You CAN Fool Most People ALL the Time!

While it may seem somewhat unpatriotic to explode a myth concerning Abraham Lincoln on the 4th of July, the truth must be told in the name of historical accuracy. The former president did NOT utter the phrase so often attributed to him: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and you can fool some people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Lincoln supposedly uttered the famous statement in a speech in 1856, but there is, uh, no record of it. The written transcription of the speech did not contain those words. In fact, the only "proof" offered was an eyewitness account given by two people...in 1910, a mere 55 years ex post facto! (That, of course, being very similar to the 100,000 people who claim to have been at the famous "Ice Bowl" game in Green Bay when the Packers defeated the Cowboys at Lambeau Field, which seated about 60,000, in Vince Lombardi's last game as a coach in Titletown)
By the way, the web site from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency provided that information. While I am likely on other occasions to make things up, this is not one of those times. Mark Twain was a god!

Lincoln facsimiles and misnomers: http://www.illinoishistory.gov/facsimiles.htm

Nonetheless, it remains something of a truism, as evidenced by two recent occurrences. The Brett Favre "I've got the itch" announcement recently has dominated the airwaves like nothing else here in Green Bay and around the nation with the possible exception of the "what to do with Brett's locker" controversy. Seriously, there were quotes from his brother ("Brett's been working out"), his mother ("I don't think the Packers want him back") and endless streams of verbiage from talking heads debating the merits of such an action. One would think there would be more salient items to occupy the print media such as the disappearance of six bikes in the "free ride around Green Bay" bike program begun a few weeks ago. At any rate, Farve continues to stoke the coals by denying all of it as "rumor." 'Nuff said.
Example number two of the ability to fool people on a regular basis occurred just yesterday as I was performing my duties as a tour guide at Lambeau Field (excusing me from church for the week!) Following a tour, a woman asked me what I did professionally. When I indicated that I had restructured my life since leaving the full-time teaching profession, she announced that she had been right in surmising that. When I asked her how she had figured it out, she replied simply, "Because you are articulate." NOW tell me that you cannot fool people ALL of the time!