Letters: Jul. 25, 2005

Uncovering the Real Lincoln

Our special issue examining the iconic figure of Abraham Lincoln drew appreciative letters from longtime Lincoln admirers, Civil War buffs and readers surprised by historians’ new insights. Many of those who wrote lamented today’s lack of political leaders with President Lincoln’s great gifts

“Lincoln represents all that is best about our country. Despite his human faults, he can easily be called the only true American saint.”

JIMMIE A. STARK

Hutchinson, Kans.

YOUR SPECIAL REPORT ON “THE TRUE Lincoln” [July 4], besides being superbly written, renewed my dormant sense of patriotism. Although in recent years I have felt great discouragement over the direction the U.S. seems headed in, reading about my favorite President was a good shot in the arm, like experiencing the Fourth of July fireworks.

KEN GOURLEY

San Francisco

TIME IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR THE ARticles on Lincoln. Author Joshua Wolf Shenk observed that Lincoln’s words have been used to support all kinds of causes. That’s because Lincoln was a true leader who used his humor to disarm his adversaries and his common sense and knowledge of humanity to gradually ease them into a new position without bombast and stonewalling. Unfortunately, today we seem to be lacking political leaders with those abilities. If our elected representatives studied Lincoln a little more or studied as he did, things just might improve.

FRANK L. VISCO

Newtonville, N.Y.

YOU OFFERED A REMARKABLY SUCCINCT but subtle examination of Lincoln that focused on the key aspects of that American icon and the important people in his life. For more than 50 years, I have been fascinated by the Civil War, Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and the issues surrounding slavery. If your report had been available years ago, I could have saved the tuition for a couple of undergraduate and graduate courses as well as a few feet of Lincoln books in my library. Ah, but the fun is in the reading and discovering what Lincoln the man reveals to different scholars.

JOSEPH D. FULLER III

Pottsboro, Texas

ILLINOIS SENATOR BARACK OBAMA WROTE that the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the rebellious states, “was more a military document than a clarion call for justice.” Obama’s piece failed to describe the complete historical context of the document. Lincoln’s ability to end slavery was restricted by the limits of his constitutional power. As Commander in Chief, Lincoln had certain war powers that enabled him to free slaves in territories that had seceded from the Union at the time of the Proclamation. Slavery throughout the U.S., however, could be abolished only by a constitutional amendment–the 13th, which was ratified by the states in 1865. The proclamation clearly had certain powerful and advantageous political implications, especially overseas. We must, however, acknowledge the enormous risks Lincoln took in issuing it. We need only examine the anxious reaction of his contemporaries to gauge how politically risky a move it was.

ROBERT CARTER

Short Hills, N.J.

HISTORIAN DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN’S PERceptive recognition of Lincoln’s “emotional strengths” was extremely instructive and raised a serious question: Have we made it impossible for those with the natural gifts of empathy, social consciousness and wisdom to prevail in politics? Does the pressure to raise massive campaign funds mean that only those with a dangerously narrow vision can sustain the fierce momentum now required to win the presidency?

PEG THOMPSON OLIVER

Edinburg, Texas

LINCOLN’S GREATNESS CAN BE FOUND IN what he did not say in his Gettysburg Address. He did not discriminate between between Union and Confederate soldiers. He spoke only of “the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here.” It is unlikely that any other American political leader could have delivered a speech in such circumstances without demonizing the other side. Lincoln was able to discern the Southerners’ virtues when so many Americans back then–and now–could see only their evil.

MICHAEL WILSON

San Mateo, Calif.

EACH GENERATION SEEMS TO DISCOVER new lessons in Lincoln’s example. As our ship of state is once again buffeted by the winds of war, we wish that someone of Lincoln’s character, faith and wisdom were at the helm.

MARTIN WOULFE

Springfield, Ill.

Hard Right Turn

IRAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, WHICH was won by the hard-line Islamic zealot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [July 4], proved that Iranians are very much like Americans. When they feel threatened, they become more entrenched and belligerent. The victory of an ultraconservative militant in Iran demonstrates the bankruptcy of George W. Bush’s foreign policy. It caused Iranians to reject the relatively moderate candidate and elect a leader who is hostile to the U.S.

ANNE BARSCHALL

Tarrytown, N.Y.

A Terrorist in Training

YOUR REPORT ABOUT THE IRAQI SUICIDE bomber was extremely insightful [July 4]. I think the public needs to learn more about Iraqi extremists. Few people ask why the bombers give up their lives. It’s much easier to label those people as outcasts without trying to understand their position. I want to read more interviews with those militants. I know it’s dangerous to gather information on the views of extremist individuals, but the stories the bombers tell are invaluable.

JEFF HAYFORD

Nashua, N.H.

WHAT THE BOMBER HAD TO SAY CHALlenges prevailing beliefs about the causes of terrorism. Not all extremists are motivated by poverty or desperation; the Iraqi you interviewed is the privileged son of an Iraqi businessman. Terrorists like him are fighting not just for control of their land; the U.S. occupation seems almost an afterthought. The primary motivations of the bomber you talked to are his twisted view of Islam and the heavenly reward it promises. The West cannot appease or defeat Islamist extremists by ending military occupation or leaving Iraq. Moderate Muslims must rise up and speak out against terrorist acts and the rhetoric used to indoctrinate the bombers.

ANDREW GROSS

Union City, Calif.

YOUR INTERVIEW WITH A BOMBER WAS INformative and scary! It is hard to believe that people like that relate to God with hatred. How ironic to read that the bomber expects Allah to ask innocent victims to forgive him when he offers no forgiveness of his own. I realize that wars have been fought in the name of God for thousands of years, but in this day and age, such hatred is difficult for me to comprehend. I cannot imagine a loathing so deep and all consuming. Even more perplexing is the belief of the bombers that they will meet their creator in heaven. What if they find that they end up in hell and that their creator is the devil himself?

MAYR MALOOL

Lake Placid, Fla.

“INSIDE THE MIND OF AN IRAQI SUICIDE Bomber” was chilling. I congratulate TIME for gaining contact with the interviewee. Your story shed valuable light and helps explain why some zealots make the inconceivable choice to carry out horrendous acts of terrorism.

HEIDI DEIFEL

Salt Lake City, Utah

THE ONLY THING I WANT TO SEE INSIDE the mind of an Iraqi suicide bomber is a bullet fired from a U.S. rifle. Why does TIME give America’s sworn enemies a forum in which to spew their venom? I do not need you to show me America’s enemies in this war. I saw their face in the blood and fire of the World Trade Center, and it is the face of pure evil. Those suicide bombers don’t need to be understood; they need to be eradicated.

LEWIS B. SMITH

Greenville, Texas

THE JIHADIST SUICIDE BOMBER AND HIS like are cowardly egocentrics. Uppermost in the bomber’s mind is the promise that he will enter paradise immediately upon dying as a martyr. There was scant mention of furthering the Iraqi or Muslim cause, no explanation of how his death might lead to some lofty goal. The bomber’s prime aim is personal spiritual salvation and reward. Casuistry and sophistry are the tools used by terrorists to justify their actions. The bomber relies on selective application of Koran verses as a rationale for his behavior. He aims to get to paradise even if it is over the dead bodies of friend and foe alike.

CHRISTOPHER JAKUBOWICZ

Worcester, Mass.

Divine Design?

YOUR CARTOON FEATURE “YOU CALL THAT Intelligent?”, about the controversy involving those who reject evolutionary theory in favor of “intelligent design” [July 4], missed one angle. I think God, to keep things interesting, pretends not to exist, leaving wiggle room for both atheists and believers. Evolution is both deniable and breathtaking, and once you understand it, awe and humility result.

BILL CLEARY

Burlington, Vt.

Oprah’s Faux Pas

POOR OPRAH! SHE WAS SO PEEVED OVER not being able to shop at the Hermès store in Paris after closing hours [July 4] that she won’t buy anything from Hermès again. Oprah may discuss the incident on her show, possibly in the context of race relations. Give us a break. The shop was closed. How many of us have raced to a store just as the CLOSED sign went up? Instead of expecting others to cater to her, Oprah needs to get real and join us mere mortals.

PATSY ANN TAYLOR

Winter Park, Fla.

HOW TO REACH US

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

* Our e-mail address is letters@time.com

Please do not send attachments

* Our fax number is 1-212-522-8949

* Or you can send your letter to: TIME Magazine Letters, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020

* Letters should include the writer’s full name,

address and home telephone and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

* For 24/7 service, please use our website: www.time.com/customerservice You can also call 1-800-843-8463 or write to TIME at P.O. Box 30601, Tampa, Fla. 33630-0601

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

* Write to TIME, P.O. Box 30601, Tampa, Fla. 33630