Discovery and Conquest

By Joos van Winghe / Johann Theodor de Bry / Bartolomé de Las Casas - Bibliothèque nationale de France - https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b20000085/f2.item, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1831551

The word "discover" is used in a few different ways in English. I can say I "discovered" a great little restaurant in a nearby neighborhood, or that while cleaning out the garage, I "discovered" a bundle of my grandparents' love letters. In both cases, I have become aware of something previously unknown to ME. I could also use the same word to say a researcher "discovered" a cure for cancer, or a traveler "discovered" a new route through the mountains. In these cases, someone has created or found something previously unknown to everyone.

In the case of Columbus and his alleged discovery of North America, he certainly didn't find something that was unknown to everyone. The people living there knew about it, and a few other Europeans did, too. We can say Columbus discovered the place only in that first sense, of having come across something that was new to him (and, to be fair, new to most Europeans), although it seems he never fully understood where he was. And while he may have been adventurous and brave, he was no hero, as evidenced by his horrible treatment of the indigenous people.

If you're happy to be an American of European ancestry living on this continent, and that makes you want to celebrate this day as a holiday, have fun. But let's not pretend that the simplified child's version of the story that we were taught in school is actual history.

 

Don't Go There

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Imagine you're planning a special vacation. There is a country you'd like to visit, but the news makes you wonder if that's a good choice.

In that country, there is a strange, militarized police force that seems to have no restrictions on its power. Its agents are anonymous and wear masks in public. Groups of them march along city streets in a show of force. They operate without warrants and without any apparent legal justification. They brutally attack people who question them or even look at them. They kidnap people from the street and take them to undisclosed locations. Some of the kidnapped people are held in overcrowded prisons where conditions are so bad they violate both international law for prisoners of war, and the country's own laws for prison operation. The prisoners are denied legal counsel or family visits. Some of them are sent to even worse prisons in other countries. Some of them simply "disappear". This police force has arrested tourists and business travelers, sometimes for minor visa issues, sometimes for what appear to be political motives.

You probably wouldn't take a vacation in the country where this is happening. Would you choose to live there?

Recent Thoughts

Photo by İrfan Simsar on Unsplash

If you have a life insurance policy, make sure people know about it. Insurance companies don't just automatically pay when you die - someone has to file a claim. Otherwise, the company keeps your money. Give a copy of the policy to your executor or the beneficiary or someone. Keep another copy in a place your family will look when you're gone (kitchen drawer, file cabinet, jewelry box). If you have a lawyer or accountant, give them a copy to keep in your file.



So-called Non-lethal" weapons are NOT non-lethal. They are considered "less lethal". They can cause serious injuries and permanent disability as well as death.

For example, "rubber" bullets aren't what the name sounds like. They are not just bullets made from rubber. They are METAL with a thin rubber coating.

Tear gas can cause life-threatening conditions such as respiratory failure, chemical burns to the throat and lungs, asphyxia, and even death, especially when deployed in a confined space. Exposure can lead to permanent eye damage, including corneal scarring, cataracts, glaucoma, and traumatic optic neuropathy, with some individuals experiencing complete and permanent blindness. Injury and death have been caused by blunt force when victims were struck by a tear gas cannister.



Imagine a country whose leader posts fake videos to discredit people he dislikes, and isn't impeached for it.



It's a sci-fi horror movie scenario. A sadistic madman seizes control of a once-great nation. He is aided by stooges who have been promised great power and wealth. To lead the military, he chooses a bloodthirsty drunk with the critical thinking skills of a 3rd grade bully, who is eager to kill people and break things. They plan to "train" the army by attacking cities in their own country. How would a great screenwriter defeat the villains and restore hope and freedom to the people?



 

When to Jump

Photo by Maria Teneva on Unsplash

In the 1930's, there were a lot of people who didn't get out of Germany in time. Some of them simply didn't believe it would get nearly as bad as it did. Some of them were reluctant to leave their familiar lives - their homes, jobs, friends, the city where they were comfortable. Some felt they were too old to start over. Or they felt overwhelmed by the prospect of leaving their property and going to a strange place where they would have nothing and would need to find a way to make a living while learning a new language. Some were ready to go, but only if they could go to a place they chose. Maybe they wanted to go to the U.S. or England, but were stopped by immigration quotas, so they waited. Some had the chance to go to places they found unappealing, so they waited for something better. Some got out, but weren't able to go far enough. They fled to other European countries that were eventually taken over by the Nazis.

It is easy now to look back and think that the old folks should have left despite the difficulty. To say that the people who didn't want to go to South America or Africa should have gone anyway. That those who didn't want to leave their homes should have realized their lives were worth more than a house and furniture. That the people who thought it couldn't get worse and that they could just ride it out were deluding themselves. And, thinking all this, we have to ask, how much of this applies to us, now?