Why I hate that piece of crap Columbus

So, I have to go to work tomorrow. Which is kind of silly because it is a federal holiday and they'll be no other offices with which to do business. No mail and probably no UPS or Fed Ex. Easy day at least. But as much as I would like the day off, I have always felt uncomfortable "celebrating" Columbus Day. Columbus was a lying, thieving asshole who took credit for other people's ideas and commanded his workers to rape, torture and murder the native people they "found" when they "discovered America". (It was also said that Columbus thought there must be tons of precious metals in the area and demanded the native people mine for it and would cut off the hands of those who brought him too little. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much to be had in the first place. But why would he actually do that kind of research?)

I don't know what we perpetuate the lie of Columbus to kids. And I feel confused that the only two people left that have their own holidays are him and Martin Luther King Jr. Talk about lack of balance. I mean, probably the worst thing MLK did was cheat on his wife. Which is bad, but considering...

Also, I think it's really stupid to teach kids that you can discover something when people already live there. In that sense, could you invent things that already exist? If I find a spoon on the floor, can I claim that I discovered it? Too bad there are no patents on pieces of land.

This is another example of one-dimensional historical figures. Columbus gets to be forever known as the brave man who discovered our great nation and said the earth was round. Never mind that most people had known the earth was round since before Plato. And every sailor and family were aware, having witnessed boats sailing over the horizon and NOT falling off the edge of the earth. Also never mind that the vikings had come to America about a hundred years before. But since everyone knows that they rape & pillage no one cares what else they did. So ironically everyone gives these credits to Columbus and no one cares that he also raped & pillaged.

Still though, if we didn't have the holiday, that's one less chance to go out and buy brand name items at low low prices.

**ADDITION**

Courtesy of my illegal sister, Jessica: http://www.dickipedia.org/dick.php?title=Christopher_Columbus
Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz1Ygp5vxLJ