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Lincoln A 'Tyrant' Like Hitler?

Cabarrus County Politician Draws Fire

By Christina St-JeanPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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When it comes to comparing Abraham Lincoln to anyone, Adolf Hitler doesn't necessarily come to mind. In fact, Lincoln is often frequently cited as one of the United States most legendary leaders, while Hitler is rightfully considered one of the worst.

Not according to North Carolina Republican Representative Larry Pittman, who took to Facebook to compare the two leaders while responding to a constituent's comment. The constituent making the comment was critical of Pittman's recently-introduced bill, which outlines an intent to end same-sex marriage in North Carolina, and had effectively told Pittman to "get over" the Supreme Court's ruling on same sex marriage.

Pittman said that North Carolina should uphold the definition of a traditional marriage, "in spite of the opinion of a federal court.”

“And if Hitler had won, should the world just get over it?” he wrote. “Lincoln was the same sort if (sic) tyrant, and personally responsible for the deaths of over 800,000 Americans in a war that was unnecessary and unconstitutional.”

Pittman's words appear to echo comments made by fellow Republican and White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who one day earlier invoked Hitler while discussing Assad. Spicer received heat from all sides when he'd commented that Hitler didn't “sink to using chemical weapons” during World War II.

While Spicer likely meant that Hitler didn't drop bombs containing chemical weapons on his own people, Hitler is of course notorious for his use of gas chambers in concentration camps to annihilate 6 million Jews, gypsies, LGBTQ individuals, disabled people and Jehovah's Witnesses, among other groups.

As in the Spicer case, North Carolina politicians were less than impressed by Pittman's post. Democratic Party chairman Wayne Goodwin called on Republican leaders of North Carolina to condemn Pittman's comments.

"Representative Pittman and his ultra-conservative allies in the General Assembly have no sense of decency, no sense of shame and no sense of historical fact," Goodwin said in a statement.

As might be expected, House Speaker Tim Moore of Kings Mountain has already said that Pittman's bill will not receive any consideration due to the "firm" ruling made by the United States Supreme Court already made on the issue.

In addition to the backlash he received for the comparison between Lincoln and Hitler, Pittman also faced a significant adverse reaction when he said that the American Civil War was "unnecessary." Certainly, the American Civil War was what effectively allowed the United States to become the land that it is today, though it was one of the bloodiest battles, with some 800,000 people falling before the Thirteenth Amendment, which called for the end of slavery, was enacted and thereby ended the Civil War.

For those unfamiliar with this important war in American history, the American Civil War is quite probably the most important of the United States' battles on its road to independence. For one, it ended the practice of slavery, which was one of the root causes of the war. Also, it helped unite the nation, while it had effectively been quite divided in the past. It also boosted American economic power to the point where it rivalled and then surpassed that of all other countries.

Pittman could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, and according to www.electpittman.com, he has promised his constituents that he will not serve more than five full terms. An ordained minister, Pittman has also said that "I am in favor of people who choose not to be Christians having the freedom to express their beliefs; but at the same time, Christians also have the same right to express our beliefs. I will oppose any attempt to take that freedom away from anyone, Christian or not."

The North Carolina House of Representatives has not issued any further comment regarding Pittman's Facebook commentary.

politicianspoliticscontroversies
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About the Creator

Christina St-Jean

I'm a high school English and French teacher who trains in the martial arts and works towards continuous self-improvement.

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