Over the years I have contended that Abraham Lincoln was a socialist--not that he was a card-carrying member of some socialist group, but rather that his mindset had that bent. In that contention I have met all manner of reactions, everything from some who agree with me (and many do), to outright ridicule from Lincoln lovers in the North (and some in the South, too). Many seem to feel, although they would not express it in those terms, that Mr. Lincoln should be elevated to the level of Deity. Also, I have run across almost complete apathy in much of the South, and other sections of the country as well. Southern folks at least used to know that Mr. Lincoln had been a less-than-desirable president; they knew he had been responsible for alot of bad things during the "late unpleasantness" and that was about it. Many, no matter what their persuasion, had the thought (planted) in the back of their heads that, for all his faults, Lincoln was, at least, a "good" man. The contention that he was some kind of socialist really shakes them up, and mostly, they just don't want to hear anymore on the subject. It's not that they are apathetic--it's just that they don't know and they don't care. Please don't rattle their chain or rock their boat--just leave them fat and happy with their illusions.