another Lincoln misquote for ulterior motive

[David Lockmiller]

David Brooks wrote in the first paragraph of his New York Times column titled “The Uses of Patriotism” (today - Friday, Sept. 16):

“This column is directed at all the high school football players around the country who are pulling a Kaepernick — kneeling during their pregame national anthems to protest systemic racism. I’m going to try to persuade you that what you’re doing is extremely counterproductive.”

In the fifth paragraph, he attempted to bolster his supporting argument by quoting Lincoln in the following manner:

Abraham Lincoln wrote, “If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not entirely unworthy of its almighty Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country.”

I was not familiar with the quote and David Brooks did not provide a source. I used Google books to locate the actual complete quote. I discovered that Brooks had shortened the original quote without properly acknowledging that he was doing so in the standard manner (with the three dots) indicating missing words.

I posted my own comment as follows in the NYTimes comment section to this op-ed. My comment was selected as a NYTimes Pick. And, I also received three replies from other NYTimes readers. I posted my comment less than six hours before the comments section for this particular op-ed was closed.

David Lockmiller
San Francisco 6 hours ago

David Brooks really should provide the complete quote when he is quoting Abraham Lincoln. To do less, is a disservice to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. In this particular case, the "complete" Lincoln quote appears to serve the position taken and demonstration by Colin Kaepernick.

“If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not wholly unworthy of its Divine Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country, deserted by all the world beside, and I standing up boldly and alone, hurling defiance at her victorious oppressors."

January, 1840 debate in Springfield, Illinois (at the Presbyterian Church)

Source: “Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln and Notes of a Visit to California: Two Lectures” by Joshua F. Speed (1884)
63 Recommended

T.L.Moran
Idaho 4 hours ago
Wow! This is brilliant. Thank you SO much for correcting Brooks, who seems to have pulled a move right out of the right-wing playbook, distorting and misusing this great quote by failing to use it completely. Or maybe he failed to read it completely; his blind narcissistic jingoism at work so deeply, he no longer even sees words that don't align with his fantasies.
1 Recommended

Jerry Blanton
Miami Florida 3 hours ago
Thanks for that enlightenment.

DCampbell
San Francisco 3 hours ago
Hear, hear. Thank you.

[L Verge]

I am impressed that the respondent from Idaho is someone who still knows the term "jingoism" and its definition...

[David Lockmiller]

Elijah Scott, a 16-year-old working at a Kroger grocery store in Springfield, Ohio, threw on his Colin Kaepernick 49ers jersey Sunday before he headed out to work. His store was having a special Sunday "Wear a Football Jersey Day" for its employees to celebrate the start of the season.

However, when Scott's lunch break came around, he was pulled aside and asked to go home and change, according to the New York Daily News. A customer that visited Kroger that day was offended by Scott's "disrespectful" jersey and told the store manager that he "wasn't going to shop there again" if Scott kept wearing it.

When Scott's mother Diane called Kroger's manager to find out what happened, she found the store "doubling down" on their stance. "It was September 11th," she recalled the manager saying, "and Elijah was on company time and would not be allowed to disrespect customers."

[Gene C]

How do you think Lincoln would have handled the situation had that been an employee of his at his New Salem store?
(I can't see how a reporter can accurately detail the important facts and issues of this story due to space and time. And their personal opinion)

[RJNorton]

I think it's best to close this thread. Many people in our country have very strong feelings on Kaepernick's actions (both pro and con) and the events that have happened since. For example, the Beaumont Bulls, a youth football team in Beaumont, Texas, have received death threats. Based on previous discussions we've had in which people begin politely but then change as the discussion continues, I prefer to avoid this possibility by closing the thread at this point. Thank you for your understanding.