The $20 Bill

by Amazing1914 28 Replies latest jw friends

Amazing1914

This note bears the image of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the US, 1829-1837. As President, he got Congress to pass a law that evicted all native indian tribes from all territory east of the Mississippi River to the west. The Cherokee Tribe living in the State of Georgia chose to file suit against the US Government instead of going on the war path. The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court. The Supremes ruled in favor of the Cherokees (a ruling that favored all the various tribes living east of the Mississippi) and clearly stipulated that the indians did not have to move.
What did Andrew Jackson do? Did he accept this ruling, and live by the Constitutional balance of power? No, he plainly stated that the Supreme Court made it ruling, now let them enforce it. He snubbed the ruling and using military force, had all the tribes rounded up and moved west of the Mississippi River. Technically, the Cherokee and other tribes have the right under US law to return and reclaim their tribal lands.
So, the next time you pull out a $20 Bill to pay for a movie or buy a burger and fries ... take a good long look at the face of Andrew Jackson ... and remember the Cherokee Indians. Maybe someday we will have the national balls to get this man's face off of our currency ... maybe even replace it with an honorable Cherokee Chief.
Satanus

Whoa, hey. This is a bit countercultural for you, jim. Sometimes israelis point to stuff like this for justification.
S
Greenpalmtreestillmine

Amazing1914,
Thanks for the information. A couple of years ago I read Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, truly no nation can claim to be the owner of the high road of morality and fairness. Until the Christ comes good men and women will continue to fight against those who wield power in an unlawful and unrighteous way. Now whenever I see a Twenty dollar bill I'll remember your post. Thank you.
Also, if I'm not mistaken I believe you started a series on Channel C about evolution and the Bible. I found it interesting. Thanks for that information as well.
With love to you, Amazing1914.
Sabrina
Big Tex

He snubbed the ruling and using military force, had all the tribes rounded up and moved west of the Mississippi River. Technically, the Cherokee and other tribes have the right under US law to return and reclaim their tribal lands.
Yeah I knew this. My grandmother told me a few stories her Cherokee grandmother had told her about walking the Trail of Tears from Alabama when she was a little girl. Many people died along the way, and my great-great grandmother's family ended up settling in Arkansas.
Joyzabel

I highly recommend reading Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. I picked it up this summer while traveling through South Dakota. It can only be read in small pieces at a time, imho. It is so heartbreaking to read of all the autrocities that was done to the native americans.
Interesting point, Amazing, thanks.
Amazing1914

Hi S,
Whoa, hey. This is a bit countercultural for you, jim.
Not really ... I am more interested in facts, than in protecting a position ... even if it hurts the reputation of my buds. Oddly enough, Jackson was part of the new Democratic party which had broken with the Democratic-Republican party of Jefferson. Jackson was called a "jack-ass" by his opposers. He loved the title so much that he had it adpoted the jack-ass as the mascot symbol used to this day by the Democratic party.
Sometimes israelis point to stuff like this for justification. S
Not really sure what you mean by this one. Could you explain? Thanks, Jim Hi Sabrina,
Also, if I'm not mistaken I believe you started a series on Channel C about evolution and the Bible. I found it interesting. Thanks for that information as well.
Well, many on Channel C did not really understand where I was coming from, and chose to argue over evolution, rather than discuss possibilities calmly. They missed the point that I really said little about justification of evolution, but was trying to address a braoder issue of how a person who accepts evolution could still believe in Christ and the Bible. So, I gave up on the series. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate knowing that you enjoyed my points. - Jim W. Hi Joy,
It is so heartbreaking to read of all the autrocities that was done to the native americans.
Yes, they were not treated properly. Although, the history is mixed, as many native American tribes were damn awful bloodthirsty warriors who murdered innocent civilians, women and children. Nonetheless, the US Government did more to harm them than the indians did to settlers. What really bugs me is why none of our Presidents, Democrat or Republican, nor any of our Senators or members of the House ever talk about indian issues. To this day, there are many broken treaties, and unsettled issues that continue to harm indian tribes. I wonder why we as citizens stand by and do nothing as well. - Jim W.
Satanus

Sometimes israelis point to stuff like this for justification. S
Not really sure what you mean by this one. Could you explain? Thanks, Jim
Ok. Some israelis point to american incidents like this in justifying their govt's graduated genocide against the palestinans. For instance, there was an israeli scammer who had targetted somebody who was on this board. The targetted person was wise to him from the beginning and played him instead. As the scammer discovered this, his verbal counterattack included bringing up the us govt's antinative actions. You may be aware that a doctrine of massive forced relocation of palestinians to jordon has been floating around in israel for some time now. If the us administration argues against this doctrine, israel will, no doubt bring up the jackson/cherockee action as well as others. S
seven006

Personally I'm tired of paying for, and taking responsibility for things "our forefathers" did. I no longer feel responsibility for what a bunch of European rejects did when they decided to move here, bring their god and their long rifles to try and show what Jesus and white power can do.
If we have to pay for everything those assholes did we will end up having to turn over our entire paychecks to pay for the resulting atrocities of their arrogant god fearing feeling of superiority. Right now we cough up one-third of our paychecks to help pay for what the current god fearing, gun slinging assholes are doing. If this shit doesn't stop, I'm moving to Canada, they put birds on their money.
I feel bad for Native Americans, Native people of the Caribbean, Chinese immigrants, Mexican natives who lost half their country, Native people of Africa who were ripped out of their home and brought to this country as slaves as well as any and all of the people who had white Europeans and Jesus shoved down their throats in the name of expanding the European Christian empire. But, I didn't do it, my kids didn't do it, and I'm tired of paying for it and accepting responsibility for it.
All we need is another few billion dollars spent on changing, printing, and distributing another new batch of currency as a lame attempt of saying I'm sorry for what our asshole fore fathers did. If you think it should be done, fine. Just start taxing the religions of this country to pay for it. If we started dipping into the coffers of religion for things that are a result from the actions of their god fearing followers they might think twice about invading other countries to show the love and fire power of their invisible gods in their attempt to bring civilization to the natives and religious freedom to their lame ass followers.
Jim, your a great guy and I love ya man, but we can't afford to keep trying to fix the stupidly and arrogance of others who are long dead in an attempt to wipe clean our moral slates.
I'm a bit grumpy this morning, it's early and I haven't gotten my bank loan yet to pay for my morning coffee.
Dave
Amazing1914

Hi Dave,
Personally I'm tired of paying for, and taking responsibility for things "our forefathers" did. I no longer feel responsibility for what a bunch of European rejects did when they decided to move here, bring their god and their long rifles to try and show what Jesus and white power can do.

Well, it really was not all as black-white as that. The early settlers were looking for freedom from persecution in Europe ... from all the religious idiots. Initially they mostly got along with the native indians. But, as time went on, things got messy.
If we have to pay for everything those assholes did we will end up having to turn over our entire paychecks to pay for the resulting atrocities of their arrogant god fearing feeling of superiority. Right now we cough up one-third of our paychecks to help pay for what the current god fearing, gun slinging assholes are doing. If this shit doesn't stop, I'm moving to Canada, they put birds on their money.
They also put the Queen of England on there too. Me, while I love Canada, I still prefer to live in the good old USA.
I feel bad for Native Americans, Native people of the Caribbean, Chinese immigrants, Mexican natives who lost half their country, Native people of Africa who were ripped out of their home and brought to this country as slaves as well as any and all of the people who had white Europeans and Jesus shoved down their throats in the name of expanding the European Christian empire. But, I didn't do it, my kids didn't do it, and I'm tired of paying for it and accepting responsibility for it.
I am not accepting responsibility for what our ancestors did to these groups, any more than I expect all of their decendants to take responsibility for the crimes committed by their ancestors.
All we need is another few billion dollars spent on changing, printing, and distributing another new batch of currency as a lame attempt of saying I'm sorry for what our asshole fore fathers did. If you think it should be done, fine. Just start taxing the religions of this country to pay for it. If we started dipping into the coffers of religion for things that are a result from the actions of their god fearing followers they might think twice about invading other countries to show the love and fire power of their invisible gods in their attempt to bring civilization to the natives and religious freedom to their lame ass followers.
I never stated that we should do anything of the kind. What I do suggest, and believe that we today should do is at least have the gonads to live by our existing treaties with the American indians. Failure to do at least that much makes us assholes along side our ancestors.
Jim, your a great guy and I love ya man, but we can't afford to keep trying to fix the stupidly and arrogance of others who are long dead in an attempt to wipe clean our moral slates.
I appreciate your points, and I do not suggest trying to fix the stupidity of our ancestors. But again, just honor what we do have on our collective plates.
I'm a bit grumpy this morning, it's early and I haven't gotten my bank loan yet to pay for my morning coffee.
I had my coffee ... and shoveled a foot of snow ... and now I am ready for more coffee. Anyhow, relax, my only point in this post was about how we honoer Jackson, a man who was largely responsible for something so dishonorable ... and every time I look at a $20 bill, I will think of it that way.
Jim W.
seven006

Jim,
I just got back from swapping a Lincoln for a cup off coffee. This stuff is more expensive then gas. I think we should have invaded South America so we could control the cost of coffee beans.
I am with you as far as recognizing the stupidity of honoring our past leaders considering things they once did. But, if we go back and empty the skeletons in the closets of all our fore fathers, all our heads would be dragging on the floor in shame. If we even attempted to rectify their stupid antics we would end up morally righteous but third world country poor. There are libraries full of their stupidity and presidents who backed each and every issue. You start with the native Americans, then you go to African Slaves, then the take over of northern Mexico which is now states like California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and on and on. Then you consider what they did to the Chinese immigrants who built the railroad all across this country and not only didn't get any credit for it but were tossed aside to live in starvation after the work was done. We can then look at the Japanese immigrants who were thrown into concentration camps during the second world war and again, on and on.
Each one of these atrocities had a president behind the actions. Starting with the guy on the one dollar bill. Then you have Grant ($50 bill) who was behind many of the "Indian wars", Mexican territory take over and more. Ben Franklin ($100 bill) who also had slaves and did more with the women slaves then just have them sweep his floors.
American history is full of dirty little secrets and as with most political and religious leaders, we only talk about, and praise the few good things they did. Even Lincoln who is given credit for freeing the slaves, that issue was far from his main reason for the civil war. American historical facts starting with who really discovered it first, down to who is running it bankrupt is all swept under the rug, over looked and an alternative reality is sold to the American people. After all, how could a county who prides itself in it's freedom ever do anything to anyone that does not put that ideal in the forefront? I personally have found our freedom goes as far as our bank accounts can afford a good lawyer. This realization came to me when I realized we do not even own our own children, the state does, but they just let us rent them, feed them, cloth them, and hope to hell we can raise them with minimal therapy.
The honoring our old dead presidents by putting their faces on our currency is a great example of our limited scope of reality. If anyone comes to the conclusion that one of them should be removed from our currency because of what he did that wasn't completely a shiny example of "god bless America." Then we should look at all the faces on our money and make changes accordingly. We should also look at the freedom of those who do "not believe in god" and take off the words "in god we trust".
Neither yours or my thoughts on this will ever be considered because what is, is. My only problem is if something like this is ever considered, who will have to pay for it? As I said, I'm tired of paying for all the mistakes of others. Of course, given the level of freedom we really have, we do not have any choice in the matter of who will pay. Right now all us freedom delusional Americans are paying for "The world's police force" so people who hate us, and our majorities religion, can enjoy their particular brand of freedom of religion. It's real expensive being a country of infidelis.
Why should we care about who's face is printed on our money? The people who we are dying for and paying for their freedom of religion with that money don't care who's face is on it. Neither do the countries who don't want us landing on their soil to help the victims of the last disaster, they want our money, they just don't want us. I just think we should be more concerned about how much we pay out in taxes for things we have little say about as opposed to thinking about the face of the asshole who is on that money. After all, the rank and file American cares about the truth about their fore fathers about as much as the rank and file JW cares about the truth about theirs.
Dave
End of rant, the coffee has kicked in.
PS: Sorry Jim, I get this way every quarter around tax time. I just sent off another big check.

The $20 Bill

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