Mr. Adcox:

I'll take that as a compliment, I think; At least it stimulated a response.

How about if I venture a comment that I personally believe slavery is (and trust me it still exists today in many locations in the world) a morally repugnent wrong. However I just as firmly believe that Abraham Lincoln was spoiling for a fight and botched his chance to correct the wrong without starting what turned out to be a devastating war that still has wounds festering. Further, there is evidence that Lincoln in 1861 did not see the war as a war over slavery, but one over the authority of the Federal Government to collect excise taxes. Or consider that I generally support a federalist view of central government, but believe the socialist agenda of FDR would never have succeeded in the 1930s without the precedent of Lincoln and the Civil War's extension of executive constitutional power.

Perhaps something here tickles your intellect? I was just trying to move the discussion to a point of reference many have not been exposed to or given much thought to previously. Hopefully you will post that note you've been thinking about, its a way to learn and grow, this process of being exposed to new ideas, information, and differing opinions.

John Russell