Rename Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples' Day

Many cities across the United States are beginning to rename their Columbus Day holiday Indigenous Peoples Day. This is not a move to pacify the PC crowds; this is about restoring respect to a group of people who continue to be oppressed by a foreign occupying government.

The fact is, there is much misinformation about the actual events and the man himself.  Here are some facts about the man and his misadventures.

• Columbus Day was proclaimed by Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905 and made a Federal holiday in 1907.
• It is estimated that between 60-100 million Native peoples in the Caribbean, North, South and Central America were killed in the conquest that Columbus began.
• Soon after his arrival in the Caribbean, Columbus sent word to the King and Queen of Spain, the financial supporters of his conquest. He stated, "so tractable, so peaceful are these people... I swear to your majesties that there is not in the world a better nation. they love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied by a smile; and though while it is true they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy... There is no selfishness about them, and thus they shall prove quite easy to conquer."
• Columbus never set foot on US soil. He was found by Natives wandering lost in the Caribbean Sea.
• Columbus was not the first foreigner to visit the continent. Leif Ericksson has this credit and travelled here in the 11th century.

In closing, it is important to ask ourselves why we celebrate the holidays we do. In celebrating holidays such as Thanksgiving and Columbus Day, one sends the message that it is appropriate and patriotic to celebrate the holocaust of millions of people. Instead, let's take a minute to acknowledge the atrocities committed against the Indigenous people of this Continent and honor their contributions