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Disturbingly, FDR set free trade as a goal for the United Nations.
I recently got an e-mail newsletter from my Republican so-called representative that was laid out so concisely I had to respond. One of his three bullet points for reforming the Congress was having a balanced-budget amendment.
I explained that war is the primary reason to allow a sovereign government to have debt. Then I told him that the founders were worried about standing armies and paper money--both of which we have now and don't worry about--but explicitly allowed the Congress to borrow money, and there just might be a reason for that.
Celebrating Columbus Day is like celebrating Child Sex Abuse Day...
I think that many people misunderstand why Columbus has gotten the nod for "discovering" America. It isn't that he was "here first"--which he wasn't. But that he came and went four times and brought back to Europe the KNOWLEDGE of new lands. Also, that he CONTINUED contact. It wasn't a quick visit by an unknown explorer who never went back and never lived in the new territory for any extended length of time. Contrary to public opinion, he DID know that lands he and Vespucci explored and FOUND were continents. He made a statement in his writings that if a South American river was not "The Celestial Sea" then it must come from a heretofore unknown continent. Did the Vikings do that???
Also, when C. went back to Spain after the first voyage, he left some crew behind because one of his ships had sunk. It was they who committed the first atrocities upon the Taino--in his absence!! He was furious and punished the men for their crimes.
As for Columbus getting the rap for decimating the population of the New World via introducing European/Old World diseases upon a population with no immunity, didn't the Vikings, the Irish, allegedly the Chinese, Polynesians and who knows who else arrive BEFORE Columbus??? So if they were here, they could have transferred diseases to the New World. I'm not excusing Columbus for his horrific leadership, but remember that he was a man of his times. Before the Spanish made slaves of people, so did the Romans, the Greeks, Africans, and virtually every early society known to man. Again, not excusing it, but let's keep things in perspective. Columbus was a man obsessed with a dream, of sailing west to go east to the East Indies. This was because other routes were cut off by the Muslims in the Levant, by the difficulty of much of the terrain, and by the cost of the trip. I totally agree we should have a celebration of the First People (as the Canadians call the indigenous people), but it was a monumental sea-change in the world when it was understood that two continents lay to the west of Europe & Africa. For this, Columbus, Vespucci, and other explorers DO deserve credit, not condemnation. It is an easy fad to bash Columbus. It's harder to think of all the nuances of his Age and the changes wrought in the world because the WORLD learned of his discoveries and continued exploration. Also, please know that America wasn't named for Amerigo Vespucci, but first appeared on a map in, I think, Antwerp. It was named for the "Americas" tribe of indigenous people who went extinct after European contact. I'd have to look the exact facts up. If it was named for Amerigo Vespucci, we'd all be living in Vespucci, not America. I'm a professional geographer, by the way, in case you're wondering where I'm coming from.
It could be called the Day of the Forgotten. A day to remember all the unnamed people that have fallen victim to imperialism, conquest, nation building, wars, wealth interest, exploitation, disease, poverty, slavery and countless other acts in the name of progress. Those thing symbolize Columbus, much more than the fairytale presented to school children.
Yep, several years ago I read about a Chinese admiral who came here a year or 2 before Columbus. I don't recall why they didn't stay. That's okay, though, greedy Americans corrected the error by importing Chinese workers when it came time to lay the railroad tracks across the country.
It appears many people found their way to the Americas in olden times. The Europeans were a little late to the scene (except for the vikings), but when they finally got here, they stayed -- why, I wonder.
The Europeans not only stayed, but succeeded in grabbing the Northern continent for themselves. They couldn't enslave the Indians, so they satisfied themselves with sending the natives off to reservations & trying to destroy their culture & languages. They succeeded at this so well than many natives are trapped on reservations, deprived of their past & despairing of their future.
Yes, Columbus Day is not a day to be celebrated, but a day of shame. It's a day to reflect on the greed of the white race, for in the days of exploration, it struck in many different parts of the world.
I know a guy who wants to turn the clock back a coupla hundred years - legal age for sex with girls was ... what ... 10 years ...?
Does anyone think this will amount to anything:
http://www.thomhartmann.com/forum/2014/10/hawaiian-kingdom ...?
Columbus. The Pilgrims. American Slavery. Native Americans forcibly marched to their emotionl and physical death. Chinese railroad builders of the Conentental Railroad. The Army raids on American coal miners. WWI - "the war to end all wars."Japanese internment. Auschwitz. Hiroshima. WWII 60 million dead. JFK. MLK. Bobby. Vietnam. Cambodia. Africa. ISIS.
We have met the enemy and he is us....
American Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry on September 10, 1813
(Wikipedia)
Indigenous Peoples' Day has my vote! Another Great American Myth has been debunked, and none too soon. - AIW
The true story of Christaforo Columbo, (Columbus's true name), is an important one that should not be whitewashed by history books or history teachers. Only by teaching truthful history will people learn not to repeat bad history, like dictators that tried to dominate the world by using war, enslaving people to acomplish wealth and power, wipeing out species of animals like the Tazmainian Tiger, and wipeing out tribes of Native Americans as Columbus did. I like the Idea of Native American Day. It's long overdue.
To be fair, discovery is worthless if not popularized.
There's something to suggest that a citizen of the Roman empire invented pyrex glass, but since it didn't catch on, he doesn't get the credit.
So while it's fair to say that Vikings or the Chinese discovered the New World, it's unfair to say that Columbus didn't have the real influence he did in getting the Old World to be aware of the New.
Ive been to the dominican republic and know dominican citizens. Santi Domingo has great old history tours of Columbus. They all believe that Christopher Columbus was a real piece of s--t. The history proves it.
The only people that I know that celebrate it are the forced public schools in America.
The rest of the world seems to be pretty aware of it too.
I appreciated the history lesson. I knew most of that but wasnt aware of the chinese being here too.
I think Ebola is not too much for our hospitals but it is for the republicans. The people wil demand the money be spent to protect our citizens. The people are rising.
The neotard's heads are exploding over our "War on Columbus". Good! Iive by the lie and die by the lie.
That's an excellent idea!
Here is an old ditty about Columbus from my elementary school days in San Francisco seventy years ago. We believed the hype as well.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the blue, he slipped on a rock and split his c__k and peed all over the crew.
I too think we should change Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day.
I read where the Spanish later came to Florida and I believe the Carolina's looking for Gold. I read where they brutalized and murdered thousands of Native Americans in their search for the precious metal.
An interesting aside is that the Russians, of course, claimed Alaska then proceeded down the west coast establishing a fort in Northern California. I am not sure of the date however.
I didn't realize that the Chinese had visited North America. Very interesting.
The truth is that aboriginals where taking over each other's territories, and poeple and using them as slaves long before Whitey came along. That was a long time ago when people where very cruel. Sadly this kind of stuff is still going on all over the world and a lot in Eastern Europe.
I think the history books will be changed. So will the holiday. No one likes to be lied to; and, the truth will set us free. It is the first stage of healing. Besides, the cats out of the bag now. It is only a matter of time till the truth spreads. Then the rest will change naturally. There is no way this genie is going to be stuffed back into it's bottle.
Truth? We couldn't handle the true history of the founding and expansion of the American Empire.
They key to efficient isolation technique is having sufficient staff & supplies. Both cost money. Spending more money is absolutely anathema to hospital admistrations
Why don't they change the school books to the historical truth?
Since the new case, this is worse than anyone is anticipating. More strict isolation need to be implemented somehow. And since the republicans cut budgets, developing a cure is further away.
I've been accused of being a bleeding heart liberal, BUT the fact is that out of a certain size population, a certain percentage will need help for whatever reason! On any military base, for example, even in peacetime, some dimwit will fall down the steps, scrape his shin and develop blood poisoning. Stuff happens and when it does is not time to place blame or ask why. Yes, maybe Daddy was lazy or Uncle was a boozer, but too many times there are little children in the picture who really do deserve a good chance at life. My redneck Republican brother named Michael Moore thinks we can write off the welfare brats. I say absolutely not! We don't know which of them will bring something great to the country. How many of our great contributors were written off by their own ex-spurt elders! If we help someone who appears lazy, we're giving them the benefit of the doubt, and that doesn't hurt us in the long run. Maybe next time around we will need a little help -- we who don't need help just now. It does come back around. All the lessons do get learned in the long run.