I just couldn’t be the only person to not have a Thanksgiving themed message today. Ok, el Diablo made me do it. I couldn’t resist. Let’s just say there’s a little something for everyone here. So in keeping with that issue which has brought many of us together……here we go.
I think the eagles have to lay off the bud lights though. That’s what started the entire problem. My apologies to England.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.
M-H
Funny.
The “comfy blankets” didn’t turn out to be so comfy. Very clever dark subtext there.
MH,
🙂
Wasn’t that the French with the small pox ridden blankets? NGL, fill us in there.
LOVE IT!
Very funny!!
I cracked up at the “pale face lovin’ hippie”
I know Chris and did you catch his name? “Hugs With Trees.”
I love how they made a buffalo into the anti-immigrant lobbiest. A human being saying such things wouldn’t have struck me as funny for obvious reasons. But this was the right note of irreverence and satire.
Very funny!!!
Benjamin Franklin had a low opinion of the Bald Eagle. He considered the Bald Eagle a despicable scavenger. He wanted the Turkey to be the national bird. Yet strangely, in spite of Franklin’s preference, the Bald Eagle became the national bird. Considering how influential Franklin was, I wondered how that could have happened. Now I know.
Until one realizes that there is little difference between laughter and crying, it seems strange that we laugh at such things. The dead from those years are uncounted and mostly forgotten. Their challenges, their sufferings, and their accomplishments we barely understand if at all. We just know the pilgrims thrived when they should have died. So when our spirits need reviving, we reach across the years. We celebrate in our era with fond memories of an odd, but hope-filled celebration.
I thought the small pox ridden blankets were first handed out by the Spanish in the 1500’s. I heard that it was the French who introduced scalping to the indians too.
I don’t know who is actually responsible for the blankets with small pox exposure. There seem to be all sorts of urban legions about it. It certainly was a reprehensible act.
I think it began at a certain time with a certain country of invaders and the practice spread for years, beyond the first contact. Thing is though the Spaniards did introduce the horse to the US continent, and the natives found good use for them. My husband and I were debating however when the first domesticated cat was introduced to this continent and who introduced the cat. Anyone know?
Interesting question. I know that the Corp of Discovery gang ate dog.
I am guessing that there were cats on whatever ships came here first. All ships had a good supply of ratters.
I didn’t know that cows/cattle were imported ( correct me if I am wrong as I was shocked to learn that and the buffalo dominated. I only learned his a fews years back when someone was trying to get me to eat buffalo meat and I thought they were nuts! LOL
The only time I heard or thought of buffalo was this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VW7-GQUjyY
Do we still have antelope?( according to this song)I know that sounds like a stupid question but I took a poll and asked if anyone has seen one or know where they come from and the answer I received was Africa??
Several species of antelope are indigenous to North America. Yes, cattle migrated on over With the help of humans). Buffalo are totally amazing. Gnarly looking bastards they are. But they are huge. Just huge. I think they are extremely neat animals. I don’t want to eat one though.
I am going to be a total geek and suggest a buffalo article.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay8_2.html
Tatanka is Lakota for buffalo. Here is a page to hear some of the language.
http://language.nativeweb.org/Lakota_hear.htm
I just read up on the smallpox blankets and there is a lot of dispute about whether this really happened. Apparently the idea was discussed but some doubt whether a military solider in those days would know enough about infectious diseases to try something like this. The Spanish were incredibly brutal but are not the ones who are suspected of intentionally spreading smallpox. It was the British prior to the Revolution. I’m glad I looked it up. I didn’t know there was so much dispute. But I do think that’s what the reference was in the cartoon.
I guess everyone is denying it, NGL. I sure would! Of all the atrocities, the one that bothers me the most is trying to extinguish the Indian languages in the young people.
The lack of success in extinguishing the Navajo language sure saved our bacon during WWII. Some of those old guys are still alive, speaking of American heroes.