This is a newsletter for the Coalition for a Principled Republic (CPR) If you prefer not to receive it - let us know via email and ask tbe removed from our mailing list. We offer ‘Too Much Information’ (TMI) on purpose; so, we advise readers to take in only what they are able to digest, and leave the rest…
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed… _________________________________________________
Sunday was the Super Bowl, which many Americans witnessed with a myriad of reactions regarding the thrilling outcome. But, I received word from an anonymous source that the San Francisco 49er’s had a deluge of mail-in extra points and the referees have called it - the 49er’s have actually won the Super Bowl this year! Of course Kansas City has appealed, but judges are taking some serious flack and legal opposition is claiming the Chiefs “do not have standing” in this case.
In all seriousness, the Super Bowl is now in everyone’s rear-view mirrors as everyone moves on along the highway of life. However, Sunday was also the day the LightWing Messages focused upon Abraham Lincoln. I would tend to believe that most Americans would have been more truly focused on the Super Bowl. Yet, Lincoln needs to be remembered for his contribution to saving the Republic. If he had not been extremely stubborn to keep the Republic together, it is highly likely there would be no such thing as the Super Bowl. It would probably have turned into a true- to- life “Hunger Games” reality. Sadly, several signs indicate that America is on that trajectory.
There are two messages today: one to honor Abraham Lincoln because the possibility of the Super Bowl overshadowing his birthday Monday is very likely. How is Lincoln relevant anyway? Our hope is that the message centering around Mr. Lincoln may provide relevant considerations about the time in our nation’s history and our future – more so than the more popular national sport, as it is that serious of a time in our nation’s history when the specter of “Hunger Games” seems over the horizon.
The initial message today is one that I wrote way back in 2016 in the middle of that very unusual election year. Though much has been written about Lincoln over the years, I offer a perspective that may not have been truly explored. Even in his time, Lincoln’s Party opposed him. His close handlers were trying to control him and the words he expressed as they were running him as their horse in the Senate race of 1858. In an election year, almost everyone’s true colors show up. Yet, ironically, candidates are often trying to camouflage their true colors.
The second message is from A. Dru Kristenev, who looks at another candidate during another election year who may be in some serious trouble. The article, “Who put Biden in front of a microphone at night?” explores the most recent controversy over Biden’s competency. If readers are following the news, it is hard not to grasp the serious situation we are in as a nation. Yet, we do not have another Lincoln in the leadership role of the nation, but we desperately need one.
As a brief reminder, the Coalition for a Principled Republic conceived our prototype of a new newsletter and began distributing the CPR Lifeline Advisory newsletter on Substack in February. So, this begins our first year anniversary of posting the newsletter. The newsletter was launched in the aftermath of many attacks on the Citizen Sentinels Network website from 2020 up until December of 2022. When the Citizen Sentinels Network migrated to Substack, many readers did not cross that bridge. Though we lost readers through the turbulence, we are happy that a good number of our readers kept with us during such trying times. And, we hope our readers would consider all the messages in this edition as being relevant, or meaningful, and if readers know others who might value the newsletters as well, we pray they would consider becoming Citizen Sentinels and messengers and would please pass this newsletter on to those who would welcome it. Or simply, get them to go to our Substack platform and get a free subscription – Citizen Voice on Substack
Republicans and Lincoln: a Party Divided Cannot Stand
By Dennis Jamison May 9, 2016 –
The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by a coalition of abolitionist activists, former Free Soil supporters, and ex-northern Whig Party adherents. The party formed at a time of great divisiveness, political turmoil, and deadly violence within the United States. Abolitionists had impacted the entire nation with their inflammatory rhetoric and tabloids of the denunciation of slavery, and the old opposition Whig Party of Henry Clay was not able to retain a semblance of legitimate cohesion and it split over the issue of slavery.
As young Abraham Lincoln grew and developed into more of a political animal, he gravitated toward the Whig Party. He was attracted to the Whigs partly because they were the party in opposition to the southern aristocrats who tended to always be in control the affairs of the government, even at the national level, for their own benefit and for the benefit of Party.
The Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson was indeed the nemesis of Senator Henry Clay’s Whigs (named after the American Whigs of 1776, who had fought for the nation’s independence). The name was also a bit of a carry-over from Great Britain, and “Whig” was understood to mean opposition to the British type of aristocratic tyranny.
Henry Clay’s Whigs included people, like himself, who had once been part of President Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party. He and President John Quincy Adams were the prime leaders of the new party created in opposition to Andrew Jackson, the founder of the modern Democratic Party. They castigated their enemy as “King Andrew,” as they saw his presidency as flagrant governmental overreach, especially after Chief Justice John Marshall declared Andrew Jackson’s Indian removal policies unconstitutional. Many active Protestants joined the Whigs in opposition to Jackson’s actions.
The tragedy is that the Whig Party only existed from the 1830s to the mid-1850s, and then essentially self-destructed because of the political divisiveness brought on by the expansion of slavery to the developing territories in the West. More specifically, the party divided into the Northern Whigs, favoring abolition, and the Southern Whigs, tolerant of slavery.
The 1852 presidential election was the most devastating blow to the Whig Party. Anti-slavery advocates were so adamant that they undermined the nomination of their own incumbent, President Millard Fillmore, the former vice president who had taken the oath of office of the presidency after Whig President Zachary Taylor mysteriously died in office. At the time of the national convention in Baltimore in June of 1852, Fillmore stood as the strongest contender on the first ballot, with Lieutenant General Winfield Scott coming in second, and Secretary of State Daniel Webster pulling the third place spot.
The convention was hotly contested, and the divided Whig Party went through 53 ballots and was never quite able to emerge from the fragmentation of dissension and divisiveness. The Whigs eventually settled on nominating the other Mexican War hero, General Scott (Zachary Taylor was the one the party had previously been able to get elected). However, although the Whigs had finally decided on their candidate, the American people decided on someone else.
The 1852 presidential campaign was particularly one of the dirtier ones on record, with many unwarranted degradations of each candidate, but the Whigs were in general disarray and their general lost the general election in a landslide.
On the other side of the political realm, despite the Democrats being equally divided on an appropriate candidate, the decision was a little less tragic. The Democratic Party managed to nominate Franklin Pierce on their 49th ballot, after his associates entered his name on the 35th ballot hoping a dark horse could pull their party back together. Pierce was a genuine dark horse candidate, and relatively unknown outside of New Hampshire, but he won a landslide victory with 254 electoral votes to the better known war hero, Scott, receiving 42 votes.
For the Whig Party in 1852, it proved disastrous as it disintegrated, and many of the Whigs simply withdrew from politics into the shadows, or they joined another political party. Northern Whigs tended to join the newly created Republican Party. The Whigs in the South tended to join the Know Nothing Party, and although they turned back to support Millard Fillmore in the presidential election of 1856, he lost. By this time, the Whig Party had become virtually defunct, although the ideology or policies of the Whigs did persist for a long time afterwards.
Abraham Lincoln was one of those displaced Whigs in the North, and when the Republican Party organized in Illinois at a convention held in Bloomington in 1856, Lincoln apparently gave one of the greatest speeches of his life. It has been reported that Mr. Lincoln’s speech was given without any manuscript, and apparently the news reporters present were “so absorbed and so entranced” that they had not taken substantial notes. It is now known as Lincoln’s “Lost Speech,” yet it established Lincoln as the Republican leader in Illinois.
Two years later, the Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln to run for the Senate seat for Illinois against Democrat Stephen Douglas. On June 16, 1858, Lincoln delivered a very well-remembered speech to accept the nomination. This speech was offered in Springfield, and in it Lincoln expressed a profound understanding of the dangers facing the United States preceding the Civil War in his “House Divided” speech:
A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this Government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.
Lincoln actually made 18 clear points in the speech, but he had the audacity to tell the truth about how the Republic had been divided from the beginning over the issue of slavery. Lincoln was not afraid to speak the truth, while other politicians would be vague, or lie to the people, as they still do. Unfortunately, even before he delivered the speech, many of his friends whose opinions he sought condemned his words, and none whom he consulted approved of it. One told him it was “Damned fool utterance.” Yet, Lincoln delivered it.
Lincoln defended his intent in his speech:
My friends, this thing has been retarded long enough. The time has come when these statements should be uttered, and if it is decreed that I should go down because of this speech, then let me go downlinked to the truth; let me die in advocacy of what is just and right.
After Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” speech, the Republican establishment of his day, or some of the more ‘adept’ of the leaders, criticized Lincoln for what he had said – it is possible that he had been too honest – or not ‘politically correct’ enough for his day. They were afraid that Stephen F. Douglas would use his words against him. Many were dismayed that he had been so honest and brash – some said ‘impolite.’ Much stronger conservative members of the Party did not appreciate it, and many thought it would sink Lincoln into political oblivion.
True to form, Stephen A. Douglass, in the now famous debates, took advantage of Lincoln’s honesty by saying that the Founders accepted division over slavery, and had not any concerns over it (a half-truth that Lincoln destroyed); so, who was young Abe Lincoln to want to change what the Founders had created and accepted? Lincoln did lose the election, and the Republican leadership attributed it to his brash words in the Springfield acceptance speech.
Eventually, when Abraham Lincoln responded to his critics, he said:
If I had to draw a pen across, and erase my whole life from existence, and
I had one poor gift or choice left, as to what I should save from the wreck,
I should choose that speech, and leave it to the world unerased.
Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech is one of the most famous of his speeches, and many think that it was a prediction of the coming Civil War. Yet, Abraham Lincoln was speaking as honestly as he could about the nation’s history, and he was not trying to make a prophecy. Lincoln truly grasped that tyranny had never been fully destroyed when the United States was conceived and created. He was stating a fact that the Union was not so united from the beginning, and had been forced from one generation to the next to deal with the issue of slavery through one compromise after another.
Now, in the 2016 presidential election, there is incredible irony that the Republican Party looks a bit like the old Whig Party, and the words of the greatest Republican of all, Abraham Lincoln, seem to fit the unfolding situation of the division and disintegration of the GOP. It is almost as if the leadership, or their puppet masters in the GOP donor class, cannot see the handwriting on the wall. With Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee, many within the party leadership have stated that they would rather vote for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders than Trump.
Additionally. the Bush triumvirate, Romney, and even Ryan are now publicly opposed to a Trump candidacy. How hypocritical of the Party after so many years of the GOP telling the regular Republican voters they had to accept the nominee. Early in the primaries, after making the 17 candidates pledge publically they would support the eventual nominee, it is entirely a farce now as the GOP is losing whatever credibility that existed among their “faithful.”
In fact, it is now becoming doubtful whether the Republican Party is a legitimate opposition party or rather a sidekick (to be kicked around like a foil) for the Democratic Party.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “…this thing has been retarded long enough.” Is the GOP still the party of Lincoln? Can the Republican leadership still claim that they still stand for the “advocacy of what is just and right?” The nation is watching, likely Mr. Lincoln as well.
Who put Biden in front of a microphone at night?
By A. Dru Kristenev ——Bio and Archives--February 10, 2024
General opinion appears to be that the president’s handlers stood Biden behind a microphone once Special Counsel Robert Hur’s “Report on the Investigation Into Unauthorized Removal, Retention, and Disclosure of Classified Documents Discovered at Locations Including the Penn Biden Center and the Delaware Private Residence of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.” was released, describing him as an elderly, forgetful gentleman who isn’t capable of standing trial.
Is that really the case? Not that any one of Biden’s staff are likely to admit to making a decision that, in many viewers’ eyes, backfired. Video of the press conference can be found here. Having watched the president address audiences at multiple press conferences, over the last three years in particular, a rollercoaster pattern of emotional expression has been demonstrated. Not always following the teleprompter’s guidance, Biden has lost focus of the subject at hand, misidentified people and places, and seemed lost on stage and, during a couple instances, on the White House lawn.
Whether the cause of these gaffes was mental confusion or simple fatigue, there have been a growing number of incidents where Biden has responded to questions with anger, sometimes berating press members.
This in mind, and staff knowing that Biden rarely performs well during evening hours, why would pundits assume it was staff who pressured him to immediately answer Hur’s report?
Biden’s frequent flashes of indignation and resentment to media inquiries he views as improper may be reason to consider a different scenario to the after-hours presser.
Upon hearing the conclusion of Hur’s report and believing it to be an insult, he may have become agitated. It’s possible that Biden’s ire was raised to the point that he determined to respond immediately.
Individuals suffering increasing memory loss often lack patience when dealing with perceived criticism. It’s not unusual for them to lash out and even become combative. As president, Biden would be difficult to convince to delay a response for the next day if he was irritated enough by the special counsel’s final report.
How would the staff handle a contentious insistence to promptly march out and counter the charges? Lock him up? Tie him to the bedpost? Sedate him against his will? Pacify him with ice cream?
It’s possible the First Lady and staff, unable to placate his mood, might supply medication to fortify his mental capacity and, hoping for the best, send him to banter with the White House press contingent.
Like other commentators’ inference, this is speculation based on observing Biden’s evident cognitive decline over the last few years, and comparing it to encounters with Alzheimer’s, dementia and Sundowner’s syndrome affected individuals.
Special Counsel Robert Hur and his team are not medical specialists, and their assessment of President Biden’s deposition performance are lay opinions, but that does not negate their impression of his inability to recall family details or other vital information.
However brief and brutal the press conference played out, the question being posed by media, the political class, and potential voters is an obvious one. If the special counsel has deemed the sitting president to be unable to see through a court case, how could he be assumed mentally and emotionally fit to fulfill the duties of his office?
It’s now up to the democrat party, Congress, and Biden’s family, staff, and cabinet to make the next move, if, indeed, there will be one considering the alternative.
Former newspaper publisher, A. Dru Kristenev, grew up in the publishing industry working every angle of a paper, from ad composition and sales, to personnel management, copy writing, and overseeing all editorial content. During her tenure as a news professional, Kristenev traveled internationally as a representative of the paper and, on separate occasions, non-profit organizations. Since 2007, Kristenev has authored five fact-filled political suspense novels, the Baron Series, and two non-fiction books, all available on Amazon. Carrying an M.S. degree and having taught at premier northwest universities, she is the trustee of Scribes’ College of Journalism, which mission is to train a new generation of journalists in biblical standards of reporting. More information about the college and how to support it can be obtained by contacting Kristenev at cw.o@earthlink.net. A. Dru Kristenev -- Bio and Archives
ChangingWind (changingwind.org) is a solutions-centered Christian ministry. Donate Here
A Bit of History…
From The American Minute with Bill Federer: American Minute February 12 –
Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin both were born on this day in 1809. The differences in their impact on society are stunning.
From HISTORY.com (videos): Abraham Lincoln - 3 episodes on his life
From The American Minute with Bill Federer: American Minute for February 11 – Abraham Lincoln delivered his farewell speech in Springfield, Illinois on this day in 1809.
From History News Network: The State of Maryland vs. Abraham Lincoln – 9/30/13
From The American Minute with Bill Federer: "Battle Hymn of the Republic" & efforts to Abolish the Slave Trade -
From Canada Free Press: Summer of 1862: A New Birth of Freedom Conceived by Lincoln – 7/31/2017
From The White House.gov: Abraham Lincoln | The White House
True Fact Check -
We strive for accuracy and objectivity in the entries in this section. But if readers see anything that doesn't look historically correct, send us an email and let us know your feedback: dj.light@protonmail.com
Coalition Connections…
Editor’s note:
The CPR Lifeline Advisory has been revised, and the CPR group activities or articles follow our ‘featured issue focus’ section. The CPR group activities segment will continue to shine a spotlight on member organizations or allies or affiliates. We know new patriots are awakening each day across the nation, and as necessity breeds invention,’ the CPR seeks to work with additional Christian, conservative, groups as they work to organize, mobilize, and actively respond to the current clear and present danger to our Constitutional Republic.
From Election Integrity Project®California: Election Integrity Project®California launches United Sovereign Americans (USA) Stars & Stripes Tour starting February 15 – 2/8/24
From Safe Kids Now: Are American leaders failing Us? – 1/31/24
From Last Call Radio Show: 2/10/2024 Last Call Student Council is in Session – 2/10/24
From Camp Constitution: The Racist Roots of Planned Parenthood and Its Legacy of Death – 2/10/24
From Students for Life for America (w/video): In Case You Missed It: The Guardian Profiles Students for Life of America at National Pro-Life Summit – 2/9/24
Corruption vs Integrity in Education
From American Wire News: 'Political retaliation': San Fran teacher who exposed 'Woke Kindergarten' program put on leave – 2/11/24
From The Heartland Institute: Parents Favor School Choice, State Legislators Should Listen (Opinion) – 2/9/24
For Kids And Country: The Sandstorm: An Act Of War – 2/6/24
From The Heartland Institute: University Removes 'Introduction to Bondage' From 'Healthy Relationships Week' After Backlash – 2/9/24
ICYMI > From Christian Post: Most Americans support parental opt-out of objectionable public school teachings: poll – 1/17/24
Election Integrity & Validity
From Election Integrity Project®California (EIPCa): Vote Safe and a Little More in 2024 Part 6 - In-Person Voting & Observing – February ‘24
From The Lindell Report on FrankSpeech: Marylyn Todd and Brenda Towne Review "The Big Plan", Taking Our Elections Back To Hand Count System – 2/1/24
From Jovan Pulitzer Hutton: United Sovereign Americans CEO, Marly Hornik on The Fight For New York State – 1/29/24
From Emerald Robinson’s The Right Way: Electronic Voting Machines Are Not EAC Certifiable – 1/19/24
From ABC News: The top threats facing the 2024 election – 2/2/24
ICYMI > From The Gateway Pundit (w/ video): Leo Hohmann: Elections Will Soon Be a Quaint Relic of the Past, Says Globalist Klaus Schwab – 1/18/24
ICYMI > From The New American: United Sovereign Americans CEO, Marly Hornik – 1/15/24
Exposing Biden Incompetence
From Bill O’Reilly: Bill O'Reilly takes an in-depth look at the Special Council report authored by Robert Hur — 2/12/24
From American Wire News: Obama's WH physician says special counsel report shows Biden has 'serious issues' – 2/11/24
From The Federalist: Special Counsel: Biden Kept 300+ Classified Docs, Not 'Six Items' – 2/9/24
From The Hill - Rising: MUST WATCH: Biden MUMBLES and SPACES OUT On Israel-Palestine During Press Conference – 2/11/24
From WND: White House tried to censor Hur's report on Biden's documents crimes — 2/9/234
Exposing Biden Family Corruption
From ABC News: Biden critic who once worked with Hunter tells lawmakers Joe Biden was 'enabler' of son's overseas business – 2/13/24
From Just The News: Tony Bobulinski’s closed-door interview may answer key questions central to impeachment inquiry – 2/12/24
From Just The News: Influential lawmaker urges House GOP to expand Biden impeachment to border after Mayorkas vote – 2/13/24
ICMI > Joe Biden May Have 'Fostered' Family's Corruption, Legal Analyst Warns – 12/23/23
Exposing Government Corruption
From Forbes Breaking News: Tim Burchett: Why The Second Impeachment Attempt Against Mayorkas Will Succeed – 2/13/24
From 19FortyFive: Case Against Mayorkas Is ‘Irrefutable,’ Rep. Mark Green Says Of Filing Of 2 Articles Of Impeachment – 2/12/24
From The Gateway Pundit: Mitch McConnell and Senate RINOs Help Pass Ukraine Funding Package that Includes Language for Automatic Impeachment if Trump Terminates Funding for Ukraine War! – 2/12/24
From American Wire News: Denver mayor cuts $5M from public services to pay for illegal immigrants, faults GOP, Donald Trump – 2/11/24\
Fighting for Life
From The Daily Signal: Notre Dame’s Silence on Abortion Doula (Inlike CUA) ‘Displays the Rot,’ Catholic Critic Says — 2/9/24
From Students for Life for America: Heartbeat of Resilience: Baby Indiana's Journey with Trisomy 18 and the Unwavering Support of a Her NICU Mom-Nurse - Students For Life of America – 2/9/24
From The Christian Post: Women share their abortion stories: 'The life was just sucked out of me, too' – 2/10/24
From Students For Life of America: Foster Care System is No Excuse for Abortion: Dre Greenlaw's Inspiring Story of Adoption, NFL Career, and 2024 Super Bowl Journey – 2/6/24
ICYMI > From American Family Association: Arguments for Abortion Refuted – 1/18/24
Interviewing Putin
From Tucker Carlson: Putin’s most insane moments in Tucker Carlson interview – 2/9/24
The Economic Times: Tucker Carlson reveals why he interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin – 2/12/24
From The Hill - Rising: Tucker Carlson RESPONDS TO HATERS: 'I'm Not FLAKING For Putin': Rising Reacts – 2/13/24
From The Kremlin: Interview to Tucker Carlson