Let's hope that nothing as devastating as smallpox comes along in nature's constantly evolving arsenal
A Hope in Hell?
I hope that I will never need to be exonerated...
... and for one simple reason only: I'd like to live to the end of my natural life--without any undue acceleration of my demise.
I hope that I will never need to be exonerated...
... and for one simple reason only: I'd like to live to the end of my natural life--without any undue acceleration of my demise.
In the News
As the news recently reported, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
delivered a statement of exoneration to the Tsilhqot'in Nation and the descendants of six Tsilhqot'in war chiefs in the Parliament.
Now, don't misunderstand me. Being wronged by the state, even when recognized 154 years later, deserves a big "mea culpa", better yet, a "mea culpa maxima" from the government. Indeed, PM Trudeau expressed "
profound regret" for the treachery of the colonial militia and the deaths of the chiefs during the Tsilhqot'in war. Mr. Trudeau's address was followed by remarks of regret from all opposition leaders.
Too bad though for the exonerees, they will not be able to rejoice and share their good fortune. After all, they are already dead for a 150+ years. A recent narrative and artistic rendition of the event can be found
here.
There is an important lesson in that!
There is an important lesson it that! Being executed and--many decades later -- being exonerated will not revive the recipients of failed justice at the time. It may bring solace to a later generation of the victims but a few words spoken in parliament cannot resurrect life. It's an easy gesture of remorse and goodwill.
What would be more beneficial than exonerations would be trying to prevent any false accusations and convictions in the first place. Of course, this requires not only clear laws but also an independent judicial system.
This insight led to the establishment of the
Magna Carta (MC) in the year 1215. The MC provided for a balance of power between "the state" and its "populace." Then and now, its most erudite "invention" was the separation of powers between the legislative, the executive and judiciary segments of government. In terms of important considerations, it implies a need for independent reviews.
The Carta`s long History
Despite the 800-year documented history of the MC and its proven benefits to the system of division of powers, there appears to be no end to attempts to circumvent and abrogate it; regrettably often quite successfully. The daily news provides many examples, from almost any part of the world you may look at. Just look at some very recent events, like some countries' leaders, originally elected with time-limited terms have now become semi-permanent occupants of their office, with next to unlimited powers to boot. Even the Roman Empire suffered from that development that, in the end, led to its decline and total failure. But back to justice and goodwill.
Justice and Goodwill
For sure, meting out justice is not an easy task, ever. Not only are laws changing, the common meaning of words evolves as well, sometimes to nearly the opposite meaning of the former one and with that common perception of what's right or wrong.
For example, what was considered a felony some years ago, like smoking pot, is now being widely considered an acceptable past-time activity. Not to be left out of the (perceived) financial benefits of legalizing pot, nearly any government entity known is already in the process of spending the expected revenue to flow from future pot-smoke. A few years from now, it may even become a "prescribed activity" for any potential dissident from the coming "norm" -- who knows?
Smoking and Smallpox
Of course, the past time of "smoking" has been around for millennia in many cultures on different continents. However,
smoking tobacco is relatively new to western societies, as the
tobacco plant is indigenous to the Americas, Australia, SW-Africa and the South Pacific only. Therefore, prior to Columbus, the plant was not known in the Old World.
Now, my dear readers may wonder: what does smoking or tobacco have to do with the above noted exonerations? Indeed, a good question. Both are examples of inter-continental events. Without Columbus, tobacco would not be known in Eurasia and without Columbus no smallpox would have become known in North America.
That debilitating and often fatal smallpox disease and what they considered to be broken promises about land ownership was at the root of the Tsilhqot'in war chiefs' hangings. Historians appear to be still divided on whether the disease was intentionally introduced with virus-carrying "
gifts of blankets" or not; I have no opinion on that. Regardless, large segments of the aboriginal populations died from it. And that fact is still of common interest and potential concern in this day and age. It's just one aspect of the ongoing globalisation.
Globalisation
It's one of the consequences of globalisation of everything. Organisms from far away (bacteria, viruses, plants and all kinds of animals) are rapidly being introduced into foreign environments, both intentionally and unintentionally. There, they often can find ecological niches devoid of their traditional "enemies" and multiply at an exponential rate.
While smallpox has
officially been eradicated, new disease vectors appear to arise faster than modern science can invent effective counter-measures. For example, a recent report by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes numerous instances of germs with "unusual" antibiotic resistance genes.
Let's hope that nothing as devastating as smallpox comes along in nature's constantly evolving arsenal.
Dr. Klaus L.E. Kaiser -- Bio and
Archives |
Comments
Dr. Klaus L.E. Kaiser is author of CONVENIENT MYTHS, the green revolution – perceptions, politics, and facts Convenient Myths
