A Prophetic Abe Lincoln!

[Charles Black]

Although Abe Lincoln is generally held in much less esteem by myself than by most others, I am amazed by the foresight which he expressed on November 21, 1863-------one hundred years and one day prior to Dealey Plaza.

The following emphases are "mine".

"But I see in the near future a crisis approaching that un-nerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country.

As a result of war, corporations have been enthroned and an 'era of corruption in high places will follow', and the money power of the country will endeavor to protect its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until ALL WEALTH IS AGGREGATED IN A FEW HANDS AND THE REPUBLIC IS DESTROYED. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions prove groundless."

Charles Black

[John Simkin]

Although Abe Lincoln is generally held in much less esteem by myself than by most others, I am amazed by the foresight which he expressed on November 21, 1863-------one hundred years and one day prior to Dealey Plaza.

The following emphases are "mine".

"But I see in the near future a crisis approaching that un-nerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country.

As a result of war, corporations have been enthroned and an 'era of corruption in high places will follow', and the money power of the country will endeavor to protect its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until ALL WEALTH IS AGGREGATED IN A FEW HANDS AND THE REPUBLIC IS DESTROYED. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions prove groundless."

Charles Black

Amazing quote. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[Ron Ecker]

What is the source of the quote, and what enthroned corporations was Lincoln referring to?

[Charles Black]

Hello Ron

I came across this quote in M. Calder's "JFK vs. CIA" / West LA Publishers, 1998. ISBN: 0-9660749-0-4.

Library/Congress card # 97-061809. Subject quote is in preface.

Charles Black

[Ron Ecker]

Charles,

Thanks. I have Calder's book. Since he cites no source for the quote, I Googled it. The quote is from a letter that Lincoln wrote to a colonel on November 21, 1864.

The quote is indeed prophetic. But did Calder, in writing about the JFK assassination, change the year of the quote for dramatic effect, or was it an honest mistake?

http://www.ratical.org/corporations/Lincoln.html

[Tim Gratz]

And speaking of a prophetic Abe Lincoln, who can forget that a week or so before his own assassination he dreamed of seeing his body lying in state. Similar to JFK talking about assassination on the morning of his own. Eeerie.

[Ron Ecker]

Lincoln's worry about the destructive power of "enthroned" corporations growing out of war certainly did not "prove groundless" as he hoped it would. Marine General Smedley Butler, a two-time Medal of Honor winner, told us in the 1930s, from his long personal experience with the masters of war, that "war is a racket," and President Eisenhower, who as an Army general headed the Normandy invasion in WWII, warned us in 1960 of the undue influence of the "military industrial complex."

These great men knew what they were talking about. It would be flabbergasting if a single one of the latest lame crop of presidential candidates expressed a modicum of the insight of Lincoln, Butler, and Eisenhower on how things work, for the benefit of all those Americans who are still in the dark.

But of course that person wouldn’t last long as a candidate. Such frank talk would have to come from an outsider with no chance to begin with. As it is, viable candidates are themselves always creatures of the war-loving "money power of this country" that Lincoln spoke of and feared.

__________________

[Paul Rigby]

Lincoln's worry about the destructive power of "enthroned" corporations growing out of war certainly did not "prove groundless" as he hoped it would...These great men knew what they were talking about. It would be flabbergasting if a single one of the latest lame crop of presidential candidates expressed a modicum of the insight of Lincoln, Butler, and Eisenhower on how things work, for the benefit of all those Americans who are still in the dark.

But of course that person wouldn’t last long as a candidate. Such frank talk would have to come from an outsider with no chance to begin with. As it is, viable candidates are themselves always creatures of the war-loving "money power of this country" that Lincoln spoke of and feared.

Edward T. Folliard, "Robert Kennedy Insults Texas, GOP charges," Washington Post, (Saturday), 17 February 1962, p.A4:

In the course of visit to Indonesia, RFK called the US-Mexican ear of 1846-48 "unjustified". "It was not a very bright spot in our history - not one to be very proud of."

In joining with a youthful Lincoln's assessment, RFK joined with Lincoln's fate.

[Charles Drago]

It is my understanding that certain USG documents relating to the Lincoln assassination and its investigation remain classified.

Can anyone verify this?

[Tim Gratz]

One must remember that there are still legitimate national security concerns involved here. Ditto the McKinley assassination. The documents will no doubt be released, but not in your lifetime.

[Tim Gratz]

One must remember that there are still legitimate national security concerns involved here. Ditto the McKinley assassination. The documents will no doubt be released, but not in your lifetime.

[John Simkin]

Lincoln's worry about the destructive power of "enthroned" corporations growing out of war certainly did not "prove groundless" as he hoped it would. Marine General Smedley Butler, a two-time Medal of Honor winner, told us in the 1930s, from his long personal experience with the masters of war, that "war is a racket," and President Eisenhower, who as an Army general headed the Normandy invasion in WWII, warned us in 1960 of the undue influence of the "military industrial complex."

These great men knew what they were talking about. It would be flabbergasting if a single one of the latest lame crop of presidential candidates expressed a modicum of the insight of Lincoln, Butler, and Eisenhower on how things work, for the benefit of all those Americans who are still in the dark.

But of course that person wouldn’t last long as a candidate. Such frank talk would have to come from an outsider with no chance to begin with. As it is, viable candidates are themselves always creatures of the war-loving "money power of this country" that Lincoln spoke of and feared.

__________________

Sadly this is true. The same could be said of the UK. The leaders of both the main parties refuses to question the idea of spending billions on weapons that we cannot use. The idea that we should renew Trident is obscene.

[John Simkin]

Lincoln's worry about the destructive power of "enthroned" corporations growing out of war certainly did not "prove groundless" as he hoped it would. Marine General Smedley Butler, a two-time Medal of Honor winner, told us in the 1930s, from his long personal experience with the masters of war, that "war is a racket," and President Eisenhower, who as an Army general headed the Normandy invasion in WWII, warned us in 1960 of the undue influence of the "military industrial complex."

These great men knew what they were talking about. It would be flabbergasting if a single one of the latest lame crop of presidential candidates expressed a modicum of the insight of Lincoln, Butler, and Eisenhower on how things work, for the benefit of all those Americans who are still in the dark.

But of course that person wouldn’t last long as a candidate. Such frank talk would have to come from an outsider with no chance to begin with. As it is, viable candidates are themselves always creatures of the war-loving "money power of this country" that Lincoln spoke of and feared.

__________________

Sadly this is true. The same could be said of the UK. The leaders of both the main parties refuses to question the idea of spending billions on weapons that we cannot use. The idea that we should renew Trident is obscene.

[Mark Knight]

John, traditionally nobody wants to pick a fight with the biggest man in the room, or the one carrying the biggest gun. So there's a deterrent factor in being well-armed, as a nation. But the truth is, the Western World has the nukes, but not the stomach to use them...they have lost "the pride in [of] their power," to use a Biblical term. OTOH, the Muslim nations in the Mideast have no apparent revulsion at the idea of wholesale carnage at the hands of THEIR nuclear weapons...which, IMHO, makes a nuclear-armed Iran a more formidable world power than a similarly-armed US or UK.