Is The Celebration of Columbus Day a Bigger Issue Than The Washington Redskins? Is ONEIDA Nation Bullying?

We have had a poll up on the Washington Redskins nickname controversy on our sidebar, but would a more proper target be what our children are learning about Columbus?   What do you Think??



Susan Bradford has her own view of the ONEIDA nation’s bullying of the Redskins Organization

More stuff on Christopher Columbus your teachers never told you:


1. On a 1493 voyage, Columbus' ship Santa Maria was shipwrecked in the area now called The Bahamas. He found the native people the 'Lucayans' friendly, healthy, helpful and generous. They freed his ship. In return, he kidnapped 25 of them. Only 7 survived the journey back to Spain. 

2. Columbus told the queen the Lucayans wore gold and had many riches, but were so passive it would take only 50 men to overtake the entire island, rule them and steal their riches. The queen complied giving Columbus 17 ships, 1500 men and an arsenal of weapons. 

3. When Columbus returned he demanded food, gold and women to be used as sex slaves for all his men. When anyone refused him, Columbus had their ears and nose chopped off. He sent these disfigured offenders back to their villagers to tell the people what had happened and to fear Columbus. 

4. Sooner or later, the Lucayans revolted. They had no weapons other than rocks and primitive spears and Columbus' troops were well armed. The war ended quickly. Eye witnesses report fallen Lucayans were fed alive to hungry dogs as they screamed. 

5. Columbus still did not have the gold he promised the queen, but he returned to Spain with a gift of 500 Lucayan slaves. Of those, 300 survived the journey. 

6. Another 500 slaves were captured and forced to carry Columbus' men around on their backs, feed them, and care for them. Escaped slaves were hunted down and fed to the dogs. 

7. Any villager who was stopped and asked for gold had to produce some immediately. If a villager surrendered gold, they were given a token, sort of a 'free pass' to not have to produce gold to the next one of Columbus' men that asked. However, if a native did not have a token and could not produce gold to hand over, Columbus had the man's hand chopped off and forced him to wear it around his neck. 

8. Columbus finally got all the gold he wanted. His lieutenants were rewarded with sex slaves and girls of nine and ten years old were most prized. Why is it important to know this? Because it is the truth.