Richard Mack is introduced — often to standing ovations — as “Sheriff Mack.” His website calls him that too, even though he hasn't been the top cop of Graham County since 1996, when its population was around 30,000. Mack's mantra is this: The federal government is too big, too corrupt and too oppressive. “The greatest threat we face today is not terrorists; it is our federal government,” he warns on his website. If the local Republican Party’s leadership wanted a lightning rod for controversy, someone whose stated beliefs represent the antithesis to the ideals of one great nation that Abraham Lincoln lived and died for, they got one. No wonder several state Republican leaders and numerous local party members are going to find a better way to spend Lincoln Day/Coeur d'Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Are you planning to hear Richard Mack speak?

JohnA: I discovered something rather interesting today. I’ve always been a big fan of Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday of course is today. I remembered that he was 56 when he died (my age) but it wasn’t until I did the calculation that I found that I am today exactly the same age as Lincoln was the day he was assassinated (April 15, 1865, when he had lived 20,516 days). So, I’m the age exactly as he was when he died, and it just happens to be on his birthday. How’s that for irony? It’s also humbling to think of all he achieved in his rather short life. He may be a little ahead of me, somewhat, at this point. :) (AP file photo of an actor portraying Abraham Lincoln)

Question: I grew up observing Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday 10 days apart in February (Lincoln, on 12th, and Washington, on 22nd). Have we lost something by lumping all the presidents together in a general observance called Presidents Day?

“So. The most exciting thing I missed while working out of town was that Alex (Cindy’s No. 2 son) found a chicken strip (in a bag of Tyson’s) that looks just like Abraham Lincoln!” Facebooks CindyH. “He’s thinking Craig’s List or eBay. What do you think?”

Question: Do you think the chicken strip looks like Abraham Lincoln? And should Alex try to sell the chicken strip on eBay to help pay for his college education?

Just days after the nation honored the 200th anniversary of his birth, 65 historians ranked Abraham Lincoln as the nation’s best president. Former President George W. Bush, who left office last month, was ranked 36th out of the 42 men who had been chief executive by the end of 2008, according to a survey conducted by the cable channel C-SPAN. Bush scored lowest in international relations, where he was ranked 41st, and in economic management, where he was ranked 40th. His highest ranking, 24th, was in the category of pursuing equal justice for all. He was ranked 25th in crisis leadership and vision and agenda setting/AP. More here.

Question: Do you think Ronald Reagan (No. 10), Bill Clinton (No. 15) and George H.W. Bush (No. 18) are ranked appropriately?

This image provided by the US Mint shows the newly redesigned one-cent coin (penny). The obverse (heads side) will continue to bear the likeness of President Lincoln currently on the penny. The reverse (tails side) will reflect four different designs, each one representing a different aspect, or theme, of President Lincoln’s life. The themes for the reverse designs represent the four major aspects of Abraham Lincoln’s life, from left, include his birth and early childhood in Kentucky; his formative years in Indiana; his professional life in Illinois; and his presidency in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/US Mint)

Question: Is the penny necessary? Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if the U.S. eliminated the penny, which is virtually worthless, from our monetary system?

David Leroy, chairman of the Idaho Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, stands next to the life-sized statue of Abraham Lincoln located in the Idaho State Historical Society Artifact Storage Center in Boise recently. This Lincoln statue will be erected and unveiled for the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth Thursday.  (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)

Question: We honor our presidents in February, of course. When I was growing up, we celebrated the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington this month with a day off. Now, all presidents are lumped into one day of honor. Who is your favorite president? Why?