Canandaigua Treaty

I cringe when people use the expression "fake news," because I know how hard the journalists I know work to report the full, unbiased truth. But on this day — November 12, the commemoration of the signing of the Canandaigua Treaty — I was reminded that even generations ago, the "truth" can be subjective, and almost always relative. No one can know the whole story about anything or anyone. We only the know the answers to the questions we've asked. The wrongs that were done, the blood that was shed and the future that was lost could never be made right, but the 1794 Treaty took a step toward peace. I know I'll never look at George Washington the same way again —he'll be part president, part Conotocaurius, destroyer or devourer of towns. And as for Peter Jemison and the people connected with Ganondagan, my respect continues to deepen. Thank you, Grand Council of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, Colonel Timothy Pickering and early Farmington Quakers, for standing in the gap and changing the course of the future. We honor you.

Messenger Post news story 2017

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