Opinion

Deuteronomy 32:32 “For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, And of the fields of Gomorrah: Their grapes are grapes of poison, bitter are their clusters.” We are told without doubt in Romans 3: 23, “All have sinned.” The scripture continually reminds us of how weak and susceptible we are. And, of course, other humans never fail to remind us of our short comings and forget their own.

As we go forward with our series, dear readers, we have to keep in mind the caution of John Adams that democracies never last long and seem to try so hard to exhaust themselves. I am not saying that has occurred; nor am I eager--perhaps fearful— that it should occur. As card play-ers know well, if you don’t pay very close attention, you could key trumped!

Deuteronomy 32:32 “For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, And of the fields of Gomorrah: Their grapes are grapes of poison, bitter are their clusters.” We are told without doubt in Romans 3: 23, “All have sinned.” The scripture continually reminds us of how weak and susceptible we are. And, of course, other humans never fail to remind us of our short comings and forget their own.

“The Slaves are Freed; Is the War Over” While the Civil War was still raging and the North and South were bitterly divided, Presi-dent Lincoln had looked for a way to connect East and West. His effort led to the act which led to Westward expansion, the Homestead Act in 1862. It appears he thought sending families to the West and founding new areas, bonded with the remaining states of the North, would ease the reconciliation with the South after the war. Then Lincoln turned back to matters at hand, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, and sadly, his own assassination, which we discussed last week.