dilithium_dame

I won't count myself as an expert, so feel free to skip this post if it isn't helpful. My background is in U.S. history. I can't speak to Canadian or British documentation.

Oral history and written history are two different matters and people will weigh them differently. I have not read Mr. Swankey's work, but I would want to know more about what kind of "vetting" the Haida did before I can judge the impartiality of the work. (Edit to add, if you want to talk about the issues with oral history, my family's oral history describes tribal members removing blankets from the graves of people who had passed from illness. This would be post-civil war northern plains. When I worked in collaboration with Crow staff from the Little bighorn site, I was informed that blankets were a status symbol and all us women had to wear them for a special event. I remember this because it was 90F out and I was ready to strangle the chief of interpretation with said blanket. But if this is true, then it could be interpolated that blankets--in this area--were valuable enough both practically and socially that some people would have enough motivation to take them in that manner. However, an entire narrative can not be written solely from such stories. Rather they should be small pieces of the bigger picture, supported or refuted by multiple sources.)

According to a U.S. history professor I worked with who was trying to trace primary sources for this aspect of history on the U.S. side, he believed this claim originated from a passing mention in a letter written by a British officer (I'm sorry, it was so long ago I can't remember the officer's name and date of the letter, and I don't want to dox my coworker since his professional opinion may be unpopular).

He had been unable to find any further follow up in the written record, specifically in relation to any official U.S. government policy or general implementation of such a strategy. This was some years ago so I am unaware if his research produced any more primary sources. Thus far the letter he read has been the only direct primary source I've seen in it's entirety. Like you, I have come up short when trying to locate documentation. The Wikipedia (yes, I know) page for smallpox lists several sources under the "biological warfare" section related to what is written there and it could be interesting to look into those publications.

I also have had questions about how people understood disease at this time, and how would they determine the unlucky guy who would get to "gift" infected goods and potentially be infected himself. I have to wonder how this was supposed to work logistically based on their (lack of) understanding of viruses. Maybe I'm over complicating this, but I would not be eager to mess around with anything from a smallpox victim any more than necessary.

This is a difficult subject to examine though and find the actual facts, both because of how long ago this was, and because of the emotional aspect. I still remember a (different) professor I had in college when I was studying for my bachelor's in history who was giddy about how many white people had died from tobacco and how they deserved it and it was great the native tribes got revenge like that. I had a hard time accepting him as a (reasonably) unbiased source afterwards, though he would count as an expert.

I currently have a 2007 VW and another one from 2018. The quality and little special features and details have greatly declined. Before this I had a 2001 model which I drove over 300,000 miles. The 2018 one just doesn't feel as sturdy. I've been a VW fan for a long time, but this last car is disappointing compared to what they used to make.

At least where I live, animal control falls under the police department. Could be different elsewhere.

Agreed.

No I can't seem to get it to open, which is a problem on my end.

Great find! I recently found one full of various notions for $5. These old tins are like finding a treasure chest!

Good for you! I'm so happy to see people repairing clothes instead of tossing them. I got a speedweave and it has made mending even easier.

Yes, bring back the New Deal Democrats! Enough of Third Way neoliberalism.

Thank you for trying to explain. I don't like it but I appreciate you typing it out. Despite this, I still can't wrap my head around how a, as you say, racist caricature can rationally warrant a brutal murder in response. Someone making fun of my mother or brother would not elicit such a reaction from me. When the reaction is so extremely out of proportion with the crime and we hear these explanations why this makes sense, the religion and it's followers who feel such a way become their own caricature. Even without the cartoons.

Do they hope to elicit fear and respect? Because this sort of psychopathy from any social group does the opposite. Respectfully, there is a difference between condemning such an act full stop, and disagreeing with what they did but still thinking it makes sense and people shouldn't do things that force such an action. The later is what leads Western countries to conclude Islam is incompatible in societies that have, perhaps, once held such a worldview, but in the last thousand years have collectively agreed that is no longer allowed.

You claim only one or two may attack... but holding the same mindset as the killers is still not compatible with Western ideals. I can think someone is an idiot who is going to hell, but that should be the extent of my involvement in their life and the rest is between them and God.

Ha! Yes I realize I should put my money where my mouth is. But isn't armchair politicking more fun :-)

Ok, then that will have to be our fundamental disagreement. I don't think either is a good thing. The Constitution tried to find a balance between the two. Whether it is successful or not is another good debate.

It's fine if the people of Kentucky want to call themselves middle of nowhere. Other areas may not view themselves in that way.

Unfortunately for us the Democratic candidate also didn't care about infrastructure. That actually frustrates me more than Boebert. The same candidate is running again. He sucks but it was close enough last time maybe he can give her the boot. I'm not convinced he'd be an actual improvement, more of a status quo placeholder.