Monday, June 05, 2017

Thoughts on the London Bridge Attack

Battle of London Bridge, 1450AD
  • Nothing else I write is meant to disparage the pain and suffering of the victims and their families.
  • The number of people killed in the terror attack is less than the the number of people killed in the United States by gun violence in three hours. (33,000 gun deaths per year)
  • The British people, famously stiff upper lipped, are not cowered by the attack.
  • However American Republicans, led by Donald Trump, are predictably trembling in terror and publicly peeing their pants. "Home of the brave" my ass.
  • Over 3,000 people died on London Bridge in the year 1212 due to a fire. Perspective.
London Bridge Is Falling Down
London Bridge has collapsed several times in history and was always rebuilt. The nursery rhyme probably comes from the collapse in the year 1281. The "fair lady" of the rhyme is Queen Eleanor who embezzled the money designated for reconstruction.

The Battle of London Bridge was part of Jack Cade's Rebellion, an attempt to overthrow King Henry VI. Forty Londoners and over 200 rebels died in the battle. Cade was executed and his head hoisted on a pike above the bridge, a fate shared by other traitors including Guy Fawkes and Oliver Cromwell.

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