Smoky Joe, JD, in Defense of Freedom
President Jackson on Indian Removal,
Humanity has often wept over the fate of the aborigines of this country, and philanthropy has been long busily employed in devising means to avert it, but its progress has never for a moment been arrested, and one by one have many powerful tribes disappeared from the earth. To follow to the tomb the last of his race and to tread on the graves of extinct nations excite melancholy reflections. But true philanthropy reconciles the mind to these vicissitudes as it does to the extinction of one generation to make room for another. In the monuments and fortresses of an unknown people, spread over the extensive regions of the West, we behold the memorials of a once powerful race, which was exterminated or has disappeared to make room for the existing savage tribes. Nor is there anything in this which, upon a comprehensive view of the general interests of the human race, is to be regretted. Philanthropy could not wish to see this continent restored to the condition in which it was found by our forefathers. What good man would prefer a country covered with forests and ranged by a few thousand savages to our extensive republic, studded with cities, towns, and prosperous farms, embellished with all the improvements which art can devise or industry execute, occupied by more than 12 million happy people, and filled with all the blessings of liberty, civilization, and religion?
Too long a quote. Had to cut it from The State of the Union, but I thought I would blog it here.
I think you need to invite President Jackson to offer his opinions on the bulk removal of people, etc. Isn't time WB had a genocide policy advisor? I mean after all, think of the time and effort it would save?
Such a high minded poet should be a free agent for long. Snap him up!
Posted by: Chris Corrigan | January 24, 2007 at 01:02 PM
I wonder how many other people think of philanthropy as only looking backwards instead of looking ahead? I guess there are enough philanthropists who practice this to engender such a belief in the public....
Posted by: Elizabeth | January 24, 2007 at 04:30 PM
Elizabeth, thank you for dropping by. The gifthub guy just blogged you.
Posted by: The Happy Tutor | January 24, 2007 at 07:02 PM
Chris, "The World We Want" by President Jackson. Utopias come at a price, as does "moral clarity," as in Iraq today or the American West in Jackson's day. Ideals and slaughter.
Posted by: The Happy Tutor | January 24, 2007 at 07:04 PM
Yeah Tutor! That's what I want to see more of. Forget Bush and his state of the union and this interminable war...we need a leader like President Jackson...just round them up and ship them off and make the wilderness safe for good Christian enterprise to take hold.
If Jackson was your President, America would be safely ensconced in Iraq and you'd own all the oil now instead of having to share it with the British.
And with all that wealth, what would we need philanthropy for?
Ah well..we can only dream.
Posted by: Chris Corrigan | January 24, 2007 at 08:45 PM