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| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: Nov 28, 2003 Views: 305 | "Strangers", let us not forget them... In all of my reading and research I am continuously amazed at the level of 'ignorance' of history and the constant interpolaton of same. Two that come to mind are The Alamo Siege and Thanksgiving. Allow me to burst both bubbles: The Alamo, that little church/fortress of Disney Davy Crockett fight to the death crap against the heathen Hispanics was actually, in fact, an historic site wherein Crockett, newly disposed ex-congressman, joined in with other ne'er do well gents like Jim Bowie and the "Defenders of the Alamo" included goodly portions of blacks, Native Americans, disgruntled ranchers, Hispanics, adventure seekers and the like. Against them stood the army of Generisimo Santa Ana, a corrupt pol who took a band of German Hessians and combined them with other Euros and crushed the Texas Republicans (Crockett & Col. Travis and Bowie were anything but lovers of "America", in fact it could and has been argued that they wanted to "save" the Texan population from the corruption of Washington). The Alamo siege was one of many victories of German-Spanish cooperation. The USA couldn't have cared less about the loss, except that a lot of politicians in D.C. were likely thrilled that Crockett & Bowie - real pains in the ass - were now dead. Thanksgiving is another humerous event. You wanna believe the "Indians" got together with the "Pilgrims"? Yeah, sure...pilgrim hehehe...they did, in a way, but.... Truth: Forgetting the indigenous tribal wars going on in Massachusetts at the time, the "Pilgrims" were, of course, the "Puritans" who sailed from England along with a group of people called "The Strangers", a group now sadly forgotten, but history should be kinder, for they promptly dispersed amoungst the colonies - away from the religious whackos known as "Puritans" - and, because their primary goals were to settle land and live in harmony with the 'Indians', the "Strangers" had little contact wih the "Puritans". The "Puritans" were NOT a distinct religious organization but rather Anglicans who wanted to "purify" the church. Why do I bring this up? Well, I just thought it might be wise to call ourselves "strangers" within this little conclave of rasslin sites and fetish shtick. I think the 'Puritanical' need to purge and the desire to 'stay purely on topic' is just another in a long continuation of 'keeping the unwashed' under control. Control, you see, was the ultimate goal of the Puritans (they immediately set up a 'governing body' and tax system) and the defenders of the Alamo (they wanted to set up a Texas Republic and control of the population via Rancher control and control of the flow of water - which was, btw, the subtheme of many westerns, including the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance). In short, I am a 'Stranger'; can you guess who are the 'Puritans'? Still, some relish and bask in the limitations placed on them. For, as we know, it's for "their own good". For the children; For the greater good; Thousand points of light; Stay the course; Do the right thing; A little bit of rebellion is good but not TOO much. Next, the Fonz exposes Christmas. Stay tuned. atf |
| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: Nov 28, 2003 Views: 294 | RE: o.k., o.k., something 'on topic' Yep, you smucks missed "From Russia With Love". Twas on Spike TV yesterday. Hehehe, the young lady here who saw it had nothing to say after the 'catfight'. Wimmin never do. Why is that? Enquiring minds wanna know... atf, informant/head of security, DIHQ |
| Posted By: Steve Posted On: Nov 28, 2003 Views: 282 | RE: "Strangers", let us not forget them... Hessians at the Alamo? Never heard of it, and I'm a Texan with a B.A. in history who's been to the Alamo some 6-7 times. Travis thought of himself as an American, hence the salutation in his famous letter: "To Americans everywhere" Bowie was a slave-trader, who had settled down in Texas. He wasn't a problem for the American government. Jackson had a falling out with Crockett. Old Hickory definitely wanted Texas in the fold; in fact, there were American troops stationed east of the Sabine during the Runaway Scrape. I suppose I could be wrong about Germans fighting for Santa Anna, but I've never heard that before. Do you have any links to that information? |
| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: Nov 29, 2003 Views: 273 | RE: "Strangers", let us not forget them... Steve, On C-Span a while back a couple of authors argued about the "fact" that Crockett and Co considered themselves "Americans". I'll dig up that info for you. I'll also include the famous Crockett quote that makes it highly suspicious that he were "fighting for American interests." The Hessian soldiers were - along with French soldiers - a common sight in Mexican history. So much so that Gen Scotts little excursion was repelled by same, for a time. I'll get the writers at a later date & reference them accordingly. Bowie & Travis and even Crockett (to a lesser extent) were anything but the "patriots" Disney portrayed and that was my major message. Some of this is controversial, true, but the old 'stories' we've been fed are way off base. atf |
| Posted By: Steve Posted On: Nov 29, 2003 Views: 270 | RE: "Strangers", let us not forget them... Yeah, I agree that Crockett and Bowie and most of the men at the Alamo weren't fighting for American interests. Travis may be one exception. And there may well have been Germany mercenaries in the Mexican army during the Mexican-American War and at other times. I just don't recall ever reading that there were any at the Alamo. I'd be interested to know if there were. |
| Posted By: alfonsothefan Posted On: Nov 29, 2003 Views: 264 | RE: "Strangers", let us not forget them... Steve, I'm really bad on not writing down the sources, but I'm heading on over to the library in a couple off days, so I should have my sources indexed for you. Mexico, in fact, has had a great deal of German and French influence; the majority of the people in Monterrey, for example, are second or third generation German-Mexican mix (I hesitate to use the nebulous term "Hispanic" since most are of Native American and not Spanish blood). You can see it in their clothes, their skin color and their music: Those damn awful accordians Mexicans use are, of course, German, and that, my friend, is why I far prefer Cuban to Mexican music. Hessians, btw, were the precursor, if you will, of the French Foreign Legion, and were used by the Brits during the American Revolutionary War. Now, old Santa Ana was a wily tactician, but I believe - and this is disputed, of course - that he was just another corrupt politician with a hint of sociopathology. Then again, guess you could say that about MOST Army Commandors and such. Also: General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana spelled his name both Ana and Anna, was as secretive as a Soviet Prime Minister, and died in 1876, aged about 80 to 82 years. You sound like an interesting sort, Steve, and perhaps you'd like my take on General Winfield Scott? Did you know he's STILL reviled in Mexico? Later, atf |
| Posted By: Bear Posted On: Nov 30, 2003 Views: 258 | RE: "Strangers", let us not forget them... I'm not surprised that Scott is still reviled in Mexico, after all Mexico lost over half of its American empire to the U.S. I'm not heartbroken about that however. I'd much rather live in a California, USA than in northern Mexico. However, when I look around I wonder if I'm really not living in northern Mexico. |