Happy Columbus Day, everybody!

Especially you racist, imperialist empire builders.

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The freedom to march
By Reggie Rivers
Denver Post Columnist



Christopher Columbus was a murdering, slave-trading, culture-killing, exploitative conqueror who had no regard for the people living on the land and claimed ownership of everything he saw the moment he stepped off the boat.

He treated the indigenous population not as fellow humans, but simply as resources to be subjugated, raped and/or sold for profit. His defenders argue that we can't blame Columbus for all the bad things that happened during his repeated voyages to the New World, because conquering, enslaving and aggressively spreading Christianity were simply the norms of the time.

That's true, but even by the standards of his era, Columbus was worse than most. After sending his first load of slaves back to Spain, he was admonished by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel to not send any more, but he continued the slave trade.

The abuses inflicted against the indigenous populations represent a true genocidal campaign that had enormous effect. Many historians estimate that within 60 years of Columbus' first arrival in the New World, 3 million Native Americans in Haiti were gone (diseases played a significant role in the devastation as well).

I completely agree with the American Indian Movement's (AIM) view that it's inappropriate for the United States to have an official federal holiday celebrating the accomplishments of a brutal dominator like Columbus. If Congress doesn't act to remove his name from the calendar, then Colorado should take the initiative to change the holiday within the state.

However, despite my distaste for the official holiday, I also completely agree with the Sons of Italy, who argue that they have a right to stage their march tomorrow in honor of Christopher Columbus. This is a simple free speech issue. They've planned their march, received a permit, and the city has an obligation to police the event and ensure that the parade can proceed without interference from protesters.

I have felt the same way about Ku Klux Klan marches in the past. I would aggressively campaign against any attempt by the state to officially honor one of the founders of the KKK, but I would defend with equal vigor the right of a particular KKK group to stage a march




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in Denver.
The controversial parade tomorrow gives us an important opportunity to publicly debate the violent legacy of Christopher Columbus.

Members of AIM object to the government naming a holiday after the man who murdered their ancestors. The simple logic of their complaint is easy to understand.

If, 100 years ago, a criminal broke into your great-grandfather's house, murdered or enslaved most of the family, looted the home, sold everything for profit and used the money to start a company that later became a corporate giant, you'd probably object if the government decided to honor this criminal as one of America's greatest entrepreneurs.

That official government praise would reveal an utter contempt for your family and the horrible crime that was inflicted up on it. Clearly, the guy who committed the crime had no respect for your family, and by naming a holiday after him, the public would be saying, "We don't have any respect for your family, either."

The good news is that the battle between the Sons of Italy and AIM has raised public awareness about Columbus' murderous past. I don't believe the public is deliberately disrespectful of the suffering that Native Americans have endured. I believe most of us are simply ignorant about the crimes that were committed.

However, while we push to change the name of this holiday, we must protect the First Amendment rights of anyone who wants to celebrate Christopher Columbus. If they lose the freedom to express themselves, we all lose.

Former Bronco Reggie Rivers

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