Clipmarks | AtlLiberal's History collection

Black Death Anniversary

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:43:15 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Certainly a defining moment in world history. It's interesting that present day fundamentalists such as Falwell are still using the same arguments that their 14th century counterparts employed. You'd think that after 600+ years they'd have learned something.

Clip Source: www.history.com

Black Death is “created,” allegedly

According to scholars at the University of Paris, the Black Death is created on this day in 1345, from what they call "a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius, occurring on the 20th of March 1345".

Despite what these scholars claimed, it is now known that bubonic plague, the most common ailment known as the Black Death, is caused by the yersinia pestis bacterium.

Devastation on this scale brought out the worst in people. Often, it was not the movement of stars that was blamed for the disease, but the minorities in the community. Witches and gypsies were frequent targets. Jewish people were tortured and burned to death by the thousands for supposedly causing the Black Death. Preachers claimed that the disease was God’s punishment for immorality.

Alternatively, some resorted to useless home cures to try to avoid the disease, bathing in urine or menstrual blood in an attempt to deter it.

Tags: religion, medicine, health, superstition

American's Short Memory

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:14:20 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: The image of Bush and Abdullah, strolling hand and hand is firmly etched into my memory. Does anyone else recall that? Or the natiionality of most of the 9/11 hijackers? Wow!

Truly shows the power the "free market" has over this administration. Profit over people should be their mantra.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Abdullah: U.S. Occupation 'Illegitimate'

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — King Abdullah denounced the American military presence in Iraq on Wednesday as an "illegitimate foreign occupation" and called on the West to end its financial embargo against the Palestinians.

The Saudi monarch's speech was a strongly worded lecture to Arab leaders that their divisions had helped fuel turmoil across the Middle East, and he urged them to show unity. But in opening the Arab summit, Abdullah also nodded to hardliners by criticizing the U.S. presence in Iraq.

"In beloved Iraq, blood is flowing between brothers, in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and abhorrent sectarianism threatens a civil war," said the king, whose country is a U.S. ally that quietly aided the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Tags: politics, saudi arabia, abdullah, bush, news

Neocon revisionism

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:33:14 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Columnist attempts to knock down wall of separation.

Clip Source: worldnetdaily.com

Stark, raving atheist

In making his "brave" comments, Stark explained that he is "a Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being." The 75-year-old old member of Congress then added: "Like our nation's founders, I strongly support the separation of church and state. I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social services."

When I hear statements like this, from people who have been around the block a time or two, I have to wonder if the man is knowingly lying in support of his perverted beliefs or whether he is hopelessly ignorant of history.

Let me put it this way: None of America's founding fathers supported – strongly or not – the notion of separation of church and state. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Bupkis.

Tags: christianity, atheist, politics, separation