Ancient Egyptian texts talk about the Sea Peoples. “They came from the sea in their war ships, and none could stand against them.
The Sea Peoples were a confederacy of naval raiders who harried the coastal towns and cities of the Mediterranean region between c. 1276-1178 BCE, concentrating their efforts on Egypt. They are considered one of the major contributing causes to the Bronze Age Collapse.
Perhaps the Sea Peoples were the cause of the First Great Migration Period.
The arrival of the Huns in Europe in 375 is considered the beginning of the Second Great Migration Period. This migration period is said to have ended in 568 A.D.
The Huns were a fierce nomadic people from Steppe. The Steppe was that vast plain of grasslands that stretched from outer edges of the Chinese empire in the East and then West across Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and eventually Hungary. The Steppe people lived and fought on horseback, herding sheep and horses for a living. They did not grow crops, but they instead traded with the “dirt eaters” (farmers) for grain.
Normally, the Steppe tribes were busy fighting and killing each other. They used the same fighting strategy again and again. They would attack the enemy Steppe horsemen. The enemy would then counterattack them. The original attackers would feign terror and run like Hades, shouting something like, “The Russians are coming.” Once the enemy had chased them miles from their own lines, the original attackers would stop and spring their ambush.
How many times did Lucy taunt Charlies Brown into trying to kick the football? As soon as poor Charlie tried to kick the football, Lucy would always move the ball away. Poor Charlie would kick, miss, and fall on his butt. And just like Charlie Brown, horseman never seem to learn.
Interesting story: The grandson of Genghis Khan tried to invade the Holy Land, and the Mamluks (Egyptian slave soldiers) pulled the same trick on the Mongols. The Mamluks wiped out the entire Mongol horde, almost to a man. Hellooo, you guys on horses: Lucy is going to move the football!
But let’s go back in time 800 years to the Huns again. The Huns brought with them a high-tech military weapon - the HIMARS high mobility rocket launcher system. Oops. Wrong war in the Ukraine. The Huns actually brought with them the composite bow, which they wielded from horseback and which could easily pierce shields and armor.
The Huns decimated any army of armored foot soldiers that tried to stand against them. Tribe after tribe of barbarians was forced to flee from the Hunnic onslaught. Eventually, all of Eastern Europe was on the move. The Second Great Migration Period had started.
A huge migration of Alans, Suebi, Goths, Visigoths, Germans, and Slavs tried to cross or successfully crossed the Danube River into the Roman Empire. The parallels with the U.S. are uncanny.
Folks, the Third Great Migration Period has begun. Playing the role of the Huns this time is global warming and rising sea levels. I’m exaggerating, but the highest point in Bangladesh is about two inches above sea level. There are bazillions of Bangladeshis, who seem like perfectly nice people. When they can no longer tread water and climb onto boats in search of a new home, where are they going to go?
I’m not crazy about the idea of the U.S. accepting a bunch of Gazan refugees; but what about a ship containing a nice Bangladeshi family, with a loving dad and mom and three kids, where the dad practices soccer with his sons every night after work? , But what if that Bangladeshi refugee ship makes it to the U.S.? Certainly, we have a ton of room, and the U.S. could easily feed a billion people.
But the folks in Bangladesh are Muslim, and sooner or later they will be calling for Sharia law. Sharia law is is fundamentally inimical to democracy.
So what do we do? Riddle that overloaded ship from Bangladesh with bullets and let these good folks drown? That can’t be the answer. Do we put armed robots on our Southern border with instructions to shoot intruders on sight? A robot would have no trouble shooting a precious little baby and its loving mother.
This is a Christmas Letter that offers no solutions. “Holy Mackerel, George, you choose this as the subject of your Christmas Letter? Maybe we ought to put you in a leaky wooden boat…”
Merry Christmas, everyone.
I try to post a cute joke or an interesting tidbit on Twitter every day.
