On Tuesday, March 11, 2003 at 17:16:56 (-0500) Doug Henwood writes: >... >>As a footnote to Ken's post, at the time the Europeans invaded >>North America the total aboriginal population in what is now >>Canada is estimated at approximately 500,000. If that figure is >>close to correct, then there are now three times or more aboriginals >>in Canada than there were 500 years ago. Incidentally, most of the >>original decline in population came from European diseases rather >>than from any form of deliberate extermination. Even the Beothuk >>whom it was originally claimed were deliberately killed off, new >>research indicates that they died off (last one I believe in 1928) >>primarily from a combination of disease exacerbated by poverty >>(starvation) as they moved inland away from the European >>settlements and the more plentiful food supplies from the coast. > >Well yeah, but what's the point of bringing this up - the original >crimes don't matter in the long sweep of things?
Not to mention that when Jews died of "deaths due to disease" during the Nazi extermination campaign while huddled in death camps or ghettos, the deaths were laid squarely at the feet of those responsible, as they should be, always. Bill
