Confederacy

OK, let's clear up some myths: 1. Slavery. The conventional un-wisdom says that had the Confederacy not been defeated, slavery would still be around. Nothing could have less truth value. The modernization of farming that occurred in the late 19th century ensured that slavery would have simply become obsolete had it not been outlawed. 2. The right to secede. Yes, it's legal for a state to leave the Union. While the Founding Fathers intended for the US to have a reasonably strong central government, they also believed that there was a point where the state governments could act if they felt that that federal government had gotten TOO powerful. The Confederacy was doing just that. Look at history, and you'll find that "Honest Abe" had some BIG plans for the government. 3. Civil Liberties. In times gone past, when the US fought wars, the government saw no need to silence critics. As for how this pertains to the current War on Terror, I'm not quite sure. Now I do believe there are some things you just can't do, like exposing government plans. Expressing your opinion is good enough. 4. Lincoln's views on race. Contrary to the myths, Lincoln was not the heroic "Great Emancipator." His opposition to slavery was based purely on political convenience. He did not intend for the freed slaves to stay, but for them to be deported to some place where they couldn't bother whites.