Topic category:  Other/General

Ask most any young school children about Columbus and they will tell you he discovered America. That is a big error in the no child left behind policy. President Bush each year in office has signed a proclamation proclaiming Columbus Day a national holiday in our nation. Schools go about teaching our children he's a man of honor, a hero and someone to be looked up to, all because he sailed a ship and found new lands that happen to have people living there and they welcomed him. That's where the truth ends and all the fairy tale myths began in our nations' schools.

For Columbus' "Courageous efforts" our federal government placed him on our nations national holiday list. The holiday is all about the man Columbus, not about his inhuman actions toward the indigenous Indians that had lived on the Islands for thousands of years. Schools will not teach that Columbus and his men enslaved Indian men, women and children and tortured them. That would be a hard pill for young school children to swallow; not to mention being a big downer toward the celebration of the man Columbus. School officials are on record stating it would be harmful to teach the true history of Columbus to young school children, but it's a national holiday! It’s our job to spin it into something good for all Americans.

American Indian Holocaust: http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/aiholocaust.html

Columbus Day started in Colorado. American Indians and many other ethnic groups join together to protest the parade and sometimes block it. It happened again this year in Denver, more than fifteen hundred protesters showed up, 88 people were arrested. Some were hurt badly by police during the peaceful demonstration. Those arrested were told they had to spend the night in jail by orders from the Denver Mayor; he wanted to send a message to them - so much for the law on bonding out on minor offenses.

It cost the state millions of taxpayers money to give state workers the day off work. It cost the city of Denver hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars to hold the Columbus Day parade. The city government knows each year that there will be more people showing up to protest the Columbus Day parade than those supporting it. Now we should look at "No government left behind in education of common sense".

American Indians are saying, yes; Italians should have a national holiday, just not under the name of Columbus. They again point to his true history and say it does not rate it in our nation. The "discovery" of the Americas is out of control in America with the fact that our tax dollars go to pay for Columbus Day.

http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/letters/Italian_Americans.html

Seventeen state governments have dropped Columbus Day as a state holiday. The state of South Dakota has changed it to Native American Day. Yet, our federal government still continues to use billions of our tax dollars to support Columbus Day nationally. The bigger question here is why is there not a national holiday giving honor to Native Americans. Could it be because of the Custer in-breading syndrome?

http://www.crazyhorse.org/events/nativeamericanday.shtml

It's time for our federal government to wake up! Stop Columbus Day. People around the world know Columbus's true history toward Indian people. They’re also aware that Native Americans today are at the bottom of the American economic ladder because of U.S. policies against them. Racism toward Native Americans is a very real issue in the U.S. Government and state governments. U.S. foreign policy problems around the world today are directly related to its past and present mistreatment of Native Americans. Our federal government gives billions of tax dollars to other countries trying to get them to like America, while cutting Native American health and education funding.

Americans need to unite and take care of their own people first! Tell the U.S. and state governments to get off Native Americans backs as to their economic well being and national recognition standing in America and our nations schools. No more Columbus Day! Bring on National Native American Day!

Petition for National Native American Day & End Columbus Day: http://www.petitiononline.com/indian/petition.html

National Transform Columbus Day Alliance: http://www.transformcolumbusday.org/

Columbus Day 2007 protest arrest video & videos of passed protest: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=19846699

Mike Graham, Citizen Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Founder United Native America www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com

Mike Graham
United Native America (Founder)

Biography - Mike Graham

Mike Graham is a citizen of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, a retired service connected disabled Army veteran. Founded United Native America in 1993 to form a national group to take action on American Indian issues. The groups main issue is to bring about a federal national holiday for Native Americans. United Native America's motto is, "Standing up for America and the American Indian community."

Graham has been a guest speaker on national and international radio talk shows to include television programs concerning Indian community issues, his reports on Indian issues have been published in newspapers all over America. He has traveled across the country discussing issues with Indian nation leaders, he has presented Indian issues at college's and high schools.