Christopher Columbus Pushed Aside for Indigenous Peoples in Idaho

A politician used to tell my boss I needed to be “solution oriented” on-air.  At the time I was criticizing the government guy on a regular basis on my show.  Finally, I came face-to-face with him and he told me the same.  “Will I get your benefits and pay?” I replied.  Then I pointed out he campaigned on having the answers.  I hadn’t.

Today, I offer a solution.  On one subject.  If you think we need an Indigenous Peoples Day, I’m not opposed, however.  I don’t see where it needs to replace Columbus Day.  Pick another day on the calendar and we can all be happy.  Oh, wait, you liberals aren’t happy until you wipe out all previous traditions.  Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?

The liberal version of history is Columbus was a fascist and bloodthirsty maniac, bent on rape, genocide and theft.  As long as we accept your interpretation and only yours, all is fine.

The thing is, I knew the Columbus biographer Albert Shamon.  I interviewed him for a documentary.  For 18 months of my life I lived on the same block.  He was a priest at the church just around the corner.  He told a very different story of Columbus.  The voyager was looking for trade.  He found abuse of indigenous tribes a moral wrong.  The trouble is, Columbus was away much of the time when abuses were taking place because he had to file reports with his sponsors.  He also didn’t visit the mainland.  His footprint was very small in the Western Hemisphere.

History, no matter where you came from, is filled with misunderstanding.  It’s because we often don’t speak the same languages.  We have different gods and most of us see our corner of the planet as the center.

Even many indigenous peoples thought the same way.  The Americas weren’t some Disney cartoon where little birds dance and sing on the shoulders of Pocahontas.  There were wars and cruelty and jealousies.  It’s human nature.

These are things that should be considered at Idaho State University.  Monday is Indigenous Peoples Day on campus.  You can see the schedule of events by clicking here.  The usual events designed to make everyone feel better about their liberalism.  Hey, it’s their campus, but wouldn’t a lovely spring day work just as well as October?