College Republicans Protest Brown University renaming Columbus Day

[Ian David]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A decision to strip Columbus Day from the Brown University calendar because of the explorer's violence against Native Americans sparks a protest at the Ivy League school.

A group of student Republicans are planning a protest Friday afternoon to object to the university's decision to rename the holiday "Fall Weekend."

Keith Dellagrotta, a Brown senior who leads the school's College Republicans club, described the decision as political correctness gone too far. He said Columbus should be celebrated for bringing the European political tradition to the New World, which led to the foundation of the United States.

Hundreds of Brown students asked the Providence school to stop observing Columbus Day because of atrocities committed against American Indians.

More:
http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/10/12/Brown-students-protest/1255354619.html

[CurtEastPoint]

1. But..but... I thought the GOP HATED Europe and its traditions!

Now they're celebrating it?

[Orsino]

5. They just love those heroes from European socialist nations. n/t

[MidwestRick]

2. *face palm*

Let's just eliminate all holidays. I'm sure we can find some group somewhere that is offended by it's name.

[Velsing]

3. Columbus is an idiot.

I never liked Columbus, besides he was not the first person to "discover the new world" the first euroamericans to come to the new world came <10000 years ago, so Columbus is just an idiot in my opinion.

[Javaman]

10. the republicans love him because, although he wasn't the first to "discover" the new land, he was...

certainly the first to completely exploit it.

[Canuckistanian]

4. It's about time

History has whitewashed Columbus' record to make him look like a noble adventurer.

But the truth is, he was considered a brutal, sadistic bastard even in his own times.

[Blue_Tires]

6. +1

[kenfrequed]

7. Political correctness gone too far?

Yeah, cause pointing out genocide is so politically correct. Historical accuracy is PC too. Telling the flat earth society that the earth is a sort of lumpy sphere? Yup, you guessed it. PC.

So let me get this straight. Whenever you tell ignorant people that they are being ignorant than you are being PC.

Gods whata shmuck.

[peacetalksforall]

8. It wasn't just Columbus. I'm reading a well written book titled The Last

Voyage of Columbus by Martin Dugard, a historian. It doesn't have footnotes and reads fast and easy. The Europeans, not just Columbus, arrived with an attitude. He didn't seem to massacre the natives with the force of some other competitors and mutinous crews, but it is obvious that most Europeans considered themselves superior and privileged and the natives inferior to be dealt death without conscience, only survival. My words, not the authors.

I obviously didn't pay much attention in school as I knew nothing of his later years. I think, however, that they never taught us the parts about the attitudes towards the Indians. The attitude of superior might and purpose that disregarded humanity when the going got tough resulted in slaughters on both sides. It is impossible to read at this point in my life when I am sickened about our current attitude of superior might and selfish purpose with our invasions into other countries - all prepared to kill and destroy with orders given with and without the Congress.

In a way Columbus was a diplomat compared to some other voyagers and especially in comparison to the manipulators who influenced (plotted and ran the show) from Europe and who never set foot on the ships - advisor's to the King and Queen.

I now want to find out how that holiday was set up. I'm with the students who want to change it.

There is something horrible about Christian religions that give themselves permission to disregard humanity. All these years of might and superiority still reign. I despise that we are still doing this. I am with the students of Brown. I emphatically deplore this statement of Keith Dellagrotta, a young Republican - "He said Columbus should be celebrated for bringing the European political tradition to the New World, which led to the foundation of the United States."

[peacetalksforall]

9. Explorer Day. Better yet, Peace Day.

I wrote the post above in support of the students of Brown, not the Republcans to state where I am coming from in opposition to Columbus/Europe.

I suggest that we have an Explorer day to honor all of those who had the guts to go sailing off or be shot up in orbit, but make it all clear that there was a very black side to the ship and land explorations. At least the space explorers of this century didn't go to war with any entities.

If not an Explorer Day - Let's have a Peace Day with the people creating an agenda for the world and announcing it on that Holiday - a plan for the next year, five years, ten years. A Peace and Make Amends Day.

Just be aware of this - in the European reign and invasions of many lands - it was all about earth resources and owning them, taking them away from the people who owned them.

In the United States of American reign of power and invasions of many lands - it is still about earth resources (plus sky and water) with the same disregard and assumption of ownership.

Instead of royalty, we have corporatism - for the purpose of putting wealth in the hands of a very few.

Human life is to be destroyed if it gets in the way of ownership and control of the people.

We definitely need a Peace Holiday and my greatest wish is that Obama will create a Secretary of Peace - a Cabinet position. We need a day of recognition for peace supporters.

[Javaman]

11. That's actually a really nice idea, sadly...

unless they can replace it with a completely fabricated holiday like valentines day, something that they can make huge amounts of money on, it will probably remain columbus day until smarter people prevail.

:(