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The Columbus Day flap, at least part of it, is over for another year.
The misguided miscreants who attempted to thwart the First Amendment will have
their day in court, where they may or may not be punished for their deeds.
Regardless, they will be hailed as heroes by their "community," whatever that
is.
With the same motives as any bully, Glenn Morris, Russell Means & Co. go after
the Italian-Americans who revere Columbus. They take on the little guy because
they think they can win, or at least look tough in the attempt.
Though George Washington was a slave owner many years after Columbus' time, the
reason this bunch isn't trying to change the name of our nation's capital is
simple: if they did, they'd have to fight somebody bigger and tougher than
Mickie Clayton and her paisanos, who, as we've noticed, aren't backing down from
the bullies.

Daniel Chun, Denver

READER COMMENTS

Let's see if these losers have the balls to protest THE CLEAVELAND INDIANS if they come to town to play the Rockies!

The cowards will probably be at the game in disguise watching it! What a bunch of cowards.

I wonder, why don't they protest all of the Hispanic holidays? Afterall, Columbus sailed for Spain, and it was Spanish conquistadores who destroyed and enslaved the Aztecs, the Incas and the natives of the Southwest?

Why would they protest the spainish. Afterall it was the Spainish that gave birth to chicanos, hispanics, latinos, mezitos, and all the other extremists. Why bite the hand that feeds you when you can blame every thing on the white man instead.

It never ceases to amaze me when people use their freedom of speech to take away someone else's freedom of speech.

This is happening all over the country.

Frredom of speech means nothing, and the people who wield it like a sharp sword are the one's who should cut their own throats.

That would give sane people freedom from speech.

Why? Why not let people celebrate their cultural heritage? Columbus Day is less intrusive and far less racist as Cinco de Mayo. Who is Russel Means that he comes to our state and disrupt a parade? This is Ute country. If he had shown up when they were in charge, he never would have left. Ask the Apache.

"Columbus Day bullies" the letter writer whines.

Is this supposed to be a complaint about the descendents of those "bullies" whose ancestors were butchered down at Sand Creek?

Or are these a repeat of the "famous last words" of Custer, up at the Little Big Horn?

"Circle the wagons, Ma! These bullies are pickin' on us!"

Yep! Shore nuff!

I wonder what the world would look like if OG had his way.

Seeing how old grouch was around when the Sand Creek Massacre happened maybe he will enlighten us with some of the facts he would rather hide.

An attack on white settlers kills a family. Thier scalped and mutilated bodies were found. The uproar from the Colorado government mocves the Colorado militia into action. Unfortunately ilinformed troopers seek out the Arapahoe instead of the Pawnee who started the mess.

Meanwhile old grouch sat on his bar stool after illegally tradeing wiskey to the Pawnee for buffalo skins.

Even though I disagree with Columbus Day, I don't believe we should force those who do celebrate it not to. They have the freedom to celebrate whatever they want.

However, that said, Columbus Day should not be a FEDERAL holiday. My tax dollars shouldn't go to support it:

1. It's not true- Columbus didn't "discover" America, he never even set foot here. (Unless you want to count Puerto Rico, which is only a territory of the U.S.)

2. It's ludicrous to celebrate the actions of a genocidal maniac- it's on par with a holiday for Hitler! For those who don't know their history, Columbus' was responsible for the genocide of the Tainos; his actions were so brutal and horrific, even for the times, that a monk (Bartolome) wrote letters to Ferdinand/Isabella condemning him. (Oh, and this isn't "revisionist" history as claimed above. Some of the letters are still preserved in museums. Google this topic and you can see course syllabi from reputable colleges.) If I were an Italian American, I would be ashamed of Columbus and the fact he was Italian!

If folks want to celebrate Columbus Day, fine. However, it shouldn't be a federal holiday- the Government has no business condoning Columbus and my tax dollars shouldn't be used to celebrate the actions of a man when those actions are anything but praiseworthy.

11:30 AM, anonymous,

Perhaps there would be a bit more thought - by way of self-reflection, analysis, and effort to learn something from instructive past events - before some postings were fired off. But, of course, attempts to motivate this are, in the words of "Get Real", merely "stupid", since the idea of actually attempting to LEARN something is, for many, a chore far beyond their abilities, or capacities, to begin with. And, naturally, anything that challenges this lack of ability, or capacity, is most "annoying".

Those who don't want to learn, won't.

(After all, it's far too much fun knowing it all, about everything, already.)

But, then again, a world in which there was evidence of thinking as a predominant approach to dealing with problems would be a real change. So, I guess that's the answer to your question.

Old Groutch

Get Real, really got you with that Gabby Hayes
jab. That was a good one!

OG are you an Indian wannabe like Ward Churchill or do you have Cherokee blood from your great grandma like every indian of the Paleface tribe claims. It's never the Indian Brave Grandpa "Canoodling the white great Grandma.
We were at a Pow Wow at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds once and the American native MC made reference to that and poked fun at the Ward Churchill types.

Correction:
For you politically correct knit pickers
Thats "Native American" or should I say the first Native Americans. Anyone born here can wear that title.

12:40 PM anonymous,

Well, for benefit of being exact about it, when I fall into dialect it is usually in imitation of Brett Harte - an American writer who used to be something of a basic staple in American Lit classes. Although I will accept the compliment that likens the earlier posting to Gabby Hayes, who was a good deal more accurate in his phraseology than my rendition above. And, thanks to the individual who offered the accolade.

My Dad never sought enrollment, although his Brother's family - my first cousins - all did. And, no; there is no claim to being Cherokee - except on the part of my Dad's Sister's son's - first cousin there, too - family, where he married in; and his children actually do have that entitlement. For myself, at my age, with no family of my own, there is no need, nor reason, to bother with that now anyway. I have no need to "wannabe" anything other than what I am.

11:39 AM, anonymous,

And, of course, equally "unfortunately", the other day, a bunch of people wasting their time making a big fuss about a long dead explorer - who didn't know where he was going in the first place, and wound up getting there - were heckled by some bystanders, who disputed the worth and value of the time wasting itself. Perfectly equal appraisal of the incidents.

Except, perhaps, for the fact that those hecklers of a few days ago didn't rip up pregnant women, and dash out the brains of babies and the unborn, in the course of their . . . actions against a group specifically settled in the place under protection of the American Flag, as well as several openly displayed Flags of Truce, all placed there by Military Authority to protect them from just such Colorado militia actions ordered by a drunken bum by name of Chivington, who styled himself a Colonel in the militia, as well as, among other self-aggrandizements, a Methodist Preacher/Minister.

But, of course, both just "unfortunate" events, as you would have it.

A little off subject, but sorry Hans there is no breather. First we have the next two weeks of aboloish halloween (which is not a federal holiday) to save our children from Satanism. Next will be the war on Thanksgiving whining, then we get the war Christmas (or as I like to think of it...Yule).

GO ROCKIES!

Grouchy,
It is all mind over matter.
We dont mind because you dont matter.

Old Grouch,
Sonny Boy here,

What in the world does Sand Creek have to do with a group of Italian Americans that want to honor Columbus?
Just a wild guess.........are you on Methadone?

skeptical,

Perhaps, when - or IF - you actually manage to get through the 8th grade, you will be able to understand analogy. The letter writer was whining about "bullies" - a rather absurd over characterization of the opposition.

By analogy then, we may refer to those who participated in the Sand Creek Massacre as "bullies", as a comparrison of the damage - or actual measurable harm - of the current protest against the damage, or harm, done back then. It assists in placing the whole thing in perspective, something else you will learn as you progress to High School; or actually could look up in a Dictionary now, if you have learned how.

Hence the name............Old Grouch

How many WOPburgers are sold every Columbus day?

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