Cannibalism

I have just finished the most incredible book, Hans Staden The True History of His Captivity. As this incredible account was first published in 1557 I guess you might say these comments are a bit late. I encountered cannibalism in the New Guinea Highlands where a version of it was present in a few of the tribes. But in these cases the cannibalism was mostly of a ritual variety. They did not kill people to eat them and, in fact, ate only their own people who had been highly respected (they believed that by eating them they might acquire the traits they admired). In the case of the Tupinamba, the subjects of Hans Staden's book, we find truly aggressive cannibals that sought out people to kill for the express purpose of eating them. If a person was killed in battle the body would be immediately butchered and roasted. If they captured someone he would be kept alive, sometimes for months, before being eaten. Indeed, he might even be given a wife in the interim. If a child came of the union the child might subsequently be eaten. Each time a man would kill and eat someone he would acquire a new name, and the one with the most names was the most respected. Staden was a captive of these people for the better part of a year but managed to escape before he was eaten (and it had been their intention to do just that). Absolutely amazing account.

The other interesting thing about this book is the insight it give you to just how religious these early explorers were. Staden attributes everything to the hand of God. It is obvious that his entire life was taken up with his firm belief in the power of the Almighty and, of course, it is to the Almighty that he gives credit for his survival. When reading these early accounts of life I find it hard to believe that the human species survived at all. The hardships they had to endure are virtually unbelievable. This is true of our own early pioneers just as it was for those who first encountered the "New World." I doubt that Staden's book has been continually in print since 1557, but it has been printed and reprinted many times and is readily available in many libraries.

It is now known that General Pace did not want to step down but was forced to do so. I don't know the precise circumstances, whether he disagreed with Bush or not, but the story is that Bush/Cheney did not want him to face being reappointed by Congress as they felt it would be potentially embarrasing. Another General has now accused Rumsfeld of lying when he claimed to know nothing about the torture at Abu Graib. It has been obvious for a long time that Rumsfeld knew about it but it is refreshing to hear a General come right out and say so.

Hamas has now won complete control of the Gaza Strip. Abbas and his group now have the West Bank. This will no doubt give Israel and the U.S. an opportunity to starve 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza. They are already in dire straits so if they cannot get outside support for the very basics of life they will probably be doomed. But why should we worry about them, after all, they are only the duly and fairly democratically elected government. Democracy is great when the people you want elected actually get elected, but it is terrible if someone else wins. Not to worry, just don't support them. Let 'em starve. When Bush/Cheney start blathering about democracy, reach for your handguns.

LKBIQ:

"Capitalism turns men into economic cannibals, and having done so, mistakes economic cannibalism for human nature."
Edward Hyam