Ed Wk Day One 2009 Abraham Lincoln

Now that was an interesting class! Abraham Lincoln was incapable of duplicity, a lawyer never known to lie, cared little for money, would not criticize, hold grudges or seek revenge; he never smoked, chewed, gambled, profaned, or drank. He served water.

AL talked about God in all his address. He would call America, "almost chosen". He didn't want people to judge the south. The north was the major contributor to the slave trade.

A nation dived against itself cannot stand was his motto. He said he would rather lose the election than not use this phrase. The phase was understood by the south and the north.

The nation was in trouble in the 1850's. Curruption was rampant. AL get back into politics because of this. The the Kansas Nebraska Act would permit slaves in new states. (1854). There was mobocracy, illegal elections, secession issues, the Declaration of Independence was being assailed, the constitution was being attacked and there were 4,000,000 slaves. The Dread Scott Decsion (1857) by the Supreme Court called the black man an inferior order. The Know Nothing party was anti immigration and anti catholic as their platform went from 30,000 members to 1,000,000 members in a year. It was a racist party. There were denials of freedom of the press, speech and religion. There were huge problems in America.

AL started realizing that it this war was the will of God. It would go on until Americans turned from their sins. That's what AL preached! He signed into law the anti slavery anti polygamy bill but said he had no intention of enforceing it.

He used Book of Mormon phrases in his speeches. (I am instrument of God (I think)).

The lost talk of AL: He spoke for an hour and a half. All 40 reporters including his note taker didn't right it down. He was so powerful that everyone put their pens down.

I broke one campaign promise: He said he didn't have the legal right to change slavery in the slave states. He ended up as the executive and commander in chief confiscating the southern states' property calling it the emmancipation proclamation. The civil war was won because 160,000 slaves joined the north as solders.

Most soldiers were fighting for the union, not to free the slaves. AL had to work with the union troops on this matter.

Letter to Mike Bird

Dear Mike,
What I life you live! Someone hit my son's, James, car so he gets $500 and gets it fixed for $50. Julia gets hit from behind so now I have to work the complexity of the insurance companies paying for her whiplash. The totaled her car last month so my insurance goes up $60 for a new high. But, I like her having a car. Less headache for me. Someone hit Steven last week and he trying to work that out.

Everybody came down for the weekend. A full house. We played board games and passed around the grand baby (Steve's).

I am deep into the debt system. It is very hard to get out of vicious cycle. We have too many expenditures and not enough money. And to top it all off, my company is barely able to stay alive. I am practicing faith and believing all things so if I have to look for another job, I might access the my God for assistance.

Please explain what you mean by genetic complexity. I believe life is way too complex for those in the system like me. I believe we are making brick without straw. Since both a husband and wife need to work that has to mean that the cost of living has gone up over the past 30 years. The standard has also gone up. But a blue collar worker in 1960 could raise his three kids, put them through college, have a dumpy cabin on Cape Cod and have his wife stay home. Their standard of living was lower but their quality of life was better. And the cost of living must have been much lover since the wife is a home.

A pit is being dug...

Babylon his a twelve headed beast. That says it all. This creature is out of control. Human weakness is that we believe we can solve the woes of the world without God doing it our own way (telestial or terrestrial). Telestial greed is running rampant. Terrestrial mammon seeking (I earned it, it's mine) is the God most cherish and worship (if you have the capacity to prosper in this world).

God says to love each other. Prosper together. Stop competing. Stop fighting. Join together. Make sure the poor are taken care of (give them doles). The rich because the believe in Christ, consider the talents for making money as gifts and share their wealth freely (doles). This is Christ's law. I can prove it throughout the scriptures. It isn't Zion necessarily. But it can be. I call it 'All in Common in Babylon'. Zion or consecration is more an separate economic order in my opinion. All in Common seems to be running a similar order inside of Babylon.

My wife told me in 1989 to mellow out. Nephi stayed really calm during crises. To really trust in God means to relax and let him help. You are not on your own. Until you and I figure this out we are left to our own devises. And we fail.

Love,

Scott