Factoid of the day

Some PC indians in the east started to complain about calling the takedown of Ben Laden after Geronimo, even though Geronimo is the call sign of paratroopers and a named revered by them because he was a brave warrior.

But of course Geronimo is both a revered "freedom fighter" for the old way of life, but also a name of terror if you happened to be a poor Mexican or Mexican American in the areas he terrorized, and one needs to remember that not only white settlers fought with him, but a lot of non Apaches Indians and Mexicans had suffered from Apache raids for years, and don't see him as quite the sympathetic character he is portrayed by white yuppie city dwellers.

I once worked in New Mexico, and the only ones who were more proud and arrogant than the local (visiting) Texans were the local Apaches. They both have a lot in common.



One of the most startling things one sees on a visit is this:

A cross on a small hill as you go up the valley into the mountainous area.

Geromimo wasn't involved, but a huge cross up the mountain from Tularosa that commemorates the last battle between the Mexican famers and the local Apache.

The local news reports on the traditional Mexican ceremony held there every year in May.

What isn't mentioned is that the Mescalero also hold a private ceremony near the cross on a different day. They have their own version of the battle.

more HERE.

when I worked there, some of the local Apaches attended a reconciliation ceremony in Mexico with the people who betrayed Geronimo.