<when a women was found pregnant during the long voyage, she was tossed overboard. > Why would they do that Michael? When breeding cattle in New Zealand, the vet checks the uterus to see if the cow is pregnant [sticks his arm right up inside - we city-folk find such things unusual]. Those which are NOT pregnant are the ones that go to the abattoir. The pregnant ones are valuable.
I thought it was the same with slaves, that it was profitable to have new ones born. In those days, slaves were just like cattle.
We don't need to go back in time to find such inhumanity. It's all over the place, if only on an individual criminal basis in many countries. But the whole concept of citizenship remains a feudal relationship where humans are still essentially slaves to the state, albeit on a democratic basis. Countries [including NZ] have in living memory conscripted people to use as cannon fodder. That's just slavery, by another name. Those who objected, or refused, were shipped to the front lines, or gaoled, or shot to show them who is boss.
Even now, today, in the Land of the Free, there are those [thankfully excluding King George II, yayyy for him] who seriously think conscription [the draft] would be a jolly good thing. "We have to defend freedom by stealing yours mate, so here's your gun, now get in that uniform and we'll tell you what to do. Check your brain at the door." Defend freedom by taking it away? That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.
Mqurice
PS: Try walking into your friendly neighourhood draft board and tell them you've been thinking about freedom and that they can stick their draft and see what they have in store for you. It will resemble one of those rooms you described to show the slaves who is boss. My father's cousin [a decorated WWI hero] was gaoled in comparable facilities for less than that - all he did was speak against WWII in public, which was not permitted; where's the freedom of speech that was being defended?
If you ever hear of a country where there's genuine freedom, let me know. |
