Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfires, Government, and H1N1
V for Vendetta Mixes Fascism, Politics, and Viruses
Nov 5, 2009
While modern-day people observe November 5 as Guy Fawkes Night to remember the 1605 plot to blow up the British Parliament and the King, the practice of bonfires and burning effigies is rooted in ancient times, and continues today in protests against government policies that some see as oppressive, including government-directed vaccines and illnesses such as H1N1.
Ancient Autumn Rituals and Bonfires
Lighting bonfires in late autumn evenings is an old tradition. Ancient peoples, specifically in Britain, considered All Hallow's Eve, Oct. 31, to be the beginning of the new year. In celebration, they often built bonfires and burned figures of human beings.
As reported by Clement A. Miles in his book, Christmas Customs and Traditions, people regarded such effigies as "representatives of the spirit of vegetation-by burning them in a fire that represented the sun, men thought they secured sunshine for trees and crops. Later...people came to identify these images with persons whom they regarded with aversion..."
Government Oppression
Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters were protesting the British policy of religious oppression. Queen Elizabeth I, and then King James I, demanded that their subjects be members of the Church of England. These monarchies persecuted people of other faiths, such as Puritans and Catholics, also called "Papists."
While the Puritans decided to leave England for the New World, Guy Fawkes and 12 other Catholic men planned to end their oppression by blowing up the British Parliament and King James I.
Norsefire is the name of the oppressive government in the graphic novel and film titled V for Vendetta. Norsefire is similar to "Big Brother" in George Orwell's novel, 1984, in which the government controls every aspect of citizens' lives, and eliminates the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
H1N1 and Planned Government-Sponsored Pandemics and Vaccines
In V for Vendetta, one of the ways that the Norsefire group seized power through fear was their introduction of a virus, a pandemic. The government designed and tested the virus on political prisoners, and then unleashed it on innocent people, often beginning with school children.
This year, world governments have warned citizens about H1N1, the "swine" flu. Despite much discussion and warning, the vaccination for H1N1 is in short supply, leaving many vulnerable citizens unable to get the vaccination advised by the governments. U.S. President Barak Obama has indicated that neither he nor his wife and two daughters will receive the vaccine while there are shortages.
Citizens Express Concerns about H1N1 and Vaccine
A disabled American Army vet, writing in his blog, Captain May, gained experience in military intelligence, public affairs, and warfare, including nuclear, chemical, and biological. He served as an editorialist at NBC, and write for the Wall Street Journal. He connects H1N1 to the V for Vendetta film, "...in which the leaders have risen to power and imposed martial law after the chaos and panic of a bioterror attack-that they themselves carried out."
Some citizens view the H1N1 as a disease developed by pharmaceutical companies, in league with governments, not as a way not prevent disease, but as a way to spread disease. With this idea in mind, many people have refused to receive the vaccine, which they view as a cure being more deadly than the disease.
These concerned citizens are often vilified by government personnel. According to an article by Steve Watson, "England Chief Medical Officer Calls H1N1 Vaccine Resistors 'Extremists,'" Sir Liam Donaldson, the British government's senior advisor on health, appears to be drawing a line in the sand. Instead of addressing a growing number of concerns that the H1N1 vaccine is unsafe, Sir Donaldson simply calls the people with concerns "extremists."
Guy Fawkes, V for Vendetta, Viruses and H1N1
When Guy Fawkes and the other members of the "Gunpowder Plot" made plans to end religious oppression, they could not have known that their actions would reach into the 21st century. Guy Fawkes fought his government for freedom of religion.
In V for Vendetta, and its allusion to Guy Fawkes, citizens were attacked by their government, which set deadly pandemics loose upon its citizens. In 2009, citizens grapple with the issue of whether the H1N1 virus and vaccine have been manufactured by governments to control or eliminate citizens.
References
Miles, Clement A. Christmas Customs and Traditions: Their History and Significance. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1976. Originally published under the title, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan. New York: T. Fisher Unwin, 191
"Norsefire." AbsoluteAstronomy.com
Watson, Steve. "England Chief Medical Officer Calls H1N1 Vaccine Resistors 'Extremists,'" Infowars.
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