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[Dunamisdeos]

I mean it sounds reasonable to me that we were great friends with somebody until they didn't have anything we needed anymore.

[Vector]

Thanksgiving is a meal that was historically eaten just "when something good happens" according to the Puritans when they arrived on this shore. "Thank you God for what you have given us etc." It was a habit in England before any colonization happened.

Here, it eventually became almost synonymous with meals that happened after raids on Native American settlements and acquisition of their food stores.

It's always been about that one time that Native Americans fed and taught some pilgrims to survive, to me. Apparently, they made a treaty that at least lasted beyond the lifetimes of those who signed it. (Like 50 years or so.)

Both sound revisionist. I always thought the school-taught image of Pilgrims and Native Americans breaking bread together to be completely at odds with how they were treated by the US government and westward expansionists not much later.

The truth is likely somewhere in the middle of the two. I'm sure some NA and Pilgrims lit each other up, just like some probably got along.

From Wikipedia:

Tisquantum (/tɪsˈkwɒntəm/; c. 1585 (±10 years?) – late November 1622 O.S.), more commonly known as Squanto (/ˈskwɒntoʊ/), was a member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the Native American population in Southern New England and the Mayflower Pilgrims who made their settlement at the site of Tisquantum's former summer village. The Patuxet tribe had lived on the western coast of Cape Cod Bay, but they were wiped out by an epidemic infection.

Tisquantum was kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt who carried him to Spain, where he sold him in the city of Málaga. He was among a number of captives bought by local monks who focused on their education and evangelization. Tisquantum eventually traveled to England, where he may have met Pocahontas, a Native American from Virginia, in 1616–1617.[1] He then returned to America in 1619 to his native village, only to find that his tribe had been wiped out by an epidemic infection; Tisquantum was the last of the Patuxets. When his tribe died, he went to live with the Wampanoags.

The Mayflower landed in Cape Cod Bay in 1620, and Tisquantum worked to broker peaceable relations between the Pilgrims and the local Pokanokets. He played a key role in the early meetings in March 1621, partly because he spoke English. He then lived with the Pilgrims for 20 months, acting as an interpreter, guide, and advisor. He introduced the settlers to the fur trade and taught them how to sow and fertilize native crops; this proved vital, because the seeds which the Pilgrims had brought from England mostly failed. As food shortages worsened, Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford relied on Tisquantum to pilot a ship of settlers on a trading expedition around Cape Cod and through dangerous shoals. During that voyage, Tisquantum contracted what Bradford called an "Indian fever". Bradford stayed with him for several days until he died, which Bradford described as a "great loss".

My guess is that the truth is a mosaic of lots of different things happening. But my point is that calling the Squanto Thanksgiving the "first" such meal is inaccurate in a certain sense, kind of like how The Last Supper was a Passover meal and there were observances of Passover both before and after. The Last Supper is special in one context and just one of many in another context.

[Rolan7]

Oops.

What are you trying to say by "Biden condemns Trump travel ban of Africa" in January 2020 and "New variant emerges in South Africa" in Nov2021?

There's a dedicated thread for Covid stuff, but I will say that there are *reasons* that the poorest areas in the world have more Covid.  Which South Africa is nearby.

[delphonso]

If he's gonna ban travel to prevent Covid, then he needs to ban travel to prevent Covid. Unless there's something in the law that says he can't blanket ban, and citizens/VISA holders are entitled to entry. Is that a thing?

I generally agree - although if there are cautious procedures in place (such as specific flights loaded into buses directly into hotels for 2 weeks blanket quarantine), then the ban itself is only necessary up to the expected number of travellers and capacity for such procedures. This would, of course, take coordination and competence, plus genuine drive to stop the virus - all of which the US is lacking.

EDIT: Which terrorist groups were coming from Africa, at the time?

Short answer - none, really.

"The [2017] order imposes a 90-day travel ban on the citizens of seven predominately Muslim countries (Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen). It also indefinitely prohibits Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., and suspends the refugee program for citizens of all other countries for 120 days." - from which (since at least 2001, but possibly earlier) there have been only 28 convictions of terrorism (including 3 guilty pleas). Libya and Sudan specifically had had 0.

Chad was later added and then later dropped. Eritrea, Tanzania and Nigeria were all also added to the list in 2020 - which is what Biden was reacting to. Almost all the bans were just on not issuing visas which could lead to permanent residence.

[hector13]

Sole question: Was there a new Covid variant identified by the WHO in Africa and that's why Trump banned travel from Africa at the time?

IIRC, Trump's ban affected only prospective immigrants without visas. If you had a visa or citizenship, you were unaffected. I believe Joey B's affects literally everyone who is physically located in those African nations.

If all of the above is true, then yes, one is effective at preventing a new strain of Covid from entering the nation, and the other is effective at preventing black people from immigrating to the US.

The Trump ban being referred to was related to terrorism. Biden's COVID ban has an exception for US citizens and permanent residents.

Funnily enough the terrorism ban didn’t include countries that funded or were home to terrorists (looking at you, Saudi Arabia) and Trump’s covid travel restrictions also did not include restrictions on US citizens or permanent residents.

[Bumber]

The ban was on countries that weren't meeting certain background check requirements, such that terrorists could try to immigrate through, not countries that specifically were home to terrorists.

What are you trying to say by "Biden condemns Trump travel ban of Africa" in January 2020 and "New variant emerges in South Africa" in Nov2021?

Did you miss the part where Biden just enacted a travel ban on several African countries?

[Rolan7]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Oops.

What are you trying to say by "Biden condemns Trump travel ban of Africa" in January 2020 and "New variant emerges in South Africa" in Nov2021?

There's a dedicated thread for Covid stuff, but I will say that there are *reasons* that the poorest areas in the world have more Covid.  Which South Africa is nearby.

Did you miss the part where Biden just enacted a travel ban on several African countries?

No no, I got that. I'm just asking you to finish your sentence.
What are you trying to say?

[Bumber]

The hypocrite president is a hypocrite.

Also, looks like the omicron variant was already going around Europe before South Africa reported it, so the ban is especially pointless. (A case was also reported in Canada before the ban was enacted, so it's likely already in the US.)

[delphonso]

The hypocrite president is a hypocrite.

You can find clearer examples of this than comparing him to Trump. Biden has failed to follow through on any of the progressive promises he gave us.

Also, looks like the omicron variant was already going around Europe before South Africa reported it, so the ban is especially pointless. (A case was also reported in Canada before the ban was enacted, so it's likely already in the US.)

I've never understood this sentiment - trying to limit the number of vectors is the goal. If a rat chews through one of your boxes of cereal, you don't just give up the entire pantry to them.

[da_nang]

School shooting in Oxford High, Michigan.

Three dead, eight wounded. Shooter in custody.

10-15 shots fired in five minutes. Seven bullets left in the gun. Shooter surrendered without a fight, asked for a lawyer, and hasn't said anything else.

Shooter is not the same person that had severed a deer head in front of the school some time previously.

Rumor mill claims the dad had bought the gun last Friday.

Speculating, it feels like this could be a discriminate mass shooting. Bullying, interpersonal dispute, or gang activity seem to be likely causes.

[Starver]

The worst thing is that I read about this last night (my time) and decided not to say anything about it here because it just sounded like it was same ol' same ol'...

(The report I heard said the police knew how the gun got into school (presumably knife-/gun-arches had been present(!) but bypassed, then) but weren't saying yet how.)

With the benefit of sleep, and the news that it was a freshly bought firearm (at instigation of the perpetrator, or so quickly taken advantage of after a 'normal' purchase?), matching up with the parents telling the kid not to cooperate with police interviews (if still true) I don't think we can entirely put it down to the stereotypical We Need To Talk About Kevin.

[Dorsidwarf]

Damn. That's messed up.

[LordBaal]

An awful passtime for jerks in the USA those school shootings.

[dragdeler]

a

[martinuzz]

Let's not jump to conclusions