Today is Abraham Lincoln’s real birthday.
None of the Presidents Day retail-holiday stuff for me. I celebrate Abe specifically, and recall when all students learned of his birthday. Of course, we spent more time in, say, fourth grade cutting out dumb silhouettes of the man than learning what he did and what he stood for, but eventually I learned to read history on my own.
Abe was one of the good guys. Presidents Day seems to imply that folks like James Buchanan and Millard Fillmore, along with some more recent fellows, stand equal to Abe and George (and Tom and a few others), simply because they got elected. Or were in the right place when their predecessor gave up either the office or the ghost. Or prevailed in a tribunal or whatever you want to call the Hayes/Tilden brouhaha.
Here’s to you, Abe. Happy Birthday.
(That said, as long as President’s Day is offered free, I’ll invoke the tragedy of the commons by taking up the offer despite what I’ve said here. In other words, no post Monday.)
