Abraham Lincoln
I've just read Abe's second inaugral address, given just one month before his death, after the civil war ended, and was utterly struck by his excellent concluding words: "Let us strive...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." I wonder what Abe would say to George W. about what he treats as valuable, should the two of them happen to meet?
Comments
1. Some I know [conservatives] think that Abraham Lincoln is responsible for thousands and thousands of deaths over a States right to secede. Enormously less peaceful than Iraq.
2. Others I know [thoroughly liberal] think that Lincoln's push for a Union [Vs States rights] provided all the conditions for modern America. i.e. Lincoln created Bush and made him far more powerful than he could have been before the Civil War.
Someone tell me that this is not right.
But I do like his words.
It's always fascinated me about the USA, this tension between being strongly anti-government, with big signs on their gates saying, essentially, go away or i'll shoot you, and yet celebrating and glorying in all the privilege (etc) that their big, powerful government has enabled them to enjoy.
I didn't word that very well, but it's always struck me as kind of inconsistent, and yet so deeply entrenched in the culture. I guess that's the nature of tensions, when they're cultural... I think that one element of my definition of culture is the tensions that don't worry us because a whole we are part of doesn't question them.
I haven't looked closely at Bonhoeffer's reasoning at taking a shot at Hitler. But I trust that he deeply agonized over it, and was unwilling as he took part. (Unwilling in the sense that he took no pleasure in the plot.) If I were to join him, I would want to know that the process of planning had no joy in it, simply responsibility.
For my part (and I’m aware that I am near Benjamin as I say this), I can see a case for violent resistance in some cases.