Columbus Day used to be CELEBRATED

[Dr.Traveler]

They took Columbus Day as a day off away from our school district and added it to Thanksgiving so the kidlets have an entire week off for gobbling and stuffing. They also took away the Friday before Memorial Day and tacked it onto President's Day, so they have a four day weekend . . . in the middle of freaking winter. Blarg.

Yeah, that's part of why it's gone away for the most part. Too many other holidays, too many other days off from school. Eventually something gets lost.

I'm not terribly sad to see Columbus day go. A lot of the bloom came off the rose when it was learned that Columbus wasn't the first European to get here. The Vikings beat him by a good long walk. Heck, we're starting to find evidence the Chinese beat him here.

Add to that if you actually read up on Columbus, you'll learn he's lucky he didn't just die on the trip. The expedition was poorly managed, Columbus was using maps by Ptolemy that were widely discredited and known for centuries to be completely off on their distances by thousands of miles. It was a complete cluster**** of a trip (I don't use that word lightly). The only thing Columbus had going for him was the idea he got here first, and once the Viking's got that honor....

 

[JBeukema]

back in my day in school.

born 1953

They... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawk's bells. they willingly traded everything they owned... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... They would make fine servants... With fifty men we could subjugate them and make them do whatever we want
-From the journal of Columbus, speaking of the Arawaks


As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island [sic] which i found, I took some of the natives by force...

Oh yes... let us celebrate...
​

 

[JBeukema]

Can't be celebrating dead white guys.

Raping children and killing any injins that don't pay tribute is awesome!

 

[JBeukema]

Let guess, liberals made you stop celebrating Columbus day right?

They use to do hide under the desk bomb drills too but don't anymore. Its a conspiracy!!

They have made him out to be an oppressive A-hole though.

That cant be disputed. (honestly anyway)

Let's ask all the dead natives what they thought of him...

 

[nodoginnafight]

Why celebrate it in the first place? Not much reason to imho.

 

[Luissa]

Christopher Columbus should be recognized, but should not have a day. If we are going to have a day for someone, it should be for someone like Marco Polo.

 

[JBeukema]

Columbus Day used to be CELEBRATED
back in my day in school.

born 1953

Why?

He was a murdering raping pillager that used slaves to harvest gold for him and his crew.
Never mind the fact that the bastard never even set foot in America.....

And his crew was known to be fond of young native chidlren...

 

[JBeukema]

Let guess, liberals made you stop celebrating Columbus day right?

They use to do hide under the desk bomb drills too but don't anymore. Its a conspiracy!!

They have made him out to be an oppressive A-hole though.

That cant be disputed. (honestly anyway)

Truth hurts I guess. He may or may not have been an asshole but the subsequent Spanish conquest (or pillaging for gold) was certianly brutal. If it had never happened most of us would not be here either.

So? Can Saddam's grandkids not condemn his barbarism just because they wouldn't be alive if someone had put an end to it early on?

 

[JBeukema]

Don't tell me that you got it caught up in your fly again Jake!

Columbus Bad.... Evil..... the whole planet was so peace loving, all except for Europe, and now the USA. Yeah right.

Intense, you are entitled to your unformed opinion, but not to your own facts. The European break into the Americas was not a good thing for the Native Americans.

You know, the "Native" Americans were not really native to the America's. They too at some point came here from elsewhere.

But yeah, I get your point.. blame it on whitey.

How is it 'blaming whitey' to point out the facts about what a certain group of people did?

 

[Luissa]

Let guess, liberals made you stop celebrating Columbus day right?

They use to do hide under the desk bomb drills too but don't anymore. Its a conspiracy!!

They have made him out to be an oppressive A-hole though.

That cant be disputed. (honestly anyway)

Truth hurts I guess. He may or may not have been an asshole but the subsequent Spanish conquest (or pillaging for gold) was certianly brutal. If it had never happened most of us would not be here either.

We would still be here. The world was heading in that direction anyways.

 

[Luissa]

Don't tell me that you got it caught up in your fly again Jake!

Columbus Bad.... Evil..... the whole planet was so peace loving, all except for Europe, and now the USA. Yeah right.

Intense, you are entitled to your unformed opinion, but not to your own facts. The European break into the Americas was not a good thing for the Native Americans.

You know, the "Native" Americans were not really native to the America's. They too at some point came here from elsewhere.

But yeah, I get your point.. blame it on whitey.

They had been here for thousands of years, before whitey decided to come along and take the land anyway they could.

 

[JBeukema]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-1492-Present/dp/0060528370]Amazon.com: A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present (Perennial Classics) (9780060528379): Howard Zinn: Books[/ame]

Read chapter one before posting in this thread

 

[nodoginnafight]

They had been here for thousands of years, before whitey decided to come along and take the land anyway they could.

True enough Luissa - but by the standards of that day - that wasn't unusual at all. Virtually all of the "great societies" we read about in history came about when folks with a different idea about how to do things came in, whipped butt, and took over.

It's not really fair to judge historical figures by contemporary standards.

I'm not trying to say that the conquest of the American continent is anything particularly noble or worthy of pride. But the society they started to build - that continues to be built today - is one that I'm very grateful to be a part of.

 

[Luissa]

They had been here for thousands of years, before whitey decided to come along and take the land anyway they could.

True enough Luissa - but by the standards of that day - that wasn't unusual at all. Virtually all of the "great societies" we read about in history came about when folks with a different idea about how to do things came in, whipped butt, and took over.

It's not really fair to judge historical figures by contemporary standards.

I'm not trying to say that the conquest of the American continent is anything particularly noble or worthy of pride. But the society they started to build - that continues to be built today - is one that I'm very grateful to be a part of.

I am not saying I am not glad I am here. I am just saying we should recognize what they did.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Many of the board members live in Texas or have connections to the Lone Star State. Almost 80% of the Euro-Americans in 1835 were 'dixiebacks', illegal immigrants who crossed the Sabine and Red rivers.

Ramadan? Yeah, if corporate America can find a buck in it, then, yeah, it will celebrated. Get over it.

 

[Intense]

I want a new Columbus Postal Stamp.

 

[JakeStarkey]

. . . with Columbus scalped?

 

[Intense]

I want a Jake Starkey Stamp too.

 

[SuMar]

back in my day in school.

born 1953

Remember when United States celebrated George Washington's birthday and Abraham Lincoln's birthday (Monday holidays)? Then they combined them both as President's Day to make room for Martin Luther King's birthday.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Intense is really old, even older than me (that means he's doddering), but I remember Lincoln's Day, Washington's Birthday, Easter, May Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. And if I could have gotten the Jewish holidays, I would have taken them, too!