Abraham Lincoln, the Wasi'chu

I recently attended a networking group meeting which ended with recitation of the following motivational phrase:

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.

-Abraham Lincoln

This reminded me of the Lakota and Dakota word "Wasi'chu", which is used to describe people of non-indigenous descent. A companion Lakota word for "taking the fat" (wašin icu) is spelled and pronounced similarly, and it is used by natives in puns to refer to non-Natives who rob tribes of their resources. It refers to those who take the best of everything for themselves and leave the rest for others.

That is the essence of the Lincoln quote. The culture of the United States is one of "to win and to have". It is a belief system which justifies the quick and the strong stealing the resources of the global commons from the slow and the weak. A companion belief is that of "Manifest Destiny", the delusion that America does not steal from and murder the weak but is instead carrying out God's will.

I cannot speak for God in this matter, but it seems to me that Manifest Destiny as implemented by the people and government of the United States is the opposite of Christianity. If you don't agree, please re-read the Sermon on the Mount and let me know what parts of it justify what America has done and is doing to the indigenous peoples of the world.

It's difficult to predict how the world would be different if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated, but what he did to the Dakota in Mankato, Minnesota may be an indication. You can read about it @

http://www.thenation.com/blog/171920/largest-mass-execution-us-history-150-years-ago-today#