Tuesday, February 12, 2013

- Tuesday This 'n That

Wait For It!  

The cartoonists are fast.  Benny made the announcement he was leaving the Papal Throne this morning and by evening this appeared on Facebook.


Deganawidah


I just finished reading a great book called 1491 - New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. (Video here.) In it he mentions Deganwida. Supposedly born of a virgin he came to the people of the Americas in the early 15th Century and brought peace to waring tribes.  I had never heard of him before so I did some more research and found out a little about him.

Deganwida was the great prophet who appeared to the Seneca First Peoples who came across Lake Champlain in a stone boat.

Deganawida taught the Seneca the ways of Peace. The same "Man of Peace" who appeared to the rest of the tribes on Turtle Island, and also the tribes of the Old Testament. He appeared to the Lakota Sioux, bringing the Peace Pipe and teaching the ways of Peace. To the Myans, the Aztecs, the Cherokee. All tribes. He constructed the Articles of Confederation the League of Five Nations while with the Seneca. Then he appointed Hiawatha His disciple and sent him out to convince other nations to make peace among themselves and join together to fight this new peril from the North. The Pale One, man of peace, the Peacemaker, the great Holy Man appeared in many forms to all of the Native Peoples.

Deganwida and his disciple Hiawatha worked to bring the five tribes away from their waring ways they set up a system where the women owned the land and they chose the leaders.  The five tribes were organized into a confederation. They lived in peace and Their constitution and democratic system of government was admired by the newcomers, (those who came from Europe to colonize this country) particularly Benjamin Franklin, and this, along with its similarity, has given rise to the belief that the American Constitution is based upon the constitution given to the Iroquois Confederacy by Deganawida and Hiawatha.
Source - Here  
Real History story here.
Another story here.
Wikepedia article here


I found 1491 to be a fascinating read.  It gives a far different story of the indigenous American peoples prior to the time when Christopher Columbus arrived. In that time (as a friend wrote me) "Native Americans lived in harmony with nature, never wasting stuff, never screwing stuff up. They deliberately killed off entire herds of animals to minimize their effect on their gardens, and burned so much forest that it created warming in Europe..." 

The civilizations of the Western Hemisphere were many and sophisticated. I learned a lot and have a much greater appreciation for the earliest inhabitants of our hemisphere.  Jon and I went to several sites in our travels including some mounds.  What I had not realized was how much manipulation of the environment was going on by these people and how many people were supported by their technology.  

I really recommend that you read this book.  If you are interested in history this will open your eyes. 


The Iowa Legislature

Some folks in the legislature have proposed a bill House File 147 which would criminalize the sale of U S Flags manufactured outside of the United States.  It would be a misdemeanor and a vendor could spend a year in jail or be fined $1875.00 for doing so.

First this is a stupid thing to wast time on especially since the legislature is not even following its own law for the second year in a row by not setting the allowable growth for the schools.  Second, if they are going to do something like this why not extend it to other things such as smartphones, TVs and cars. It might drive Walmart out of business.  We buy a lot of things which are not made in the USA (although we should look for the Made in the USA label) so why limit to flags.  I wonder if they would include a shirt with a flag sewn on it as made outside the US.  Pardon me while I go find a wall to hit my head against.
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And finally.  I read this story which brought a tear to my eye and gratitude in my heart that there are people like this.  Go read..Oh and read all the way to the end.
th1

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