The problem with conspiracy theories is that people can't keep a secret. Well, maybe two people can, if one of them is dead.
The slavery thread to end all slavery threads
Discussion in 'History Forum' started by Pete Richert, Sep 4, 2003.
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I know a man who is between 65-70 yrs of age and served in the military as a Medic during the celebrated Vietnam Era from 1963-1965. Over the years he was denied medical benefits because the Army had no record of his service. He served with a special forces unit in Laos and Cambodia. He was consistently denied any medical benefits on the grounds that his supposed 'unit' of service and dates, places, etc. did not exist in military record.
In 1994 my dad grew very sick and requested medical benefits from the VA. He did receive the benefits, but was forced to go to a military psychologist every day during his stay so they could convince him he did not serve with the 768th Combat Engineers in Laos and Cambodia in 1966. There is no record of this either, not even on the internet where even bogus records can be produced by kindergarten students. :confused:
I guess you are right though, secrets can't be kept. And I am perhaps just part of that huge right wing conspiracy we sometimes hear about. Maybe I am merely a figment of everyone's imagination...I think some people on the C/A forum would be relieved to hear that ;)
Don't believe anyone over 30 inches tall :D
God Bless
Bro. Dallas -
>>>>>In 1861, slavery was legal in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and, evidently, U. S. territories <<<<<<<
Most of these are best characterized as border states and not northern states. Maryland and Kentucky are not northern states by any stretch of the imagination. -
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SheEagle has brought up the subject of whether Abraham Lincoln was racist. I think that issue misses an important point. Rather than considering whether or not Lincoln was racist, I think the most important thing to consider is how much of a racist was he? I frame things in this fashion because I believe that almost 100 percent of whites, including myself, are racist to some extent. But when Lincoln's word and acts are considered as a whole, I think he showed a much lower tendancy towards racism than most of the white men alive during his time. His remarks that show a slightly racist flavor must also be considered in the context of the politics at the time. If he had come out, for example, in favor of intermarriage between the races, he surely would have lost huge numbers of votes. And he had his eye on the election as any politician must.
But his remarks on race often show a very open mind. In speaking of the common prejudice against blacks, he said that "a universal feeling, whether well-or ill-founded, can not be safely disregarded." It cannot, that is, if you propose to become a representative and lawmaker for a body of men infested with that ill-founded feeling. It is characteristic of Lincoln that he would hint (even to an audience soaked in those feelings) that it is ill founded; it is also charateristic that he would not altogether disregard it.
A recent biographer of Lincoln has this to say about Lincoln's alleged racism:
"At Lewistown, Lincoln said that the "wise statesmen" who founded this country set up a beacon so that "when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up a doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" the Declaration of Independence would give "courage to renew the battle." He slipped in the phrase "none but white men" to draw a parallel to other tyrannies.
And in Springfield, Lincoln would challenge Douglas to amend the Declaration of Independence, to "make it read that all men are created equal except negroes."
I affirm that these passionate invocations of the Declaration were heartfelt; that the primary point of the invocation was that all men are created equal with rights; that the primary meaning of that clause, in this context, was that black persons were included; and that this affirmation was - as he certainly testified that it was - a central belief for Lincoln. This belief, in this view, meshed with broader ideas and personal characteristics to make a racially inclusive egalitarianism the dynamic element in Lincoln's makeup". *End of quote from William Lee Miller.
So in summary, let me suggest that there are good reasons why there is a monument to Abraham Lincoln on the mall - and apparently it is not understood by those who allege he was a racist. -
Frogman, a major problem with your conspiracy theory is that there is just not any evidence for it. Other than that, it is a great theory!
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>>>>>>In 1994 my dad grew very sick and requested medical benefits from the VA. He did receive the benefits, but was forced to go to a military psychologist every day during his stay so they could convince him he did not serve with the 768th Combat Engineers in Laos and Cambodia in 1966. There is no record of this either, not even on the internet where even bogus records can be produced by kindergarten students.<<<<<
Upon discharge, every military man or woman gets a record of his or her service. It may not tell where he served in terms of geography but it does tell when he served. This document alone should be enough to get medical care. -
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Brethren,
My dad was never denied medical benefits, but the areas of his service were denied. The man who was denied benefits did not receive any forms or official recognition until the administration of Bush senior.
Bro. Dallas -
:eek: :eek: :eek:
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