Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Bad Axe (not Ass) River From Britannica [posted by Troy] Ever hear of the Bad Axe Massacre? I wasn't all that familiar with it until I helped a students today with some research. Here's a quote from Britannica: Black Hawk retreated northward through the Rock River valley, and in the final battle, or massacre, at the Bad Axe River in Wisconsin, most of the Indians were slaughtered. Black Hawk escaped, but he was soon captured and taken, first to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and then to Fortress Monroe in Virginia. In 1833 he was returned as a hostage to Keokuk's charge, a final blow to his pride from which he never recovered. His own story is told in "Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak" (1833). As a condition of peace, the United States dispossessed the Sauk and Fox of their land in Illinois and eastern Iowa, and the Winnebago of theirs in southern Wisconsin. The ruthlessness of the Black Hawk War so affected the Indians that by 1837 all surrounding tribes had fled to the far West, leaving most of the Northwest Territory to the white settlers. 9:54:01 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It! Think About This One The Rule of the Incumbent [posted by ZelderBar] Here's food for thought. Notice that the Senate is the body seeking compromise on the immigration issue. The House is extremely radicalized with very conservative and very liberal members. House members regularly propose all kinds of crazy bills for political capital with no hope of getting them passed. Why is the House so radical? It's because our two ruling parties work to ensure that the incumbents always win. In our segregated society (by income leves and race/ethnicity), it is easy to draw districts so that similar people vote in a block. There is no hope or attempt for balance. This fall, take a look at how many seats are really being challenged in this election. Not very many. The Senate, on the other hand, necessarily represents broad views, since these people (86 men and 14 women) get elected by an entire state. Nothing would get done if Senators didn't compromise. So, when you want reasonable (well, middle of the road) legislation, look to the Senate. 9:49:08 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It!

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