posted by they see ALL
“ . . and you’re an immigrant too, I guarantee it . . we all are, there is no such thing as an "American" as we all came from different
countries . . you may be born here but your families blood is from elsewhere . . “ [Edited by Don W]
Ah, what a dead-end topic for discussion. Nevertheless, I do find it of some interest. I have been giving serious thought to having a DNA test, which
one is offered for $99 and another for $149. The fine print in each offer however, makes it clear you are not going to learn much more than that you
are not descended either from an oak tree or a Dalmatian dog. Thinking I already knew that, I’m holding on to my $99 for a bit longer.
I assume most of us - excluding those who are adopted - know our parents and probably our grand-parents. We have one adopted child in my family, an 11
year old girl, who we got at age 4, her mother having died and her father unable to get work to support her. They were from Sierra Leone. We send an
annual letter to the Agency which is supposed to forward it to him. I don’t know if they do or not. He never communicates back and we don’t have
his address. You don’t need a DNA test to tell we are not her parents, her being real black and us being “regular” white.
Topic. How many indigenous persons lived in the Western Hemisphere before 1492? Obviously no one knows. Did you know the US was the first
country in the world to mandate a decennial census of the population? Our House of Representatives is based on population, this is a constitutional
requirement. Art. 1, Sect. 2, Clause 3. There are three great census of ancient times. The book of Numbers - one of the Pentateuch - records the
populations of the 12 tribes of Israel. I being a non-believer and more especially a non-believer in the 12 tribes story, I do not regard the
Biblical enumeration as having happened in real life. More an imaginary event in the brain of the unknown author. The numbers given were supplied by
scholars in the 17th century, out of tradition. "Till the memory of man runneth not to the contrary."
The Chinese did a census around 50 BCE, and we have read of the one done at the time of Jesus’ birth, about 4 BCE. In the case of the Chinese, we do
not know the outcome of the census and only know about it by references found in other writings. In the case of the Jesus’ census, it is not
mentioned anywhere outside the Holy Writ. So we have no idea what was the outcome of either census.
Demography is a science today and is much more capable of estimating numbers of people than ever before. Earlier estimates were often
exaggerated because no one really knew much about the effects of birth rates or the death rate. Having worked in the waste water treatment business I
have an appreciation for the difficulties in supplying both fresh water - potable water - and all the more of the problems associated with the
disposal of sewage or waste water. It is for these reasons I have serious reservations accepting the numbers suggested by theologians or bible
commentators, to have been present in Jerusalem around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. I believe those numbers are grossly overstated.
I believe the permanent population of Jerusalem was not over 10,000 and the total number present at the Passover Feast numbered no more than 25,000.
Available fresh water would be the major limiting factor although waste disposal would also have imposed a sharp limit on the number of people the
area could accommodate. Imagine 2 gallons of clean water a day per person - more per animal - for drinking, cooking, washing and waste disposal, as
the bare minimum. See Note 1, below.
Fast forward to the 16th Century. I have read the diary written by one of Hernando Cortez’s soldiers - I can’t find it on Google -
published in the 1950s-1960s time frame. He mentioned the death of many natives due to illness but he never connected those illnesses to the Spanish.
He did not know the word “contagion” nor what it portended for the native population which lacked racial immunity. Oops! I think “racial” is
ok here. I know we no longer use “race” in describing homo sapiens but they did in the 1500s.
Jared Diamond’s book, “Guns, Germs and Steel” explains how Middle Eastern and European types acquired immunity to many diseases that decimated
the native Americans when exposed for the first time. He also explains how it was possible for 300 Spanish soldiers to conquer 2 to 5 million
Meso-Americans. None of which were strangers to warfare. Juan Pizzaro enjoyed a similar advantage in Peru a quarter century later. Pizzaro carried
books written by the Cortez expedition with him, by the way. [Private Note to F/F: See no religious rant here.]
Conclusion. So who are today’s Americans? I prefer our Constitution’s definition, found in the 14th Amendment, Section 1. “All persons
born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they
reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state
deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of
the laws.”
Good God A’mighty! What a beautiful thing is the 14th Amendment is! In your wildest dreams can you imagine the Gonzales/Bush43 team offering such a
guarantee to America in 2006? Straight out of liberalism! Proposed in 1866, and adopted in 1868. Nine states ratified the Amendment after it was
adopted, the last being my home state of Kentucy, in 1976. Hmm? Better late than never?
The 14th Amendment uses the term “citizen” 2 times, and the term “person” 2 times. “Persons” obviously covers non-citizens. So even
“illegals” have Constitutional rights! Say Good-by, Vigilantes, Good-by Militias. Get a life! I guess you could call Section 1, “America in a
nutshell?”
Gratuitous Slap. You can see how much the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln differs from today’s Republican Party of Cheney, Bush43,
Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas! Sweet Jesus, I’ll remind you folks the Amendment was not written by the Founding Fathers, although they could
have and should have, but instead, was written by mid-19th century Republican who abolished the historical blight on America - slavery.
Note 1. The following diseases are water-borne. Cholera, Hepatitis A, Salmonellosis, Typhoid fever, dysentery, typhus, dengue and yellow fever and
malaria. This is not exhaustive, but is meant to be representational. See
www.rsmas.miami.edu...
[edit on 8/7/2006 by donwhite]