Lead us not

As far as "The Record"  is concerned, and other writings as well, the past tense of the verb "lead" is dead.  The principal parts are "lead, led, led."  Present tense, past tense, and past participle.   I lead a  cow to slaughter today, I led a cow to slaughter yesterday, and I have led a  cow to slaughter every day for a year. (You could substitute to pasture)  When is the last time you have seen that 3-letter word, led,  printed in the newspaper?   Yes, there is a noun, the name of a substance, in pencils, gun barrels, etc. that is spelled the   same as the present tense of the verb we're talking about, but pronounced without the long "e" sound.   THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT WORDS.