Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Circling the Wagons


I've heard it said that circling the wagons when the Indians attack...never happened...and I'm wondering now if the circled wagons at the Berry Farm were historically correct...where I listened at night after long adventurous days in the Old West to western singers....brb....


quote


Despite Hollywood's "Indians circling the wagons", it is estimated that between 1840 and 1860, three hundred and fifty to four hundred emigrants were killed by Native Americans.


Historical Facts of the Oregon Trail and America's Manifest Destiny






from same page


quote


In 1452, the Catholic Pope Nicholas V issued to King Alfonso V of Portugal a proclamation declaring war against all non-Christians throughout the world, and specifically sanctioning and promoting the conquest, colonization, and exploitation of non-Christian nations and their territories. This “Doctrine of Discovery” gave Christian countries the rights to the lands of non-Christians.


unquote


that's a sidebar...


brb..


quote


A laager, lager, leaguer or laer (Afrikaans, from Dutch leger (camp); pronounced /ˈlaː.gər/ or /ˈli.gər/), is a defensive formation of wagons drawn up into a circle or square, while a camp is made in the interior of the circle. The word is South African in origin, and originally referred to a formation used by travelers whereby they would draw wagons into a circle and place cattle and horses on the inside to protect them from raiders or nocturnal animals.




end quote


The previous page doubted the stock animals part..and the logistics of forming up and getting going in the morning a hundred or so wagons...well...try backpacking...but I suppose it could happen...and makes for movies and paintings!...oh...and a military formation called a "tabor" was in fact effective...




But the remarkable thing is that I saw this on Meerkat Manor the other morning!....an Eagle Owl was perched in a tree on the Savannah...and the adult Meerkats formed up in a circle with the young inside it...and they all eyed the Owl!...can they look!...and when the Owl flew over them all their heads swiveled keeping their eyes on the Owl...sometime I have to watch somehow all these episodes!...


Oh...here's a page on animal filming ethics...
and should be read carefully and the subject explored...I often worry about telling folk where the pics in fandf are from...another sidebar..brb...


quote


SOCIETY'S LURES: Is Polygamous Sect Circling The Wagons?
The Salt Lake Tribune/August 3, 2000 By Greg Burton


unquote


The phrase is a natural fit for what the mothers were saying in the CNN interviews...and try as they might, the "indian"...the reporter...couldn't get more out of them than that they want their children.


There was some other wagon circling in this tale!...brb...


quote


Defense Department spokesman says the Pentagon didn't do anything wrong. He tells NBC News that the Defense Department does "not consider religious affiliation" when awarding contracts and relies on cost and performance in selecting contractors.




unquote


Well, that's true enough...if one considers...brb...


quotes


Divided Opinions on Polygamy.
Sharply divergent opinions on polygamy exist among Kuwaitis.
Nearly all agree with the view that Islam allows a man to take up to four wives at once; the debate
centers on how practical and advisable polygamy is in this day and age. Some Kuwaitis, particularly
men, assert that a man having up to four wives is his God-given right and that polygamy is on the
rise.




and


quote


Saudi man with 58 wives stirs polygamy debate
USFAN, Saudi Arabia (AP) — In 50 years, he says, he has married 58 women and has forgotten the names of most of them. He knows he has had 10 sons, but ask about daughters and he counts on his fingers: 22. No, no, 28. No, that's too many. He settles on 25




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and


quote


I always thought it was a joke. Iraqi men would ask me if I was married. When I said, “yes”, they would ask me how many wives. We both laughed a little. Then a couple of weeks ago, I thought I would play along with the joke and when they told me that they were married, I asked the same question about wives. To my surprise, it had been a serious question and almost everybody has more than one. It should not have come as a surprise. This is a Muslim country and the men I meet are usually well off and so are the kinds of guys who can afford larger families, but somehow it never really occurred to me.




unquote


and...a sidebar...


quote


2 Samuel 5:13 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
13And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

unquote


oh...and one more...a balanced view and report!


quote


The problem of the unbalanced sex ratios becomes truly problematic at times of war. Native American Indian tribes used to suffer highly unbalanced sex ratios after wartime losses. Women in these tribes, who in fact enjoyed a fairly high status, accepted polygamy as the best protection against indulgence in indecent activities.




unquote


and an interesting statistic...


quote


the numbers of women in the US in the age range of 20-44 (sorry...thecutoff didn't quite make it to 45) are as follows:

Married Spouse Present27,733,000

Married Spouse Absent 720,000

Widowed 429,000

Divorced 4,816,000

Separated 1,660,000

Never Married 16,527,000

unquote


Lump the last three together...and almost half the women in this age group are unmarried.


The stat doesn't indicate if they are part of families..with family life and support..one would hope...


Single guys dont count for much!


Whenever I come across this polygamy subject I'm struck with the thought that people are borrowing the behaviours of herd animals...where one male having many females is a commonplace...


People can have any arrangement they can imagine for mating...but rearing children has traditionally been a woman's purview...the fawns stay with the does.


I would hope those children will be returned...and soon.


DavidDavid





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