[PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] Sounds good to me ;)

Craighead, Scot D craighead.scot at vectorscm.com
Tue Jun 18 20:47:23 UTC 2002


>Which ancient and venerated culture which carries a language that evolved
>in this region in ancient times shall we preserve through our law and
>tradition?
>
>Iriquois?  Navajo?  Apache?  Cree?  Sioux?  Seminole?  Cherokee?  Hopi?  
>Payute?  Wanatchee?  Tankowa?  Catowa?
>
>No, you think that we should make our nation work to preserve the language
>and culture of the imperialist conquerors who already have dozens of
>nations with their language as the official language and their legal
>tradition as the official legal tradition.
>
>I assert that we have no responsibility to work to preserve that language
>and culture because it is in no danger whatsoever.  One needs only travel
>to England or one of the many Commonwealth nations to see its preservation
>in action.
>
>Perhaps if we'd original chosen the Catowa as our venerated tradition, we
>wouldn't be having this conversation today, since the Catowan word for
>themselves was the same as their word for "people" and their word for
>non-Catowans was the same as their word for "friend".  This discussion
>would have a completely different town if we all automatically translated
>the word "foreigner" as "friend".  (Oddly enough, the word in english that
>comes directly from the Catowan word for friend/foreigner/alien is
>"Texan".)
>
>Or perhaps if we'd chosen the Iriquois tradition, we wouldn't be in such a
>terrible state with respect to our natural environment.  After all,
>Jefferson preserved (and revered) the rich tradition of Iriquois law and
>wrote down for us, in the language he and I share, this gem:  Let every
>decision be made with consideration of the seventh generation, even if it
>requires skin as thick as the bark of a pine.  In other words, tough it
>out, this is not your world, but the world of tomorrow's children.

You say all of this and did not address the point I was making at all.  You
say it is OK for the French to have French as their official language, but
if we do the same thing, we is bad.  Isn't this inconsistent?




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