pax magni fratris

Anton Sherwood (dasher@netcom.com)
Fri, 19 Dec 1997 19:20:45 -0800 (PST)


: > It's amazing how the Cold War, the nuclear era, was one of the most
: > peaceful periods in Europe's entire history. It still is peaceful,
: > apart from some fringe areas like Yugoslavia that don't have anything
: > more advanced than primitive artillery, and a bad distribution of guns.
:
: I think that phrase should read "was one of the most peaceful periods
: in Europes entire history *since the Roman Empire*. Peaceful periods
: in Europe tend to not last a generation, Europe was at peace for quite
: a bit longer than that in the first couple of centuries AD.

For most of the intervening period, though, I doubt anybody thought
much about the concept of peace *throughout Europe*. How long did
the average *county* go between wars? Much more than a generation,
I'd imagine.

: In at least one incident the U.S. Army deliberately sent a group of
: Indians blankets from an area undergoing an epidemic (cholera?),
: with predictable results.

(Smallpox.)
I've recently read, if memory serves, that this happened at least once
in colonial days - fallout from one of those endless British-French
quarrels - but there's no hard evidence that US forces ever did it.
For whatever that's worth.

: There's a new case in this morning's newspaper involving a shooting
: outside a high school. When caught in school with a gun, it's argued
: whether or not suspending them is appropriate!!

Not all schools are so lenient. I keep hearing about children being
suspended for possession of an inch-long plastic G.I.Joe weapon, or
for giving one another Midol or aspirin or lemon-drops!

Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher@netcom.com