Boston Bombing aftermath, any similarity to the Lincoln assassination aftermath?

[Gene C]

(05-19-2013 11:32 AM)william l. richter Wrote:  . . . It has been the contention of historian and Lincoln Assassination scholar, William Hanchett, that we should accord Booth the “respectability of rational political motivation.” Booth, Hanchett suggested, “deserves a measure of respect we so generously and indiscriminately pay to men on both sides of the war who fought, killed, and died for what they believed. When we are able to make this concession to Booth,” Hanchett concluded, “we will truly understand how terrible the Civil War was.” from Hanchett, JWB and the Terrible Truth about the Civil War, 34-35, as quoted in Richter, Sic Semper Tyrannis: Why JWB Shot AL (Bloomington: iUniverse, 2009), 184-5.

I don't agree with this statement at all, and I could be taking it out of the context in which it was written but, Booth does not desereve "the respectability of rational political motivation". I can understand the civil war was terrible, I can even understand why Booth felt the way he did, but he took his feelings and beliefs beyond the rational actions of man. He fed his anger till it grew into an uncontrolable hate that he was able to rationalize as right. What he did was wrong, period.

Booth was not acting under battlefield conditions. Hurting innocent individuals because of your ideolody, and knowing that you could be caught or killed for your actions might be considered brave but it is not honorable.

I agree with most of what has previously been posted. The feelings of forgiveness is difficult since 150 years have passed. Had I been personally affected by the tragedy that night it would certainly require a strong will and deep sense of humility to forgive.