The Spirit of Abraham

The following e-mail was originally posted on February 20, 2018

This past Friday, I flew down to Los Angeles to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Our plane arrived late and so sometime around midnight we finally were able to get our rental car from the Dollar car rental place on Aviation Boulevard.  There were three or four silver Hyundai Elantras to choose from and my girlfriend chose one that was in the middle of the pack. After loading our extensive luggage, we proceeded on our way to San Gabriel to visit her mother. 

The next day, Saturday, as we ventured out for a Costco run, I noticed a strange thing.  The rental car that my girlfriend had chosen had Illinois license plates and the license plates proudly proclaimed "Land of Lincoln".  I chuckled and thought that maybe, in some way, the Spirit of Abraham was sending me a sign, thanking me for my defense of him as set forth in my February 16 email below. 

However, I now think that the sign "Land of Lincoln" was more complicated than a simple "thank you."  A few hours later, after the Costco run had been completed, and the repeat showing of the CCTV New Years Day Gala had not yet begun, I stumbled across this article 


and then later still I received an email with the link to Lerone Bennett's obituary which noted Bennett's scathing indictment of Lincoln


I have long respected the scholarship of Lerone Bennett, but his criticisms of Lincoln did not fit in with what I believe to be true.  My admiration for Lincoln did not reach the level of the former slaves but there was great admiration nevertheless.  And so, Mr. Bennett's criticisms troubled me.  

I am back home today and decided to do some research to put my soul and perhaps the spirit of Abraham at rest.  In my attempts to do so, I came across this article.  It is long, but it seems accurate to me ... and it seems right.  I encourage all to read it ... and to keep it near so that when I celebrate Lincoln's Remembrance Day on April 15, you will better understand.


Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins

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