Christopher Columbus Belongs on Death Row
HIS LEGACY IS AN 'UNSPEAKABLY CRUEL' ONE, WRITES ERIC KASUM
By Kate Schwartz, Newser Staff
newser.com
Posted Oct 11, 2010 9:00 AM CDT
(NEWSER) – It's Columbus Day, kids, and that means it's time to honor a man "who, if he were alive today, would almost certainly be sitting on Death Row awaiting execution," writes Eric Kasum for the Huffington Post. Kasum commemorates the holiday by recounting the true tale of Christopher Columbus, who set foot on a sandy Bahamian beach in 1492 and promptly enslaved the hospitable islanders (who rescued the crew and cargo of the shipwrecked Santa Maria). Within two years, half of the 250,000-strong population was dead.
He oversaw the sale of native girls into sexual slavery, killed babies to use as dog food, and had soldiers cut off the hands of workers who didn't meet their gold dust quota—prompting 100 to commit mass suicide. Why don't we learn about this in school, Kasum asks. "Columbus himself kept detailed diaries, as did some of his men. (If you don't believe me, just Google the words Columbus, sex slave, and gold mine.)" He continues, "Call me crazy, but I think holidays ought to honor people who are worthy of our admiration. Let's boycott this outrageous holiday because it honors a mass murderer." For even more horrific details, click here. |
