A Farwell to Blogs

I am not an an arrogant person, but when it comes to the study of history I think I know all. Looking at the historical knowledge of the average American, perhaps I have some reason to be confident. However, Socrates once said "The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing." When I started my goal to find 15-20 surprising historical facts over a period of 30 days, I thought it would be hard to find facts that I didn't know. The past 30 days have been very humbling for me. I discovered that finding facts i didn't know was easier than I anticipated.

Once upon a time I had a notion that I could find out "the truth" about history. Despite the fact that this can be like trying to explain Crime and Punishment to a two-year old, I still have this belief. My quest has opened mt eyes and made me want to continue searching for answers. Studying history is like pulling one those trick handkerchiefs which keep going and going. Like the person pulling the magic cloth, I will keep going until I reach the end. If that day never comes then I at least will have had fun trying.

Since my blog is now at an end, I will give a list of famous last words. You can decide their significance:

H. G. Wells: "Go away...I'm all right."

Indira Gahndi: "I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation. If I die today every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation."

Louis XIV: "Why are you weeping? Did you imagine that I was immortal?" (Noticing as he lay on his deathbed that his attendants were crying.)

Jesus Christ: Jesus, after a long morning of torture and a 3 hour lasting excruciating crucifixion, He first forgave his Roman enemies from the cross, saying: "Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they do!" Then he granted eternal life to a repentant thief that was crucified beside him, saying, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" After the Father's Spirit left Him as He died for the sins of the world, he said, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me!" Then He said "It is finished!" and after He had cried out with a loud voice, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"—He gave up the ghost!

The prophet Mohammed: "O Allah! Pardon my sins. Yes, I come."

Buddha: "Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation. Do your best."

Voltaire: A priest was summoned as the French essayist and philosopher lay on his deathbed. The priest asked that Voltaire renounce Satan, to which he responded, "Now, now my dear man, this is no time to make new enemies."

Karl Marx: "Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!" The German economist, philosopher, and revolutionary responding to his housekeeper when asked if he had any last words

Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary: "Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."

Winston Churchill's Race Problem

Winston Churchill is one of England's most beloved politicians. As the British leader during World War II, he is credited with inspiring his people with human spirit to resist Nazi Germany.

However, like all icons, there is a flip side of the hero coin. Churchill's flip side is very ironic considering he fought against the Third Reich. Churchill was a terrible racist. Look at these quotes:

I do not admit... that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America, or the black people of Australia... by the fact that a stronger race, a higher grade race... has come in and taken its place.
Churchill to Palestine Royal Commission, 1937

This movement among the Jews is not new. From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt to those of Karl Marx, and down to Trotsky (Russia), Bela Kun (Hungary), Rosa Luxembourg (Germany), and Emma Goldman (United States)... this worldwide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilisation and for the reconstitution of society on the basis of arrested development, of envious malevolence, and impossible equality, has been steadily growing.

(India is) a godless land of snobs and bores.
In a letter to his mother, 1896

I do not understand the squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poisonous gas against uncivilised tribes.
Writing as president of the Air Council, 1919

One other unflattering fact about Churchill is his views on eugenics:

The unnatural and increasingly rapid growth of the Feeble-Minded and Insane classes, coupled as it is with a steady restriction among all the thrifty, energetic and superior stocks, constitutes a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate.

This ironic giving Churchill's quote, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."

Albert Einstein: Genius and Ladies Man

Everyone is familiar with Albert Einstein. His groundbreaking work in physics has made his name synonymous with intelligence and wisdom.

I would love to explain his scientific breakthroughs in detail, however my feeble mind does not fully comprehend them. For those who want to read about the The Special and General Theory of Relativity be my guest. Maybe you can explain it to me.

One aspect about Albert Einstein which is not familiar to everyone is his rampant infidelity. One usually does not think of phsycists as men who are players, yet:

A series of 1,300 letters written by the physicist were published for the first time
yesterday. They are part of a batch of 3,500 bequeathed to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He was reputed to have been a charmer who bewitched Marilyn Monroe, and had 10 lovers outside of two marriages. These letters, kept by Margot, and released two decades after her death on 8 July 1986 on her instruction, illuminate how Einstein spent little time at home, instead lecturing in Europe and the US, but wrote about his amorous adventures to his family.

In the letters, the professor describes six women whom he romanced and spent time sailing, reading, and attending concerts with, while being married to Elsa. Some of the women identified by Einstein include Estella, Ethel, Toni, and his famous "Russian spy lover", Margarita, while others are referred to simply by their initials, such as M and L.

Now I know why women say "all men are pigs."

Not So Noble Intentions

If you ever talk to anyone about any social or political issues, people will inevitably tell you what they think is wrong with society. After they tell you societies problems, they will inevitably explain to you what should be done to fix these problems. One cliche floating around in America today is the idea that we should return to the intention of the Founding Fathers.

The reasoning behind this argument is that the founders were perfect leaders who formed a flawless system of government that has since been destroyed. I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the Founders' intentions:

Slavery- Every one of the Founders owned slaves. The Constitution originally had a clause which made African Americans three-fifths of a person. Thomas Jefferson had a famous affair with one of his slaves.

Women's Rights- Women could not vote until the passage of the 19Th Amendment in 1920. to return to the Founders intentions we would have to take away that right.

Native Americans- The Founding Fathers were not to fond of the original inhabitants of this continent. Consider these statements:

George Washington-In 1779, George Washington instructed Major General John Sullivan to attack Iroquois people. Washington stated, "lay waste all the settlements around...that the country may not be merely overrun, but destroyed". In the course of the carnage and annihilation of Indian people, Washington also instructed his general not "listen to any overture of peace before the total ruin of their settlements is effected".

In 1783, Washington's anti-Indian sentiments were apparent in his comparisons of Indians with wolves: "Both being beast of prey, tho' they differ in shape", he said. George Washington's policies of extermination were realized in his troops behaviors following a defeat. Troops would skin the bodies of Iroquois "from the hips downward to make boot tops or leggings". Indians who survived the attacks later re-named the nation's first president as "Town Destroyer".

Thomas Jefferson- In 1807, Thomas Jefferson instructed his War Department that, should any Indians resist against America stealing Indian lands, the Indian resistance must be met with "the hatchet". Jefferson continued, "And...if ever we are constrained to lift the hatchet against any tribe, " he wrote, "we will never lay it down till that tribe is exterminated, or is driven beyond the Mississippi." Jefferson, the slave owner, continued, "in war, they will kill some of us; we shall destroy all of them".

Oh, the Founders themselves could not agree on certain issues:

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 featured lively, even heated debates among the Founders. Small states were opposed to suggestions made by large states; federalists were opposed to anti-federalists; commercial interests were opposed to competing interests. Issues that bitterly divided the Convention included the method of Congressional representation, slavery, and the proper role and authority of the president. All these issues were resolved by compromise and consensus -- the very democratic principles that many seek to nullify by appealing to the intentions of the Founders.

Considering the acrimonious debate and fluid compromises in the ratification process, it's easy to see the constitution could have easily turned out otherwise. The anti-federalists were actually in the majority, but were stymied by their own conflicts, overconfidence and lack of sure leadership. The most criticized feature of the constitution was the lack of a bill of rights guaranteeing individual freedoms - and the federalists gave the anti-federalists this single compromise in order to win their support.

People may want to consider these facts before suggesting the fallacy of "the intention of the Founding Fathers."

Not in my Backyard: Anti-Semitism of the Allied Powers During World War II

The Holocaust is one of the most tragic events in human history. Between approximately 1939-1945 The German government murdered 6 million Jews and 5 million others in an attempt to create a master race.

What is lesser known about the Holocaust is the fact that the Germans did not immediately start out with the intent to kill Jews. The original plan was to deport them to other countries. One plan was called the Madagascar Plan, which would have expelled all German Jews to the island off the African coast.

The only problem was that no country wanted to accept the Jews of Germany. According to this article I found:

During the 1930s, before Germany launched the "final solution,'' Hitler attempted to deport all Jews. He offered to pay their passage to America. But the United States was more bigoted and segregated in those days, and President Roosevelt feared a political backlash if he accepted the offer. America welcomed celebrities such as Albert Einstein, but few others.

Britain likewise refused to let Germany's Jews move to Palestine. An international conference was held to find sanctuaries for the endangered people, but it produced nothing.

The story of the ship St. Louis tells it all: Hundreds of German Jews thought they had obtained visas to move to Cuba. They booked passage on the St. Louis -- but when they reached Havana, they were forbidden to land. The ship headed for America, but the Coast Guard forced it to stay offshore. Finally, it returned to Europe with its unwanted, doomed passengers.

After the war, when Adolf Eichmann was on trial as a war criminal, he contended that Germany wouldn't have begun its annihilation program in 1940 if other nations had been willing to receive Jews.

Canada also refused to take them in, with an immigration officer famously saying None is Too Many.

This of course does not excuse the German killing of Jews. However, it is interesting to think how many would have survived if Western democracies would have opened their doors.

George Bernard Shaw: Noble Prize Winner and Stalinist

In my last two blogs I have attacked religious icons Martin Luther and Mother Teresa because the actual record of their lives shows they were anything but holier than thou. My first blog showed "saint" Thomas More was a torturer and killer.

The readers of these blogs may have figured out that I am not a fan of religion. However, I am also an open minded person who knows that a lack of belief in god does not necessarily make one good or enlightened. The dictators Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot are obvious examples of that fact.

To show my sense of balance I decided to find surprising facts that show the dark side of a notable atheist. I found a hideous dark side to the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw.

Shaw was an Irishman who wrote many well received plays. For his writing Shaw was award the Noble Prize in Literature. He was also awarded an Oscar for the film version of his play Pygmalion. He is the only person to win both awards.

My interest in Shaw came from quotes from him that I thought were clever. Among them are:

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."

"The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed but that he cannot believe anyone else."

On the surface Shaw seems to be a good man with great accomplishments. Under a microscope, however, there is one especially hideous fact about his life; he was a staunch communist and admirer of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

As I already noted, Stalin is proof that atheists can act badly. This is due to the fact that he ruled the Soviet Union for years with an iron fist and killed at least 30 million Russians. Despite this fact, Shaw had nothing but love for the psychopathic ruler.

One way of smearing atheists is to say they are communists. In the case of George Bernard Shaw, applying this label would not be hyperbole.

Martin Luther: Reformer and Anti Semitic Maniac

Since I have attacked two Catholic "saints" in my blogs about Thomas More and Mother Teresa, I will now turn my attention to a Protestant icon: reformer Martin Luther. I am nothing if not an equal opportunity offender.

Martin Luther is famous for his role is the development of Protestantism. In the early 1500's, Luther, along with John Calvin and John Knox formed a new doctrine of Christianity that broke away from The Catholic Church. This is called the Reformation. The different Protestant denominations have different views on various subjects, but they all reject the authority of the pope and believed that salvation came through a person belief in Jesus as the savior and not from good works.

What is less discussed about Luther are his deranged anti Semitic rantings. In 1543, Martin Luther published On the Jews and Their Lies. Here are some samples of Luther's insights:

Therefore be on your guard against the Jews, knowing that wherever they have their synagogues, nothing is found but a den of devils in which sheer self-glory, conceit, lies, blasphemy, and defaming of God and men are practiced most maliciously and veheming his eyes on them.

...but then eject them forever from this country. For, as we have heard, God's anger with them is so intense that gentle mercy will only tend to make them worse and worse, while sharp mercy will reform them but little. Therefore, in any case, away with them!

...they remain our daily murderers and bloodthirsty foes in their hearts. Their prayers and curses furnish evidence of that, as do the many stories which relate their torturing of children and all sorts of crimes for which they have often been burned at the stake or banished.

But what will happen even if we do burn down the Jews' synagogues and forbid them publicly to praise God, to pray, to teach, to utter God's name? They will still keep doing it in secret. If we know that they are doing this in secret, it is the same as if they were doing it publicly. For our knowledge of their secret doings and our toleration of them implies that they are not secret after all and thus our conscience is encumbered with it before God.

It is no wonder that a certain German leader thought of Luther as one of the great reformers.

In case you were curious, Luther also supported the massacre of 100,000 people in the Peasant's War of 1524-1525.