Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

<yawn>

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Originally Posted by NeedKarma

<yawn>

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If it doesn't interest you why not just stay the hell away?

'Cause I wanted you to know that differing opinions exist.
Plus it gets you swearing and frothing at the mouth. LOL.
Not everyone cares about the cesspool that is the US.

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Originally Posted by NeedKarma

'Cause I wanted you to know that differing opinions exist.
Plus it gets you swearing and frothing at the mouth. LOL.
Not everyone cares about the cesspool that is the US.

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Then by all means if it doesn't interest you do what normal, decent people do and ignore it for something that does. Or go watch videos of Rob Ford.

I had to memorize that back in the day (grade school?).

Nah, I'll hang around. It's fun.

A new birth of freedom . One has to wonder why the President is not attending . He has nothing else more important on his agenda ,and it would seem that the symbolism would be too tempting to ignore. According to Salena Zito of the Pittsburg Tribune Review ,may Americans are upset and dismayed that he declined the invitation.

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According to the National Park Service, Obama has never visited the battlefield as president.

In 2008, Obama rolled out his presidential campaign in Springfield, Ill. where Lincoln announced his own presidential candidacy. Throughout that year's campaign, Obama's staff embraced similarities between the two men as part of his persona; he allowed them to encourage lofty comparisons — and, after he won the election, he re-created Lincoln's 1861 train trip to Washington as part of his own inaugural spectacle.

He even took the oath of office on Lincoln's Bible — twice.

Lincoln brought the country to a revival at an unlikely time with his address. He gave new meaning to the definition of sacrifice in service to the country, for the purpose of preserving the country.

Lincoln was asked to speak here only as an afterthought. The request for Obama to speak has been sought for more than a year.

It would be an occasion for him to honor a crucial time in our past, to create a historical bridge to today.

His dismissal of the request shows a man so detached from the duty of history, from the men who served in the White House before him, that it is unspeakable in its audacity.

Ask almost any person in this historic town; even his most ardent supporters here are stunned.

Obama long ago veered away from any affinity he may have believed he had with Lincoln, which gives credibility to the criticism that his connection to Lincoln was always a political calculation rather than a true bond.

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Obama&apos;s stunning snub | TribLIVE

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Originally Posted by tomder55

A new birth of freedom .

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Some obviously aren't impressed with celebrating liberty and honoring those who sacrificed for it.

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One has to wonder why the President is not attending . He has nothing else more important on his agenda ,and it would seem that the symbolism would be too tempting to ignore. According to Salena Zito of the Pittsburg Tribune Review ,may Americans are upset and dismayed that he declined the invitation.


Obama&apos;s stunning snub | TribLIVE

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And some are impressed only with themselves.

I also have to say that a different President ignored the 100th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address ;and went to Dallas instead.

And what is keeping VP Biden from attending ? He's a native of Pa.

The last prez to go was R B Hayes.
I imagine going is touchy. I can think of lots of reasons for not going, but don't feel like saying what they are, and who knows what Obama's reasons are. I doubt that one is snobbery.

Makes sense Hayes would go . He was a Union officer in the Civil War (wounded 5 times) . I think it's strange the emperor did not attend ,and no ,his attendance would not have been touchy at all .

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Originally Posted by joypulv

The last prez to go was R B Hayes.
I imagine going is touchy. I can think of lots of reasons for not going, but don't feel like saying what they are, and who knows what Obama's reasons are. I doubt that one is snobbery.

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I believe others have been since Hayes...

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There are differing counts of how many of the 28 presidents after Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg. CNN reports that 24 have gone. The Gettysburg Times reports that every 20th-century president made the pilgrimage except for Bill Clinton. Woodrow Wilson spoke at the 50th anniversary in 1913. Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at the 75th in 1938. Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson all took separate trips there in the 100th-anniversary year of 1963. But not all went willingly, and all tried to avoid speech comparisons with Lincoln.

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That shouldn't be a problem for the guy who gave us "we are the ones we've been waiting for."

I guess they'll have to keep waiting.

If I"m not mistaken ,those Wilson and FDR attended the anniverary of the battle and not the address. The 50th was a biggy because there was a reenactment of Pickett's charge by the Vets. When they met at the "high water mark " North and South shook hands.
GETTYSBURG Reunion - YouTube

Probably some weren't actually prez at the time (LBJ) or the speech was at a different event, such as FDR's speech 2 days after 'Reunion Day' and so on. The site I quoted from used the term 'sitting president.' Interesting that there would be so much disparity among sites.

150 years after that address we are still fighting for what many died for. Many of us feel the civil war isn't over, just changing its forms.

Well we all know who isn't there now. He's too busy according to one of his advisers, gonna to be fixin' that website before addressing the Wall Street Journal CEO Council.

Then he certainly does have more pressing matters.

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Originally Posted by talaniman

150 years after that address we are still fighting for what many died for. Many of us feel the civil war isn't over, just changing its forms.

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Only in your moral relativist world would that be true.