Then And Now: Some Excerpts From The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

link to source

As something of a history buff, I was curious to know how the tone and tenor of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates compared with some of the immature free-for-all political fights we witness today. Back then each candidate spoke for 60-90 minutes, with the other granted ample and uninterrupted time for a response.

Hundreds gathered from miles around to hear the two Senate candidates make their case in seven different Illinois cities. And while there were frequent catcalls from large, raucous crowds, Democrat Stephen E. Douglas and Republican Abraham Lincoln mostly avoided personal attacks and remained focused on the then critical issue of whether slavery should be extended to newly forming states that was deeply dividing the nation.

As you can see from the following brief excerpts, the new Republican party of the day was then the party representing more liberal ideas, like making a case for the eventual abolition of slavery, and it was the established Democratic party that was more set on maintaining the status quo.

Here is the Honorable Stephen Douglas:

I ask you, are you in favor of conferring upon the negro the rights and privileges of citizenship? Do you desire to strike out of our State Constitution that clause which keeps slaves and free negroes out of the State, and allow the free negroes to flow in, and cover your prairies with black settlements? Do you desire to turn this beautiful State into a free negro colony, in order that when Missouri abolishes slavery she can send one hundred thousand emancipated slaves into Illinois, to become citizens and voters, on an equality with yourselves? If you desire negro citizenship, if you desire to allow them to come into the State and settle with the white man, if you desire them to vote on an equality with yourselves, and to make them eligible to office, to serve on juries, and to adjudge your rights, then support Mr. Lincoln and the Black Republican party, who are in favor of the citizenship of the negro. For one, I am opposed to negro citizenship in any and every form. I believe this Government was made on the white basis. I believe it was made by white men for the benefit of white men and their posterity for ever, and I am in favor of confining citizenship to white men, men of European birth and descent, instead of conferring it upon negroes, Indians, and other inferior races.  

[First Debate: Ottawa, Illinois, August 21, 1858]

Some responses by Mr. Lincoln:

I agree with Judge Douglas he (the negro) is not my equal in many respects—certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without the leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man. 

[Debate at Ottawa, Illinois, August 21, 1858]

... I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything. I do not understand that because I do not want a negro woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife. My understanding is that I can just let her alone. 

[Debate at Charleston, Illinois, September 18, 1858]

... (This) is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it." No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle. 

[Last debate at Alton, Illinois, October 15, 1858]

Here are some links to sources for the above:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%E2%80%93Douglas  debates

http://www.stolaf.edu/people/fitz/COURSES/debates.htm

Some Great Post Graduate Education

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Maybe I just wasn’t listening, but in spite of all my good childhood teachers, much of my best education for life came after I left the classroom. Here are some lessons I’m still learning in the age-old college of experience:

1. Becoming a full-fledged grownup takes time and work. I was in my forties when I realized how much I still thought of myself as the novice-come-lately, an inexperienced newcomer who had to accomplish twice as much as others to be seen as a competent and worthy adult. Not that I advocate being arrogant with others, just comfortably equal. I wish I had claimed that status sooner.

2. An ounce of prudence can prevent a ton of regret. I know mistakes are normal, and we can learn something from each of them, but I’ve also learned from experience that I don’t want to learn everything by experience. I’ve seen too many people desperately wishing they could go back in time and undo an impulsive decision they made in the past. I know I’ve made my full share of equally dumb moves, which only adds to my conviction that prevention is a lot better than cure.

3. Becoming a good human being is better than just being a great human doing I’m glad for the good work ethic I learned early on, but for too long I’ve tried to burn the candle at both ends, have become over-involved in too many good things. In my old age I’m learning that spending quality time with God and with my friends and family is just as important as getting more stuff done.

4. Establishing lasting influence is better than exercising temporary control. I’m slowly learning that pressuring people with lots of intense arguments is a huge waste of time. People are more open to hear our points of view when we do more reflective listening and less reactive talking. 

5. Maintaining good support networks is the best social security we can have. Since economies can fail, stock markets crash, and even whole nations collapse, our best long-term insurance is having communities and congregations of people so committed to each other that no one starves unless everyone starves. To the extent that we care for and nurture such communities, they will care for and nurture us. 

Now if I could only get a diploma with all that learning.

Incarcerated As Teens, These 21 Men Have Been Behind Bars For Decades Without Parole

Ranging from age 13 to 19 when charged, each of the following 21 inmates is parole eligible (having been incarcerated before parole was abolished in Virginia in 1995). Each also has worked at achieving a record of good behavior since in prison, and is now over 40, after which recidivism rates begin to drop significantly. Yet the Parole Board insists they continue to be punished for the crimes they committed when they were teens.

Name, age arrested, current age, years served

Mr. Orlando Strouther 18, 55, 36

Mr. Patrick Schooley 15, 52, 37

Mr. Jamie Gaithers 18, 49, 31

Mr. Shamont Burrell (kneeling) 18, 40, 22

Name, age arrested, current age, years served

Mr. Floyd Bouldin, Jr. 19, 48, 29

Mr. Andize Rucker 17, 51, 34

Mr. L. Jones 16, 48, 32

Mr. Quentin Liles 16, 47, 31

Mr. Brian Johnson 17, 42, 25

Name, age arrested, current age, years served

Mr. Anthony Talley 18, 42, 24

Mr. Robert Fitchett 15, 52, 37

Mr. Shawn Booker 18, 24, 42

Mr. S. Haskins 16, 43, 27

Name, age arrested, current age, years served

Steven Van Fleet 17, 40, 23

Mr. Rick Herring 18, 42, 24

Larry Kennedy 13, 47, 31

Wayne Beckham 16, 38, 22

Alfonzo Shelton 19, 47, 28

Name, age arrested, current age, years served

Mr. A. Talley 16, 48, 32

Mr. Michael Gaumer 17, 40, 23
Mr. Frank Allen 17, 47, 30

Keeping these 21 inmates in steel cages is costing Virginians a total of $588,000 annually (at $28,000 a year), plus all of the costs of their not having the opportunity to become responsible contributing members of society. 

Express your parole concerns to your State Senator, State Delegate, and to the following:

Ms. Karen Brown, chair
Virginia Parole Board
6900 Atmore Drive
Richmond, VA 23225
(804) 674-3081
cc:
Mr. Algie T. Howell, Jr., vice-chair 
Ms. Andrea Bennett
The Reverend Doctor A. Lincoln James 
Mr. Sherman R. Lea 
Mr. Minor F. Stone

The Honorable Brian Moran
Secretary of Public Safety
Patrick Henry Building, Third Floor
1111 East Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-5351

Attorney General Mark R. Herring
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-2071
http://www.oag.state.va.us/index.php/contact-us

The Honorable Terrence McAuliffe, Governor
Office of the Governor
Patrick Henry Building, Third Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
https://governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/Communicating-with-the-governors-office
(you can ask for a response)

Here's a link to more posts on parole in Virginia

http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/search?q=parole+board

"I Want To Die Easy"

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A rabbi was once asked, “Why do we in this life always have to be faced with the fact that we must all soon die?”

His answer was, “So that we will truly appreciate the value and preciousness of our time here on this earth, and make the most of every moment.”

My father came from a family plagued by untimely deaths. His mother died at age 35 as a result of complications from her fourth pregnancy, when my Dad was only three years old. And that was the third of my grandfather Dan Yoder’s wives to have died as young women in their prime.

The first one, Lucy, died of measles at age 23, leaving him with two children, John and Anna. Then their baby Anna also died of measles on the day of her mother’s burial.

My grandfather’s next wife, Rebecca, died at age 29 of tuberculosis, leaving six children behind, the youngest of whom also died of tuberculosis within six weeks of her mother’s death. Then wife number three, my grandmother Elizabeth, lost what would have been her fourth child in the childbirth that claimed her own life. 

Death was an all too familiar part of rural midwestern life over a hundred years ago, and my family’s story was no exception. One of the blessings I have inherited from that is the realization that I have only so much good time left, and that I want to die used up and somehow “finished” to the greatest extent possible.

For me, that means investing as much of what little influence I have for good, and for God, here on earth as possible for as long as possible. When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” I believe it was not so much as an expression of despair as a declaration of a life mission accomplished, so that he could, at age 33, say, "Into your hands I commit my spirit". Those words, from Psalm 31:5, are part of a prayer every Hebrew child was taught to pray at bedtime, as in “now I lay me down to sleep”.

I hope that end-of-the-day rest can be accompanied by as little physical agony as possible, but I know I can't control that. But when that day comes, I hope I can be surrounded by those who love me and who will lovingly release me into God's good care.

As in the words of the Negro spiritual, "I want to die easy when I die."

I wrote the following as a reflection on my 75th birthday:

Can an old man continue to see visions and dream dreams

and finally lay himself down to sleep
well content when his time comes
feeling finished and fulfilled
at winter's end and eager to
welcome eternal spring?
yes, shalom
yes, peace
Yes

Heartbreaking--When Hope For Parole Is Dashed, For The 17th Time

http://vpb.virginia.gov/contact/

The following is by Mr. Gregory Goodman, an honorably discharged veteran and a 25-year Virginia inmate. His 17th parole request was denied last month:

I was at work in the barbershop when my supervising officer told me to report to my counselor's office.

I prayed during the long walk there.

"Mr. Goodman?"

"Yes," I said, while trying to read him for clues regarding my fate on the Parole Board letter he held.

The letter's bold "not grant" wording struck me first; I scanned the rest of the page like a drowning man desperate for a helping hand. I shakily sat down in the cramped office, already dreading having to tell my family the heartbreaking news and hearing the hurt in momma's voice, the hurt and bewilderment in my sister's, and then writing my annual, disappointing letters and facebook messages to my extended family and friends: "I'm sorry, but I didn't make it... Not this year."

As background, two days after my last video-conferenced parole interview, my mother had suffered a heart attack. She was standing on the porch supervising my brother's work on the house. Shawn saw her double over and caught her just before she fell.

At one point my parole interviewer had asked about an earlier meeting my mother had with the Reverend Dr. Lincoln A. James, a Virginia Parole Board member. My family and a friend had reported a very encouraging meeting with him on October 8, 2015. "They said the meeting went great," I said, "My sister thought it went excellent". I smiled remembering my sister's enthusiasm and their happiness about the likelihood of me returning home.

Between their hope-filled account and answering the questions I asked, I was on the phone with my family for an hour. They had submitted my Parole Packet/Reentry Plan and said everything that was on their hearts regarding my crime, remorse, rehabilitation and my preparedness for release after 25 years in prison, as had I myself in my parole interview.

The intervening months had found us increasingly hopeful, and confident that all of our hard work would bear fruit this year. We discussed my homecoming, trips to my parole officer and to Durham's office of Veteran's Affairs (its job programs), my short and long term goals, and momma's list of "Things for me to do".

Being denied parole is like being told of a loved one's death. We, the bereaved, grieve a lifetime of time we've lost and will lose with each other. I am grieving now for the time I'll lose with my ailing mother--and sister, who has been on dialysis for nearly twenty years--both of whom desperately want and need me home. I'm grieving the death of myriad opportunities to serve them and my community, to be the productive citizen I am capable of being. I am grieving the death of my second chance.

Words fall short of expressing how sorry I feel for these losses, how sorry I am for all our losses, the victims of my robberies, and of my family's and good friends' who bury our time together daily, as we have done for over 25 years now.

After being denied parole, my family, friends and I experience a sort of mourning and start offering each other condolences. There is a lot of sorrow and many tears. Sadly, we are all acquainted with this process and the five stages of grief, denial, isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Depression has been particularly difficult this year. Remorse and taking responsibility for ones crimes will do this, especially after acknowledging that I drove my life over this cliff, and that my decisions that day, clouded though they were, caused me to be taken away from my family so long ago. This is all true. But it is also true that undiagnosed PTSD (from my military service) and self-medicating its symptoms provided the fuel.

I have been cycling though all but the last stages of grief, acceptance. I cannot accept acceptance, that I am never going home, or that I am not going home next year. Neither can my family and friends.

We are not yet estranged from hope, though I'm sure that each of us at some point has come close. Like shortly after I'm denied parole and I don't call home as often, or write friends as regularly, because I feel like a failure, and a sore reminder of our collective failure. When all of the rehabilitative programs completed, all of the years of exemplary behavior, coupled with all of our advocacy, Reentry Plans, letters to the Parole Board and meeting with Lincoln A. James are for naught.

Years ago a blessed friend who'd been granted parole showed me his grant letter from the Parole board, his golden ticket home. The letter was short and happily to the point.

It was significantly different from the two-page form letter I've been receiving for 17 years, which ends, consolingly, with "While this may not be the answer you hoped for, please continue your hard work." Preceding this line are several paragraphs of official platitudes that kick me in the gut and crush mine and my loved ones' hearts.

Two days after my mother's heart attack she had quadruple bypass surgery. The operation was a success and momma's recovery is on schedule. Her progress in cardiac therapy occupy many of my thoughts, as does the Governor's Commission on Parole Review, its recommendations, and bills regarding parole reform in the General Assembly. I pray this isn't just hot air that raises spirits to heights that approach fairness and a second chance, only to be shot down again by scorn, unforgiving attitudes and partisanship. Our hopes are already riddled with holes. I am amazed at their resiliency and how they stay aloft.

In the coming months I'll improve my Reentry Plan and my skills as a barber, submit short stories and poetry for publication, and continue helping my fellow veterans incarcerated, "because we were veterans first". I'll help my family navigate whatever challenges 2016 will bring. I'll distance myself even further from the crimes committed 25 years ago on November 19, 1990, and from the negative statistic I was, toward the positive one I am capable of--a successful returned citizen.

This of course will require exhuming our aggrieved hopes and resuscitating them with renewed commitment, as I continue to distinguish myself and qualify for a substantive parole review.

What motivates me?

Like all rehabilitated men and women, I have reached the tipping point, the point where years of evidenced preparations have equipped me with more to offer my family, friends and community than I once took from them.

- Gregory Goodman #1101523 

Augusta correctional Center

1821 Estaline Valley Road

Craigsville, VA 24430

Express your parole concerns to your State Senator, State Delegate, and to the following:

Ms. Karen Brown, chair

Virginia Parole Board

6900 Atmore Drive

Richmond, VA 23225

(804) 674-3081

cc:

Mr. Algie T. Howell, Jr., vice-chair 

Ms. Andrea Bennett

The Reverend Doctor A. Lincoln James 

Mr. Sherman R. Lea 

Mr. Minor F. Stone

The Honorable Brian Moran

Secretary of Public Safety

Patrick Henry Building, Third Floor

1111 East Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23219

(804) 786-5351

Attorney General Mark R. Herring

900 East Main Street

Richmond, VA 23219

(804) 786-2071

http://www.oag.state.va.us/index.php/contact-us

The Honorable Terrence McAuliffe, Governor

Office of the Governor

Patrick Henry Building, Third Floor

1111 East Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23219

https://governor.virginia.gov/constituent-services/Communicating-with-the-governors-office 

(you can ask for a response)

Here's a link to more posts on parole in Virginia

http://harvyoder.blogspot.com/search?q=parole+board

"The Parole Board's mission is to grant parole to those offenders whose release is compatible with public safety."

For Parents: Which Is More Important, Control Or Influence?

Children's self-control needs to increase as their parents' control decreases. 

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night."                                                                                      - Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (the Message)

"As long as you're under our roof you'll do as we say!" is the undisputed rule in some households.

With that perspective, parents assume the right to fully control their children's choices until they are of age or leave home. Then they are presumably free to do whatever they want, regardless of how they have been taught.

Or is it wiser to gradually give our offspring more and more responsibility for themselves--within some clear and reasonable boundaries--while we are still there to guide and help them with their choices? And in the meantime, to consistently model and teach the kinds of good behaviors and values we want our children to live by?

Of course not everything is up to the child to decide, but a major part of the job description of parents is to "raise" our young, to "bring them up" in a way that helps them become responsible decision makers, and not simply to make all their decisions for them and to "keep them in their place". In other words, the goal of wise parents is to help prepare children to be responsible fellow adults who can function on their own. After all, they will normally outlive us.

Parenting expert Michael Popkin cautions against becoming either "dictator" parents or "doormat parents", but to be assertive moms and dads who recognize that control of our children, which is nearly absolute when they are infants, needs to be replaced by parental guidance and influence as they become older and prepare to launch.

When we are too set on maintaining total control, we tend to lose the influence we hope to have for the rest of our lives. But if we turn over the reins gradually, we will have fewer power struggles and we will likely be more effective in helping prepare our daughters and sons for the real world, which hopefully will not be one ruled by dictators but by citizens working together to create and maintain healthy congregations and communities.

Children are born with a drive to become autonomous and self-controlled. We often interpret that as a form of rebellion, and sometimes it does come out that way, but it is also a necessary part of their growing up and preparing to take their place as fully functioning fellow adults.