gg,
point taken. I guess though I feel at some point folks need to get on with their lives...
My grand dad came here from China and was never allowed to bring his 'first' family over to our wonderful country .. He worked and sent money home, started a second family here and supported both.. The 'first' family eventually came over here when I was in my early teens... My grandfather never saw his first wife again nor those children grow up.. as he died before I was even born.. He came here from an oppressive life... to one that was less oppressive but hardly ideal.. Hard to find any of his progeny today that are not self sufficient and most are in fact quite successful... no hand outs.. not even hand ups... I don't mind hand ups at all.. as long as they do not turn into entitlements or permanent crutches..
As an analogy I quit smoking 13 years ago cold turkey.. (mind you I probably quit 30 times before that and I declined a big stack of Cubans from my dad a few years ago because I know that if I had one I would be smoking again... that's just the way it is ... :O) Some folks need the patch.. some use hypnosis, some swear by acupuncture... some just need the crap scared out of them.. Whatever the case a successful outcome is no less diminished...
Where are all the Joseph Brants, Robbie Robertsons, Buffy Ste-Maries, and Louis Riels or Ovide Mercredis ??
OTOH I will say our government has done many shameful things... It does not behoove us to be terribly smug.
All Natives who served in the Wars were denied War Veteran pensions by the Canadian government; a system of loans was set up for Native veterans, or their widows, so that they could acquire new agricultural land or improve existing farms. Returning Native veterans would be considered 'settler's under the conditions of the loans.
I guess this would be the legacy of Peace Order and Good Good Government... :o(
Up to the battle of 1812, Native allies were invaluable to the British, French, American and Spanish forces. Their superior physical skills, battle strategies and knowledge of the terrain made alliances with Native forces mandatory. After the battle of 1812, the 'noble savage' was no longer needed, and simply became 'savage' and an impediment to the manifest destiny of imperialist forces.
Al
Not whining... just like things to be all that they can be .. That's what I expect from my kids.... :O) |
