LETTERS
To the Editor:

There is no controversy over the historical fact that early in the morning on October 12, 1492, almost ten weeks after sailing out of Palos, Spain, the lookout aboard the Pinta, one of three ships in the mini-fleet of Italian mariner Cristoforo Colombo, sighted land and shouted out "Tierra! Tierra!" There is also no controversy over the historical fact that upon Cristoforo's return to Spain, Queen Isabella was so pleased with him that she knighted him, awarded him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Seas, and eventually, bank rolled three more voyages for him. For the next four centuries Christopher Columbus (we "Americanized" his name) was generally regarded as a having made a positive contribution to world history, and in 1892, following President Benjamin Harrison's proclamation urging the public to mark the 400th anniversary of the event, Americans across the country responded enthusiastically with parades, and other celebratory activities in the first official Columbus Day holiday in the US.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and not everyone is as pleased about Cristoforo's adventures as were Queen Isabella, or even President Harrison. Today we have historical revisionists, such as the folks at the "Transform Columbus Day Alliance" (TCD) who reject the celebration of Columbus and his legacy, and who will try again this year (as they have for the past 15 or 20 years) to put an end to Columbus Day. We can expect TV coverage of events in places like Denver, Colo., where parades will likely be met by TCD protesters, including hundreds of American Indians and supporters. And Colorado is not unique: there are seventeen states that do not recognize Columbus Day, including some (e.g., South Dakota) which have renamed October 12 as "Native American Day," and other locations, such as Berkeley City, where they passed a law changing the name to "Native American Day" and then, later, to "Indigenous People Day" (rumor has it that the Italian American Anti-Defamation League gave Berkeley City their "Insensitivity Award.") Apparently, there are a number of Indians, and sympathizers, who are upset about strong evidence that Cristoforo's men gave some of the Indians a bad time; but at the same time, they ignore strong evidence that in a kind of cruel quid pro quo, the Indians gave some of Cristoforo's men syphilis, which they unwittingly carried back and introduced to Europe. I would suppose that some people, including King Louis XVII and King Henry VIII, did not appreciate Cristoforo's "gift" from the New World, any more than some contemporary protesters do not appreciate his "gift" (Western Civilization, including writing, the wheel, and the achievements of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, etc.) to the New World. If you ask me, we Americans (including the modern protesters) came out ahead, and I'll be celebrating that fact on October 12.

Cordially,

Chuck Esposito

Suches, Ga.

To the Editor:

After reading the article by Nathan Deal in last week's paper, I feel that it's important to remind Mr. Deal that he has served this community since 1993, all but a small portion of it in a Republican dominated Congress. And the last seven years with a Republican White House. So, to lay blame on the Democrats for "blocking" immigration reform is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worse. Republicans had no better chance to enact immigration reform than the last six years but yet they failed to do so because even they could not agree on the form or substance of that reform. To project the blame on the Democrats for the failure of the Republican Party is what's wrong in Washington. I'm sick of party wrangling and blaming. When will what's best for America come first? Maybe Mr. Deal has been in Washington for too long.

James S Fitzgerald