hey keith... here is a piece from the writer's almanac from 05/16/07:
It's the birthday of the man who served as Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, born in Florida, New York (1801). Seward was considered a shoo-in for the Republican nomination before the election of 1860. He'd been the governor of New York and a senator from New York, and he was probably the most widely known and respected Republican politician in the country. Before he went to the nominating convention in Chicago that year, he had already composed the resignation speech he planned to make to the Senate when he accepted his party's nomination.
So Seward could hardly believe it when a lesser-known lawyer from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln outflanked him at the convention and won the nomination instead. Seward probably lost the nomination because he was seen as too extreme in his anti-slavery views. In one famous speech, he had argued that the Constitution might allow for slavery, but that there was a higher law than the Constitution. Moderates saw that point of view as too dangerous, and so they nominated Lincoln instead.
Seward viewed Lincoln as an inexperienced country bumpkin, and so when Lincoln asked Seward to serve as secretary of state, Seward saw it as his chance to run the government from behind the scenes. He assumed that Lincoln would be unprepared and easy to control. When the Confederates blockaded federal troops at Fort Sumter, Seward advised Lincoln to back down and avoid war. Lincoln did precisely the opposite. Seward was so infuriated that Lincoln hadn't taken his advice that he wrote the president a angry memo, basically calling Lincoln a fool. But within a month, he realized that Lincoln had been right to force a confrontation with the South.
Seward expected Lincoln to fire him for writing such an insubordinate memo, and he was shocked when Lincoln instead forgave him. Seward wrote to his wife, "[Lincoln's] magnanimity is almost superhuman. The president is the best of us." Seward went on to become Lincoln's most trusted advisor and friend in the administration.
Keith - this painting is looking sooo good. Too bad Lincoln isn't the president now. I wonder how he would have handled 9/11. I'm quite sure we never would have ended up in Iraq.
Frankie - that is very interesting! I would love to see a documentary about Seward and Lincoln (who has time to read anymore???) It is always so inspiring to lesrn about people who follow what they know to be right and good in spite of trials and opposition.
What I hate is when people follow what they know to be right and good, but turns out they were wrong all along.
History may prove Bush correct.
Taken at face value, he is following what he knows to be right and good, in the face of opposition.
In the end, it isn't so much following your heart in a romantic sense, but for him, at least, since he works for the public, doing what is right for the common good of the citizens.
I want to read about the Civil War. I can hardly believe that a Civil War was a good decision. My knee-jerk reaction is that Seward was right... but hindsight showed Seward (at least to himself) wrong.
These things are so hard to pin down, especially when are living through them.
For me, I have always trusted leadership, however ignorant that might be... and have lost that trust... not just politically but in so many ways.
Honesty is so important for fixing that. Even honestly wrong. At least you know where you sit.
The growing dissillusionment is due to what I see as an undercurrent to almost everything, and that is keeping power or obtaining it.
No, wait - my last comment disappeared! Well, I guess I'll re-comment.
I agree that you can be sincere and passionate and honest - and still be wrong.
It is hard to know what the right course of action (or inaction) is when you are living through something. I think what angers me about Bush and Iraq is that we did it unilaterally, and it appears that deception and exaggeration were used to sway public opinion, and that Bush now refuses to admit that we screwed up and need a new course of action, that what we are doing isn't working. And so many people have lost their lives or well-being and the whole thing is just a big mess.
I never thought about the Civil War possibly being wrong... I don't know much about it beyond an elementary school understanding. If Lincoln hadn't fought, would the South have seceded? It's hard to know what would have happened.
Worked all over... spent considerable time on his left eye.
6 comments:
hey keith... here is a piece from the writer's almanac from 05/16/07:
It's the birthday of the man who served as Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, born in Florida, New York (1801). Seward was considered a shoo-in for the Republican nomination before the election of 1860. He'd been the governor of New York and a senator from New York, and he was probably the most widely known and respected Republican politician in the country. Before he went to the nominating convention in Chicago that year, he had already composed the resignation speech he planned to make to the Senate when he accepted his party's nomination.
So Seward could hardly believe it when a lesser-known lawyer from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln outflanked him at the convention and won the nomination instead. Seward probably lost the nomination because he was seen as too extreme in his anti-slavery views. In one famous speech, he had argued that the Constitution might allow for slavery, but that there was a higher law than the Constitution. Moderates saw that point of view as too dangerous, and so they nominated Lincoln instead.
Seward viewed Lincoln as an inexperienced country bumpkin, and so when Lincoln asked Seward to serve as secretary of state, Seward saw it as his chance to run the government from behind the scenes. He assumed that Lincoln would be unprepared and easy to control. When the Confederates blockaded federal troops at Fort Sumter, Seward advised Lincoln to back down and avoid war. Lincoln did precisely the opposite. Seward was so infuriated that Lincoln hadn't taken his advice that he wrote the president a angry memo, basically calling Lincoln a fool. But within a month, he realized that Lincoln had been right to force a confrontation with the South.
Seward expected Lincoln to fire him for writing such an insubordinate memo, and he was shocked when Lincoln instead forgave him. Seward wrote to his wife, "[Lincoln's] magnanimity is almost superhuman. The president is the best of us." Seward went on to become Lincoln's most trusted advisor and friend in the administration.
FG
Thanks, Frankie.
I'm curious about Seward now.
Memorial Day is coming up, so I guess this is appropriate.
These lyrics from Jambi came to mind. I edited them some.
Dim my eyes...
Dim my eyes...
Dim my eyes if they should compromise
Shine on forever.
Shine on benevolent son.
Shine down upon the broken.
Shine until the two become one.
Shine on forever.
Shine on benevolent son.
Shine on upon the severed.
Shine until the two become one.
Divided I'm withering away.
Shine on upon the many
Light our way, benevolent son.
Breathe in union.
Dim my eyes...
Dim my eyes...
Keith - this painting is looking sooo good. Too bad Lincoln isn't the president now. I wonder how he would have handled 9/11. I'm quite sure we never would have ended up in Iraq.
Frankie - that is very interesting! I would love to see a documentary about Seward and Lincoln (who has time to read anymore???) It is always so inspiring to lesrn about people who follow what they know to be right and good in spite of trials and opposition.
What I hate is when people follow what they know to be right and good, but turns out they were wrong all along.
History may prove Bush correct.
Taken at face value, he is following what he knows to be right and good, in the face of opposition.
In the end, it isn't so much following your heart in a romantic sense, but for him, at least, since he works for the public, doing what is right for the common good of the citizens.
I want to read about the Civil War. I can hardly believe that a Civil War was a good decision. My knee-jerk reaction is that Seward was right... but hindsight showed Seward (at least to himself) wrong.
These things are so hard to pin down, especially when are living through them.
For me, I have always trusted leadership, however ignorant that might be... and have lost that trust... not just politically but in so many ways.
Honesty is so important for fixing that. Even honestly wrong. At least you know where you sit.
The growing dissillusionment is due to what I see as an undercurrent to almost everything, and that is keeping power or obtaining it.
Oh well, better work.
No, wait - my last comment disappeared!
Well, I guess I'll re-comment.
I agree that you can be sincere and passionate and honest - and still be wrong.
It is hard to know what the right course of action (or inaction) is when you are living through something. I think what angers me about Bush and Iraq is that we did it unilaterally, and it appears that deception and exaggeration were used to sway public opinion, and that Bush now refuses to admit that we screwed up and need a new course of action, that what we are doing isn't working. And so many people have lost their lives or well-being and the whole thing is just a big mess.
I never thought about the Civil War possibly being wrong... I don't know much about it beyond an elementary school understanding. If Lincoln hadn't fought, would the South have seceded?
It's hard to know what would have happened.
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