Columbus Day Musings

[AVG-JOE]

Don’t get me wrong… Having a paid holiday for Columbus day rocks… And there is certainly no denying that the world wouldn’t be the same without the life lived by Christopher Columbus.

When I think back to 1492, and that epic voyage in to The Blue, I can’t help but wonder what the world would be like in a 2014 here and now, if fate had instead delivered those three tiny ships in to the mouth of Katrina’s big, unnamed Sister, and the Original Americans had met their cousins to the east sometime after the Europeans had finished dealing with all that cruel political bullshit involving The Spanish Inquisition. The end of the 15th Century marked the beginning of the liberal thinking that would culminate with the French and American Revolutions and the call to personal liberty that they spread.

The personal aims of the man not withstanding, the return of Columbus to Europe at the dawn of the 16th Century opened up a whole New World of opportunities for the power-hungry assholes of the day, just as their political power was waning beyond repair. Would this world be any different if the Europeans had lost Columbus without word, and their neighbors to the west had remained unnoticed until after the French Revolution? I imagine that it would, but that’s not the hand we’ve been dealt.

The good news: Colonialism and the spread of Western 'Civilization' brought technology and organization along for the brutal ride and we’re getting better at preserving the successes.

The better news: Look at the sheer variety that survived colonialism - combine that with the world-wide communications made possible by the internet and, in my humble opinion, the odds of Evolutionary success on this planet re balance. I'm still long in every market and betting it all that you kids are going to make it to the stars.

To Freedom of Life-styles, Religion and Beliefs!​

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd's g/f cooks him spaghetti on Columbus Day...

Columbus Day Still Generates Controversy as US Holiday
Sunday 11th October, 2015 - WASHINGTON - In the United States, October 12 is significant as the date explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.The achievement, which is commemorated on the second Monday of October, is a source of pride, particularly within the Italian-American community because Columbus was Italian. But for some the holiday is marked by controversy.

John Viola, president of the National Italian-American Foundation, said the significance of the holiday is varied. "It's an opportunity and holiday that we are able to celebrate what we've contributed to this country, to celebrate our history of our ancestors," he said. "I think for the rest of the country, Columbus Day is a vehicle to celebrate this nation of immigrants." To some, Columbus was a great explorer. But others are offended by his legacy. Joe Genetin-Pilawa, history professor at George Mason University, said the explorer enslaved many of the natives he encountered. Hundreds of thousands more died of diseases introduced by the European visitors. "Within 10 years in the initial of landfall in 1492, so by 1502, we estimated that the Taino, the native people who lived in the Bahamas, the population dropped from approximately a million to 500," he said.

Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians, said the history of Columbus is distorted. "It's always been questionable in terms of native people's tribe communities and how we look to what was written by non-native people for a non-native audience," he said. David Silverman, history professor at George Washington University, said the whole story should be told. "I don't think you need to focus on one aspect of his past and to neglect the other. You bring them both together and so that he becomes a three dimensional figure," he said. Some in the United States choose to celebrate in place of Columbus Day.

Genetin-Pilawa said the name of the holiday should be formally changed. "I definitely think that we should question maintaining a federal holiday for Christopher Columbus. As to what day that could become, I support the creation of ," he said. Bui Viola disagreed, saying Native Americans should find another day to celebrate their cultures. "I think it's a good opportunity for the indigenous community to find a day that they can rally around issues they can grab onto and an opportunity to say, 'ok, hold on. Let's talk about what this means to us,'" he said.

Columbus Day Still Generates Controversy as US Holiday

 

[waltky]

Wonder if he'll smoke a peace pipe with `em?...

Obama: European Discovery of New World Introduced 'Disease, Devastation and Violence'
October 12, 2015 | In a proclamation marking Columbus Day issued by the White House on Friday, President Barack Obama said that while the federal holiday recognizes the accomplishments of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the New World, it is marred by mistreatment of indigenous people.

“Though these early travels expanded the realm of European exploration, to many they also marked a time that forever changed the world for the indigenous peoples of North America,” Obama wrote. “Previously unseen disease, devastation, and violence were introduced to their lives -- and as we pay tribute to the ways in which Columbus pursued ambitious goals -- we also recognize the suffering inflicted upon Native Americans and we recommit to strengthening tribal sovereignty and maintaining our strong ties.”

President Barack Obama watches Native American dancers on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.​

Obama noted that Columbus’ curious nature has become part of the national “spirit” and highlighted his ethnic heritage. “Columbus's legacy is embodied in the spirit of our Nation,” Obama wrote. “Determined and curious, the young explorer persevered after having been doubted by many of his potential patrons. Once opportunity struck, when Ferdinand II and Isabella I agreed to sponsor his trip, he seized the moment and pursued what he knew to be possible.

“Columbus's arrival in the New World inspired many and allowed for generations of Italians to follow -- people whose Italian-American heritage contributes in immeasurable ways to making our country what it is, and who continue to help strengthen the friendship between the United States and Italy,” Obama said.

Obama: European Discovery of New World Introduced 'Disease, Devastation and Violence'

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Granny bought possum a lil' chief's bonnet fer Columbus Day...

More Cities Recognizing Native Americans On Columbus Day
October 12, 2015 - More cities are recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day this year as they revive a movement to change the name of the holiday to celebrate the history and contributions of indigenous cultures around the country.

As the U.S. observes Columbus Day on Monday, it will also be Indigenous Peoples Day in at least nine cities for the first time this year, including Albuquerque; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Olympia, Washington. Encouraged by city council votes in Minneapolis and Seattle last year, Native American activists made a push in dozens of cities in recent months to get local leaders to officially recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. Their success was mixed. The campaigns say the federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus - and the parades and pageantry accompanying it - overlook a painful history of colonialism, enslavement, discrimination and land grabs that followed the Italian explorer's 1492 arrival in the Americas. The indigenous holiday takes into account the history and contributions of Native Americans for a more accurate historical record, activists have argued.

Columbus Day supporters say the holiday celebrates centuries of cultural exchange between America and Europe, commemorates an iconic explorer and honors Italian-Americans, a group that has endured its own share of discrimination. "For the Native community here, Indigenous Peoples Day means a lot. We actually have something," said Nick Estes of Albuquerque, who is coordinating a celebration Monday after the City Council recently issued a proclamation. "We understand it's just a proclamation, but at the same time, we also understand this is the beginning of something greater." Native Americans are the nation's smallest demographic, making up about 2 percent of the U.S. population. In recent decades, a significant number of tribal members have moved from reservations to urban areas, where a large majority live today. The shift makes the cities' resolutions and proclamations more meaningful, Estes said. Congress set aside the second Monday of October as a federal holiday honoring Columbus in 1934. Over the years, Native Americans have slowly begun winning more recognition around the day. South Dakota renamed Columbus Day to Native American Day in 1990, and it has been an official state holiday ever since. Berkeley, California, has observed Indigenous Peoples Day since 1992.

Parades and festivals that developed around Columbus Day have faced protests that are known for being confrontational, especially in Denver. Anna Vann, a longtime member of the Sons of Italy's Denver Lodge, recalls protests during the 1992 parade, which marked the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage, as the most unnerving and pivotal. That year, protesters blocked the parade route for several hours, she said. After that, the parade wasn't held again until 2000, and it has been difficult to make it the draw it once was, she said. "It's been a struggle to even get people to come and attend the parades as spectators," Vann said. "It's a celebration of when the Europeans came over and started their lives here. We wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for this history." The renewed push for Indigenous Peoples Day carries the sentiment of past decades' protests against Columbus, but it has proven less confrontational, with advocates instead finding traction at City Hall. "They really didn't prove anything," Rey Garduno, an Albuquerque city councilman and longtime community organizer, said of the confrontational protests. "Whatever victory people took from them, you still ended up at the end of the day in the same place or even worse."

More cities are recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day