Re: viking runestone in Oklahoma

[Rob Cohn <rob@eteast.com>]

Lena,

	I think the issue is that Lief was not the first...North American
schools tend to teach that Columbus discovered America - even when they
refer to Leif's voyages to America...

	The issue centres around "established" thought that Henry Sinclair
could not have voyaged to Nova Scotia in 1398 because Columbus was the
first in America and Champlain and de Monts in Nova Scotia...any
evidence of other pre-Columbian European contact strengthens the
possibility - mostly because the naysayers say that no-one made contact
before Columbus...

	Now they are admitting that Leif did too - but no one else in
between...

	There is no proof that Henry did not make the voyage but there is now
much proof that the naysayers are wrong...it's an extremely minor
victory...but it counts :)...

	The other issue would be that this runestone apparently pre-dates
Lief...It also spawns responses such as Darwin's which indicate that
Australian aboriginals beat Lief by millenia...then there was the recent
posting about 3000 year old runes in Ontario (I have not had time to
search the article yet...btw, could someone send me a url or fax a copy
to 902 421 0080 please please please)...

	There's nothing wrong with believing what you were taught in
school...but maybe what you were taught in Sweden is only slightly less
incorrect than what we were taught in North America...

	This runestaone is more evidence that neither Columbus nor Lief
"discovered" America...

	Personally, I don't think anyone discovered America...I think that it's
always been here...I do a lot of sailing of old wooden schooners and
boats aren't really all that complicated...

	And I wouldn't say that I am "amazed" by this article...I'm just
extremely happy to have some more solid archeological (rather than
speculative) evidence that my local government is as open-minded as the
Inquisition or Stalin...it helps when I talk to them about these
matters...

	but another extremely minor victory I assure you...		

					rob
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