Pseudo-Columbus Day today!
Pseudo-Columbus Day today! Do YOU remember the crazy idea that CONGRESS had to create a 3-day weekend every month of the year? Did YOU know that today is one of those special Mondays with a 3-day weekend? What is YOUR comment on that idea?
Do YOU know which Monday holiday was so UNpopular that Congress went back to repeal that part of the law? Which HOLIDAY was that? Watching for YOUR comment with the date and the explanation.
I do think one has to give Congress credit for limited rationality when it did NOT try to move our celebration of the 4th of July to be ALWAYS ON A MONDAY for a 3-day weekend in July.
On the other hand, there are those who argue that in our contemporary culture and economy, it would be OPTIMAL to celebrate our INDEPENDENCE DAY always on a MONDAY. What do YOU think?
So, TODAY is one of those MONDAYS as part of a 3-day weekend. I call it “pseudo-Columbus Day” because the REAL “Columbus Day” was on the 12th of October. I myself have special animosity to the change since I myself was BORN on the REAL COLUMBUS DAY, the 12th of October. American flags were flown here and there and everywhere on the REAL Columbus Day. Was the change legitimate?
Another issue tied with COLUMBUS DAY. I am among those who do NOT think it is appropriate in the 21st century to celebrate/observe “COLUMBUS DAY.” Rather, I myself favor, “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” or “Explorers’ Day.” What is YOUR comment?
It is interesting to note that WI State Law has NOT adjusted to the COLUMUBUS DAY “HOLIDAY” on the 2nd Monday of October every year, so WI state law still requires the 12th of October 12. Here is the explanation posted by our Department of Public Instruction (DPI), “Christopher Columbus Day - In 1492, the first expedition led by Christopher Columbus sighted land somewhere in the Bahamas. Columbus' voyages are recognized as the start of sustained contact between peoples in the eastern and western hemispheres. The process of colonization that he began brought new forms of wealth to Europe, expanded the market for African slaves, and led to loss of land and lifeways for the indigenous peoples of the Americas.”
I do wonder which date is observed in our public K-12 schools in WI - do YOU? Do YOU know?
ALERT! Tomorrow is another observance day, “Leif Ericson Day” (Norwegian spelling = “Leif Erikson”) as required by WI State Law for all K-12 public schools. The explanation provided by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) – “Leif Ericson was born in Iceland and raised in Greenland. Norse sagas written 300 years after his death describe his explorations, around 1000 CE, of a land he called "Vinland." The location of Vinland remains uncertain, but it is widely believed to be on the North American continent.”
IF you want to review ALL the OBSERVANCE DAYS required by WI State Law, use this link, “2012-13 School Year Observance Days.” There are 21 observance days! Count them! What do YOU think?
ONE SPECIAL NOTE: Our General Election, including the US Presidential Election comes on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 – that just 4 weeks from tomorrow. IF you have questions and/or need helpful factual information, I URGE you to use this link to the Wisconsin State Journal’s helpful article, “Need voting help?”
Here we go…
Mr. E.
John Eyster lives in the Edgerton area. He is an adjunct professor of political science at UW-Waukesha and an advocate for democracy/civics education in Wisconsin high schools. John is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.
Oct 11, 2012 at 3:30 a.m.
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In all honesty, I had no idea it was even Columbus day until I went to get my mail, and saw nothing in my box, and then realized that is was a 'holiday'. Of course; 99.5% of Americans who work, it was just another day. The fact this day is still celebrated in America is BEYOND RIDICULOUS. It may be THEE most over hyped, and meaningless holiday in the entire history of our country. To say Columbus discovered America is as about as preposterous as AlGore claiming he invented the internet. Leif Ericson many say was the 1st to discover the Americas around 970AD, but many now speculate (based on artifacts found at numerous places in the US) that the Chinese and others vary likely visited the the Americas well before (centuries before) even Ericson. Much of classic European history is simply WRONG. Historians were all aristocrats back then, and just simply were SHILLS for the empire they served, and chronicled for the historical record. So figures like Columbus being the "1st" was just a giant PR campaign. In reality, it was done CENTURIES ago. I say SCRAP Columbus day to the relics of BOGUS history.
Oct 9, 2012 at 10:34 p.m.
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I encourage all the Columbus Day revelers to read Bartolome de las Casas' Account of the Destruction on the Indies. There you will read about infinite cruelties that I don't even want to repeat here. The book goes on and on and on with page after page of the gruesome details. Bartolome de las Casas wanted to make the Spanish accountable for the brutal destruction of these people and places. If you can read his account and still go on with your celebration then fine, but people should be aware that what for the victors of history is "discovery" for others is a historical moment that ended in genocide and a legacy of imperialist intervention in the Americas.
Oct 9, 2012 at 5 p.m.
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Please remove the Caps Lock on your keyboard.
Oct 9, 2012 at 2:18 p.m.
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Of course Columbus should be celebrated. Do you think if the Chinese would've gotten to America first in massive numbers we'd not be celebrating that sailor?
Think of all the other holidays that have been watered down:
Washington's Birthday/Lincoln's Birthday combined into "president's day."
Memorial Day bastardized by all sorts of ignoramuses insisting on giving shout-outs to "all those who have served or currently are serving" [hint: there's a Veterans Day AND an Armed Forces Day already for those people]
The Fourth of July fireworks happening on any other day but the fourth.
Same thing with Trick or Treaters going out on the Saturday before or after Halloween.
Labor Day and MLK day are nothing but political shams.
Oct 9, 2012 at 1:05 p.m.
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What is up with all of the caps ?? No need to shout these are computers.
Oct 9, 2012 at 9:14 a.m.
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How about his mother Fedup, or didn't you have one of those ?
Oct 8, 2012 at 6:09 p.m.
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Historic Obama Proclamation Halts Flags Being Flown in Christopher Columbus’ Honor
"For the first time since the creation of Columbus Day, a President has directed the flag be flown on Columbus Day “in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation” rather than in honor of Christopher Columbus."
"All of us should appreciate our diverse history and be thankful for the millions of people who came before us, shaping this nation. Yet, the decision to clearly stop the practice of distinctly celebrating Christopher Columbus’ voyage on Columbus Day demands an explanation."
http://rebelpundit.com/2012/10/historic-...
Oct 8, 2012 at 5:44 p.m.
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This information was gathered in response to a question in your article on Columbus Day and I wanted to know the answer so I researched it online and copied and pasted it here.
In 1958, the White House advised VA's General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee's chairman.
The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.
The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.
Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Oct 8, 2012 at 9:11 a.m.
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why bother moving the 4th of July when the actual date is in early August? having it on a Monday for a longer holiday is silly....and Columbus day is a sham...
Oct 8, 2012 at 8:48 a.m.
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GOOD JOB, "Third_Eye"! YOU WIN! Accurate response so score 100 on that homework assignment! Now, what about moving the 4th of July - INDEPENDENCE DAY to the FIRST MONDAY of JULY each year? THANKS!! Here we go... John W. Eyster
Oct 8, 2012 at 8:45 a.m.
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FDR created Columbus Day so he could get the Italian vote. I thought he was Portuguese?
Oct 8, 2012 at 8:31 a.m.
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Looks like ImJustSayin@7:34am is one of those described in Northman's post @7:19am, middle paragraph.
"Do YOU know which Monday holiday was so UNpopular that Congress went back to repeal that part of the law? Which HOLIDAY was that? Watching for YOUR comment with the date and the explanation."
The answer is Veterans day, November 11th, which was originally scheduled to be one of the Monday holidays. Protests by Veteran groups led to the change back to November 11.
....mom, I'm done with my homework, can I go out and play?....
Oct 8, 2012 at 7:34 a.m.
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Columbus doesn't deserve a day of recognition.
Oct 8, 2012 at 7:19 a.m.
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“I am among those who do NOT think it is appropriate in the 21st century to celebrate/observe ‘COLUMBUS DAY.’ Rather, I myself favor, ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ or ‘Explorers’ Day.’ What is YOUR comment?”
I think you yourself are a typical guilty white liberal. Columbus was bad, he never should have come a’ knocking, and thus opening the door to the flood of evil colonization. But even then, you’re deeply conflicted. You don’t have the courage of your convictions, because if you did, you would have to pack up and return to the home of your ancestors. They were wrong to come, you’d be wrong to stay, to start packing.
Even worse, you are angry that Columbus Day, a “bad” thing, is no longer synonymous with your birthday. Now, if my birthday happened to coincide with something I considered to be “bad”, I’d be only too happy if Congress moved it somewhere else, or got rid of it entirely. But it seems the self-indulgent gratification of having your birthday on the national calendar outweighs your personal convictions. Ethics for sale, anyone?
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