January 22, 2009

Dueling views on Geronimo

Stories from the elders should be heard about GeronimoIt was Geronimo and his group that massacred a peaceful defenseless Apache family. There are so many such stories about Geronimo senseless killing. It was because of his killing spree and became too dangerous he was hunted down. As told by my great grandfather who served as Apache Scout.

One incident, Geronimo saw a beautiful married woman one day and he wanted that woman and the following morning the womans husband was found dead, his throat was slash. And Geronimo got the beautiful woman he wanted.

Can you call this senseless killing was done under a different time and circumstances and call Geronimo a hero?

If Geronimo was such a great leader and has wisdom why does he have to kill innocent and defenseless peaceful Apaches that are not a threat to him?
Geronimo through my eyesWhat did this man Geronimo face? They killed his family and others from his clan. They took his mother; wife and son for no reason other than they were Apache. It didn't matter what type of Apache. He was Apache, they were Apache’ and for that they were murdered without cause, because being Native was cause enough.

Geronimo angered and went on a rampage. I can't say I can blame him. I would do the same thing if someone killed off my entire family, and was stripping me of everything I knew to be right of the world. From my clothing, my religion, my beliefs, and began to destroy mother earth.

Perhaps he killed other Apaches; he killed white men and Mexican men as well. What he was thinking and why perhaps will never truly be understood.

I believe he stood for the Apache way of life. Geronimo, a proud, heart-broken man was not willing to give up his heritage and beliefs for someone else's, especially that of those who only knew how to take.
Comment:  Terrorist or freedom fighter? You be the judge.

For more on the subject, see Geronimo the Wife-Beater? and Geronimo Still "Wanted"?

3 comments:

dmarks said...

Assuming the worst about Geronimo is true, it is troubling that the writer asserts that Geronomo's tough situation justified any sort of atrocity against innocents.

"Geronimo angered and went on a rampage. I can't say I can blame him. I would do the same thing..."

Sounds like a license to rape, a license for A to commit heinous acts against C because of acts committed by B. No, I don't buy that.

Tough times bring out character, and it says something about the inner person if tough times reveal someone as a rapist or worse.

"I believe he stood for the Apache way of life."

You can't hide these crimes (if they occured) behind the "Apache way of life".

Referring to "Geronimo saw a beautiful married woman one day and he wanted that woman...", nothing justifies or excuses rape. Nothing at all.

Rob said...

George Washington ordered the destruction of 40 Seneca villages and the people in them. I assume there's no justification or excuse for that "moral" crime either.

Of course, some Americans have found an excuse for Bush's causing the death of 100,000-plus Iraqi civilians in a "preemptive" war that was unnecessary and unjustified. Are you still in that dwindling camp, DMarks?

Re "Tough times bring out character": I couldn't agree more. Leaders without character use any pretext to hold prisoners without trial and torture them, expand their executive power, and subvert constitutional rights. Leaders with character don't.

Anyway, I'm not an expert on Geronimo, but I wouldn't believe either of these articles without a lot of research. At least one of them is wrong, and perhaps they both are.

Note that I didn't draw any conclusions about this posting. As Fox News would say, "We report, you decide."

dmarks said...

My harsh statements about Geronimo's rampage were based on the assumption that he did go on this rampage. Something I'm not sold on.