October 9, 2012
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The Daily News1 Maybe you should write this.2 I’ve been busy.3 I don’t even know what is going on in the news.4 I’m still reeling from companies that honor Columbus Day.5 Seriously?6 I don’t celebrate genocide.7 And neither should Airport Appliance, Bassett, Macy’s, or any other store that celebrates rape, slavery, and genocide.8 Read your history. The real history, not the fake stuff that was shoved down a nation’s throat years ago.9 I won’t go any further, except to say that our English 3 books make Columbus sound like Santa Claus.10 You don’t have to go far to see that this was not the case. His second voyage is a disgrace, and he needs to be called out on it.11 I’ll help.12 I am again in the 4 a.m. and looked through Sunday’s paper for some current news. For the most part, most of it was made up. Stories about J-Lo and The Situation just don’t look like news to me.13 They do make me feel a bit safe, since no news is generally good news.14 As I riffled through the papers, however, I was a bit surprised to see that those three companies STILL celebrate Columbus Day.15 As does San Francisco. As do many other ignorant corporations.16 Excuse me?17 Here is an article I picked up this morning from the Monday, October 12, 2003 edition of the Halifax Herald Limited. I have read much more on the subject of the genocide of the Taino. It is a story written about then Venezuela President Hugo Chavez’s condemnation of the massacre. This should give you an idea of what Columbus and others did, and it is clear to me that Columbus Day is an outrageous day to “celebrate.”THE PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA CONDEMNS COLUMBUS
Monday, October 13, 2003 Back The Halifax Herald Limited
Chavez claims Columbus sparked ‘genocide’‘There’s nothing to celebrate. What they did here was massacre the indigenous people.’
By Stephen Ixer / The Associated Press
Caracas – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid tribute to indigenous peoples of the Americas on Sunday and said the arrival of Christopher Columbus sparked “the biggest genocide in history.”
“There’s nothing to celebrate,” Chavez said. “What they did here was massacre the indigenous people.”
Last year Chavez signed a decree changing the name of Venezuela’s Oct. 12 Columbus Day to the Day of Indigenous Resistance.
On Sunday, he described how Spanish, Portuguese and English invaders slaughtered millions of native inhabitants. The indigenous population of the Americas plummeted from 100 million at the time of Columbus’ arrival to just three million 150 years later, Chavez claimed.
“They executed an aboriginal every 10 minutes – the biggest genocide in registered in history,” Chavez said during his weekly TV and radio program.
Chavez devoted most of the four-hour show to the plight of indigenous groups. Guests from Peru and Ecuador wearing traditional brightly coloured dresses praised Chavez for his defence of indigenous rights.
Chavez hooked up with a live broadcast of an international gathering of indigenous peoples being held in Caracas.
He also announced the creation of Mission Guaicaipuro to promote development among Venezuela’s indigenous groups. The project – named for an Indian chief in Venezuela who fought the Spaniards – will include demarcation of aboriginal lands and offer cheap credit to indigenous people.
There are approximately 350,000 indigenous peoples from 28 distinct ethnic groups in this country of 24 million. Most Venezuelans are considered to be “meztizo,” a mix of Spanish, African, and native indigenous bloodlines. Columbus first stepped on South American soil Oct. 12, 1498 in what is now the town of Macuro, located some 500 kilometres east of Caracas, the capital city.
Venezuelans refer to Columbus Day as the Day of Race, a reference to the day different races first met here and began to mix. The day was designated as such by dictator Juan Vicente Gomez in 1921.
Since taking office in 1999, left-leaning Chavez has gained considerable backing from indigenous communities.
Through a new constitution pushed through by his political allies, Chavez paved the way for the demarcation of “indigenous habitats” and gave them representation in the legislature.
Despite the measures, most indigenous peoples still live in below-average social conditions. Many of the country’s indigenous descendants are uneducated and most don’t possess property titles.
Christopher Columbus died in poverty at Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506.
18 If I wasn’t so busy I could have been on that one a little sooner. I just saw Sunday’s ads and was amazed that we still celebrate that brutality, which included rape, prostitution, slavery, and genocide. I’m still shaking my head about the whole thing. Better I move to sports.
19 Moving on, Part One: I’m going to put on my orange and black and root hard for my teams. The Merc News was clanging a death knell for the Giants and A’s yesterday and this morning.
20 Realistically, it doesn’t look good, but I saw the Tiger’s pitching get pretty stressed the other day. Both teams looked ridiculously nervous, particularly pitching staffs. To me they are paper Tigers, and can be got.
21 As far as the Reds are concerned, they are still out one starting pitcher, and they have a ballpark that works well for the Giants’ hitting. I don’t know about the Giants’ pitching at all, because they absolutely did not step up in the first two games.
22 Stranger things have happened in baseball.
23 I will dress in orange and black, and wear my playoffs’ Torture shirt.
24 I didn’t invest in an entire season just to let two games bum me out. Neither did my team, and neither did the A’s.
25 Let’s do it, boys.
26 ‘Tober.
27 Baseball.
28 If they don’t win, it ain’t a shame.
29 If they do? I’ll be proud to know that I stayed with them.
30 You should too.
31 Moving on, Part Three: <yawn>
32 After an exhausting week, I still had papers to grade, and graded them from around three in the afternoon to seven at night. I made a little light grub and then crashed at 8:30.
33 So I already have had over seven hours of sleep, and it is well into the 4 a.m. and I’d like to get another hour or two.
34 Immina duck out.
35 Hope you have an awesome Tuesday!
36 Catch you on the reebz.
37 Peace.
~H~
www.xanga.com/bharrington
