Why did we name The District of Columbia after him?
A space shuttle ,a city in Ohio, a university in New York, a province in Canada and an entire South American country are named in his honor, or his dishonor, depending on who you listen to.

The traditional view:
He was a Catholic...
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04140a.htm
and a Franciscan...
http://franciscan-archive.org/columbus
and a prominant historical figure...
http://www.millersv.edu/~columbus/columbus.html


The politically correct revisionists have a view:
He wasn't who we might think he was...
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/Taino/docs/columbus.html
He really was not a very nice man...
http://indians.org/welker/columbu1.htm

In 1992 the Italian Americans wanted to have a parade in his honor, but it has been cancelled more than once and Columbus Day in my city has been
marred by demonstrations and sometimes violence and the Knights of Columbus don't even show up.

Has Ashtar taken over Columbus? Is there any possibility he can be rehabilitated? Must we accept the later and humbler Columbus? How long will the controversy continue?

caritas,

mm <*)))))><

quote:

In 1992 the Italian Americans wanted to have a parade in his honor, but it has been cancelled more than once and Columbus Day in my city has been
marred by demonstrations and sometimes violence and the Knights of Columbus don't even show up.

Has Ashtar taken over Columbus? Is there any possibility he can be rehabilitated? Must we accept the later and humbler Columbus? How long will the controversy continue?

Michael, perhaps a bit of revisionism is welcomed in reference to ol� CC, at least in terms of the short, story book version. It is indeed fascinating to speculate (not sure of the hard evidence) that other groups of Europeans came before him. Certainly the so-called Native Americans were here before him. And perhaps, I will admit, there is a tinge of Euro-centrism to our elevation of Columbus. But then we have to ask ourselves, what�s wrong with that? We enlightened individuals here can surely discard the bogus argument that to elevate Columbus is to put down Native Americans or Norwegians or Icelanders, or whomever. We know we may celebrate one with out denigrating the other (or � gasp � just do a more low-key think like intellectually acknowledge and appreciate). We have the capacity in our minds and souls to do both.

So let�s proudly trumpet the triumphs of Columbus for he was indeed triumphant in many things. We may also acknowledge some of his failures. And we may also acknowledge, without the disingenuous stereotypes of political correctness, that what is sometimes a triumph for one is a failure for others, and vice versa. If we are in search of truth then we must also see the dark sides, if any. But where truly enlightened people differ with the narrow and self-righteous cultural relativists and political correctors is that the dark side is not inherently the primary side, the only side, the preferred side, the definitive side, the just side, or even the noteworthy side. That is the province of the guilt-ridden and adolescent narcissists.

Let us proudly celebrate Columbus Day. His voyages represent the fateful journeys of man and his yearning to expand his boundaries. We may not always know what we�ll find or what good or bad will come from our discoveries, but we admire the determination, the vision, the boldness and the willingness to risk it all in the search for knowledge.

Or we can put on our frumpy black coats, stand on the corner in the rain, and hold ridiculous �down with Columbus� signs and inadvertently advertise the fact that our politics is more important to us than a sound understanding of history. Now that�s a problem worthy of a few protest signs.

That's all very well put, Brad! I was coming to contribute to this thread but you took most of the words right out of my mouth.

This is from the Source Notes to chapter 3 of Peter Marshall's The Light and the Glory, which is otherwise a wonderful account of God's purpose for America and the miraculous interventions occuring during the founding period of this country:

"An ethnological study now under way in Southern California indicates, from aerial surveys and extensive examination of ancient growing fields and watering systems, that the population of northern Latin America was between 85 and 115 million. A reliable census, taken a century later
by Spain's administrators in the New World, fixes
the population at 10 million. If the study proves accurate, this means that the Conquistadors and their successors were responsible for the greatest
demographic annihilation in history!"

That's a tragedy no matter how you slice it!