> From: Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Yeah. And we don't talk about all those buffalo kills where Indians
> drove whole herds over cliffs, killing all or most, for the meat and
> pelts of a few. I could go on for about a hundred pages here, but I
> won't...
Well, it does seem true that wanton killing of bison didn't
meaningfully reduce their numbers until white men started shooting
them from trains. And as I recall, the First Nations people didn't
manage to change the climate of the entire planet.
But please, don't make it seem like I'm saying "White, bad;
everything else, good." It's a matter of degree. Before Europeans
came with energy and technology, the locals lacked the tools to do
vast harm. I have no doubt that had Native Americans acquired fossil
energy and subsequent technology first, they would have made a mess
of things, too!
Go check out "Guns, Germs, and Steel" from your video store! Another
good read about the pitfalls of energy and technology is "The
Axemaker's Gift."
:::: Freedom of the commons brings ruin to all. -- Garrett Hardin ::::
:::: Jan Steinman (a fossil-fuel free zone!) <http://
www.VeggieVanGogh.com> ::::
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