There's this odd report where people are using DNA evidence to prove their ancestors were taken as slaves from particular groups in Africa. It's very strange to me because, to quote tennis star and current super-brat LLeyton Hewitt, "well, just look at the guy!"
You know, unless specified/identified otherwise, I was under the misapprehension that an Afro-American man in North America with an American accent was most likely there due to the slave trade that once flourished across the Atlantic.
The other odd bit is this:
"The suit filed in federal court in Manhattan accuses Lloyd's of London, FleetBoston and R.J. Reynolds of "aiding and abetting the commission of genocide" by allegedly financing and insuring the ships that delivered slaves to tobacco plantations in the United States."I have a minor quibble with this logic. How can it be 'genocide' when they were transported to do work? Clearly, these companies did not go to Africa with the *intent* of wiping out blacks. Merely to capture them and sell them like say, Mustangs or Brumbies. Yes, it is dehumanising, it's clearly a crime against humanity, and it absolutely appalls us today; but 'genocide'?
The other concept I believe that should be applied is statute of limitations. You know, how long is it before these crimes are just historic wrong-doings? Do the meso-Americans get a shot at this court-case too? How about the indigenous peoples all over the world? What about Carthage? Who weeps for Carthage today? Surely at a certain point, it's in the history books and that is that? Otherwise we're looking at perpetuating hostilities from centuries ago, as the Balkan states did in the 1990s. How medieval on our collective asses was that?
Now, I'm led to believe there are no statutes of limitations on crimes against humanity. So the logical place for the plaintiffs to take this case is the Human Rights court in the Hague, but I guess when you're looking to score one billion bucks, the Federal Court in Manhattan is the place.
It certainly makes you wonder if these people are thinking straight. I'll try to keep track of this one, just for kicks.
- Art Neuro