Poor Columbus.

Almost none of what we learned about Columbus back when kids in grade
school turns out to be true.

Back in the 50's and 60's, they used to teach us that Columbus
dispelled the popular notion that the world was flat. Wrong, of course.
Since the days of Aristotle nearly all educated people knew the world
was basically a sphere.

Then they taught us that Columbus "discovered America". Not true of
course, as the millions of people already living here must have somehow
"discovered" it many many thousands of years previously. To correct
this obvious error, revisionists were quick to point out that the
Vikings had discovered American hundreds of years before Columbus, but
figured that nothing of any consequnce could ever be developed there
and eventually abandoned their colonies.

They taught us that Columbus assumed he had landed in India. Nonsense
again. Northern European markets were awash in salted cod from the
banks in the western Atlantic long before Columbus sailed the ocean
blue. Seamen knew what was out there, what direction to sail to get
there, and about how far away it was.

One of the great controversies in the time of Columbus was the biblical
challenge associated with western hemisphere. The Bible mentioned
Africa and Asia, so the Church had no problem acknowledging that those
regions existed. Since the Bible did not mention the western continent,
the Church feared that a broad awareness of the western lands might
undermine the concept of Biblical infallibility (and therefore Church
authority). In a time when the Inquisition was burning, crucifying,
branding, and banishing "heretics", the Spanish monarchs and Columbus
had little choice except to disguise their voyage to the western
continent as a passage to "India."

But hats off to Columbus. He made a relatively hazardous voyage, laid
the foundation for the vast wealth of the fledgling Spanish Empire, and
was one of the better spin meisters of his day. :-)

Oh, and one final thing they got wrong about Columbus. His name. His
name wasn't really Christopher Columbus, but rather Cristobal Colon.

Tom Francis wrote:
On 12 Oct 2006 08:05:06 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Oh, and one final thing they got wrong about Columbus. His name. His
name wasn't really Christopher Columbus, but rather Cristobal Colon.

Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

~~ sigh ~~

I take it that you disagree with this?

Tom Francis wrote:
On 12 Oct 2006 08:05:06 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Oh, and one final thing they got wrong about Columbus. His name. His
name wasn't really Christopher Columbus, but rather Cristobal Colon.

Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

~~ sigh ~~

Slaver? Yes, there is some evidence for that.
Native abuser and rapist? I think the jury is still out on that one.
Whether the native women had to be forced or whether they were
generally available on a "welcome to our village, here's a gift to
demonstrate how happy we are to see you" basis might to tough to
establish, especially since most of the first contact cultures were
wiped out by disease.

Among the more profound events that occured during the four voyages of
Cristobol Colon to the New World had to be the exchange of microbes.
Entire islands were depopulated as the natives fell victim to mumps,
measles, and other diseases that often were normally considered
survivable in Europe. Not to be outdone, however, the natives sent
Columbus' crews home with a bit of a departure present. Syphillis was
unkown in Europe until 1493.
Apparently the natives had developed an immunity to syphllis, but
virtually everybody was a "carrier".

So if the New American Indian Movement wants to be anti-Columbus, the
least they can do would be to "clap" politely in his honor. :-)

Tom Francis wrote:
On 12 Oct 2006 09:02:29 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Slaver? Yes, there is some evidence for that.
Native abuser and rapist? I think the jury is still out on that one.

This is one article I found - I'm still looking for the one with the
rapist thing.

http://tinyurl.com/y7ba8r

The rational is truly amazing.

Yeah, I don't know who those Native Americans think they are. Acting
like the own the place. Don't they know that the United States is the
Anglo's? Why do they think we went to all of the trouble to send them
on a scenic journey called the Trail of Tears? And after we rounded
them all up like cattle, we gave them nice pieces of land to develop
and use as their own. It's not OUR fault that most of the land we gave
them is arid, untillable, and won't sustain life.

Alotta Fagina wrote:
You wrote:

Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

We're talking about Colon, not Clinton.

Are you capable of making ANY type of remark that isn't either childish
and petty name calling, or worse, completely and utterly stupid?

basskisser wrote:
Alotta Fagina wrote:

You wrote:


Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

We're talking about Colon, not Clinton.


Are you capable of making ANY type of remark that isn't either childish
and petty name calling, or worse, completely and utterly stupid?


Do you have a macro set to post that response?

http://tinyurl.com/uwtar

"Dan" wrote in message
ink.net...
basskisser wrote:
Alotta Fagina wrote:

You wrote:


Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

We're talking about Colon, not Clinton.


Are you capable of making ANY type of remark that isn't either childish
and petty name calling, or worse, completely and utterly stupid?


Do you have a macro set to post that response?

http://tinyurl.com/uwtar

LOL! I wonder.....did *he* call anyone names today?

"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
On 12 Oct 2006 08:05:06 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Oh, and one final thing they got wrong about Columbus. His name. His
name wasn't really Christopher Columbus, but rather Cristobal Colon.

Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

~~ sigh ~~

But the First Nation people / Native American's were slave holders also.
Abused other natives, and probably a few rapist among them. Oh Well.

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
link.net...

"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
On 12 Oct 2006 08:05:06 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Oh, and one final thing they got wrong about Columbus. His name. His
name wasn't really Christopher Columbus, but rather Cristobal Colon.

Now, thanks apparently to the New American Indian Movement, he was a
slaver, native abuser and a rapist.

~~ sigh ~~

But the First Nation people / Native American's were slave holders also.
Abused other natives, and probably a few rapist among them. Oh Well.


They made the slave work at their casino's and cigarette stores. ;-)

"basskisser" wrote in message
ps.com...

Tom Francis wrote:
On 12 Oct 2006 09:02:29 -0700, "Chuck Gould"
wrote:

Slaver? Yes, there is some evidence for that.
Native abuser and rapist? I think the jury is still out on that one.

This is one article I found - I'm still looking for the one with the
rapist thing.

http://tinyurl.com/y7ba8r

The rational is truly amazing.

Yeah, I don't know who those Native Americans think they are. Acting
like the own the place. Don't they know that the United States is the
Anglo's? Why do they think we went to all of the trouble to send them
on a scenic journey called the Trail of Tears? And after we rounded
them all up like cattle, we gave them nice pieces of land to develop
and use as their own. It's not OUR fault that most of the land we gave
them is arid, untillable, and won't sustain life.


Grows casinos very well. And the Native Americans, sent their brothers on
trails of tears also. the Sioux sent the Apaches off the fertile planes.
The Anastasias were sent on their way by the Apaches as they came Southwest.
So, give your property to the local Indians and move back to Europe. And
the Native Americans, were originally Mongols and other Asian tribes. Were
they being run off their lands by local despots? And Nova Scotia was
originally Viking land. Conflict has been man's way since the birth of
mankind.