Monday, October 11, 2010

The Case Against Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus is celebrated year after year after year.  Why?  Did he do a huge service for mankind with some great humanitarian effort?  Did he cure a disease?  Did he discover something new?  Did he risk his own life to save others?  Did he lead a country to greatness?  No, he did not.  He did absolutely none of these things.  He brought shiploads of greedy Europeans to a new world to establish new trading routes and ravish a land that was already populated.  His only motivation was greed for money and power.  Look at how he treated the "savages", aka the NATIVE Americans.  Why does our country continue to bless his name annually?  Are we trying to say that the ends justify the means in the situation?  The atrocity of the Native Americans was okay because now we have the country known as the USA?  Don't get me wrong, I love my country and I feel so privileged to be an American.  I just really wish we would commemorate someone a bit more worthy, someone whose accomplishments were truly altruistic.  In honor of all of those who gave true sacrifice for our country, I choose to forget old pompous Chris and remember instead our soldiers who fight for freedom, and all others who took a stand for the sake of others.  Here's to you Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Geronimo, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Florence Nightingale, Jonas Salk, Susan B Anthony, Horace Mann, Jane Addams, Booker T Washington, and countless others who truly shaped our country into the home of the free and the brave.

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