White House proclamation on Columbus Day

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-columbus-day-2020

Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy.  These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions.  Rather than learn from our history, this radical ideology and its adherents seek to revise it, deprive it of any splendor, and mark it as inherently sinister.  They seek to squash any dissent from their orthodoxy.  We must not give in to these tactics or consent to such a bleak view of our history.  We must teach future generations about our storied heritage, starting with the protection of monuments to our intrepid heroes like Columbus.  This June, I signed an Executive Order to ensure that any person or group destroying or vandalizing a Federal monument, memorial, or statue is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING

[GP270watch]

 Trump has gone full white supremacist. That's his calculation for how he's going to win. The last few weeks Trump has been spewing virulent racism to whites, while hiring black supporters as literal props for deflection.

[Tokugawa Sexgod Ieyasu]

Fun fact: Not even ultraconservative Catholic historians known for lionizing Francisco Franco defend and shill for Columbus as uncritically as right-wing politicians do.

Also, tag yourself I'm "orthodoxy".

[Del Tachi]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake when compared to his contemporaries.

[Tokugawa Sexgod Ieyasu]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Queen Isabel "Bash the Jews and Muslims" of Castile removed him as Governor of the West Indies for corruption and abuse of power and refused to reinstate him even when she agreed to fund his final voyage. "[W]hen compared to his contemporaries" he was still atrocious, just less so than he is when compared to people today.

[ultraviolet]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Agreed. He wasn’t perfect but the statement acknowledges that we can learn from that. Don’t see how this is disgusting

[Pyro]

[Where's the Epstein Client List?]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

His contemporaries don't have holidays named after them.

[Rep Jessica]

God bless the explorers that helped make this country possible. I realize that Columbus didn't exactly land on the mainland but he helped lead the way to making it possible.

I love this country is all I am saying.

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Seeing as how the same people responsible for the Spanish Inquisition thought he was too brutal and removed him from his post I'd say he was pretty bad compared to his contemporaries.

[Del Tachi]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

His contemporaries don't have holidays named after them.

lol, no s[inks]t Sherlock. 

Hint:  we don't venerate Columbus because of what he has in common with his contemporaries, ffs

We celebrate his discovery for permanently connecting two previously unknown-to-each-other halves of the world, and the resulting cross-cultural and economic exchange that fundamentally altered the trajectory for practically all people on the earth.  His voyages are debatably the singular most transformational event in world history. 

[Kingpoleon]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

His contemporaries don't have holidays named after them.

Amerigo Vespucci only has two continents named after him.

[Del Tachi]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Queen Isabel "Bash the Jews and Muslims" of Castile removed him as Governor of the West Indies for corruption and abuse of power and refused to reinstate him even when she agreed to fund his final voyage. "[W]hen compared to his contemporaries" he was still atrocious, just less so than he is when compared to people today.

That Columbus was removed as governor of New Spain in 1499, while at least a historical fact, is seldom the fist example that his modern-day detractors bring up to demonstrate his supposed incompetence or brutality (they mostly prefer to talk about how he "never discovered" anything, founded the Atlantic slave trade, thought the earth was shaped like a pear, condoned the rape of Native women, or how no one knew anything about him until Washington Irving's 1828 biography - all patent misrepresentations or outright lies.)  The brutality that motivated Columbus' removal as governor was that against Spanish settlers (many of whom were perpetuating the very rape, slavery and pillaging that Columbus gets attributed!), not native American Indians.

[Bootes Void]

Christopher Columbus is a great man and a FF. I support the proclamation

[หมูเด้ง]

Christopher Columbus would have only “Discovered America” if we make Puerto Rico a state. Why don’t we celebrate Cabot instead? He was the first one to actually land in the United States. I don’t even think the Vikings did that.

[Figueira]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake when compared to his contemporaries.

I mean he (unintentionally) caused a deadly pandemic so it makes sense that you support him.

[Figueira]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Queen Isabel "Bash the Jews and Muslims" of Castile removed him as Governor of the West Indies for corruption and abuse of power and refused to reinstate him even when she agreed to fund his final voyage. "[W]hen compared to his contemporaries" he was still atrocious, just less so than he is when compared to people today.

That Columbus was removed as governor of New Spain in 1499, while at least a historical fact, is seldom the fist example that his modern-day detractors bring up to demonstrate his supposed incompetence or brutality (they mostly prefer to talk about how he "never discovered" anything, founded the Atlantic slave trade, thought the earth was shaped like a pear, condoned the rape of Native women, or how no one knew anything about him until Washington Irving's 1828 biography - all patent misrepresentations or outright lies.)  The brutality that motivated Columbus' removal as governor was that against Spanish settlers (many of whom were perpetuating the very rape, slavery and pillaging that Columbus gets attributed!), not native American Indians.

"Some people disagree with me for bad reasons, therefore all the good reasons for disagreeing with me can be discounted." Flawless logic.

Also Columbus did condone the rape of Native women. How is that an "outright lie"?

[falling apart like the ashes of American flags]

https://twitter.com/nativenews_net/status/1129576970847698944?s=19

[Suburbia]

No one but older Italian Americans care about this stuff

Older Italian Americans are Trump's base anyway, but he is not gonna win NY/NJ/CT

PA? Maybe.

[GP270watch]

The Sopranos episode "Christopher" written by Italian-Americans Michael Imperioli and Maria Laurino totally lampoons the ridiculousness of idolizing Christopher Columbus.

[Former President tack50]

God bless the explorers that helped make this country possible. I realize that Columbus didn't exactly land on the mainland but he helped lead the way to making it possible.

I love this country is all I am saying.

I mean, the US aren't really descended from the same line of Spanish settlements like Latin American countries do. Columbus himself never stepped foot on the modern United States territory (other than Puerto Rico).

If the US wanted a similar "founding" holiday, I'd argue that May 14th (Jamestown colony founded; oldest English settlement in the mainland US) or even the 8th of September (St. Augustine founded; first European settlement in the mainland US) are better dates.

From what I hear Columbus Day is theoretically meant to celebrate the Italian-American community. Which is actually an even dumber explanation for the holiday.

And I say this as someone who thinks that celebrating the 12th of October is actually a morally acceptable thing (celebrate the event, even if the man behind it was a bad person)

[Former President tack50]

The radical left criticizes Christopher Columbus while being SILENT about the crimes of Pánfilo de Narváez. Hypocrisy much??

On that note, to people who want an actual hero of the Spanish colonial society of the time, Bartolomé de las Casas is a very very good choice, and was one of the biggest defenders of the natives at the time.

Then again his "solution" was to introduce black slaves instead of enslaving the natives, so probably not a massive FF either.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

Good, Columbus is an FF who radicals give a uniquely unfair shake compared when compared to his contemporaries.

Queen Isabel "Bash the Jews and Muslims" of Castile removed him as Governor of the West Indies for corruption and abuse of power and refused to reinstate him even when she agreed to fund his final voyage. "[W]hen compared to his contemporaries" he was still atrocious, just less so than he is when compared to people today.

That Columbus was removed as governor of New Spain in 1499, while at least a historical fact, is seldom the fist example that his modern-day detractors bring up to demonstrate his supposed incompetence or brutality (they mostly prefer to talk about how he "never discovered" anything, founded the Atlantic slave trade, thought the earth was shaped like a pear, condoned the rape of Native women, or how no one knew anything about him until Washington Irving's 1828 biography - all patent misrepresentations or outright lies.)  The brutality that motivated Columbus' removal as governor was that against Spanish settlers (many of whom were perpetuating the very rape, slavery and pillaging that Columbus gets attributed!), not native American Indians.

Wow. Congratulations. I think that's the most blatant straw man I've ever seen.

[Tokugawa Sexgod Ieyasu]

The radical left criticizes Christopher Columbus while being SILENT about the crimes of Pánfilo de Narváez. Hypocrisy much??

On that note, to people who want an actual hero of the Spanish colonial society of the time, Bartolomé de las Casas is a very very good choice, and was one of the biggest defenders of the natives at the time.

Then again his "solution" was to introduce black slaves instead of enslaving the natives, so probably not a massive FF either.

"In 1517, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, feeling great pity for the Indians who grew worn and lean in the drudging infernos of the Antillean gold mines, proposed to Emperor Charles V that Negroes be brought to the isles of the Caribbean, so that they might grow worn and lean in the drudging infernos of the Antillean gold mines."--Jorge Luis Borges

[SWE]

The radical left criticizes Christopher Columbus while being SILENT about the crimes of Pánfilo de Narváez. Hypocrisy much??

On that note, to people who want an actual hero of the Spanish colonial society of the time, Bartolomé de las Casas is a very very good choice, and was one of the biggest defenders of the natives at the time.

Then again his "solution" was to introduce black slaves instead of enslaving the natives, so probably not a massive FF either.

"In 1517, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, feeling great pity for the Indians who grew worn and lean in the drudging infernos of the Antillean gold mines, proposed to Emperor Charles V that Negroes be brought to the isles of the Caribbean, so that they might grow worn and lean in the drudging infernos of the Antillean gold mines."--Jorge Luis Borges

In fairness to de las Casas, he eventually came to regret his earlier position on African slavery and spoke out against all forms of slavery