[Publib] 'Giving Thanks' from the Kid's Reading Room of the LosAngeles Times

[Scott Bonner]

Nice politicizing, and in tune with the recent market-related bickering on
Publib, not to mention the oft-celebrated off-topic-ness.

One would be hard pressed to use Pilgrims as an example of free markets,
free minds, or religious liberty, but that doesn't stop us from doing
exactly that.  Their society was a libertarian's nightmare.  I know, I know,
they weren't as bad as portrayed - but they also weren't as good as
portrayed, either.  In any case, the article was a poorly written fluff
piece, didn't so much show failed socialism as successful parsing of
state-owned resources out to preferred citizens (is that the new
capitalism?), and contained numerous historical inaccuracies, like the idea
that the Pilgrims had it so rough.

(Side note: If they did, it was their own fault.  They built on land that
had been cleared and cultivated by natives for who-knows-how-long, and was
conveniently empty just prior to Pilgrim arrival thanks to infections of
smallpox and other plagues from European visitors some years before.  What
could be easier, and still be called colonizing?  There are great, famous
sermons from the Pilgrim leaders praising God, for He had seen to their
plenty by killing off so many unbelieving savages.  More politicizing, or
just history?  That depends on your politics.)

Scott
Speaking for no one but myself

-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Fred Beisser
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 11:05 AM
To: PUBLIB
Subject: [Publib] 'Giving Thanks' from the Kid's Reading Room of the
LosAngeles Times

 From the Kid's Reading Room of the LA Times comes a Thanksgiving story 
and a lesson in failed socialism. See:
http://www.latimes.com/features/kids/readingroom/la-et-story23-2008nov23,0,7
094177.story

Fred Beisser
Trustee
www.elbertcountylibrary.org
(Colorado)


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