SA Freedom Chat

LB SA HISTORIAN 📚 1992 South African South apartheid referendum .(photo) a Conservative Party supporter with a banner written "Nee vir Mandela en sy Klerk" / "No to Mandela and his de Klerk." A referendum on ending apartheid was held in South Africa on 17 March 1992. The referendum was limited to white South African voters,who were asked whether or not they supported the negotiated reforms begun by State President F. W. de Klerk two years earlier, in which he proposed to end the apartheid system that had been implemented since 1948. The result of the election was a landslide victory for the "yes" side, which ultimately resulted in apartheid being lifted. This was the last occasion in which only the white electorate took part. Universal suffrage was introduced two years later for the country's first non-racial elections. The National Party and Democratic Party campaigned for a "Yes" vote, while the conservative right wing led by the Conservative Party campaigned for a "No" vote. Much of de Klerk's efforts in 1992 were directed toward appeasing and weakening his right-wing opponents, the conservative defenders of apartheid who had broken away from the National Party during the 1980s. De Klerk attempted to show white South Africans that the government was not giving up power to the ANC, but negotiating on the basis of "power sharing". It warned the white voters that a "No" vote would mean continuation of international sanctions, the danger of civil war and worsening chaos in South Africa. #history #memories #storytelling

In the summer of 772, Charlemagne crossed the Rhine and marched into Saxony. His army captured the fortress of Eresburg and destroyed the Irminsul, one of the most sacred objects of the Saxon religion. Saxon leaders surrendered hostages, and the Frankish king marched home believing he had broken their resistance. He had not. For the next thirty-two years, Charlemagne returned again and again. Saxon nobles submitted, accepted baptism, and swore loyalty, only to rebel once his armies withdrew. The conquest became the longest and most bitter war of his reign—a struggle for territory, political control, and religious allegiance. In 782, Charlemagne believed Saxony was nearly subdued. Then Widukind, the great leader of Saxon resistance, returned from Denmark and raised another rebellion. A Frankish force turned to meet him near the Süntel Hills. Its commanders charged as though pursuing a broken enemy. Instead, they found the Saxons waiting in battle formation. The Frankish army was surrounded and cut apart. Two of Charlemagne’s senior officers, four counts, and many other noblemen died with their men. When the terrible news reached Charlemagne, he gathered a large army and hurried back into Saxony. Near Verden, where the Aller meets the Weser, the Saxon leaders submitted once more. They blamed Widukind for the revolt, but he had escaped. So they surrendered thousands of others. Then came the awful sentence. The earliest full account says that 4,500 men were handed over ad occidendum—“to be killed”—and adds that it was done. A later revision makes the scene even more explicit: by Charlemagne’s command, they were all beheaded at Verden in a single day. Four thousand five hundred men. Not 15,000. That larger number, sometimes repeated online, appears in no early source. But can even 4,500 be believed? The Royal Frankish Annals were produced close to Charlemagne’s court. That gives them weight, but also demands caution. They protected the king’s reputation and eve

The Church does not canonize empires, victories, or historical achievements. She canonizes holiness. So I think it’s safe to say that Charlemagne earned the name “the Great.” But there is a reason the universal Church has never formally given him the name “Saint.” - Tony Valerino

At about five weeks after fertilization, the developing human hand is only beginning to take shape. There are no separate fingers yet. Instead, the end of the growing limb has widened into a tiny hand plate. But an incredibly precise developmental plan is already underway. The cells are not simply growing randomly. Signals are coordinating where the future digits will form and how the hand will take shape. As development continues, even programmed cell death plays a carefully regulated role, removing tissue between the developing digits so the fingers can separate. Think about the precision required. Long before five little fingers are visible, the biological instructions for building them are already being carried out. And this is important: at five weeks, this isn't something waiting to become a human life. This is a living human being at an early stage of development. The hand isn't finished. The body isn't finished. But human value has never depended on size or appearance. From the very beginning, this life is known by God and precious to Him. The Creator who designed the extraordinary process of human development is the same Creator who gives every human life its value.