America's Desire for Domination? Nothing new there...

I've been alternating between reading several books of mine, lately. There's "The Medea," and "The Last Dodo" (a Dr Who novel), and also, I've been reading bits and pieces of "Last of the Great Scouts," a campy "biography" (methinks there's been some poetic license taken in the writing of this particular work) which was written in the 1900's, by William F. Cody's sister (aka: "Buffalo Bill"), with the forward written by early popular western novelist, Zane Grey.

In the book, is an excerpt--Arrgh! Oh dear....a book
which Boots has been ever-so-kind as to just get up on table and lay down upon--well...at least I won't have to lose the open page...a bookmark with fur, anybody want one? So, I'm going to write about this..sometime. But of course, I will have to pry a big furry ginger arse off of it, first.

Good boy Boots! I've managed to shift him to the opposite page, so now he's being truly helpful, by holding the book open for me, so I can type without having to stop and hold the book open! Cats do have their uses, sometimes. :))

Anyway, getting back to the subject of this post, in this very lively and romantic biography, is an except of a letter General Sherman (the famous American Civil War cavalry officer) to "Buffalo Bill," written to the western man about his return to New York City around 1886 or 1887, after a year spent in England with the Wild West Show (which played in London, Manchester and Hull).

The old general laments the loss of the 'Wild West' era in America, yet praised America's 'progress' towards "civilization". He wrote thus of the changes:

"As nearly as I can estimate, there were, in 1865, about 9 1/2 million buffalo on the plains between the Misouri River and the Rocky Mountains; all are now gone, killed for their meat, skin and bones. These seems like desecration, cruelty and murder, yet, they have been repaced by twice as many cattle. At that date (1865), there were about 165,000 Pawnees, Sioux, Cheyenne and Araphoes, who depended upon these buffalo for their yearly food. They too, have gone, but they have been replaced by twice or thrice(three times) as many white men and women, who have made the earth to blossom as the rose, and who can be counted and taxed and governed by the laws of nature and civilization.

This change has been salutory, and will go on to the end...this drama (of the Wild West) must end. Days, years and centuries follow fast; even the drama of civilizaion must end..."

This, is the TRUE "American Spirit." The spirit of the conquerer. To love something, but to want something else, and therefore, crush the thing you love to get at that thing you want more.

Well, at least that's the way I see it--it's a lot more complicated than that, I'm aware, but I think that's the genearl essance; that conquer all attitude that is the catalyst that has turned the cogs into motion, to achive what the world has today--war, recession, civil unrest, terrorism, corpororate empires.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I'm never against capitalism, but extreme capitalism is a destroyer, not a builder. And, that's where we are, today, in the "free" world.

PAWNEE BRAVES