My opinion regarding Indigenous People Day

People must not lose sight of the fact that, while despite the faults of Columbus, and despite the fact that other people probably discovered the New World before Columbus, it was Columbus who discovered it for the civilized world. In this way, if not for Columbus, America as we know it today might not exist.

It is for this reason that Columbus Day was founded. It's fine to celebrate Indigenous people, but we must not lose the scope of the significant discovery of Columbus.

Holidays are, in essence, days to celebrate, to give thanks to, and, perhaps most important, to make sure we do not forget, all those who are responsible for what we have here in this great nation. On the 4th of July, we celebrate our founding, on Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter we celebrate God and Jesus, and on Memorial Day we honor those who fought to protect our freedom. Columbus day is a celebration of the man who discovered the world that made the American dream possible.

Think of it this way: most citizens of America today are indigenous; we are all native to America; we were all born here and have lived her our entire lives. So, if you look at it that way, indigenous people, if that's what you choose to call it, is a selfish holiday where we celebrate ourselves. That, to me, is the antithesis of what a holiday is meant to be for. If you want to celebrate American Indians, then create a day called "Indian Day." I would have no problem with that at all.

Look at is it this way: We cannot just assume that America was created out of thin air. We must never just assume the freedom and liberty we enjoy in America and around the world was created out of thin air. Because the moment that we forget, the moment that we assume that it always has and always will be there, is the moment that it will all be taken away.

And that is kind of what's happening in our schools today, as kids are not being taught about our founding fathers, about Columbus, and about Thanksgiving day, as we once were.  And so they do not learn what made America great. They do not learn about American Exceptionalism, that 90% of people born before America were born under totalitarian dictatorships and monarchies and only the select few were able to prosper. America made it so everyone could prosper.

So what made America? What made America great? Who, or what, made American Exceptionalism? You see, these are things we must know, or we will lose it.  Our founding fathers knew about this. Most of our leaders prior to the 1960s new this, and so that is why we celebrate holidays the way we do. They were not just created as PR stunts to make the economy boom. They were created so we didn't forget; so kids didn't forget how we were made; how the U.S. was made.

Why is America so special? Why is it so prosperous? Why do people want to come here? How did it happen? Who made it possible? How did we get so free?

We must constantly teach our children the answers to these questions, and we must constantly remind ourselves of the answers. And it's for this reason that Columbus Day is so important. For instance, Columbus discovered America for the modern world, not the native Americans. The native Americans (the Indians) were great, but for other reasons. The Indians did not make America; the Indians did not create American Exceptionalism.