General Discussion 7

[TransWarpDrive]

Okay, since I just closed the last "General Discussion" thread with my comments, I feel obligated to start the next one. So, here we go again....

[jeriddian]

Yeah, it seems as if the American frontier got its "Wild West" reputation as a result of popular culture (books, magazines, newspapers, word of mouth, etc.), which overemphasized the gunfights until one got the impression that practically everyone who went out West was constantly dodging bullets. The film industry certainly didn't help set the record straight, either...
The media also failed to mention just how many black cowboys the West really had (quite a lot, for that matter). In just about every Western film I've ever seen, all the cowboys were Caucasians.

In more detail, the original cowboys were actually Mexican Vaqueros, and two thirds of all cowboys of the Old West were actually Mexican or Black.

[lunchmeat]

Plus there were a lot of black troops, both infantry and cavalry, in the frontier Army (a friend's late father was an officer in one of the segregated cavalry units at the start of WWII, they were charged with guarding Los Angeles but made to bivouac up in the hills, away from the city). The cavalry post at Fort Davis, now a national park, is a prime example, I suspect that it was a model for "Ft Stark" in the John Ford cavalry movies (James Warner Bellah, the author of the short stories that the moies were based on ha dbeen a cavalryman, he appears as an enlisted soldier in the movies). Fort Davis had been commanded by Col Grierson, a prominent cavalry officer of the Indian Wars, his action was the basis for She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and he led the raid portrayed in The Horse Soldiers. Interesting guy.

If I am not mistaken, most of the "wild west" came from dime novels by Ned Buntline and others, their activities were pretty well outlined in The Unforgiven and Cat Ballou.

[lunchmeat]

1836: Sam Houston's troops defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, ushering in the Republic of Texas.

1989: 100,000 students gather in pro democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Coincidence?

[TransWarpDrive]

1836: Sam Houston's troops defeat Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, ushering in the Republic of Texas.

1989: 100,000 students gather in pro democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Coincidence?

Maybe; maybe not. The desire to be free is, I think, an innate part of the human spirit.

[campy]

April 24, 1976: I propose to Mrs. campy.

Well, she wasn't Mrs. campy at the time. My mother was ... oh, never mind.

[jeriddian]

April 24, 1976: I propose to Mrs. campy.

Well, she wasn't Mrs. campy at the time. My mother was ... oh, never mind.

Salud, my friend!........ and a happy 34th...uhh....proprosal anniversary. ..............They don't usually have a formal name for that, do they?..................:P

[lunchmeat]

24 April 1918, Villers-Bretonneux, France: The first ever tank battle takes place between the British and the Germans. 3 British MK IV tanks defeat 3 German A7V tanks (one of the German tanks is now on display at the Australian War Memorial), mechanized warfare is born under the aegis of Sir Henry Rawlinso, who had pioneered combined arms battle at the battle of amien a short time before.

[Fireand'chutes77]

This wasn't a KP AMV, so I wasn't sure where to put it....

Fans of Cameron's "Avatar" here on the board might get a kick out of a project I'm working on....

This is a 'sneak peek' of part of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEU6FDDMUQg

I have no idea how long it will be around on YouTube, though.

[campy]

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Free Margaritas at Stately campy Manor for all GJA members today.