom Thurmond! I rest my case.
As for North Carolina and Virginia, sufficient numbers of people would have migrated there over the years from the South to make them more moderate in their political leanings and to seek membership in the Union.
Georgia might have caused some problems. But except for Atlanta, I can't think of any other reason for wanting to keep it in the Union. Really.
I've saved Texas for last. Next to Alabama and Mississippi, I loathe the State of Texas the most.
Except for Austin, I despise everything about Texas. Its size. Cowboy boots. Its politics. Its treatment of women's rights and its poor record of providing a decent public education to its children and did I say its politics.
From the state that gave us George W. Bush and Rick Perry.
I rest my case.
Newt Gingrich is right when he says that the upcoming presidential election in November will be one of the most important in our history. But absolutely and completely wrong when he says he is the one to lead us as we march further into the 21st century.
Both he and Rick Santorum are assholes, pure and simple. I can't think of another word to use to describe them. I wouldn't call Mitt Romney an asshole. A phony. A hypocrite. A liar. A jerk.
But not an asshole.
It saddens me to realize that as far as we have come in the area of civil rights for ALL Americans,
we still have a long way to go.
Just look at how many millions of Americans are still intolerant, ignorant and
yes, racist.
And most of them live in the South.
Like I said, Lincoln had it wrong. He should have let the South secede from the Union.
The Confederacy would have died a quick death, deservedly so.
