Marian wrote: "The American immigrants intentionally wiped out much of the Native Indian population by giving them blankets which had been used for people who died of smallpox."
Without which I suppose we could not have understood how the disease is spread. "The American immigrants". Would that be the English then ? Or was it the French ? Or the Spanish ? Or was it later immigrants from Africa and Ireland and China ? Or the Arabs. Let's not let any more of them come over here and murder us natives with blankets contaminated with smallpox. Is "much" 20% or 40% or 60%. It couldn't have been that high a percentage, or there would not have been enough Native Indians left standing for the white man to inflict the better-documented atrocities that came later. Not that the Native Indians didn't commit some atrocities of their own - especially to each other. Maybe they deserved it, like we do now. I am beginning to understand why the ratio of immigrants to emigrants is so high over here in America - you can murder all of the natives, and noone will even slap you on the wrist. Or at least we shouldn't, if you have any excuse or grievance, however flimsy, to hide behind. I think I will go play Marian's excellent tab of Midway and try to chill out a bit. Bob S.
