A Defense of Christopher Columbus
by Patrick J. Ford
Published in his blog, The Northern Agrarian
October 13, 2008
As students of the George Washington University and many other schools around the country trudge off to class on this national holiday, there will be little, if any, discussion on the holiday being ignored. If there is any conversation, it will surely be to ensure that people understand why it should be ignored. Some even think ignorance should be replaced by activism against the holiday’s supposedly deplorable source.
If you don’t already know, today is Columbus Day. Although Christopher Columbus was heralded as a hero for hundreds of years after his voyage, modern multiculturalists have torn his name to shreds. Although the District of Columbia, Columbia University, Columbus, Ohio, Columbia, South Carolina, etc. are named after the man, these stand as nothing more than bloody reminders of the West’s imperialistic past to some. Indeed, in many ways the heritage of the western world’s exploration of the New World is irrevocably tied to Columbus and his journey.
And the story of Columbus is not without its historical falsities. For example, no serious thinkers at the time of Columbus’ departure believed the world to be flat. The most obvious misconception is that Columbus did not discover America, but the Americas, which were not even named so until after his death. The Vikings were on our continent long before Columbus set sail. But there have been other disputes as well. Some claim he was a “genocidal maniac” whose main legacy is wanton slaughter. Others see him as a religious fanatic with mass conversion in mind (as if that would make him a fanatic).
But the Christopher Columbus critic is a med-school specimen of insane multiculturalism, riven with the pathologies particular to that world-view. It triggers every multiculturalist cliche, from “White Man vs Dark Man” to “Christianity vs. Rich Indigenous Culture” to “Rich Imperialist vs. Poor Localist.” They also claim he brought slavery to the New World. This radical revisionism demands evaluation.
William J. Connell, a historian at Seton Hall University, has studied Columbus extensively and was featured in a New York Times article on the subject in 2000. Connell claims that, despite the shortcomings of Columbus’ actual landing spots, it is without doubt that Columbus brought glory to exploring the New World, and his popular voyage was seen as opening the proverbial floodgates to western exploration. His arrival marks ”where we as a country and as a hemisphere began our identity,” said Mr. Connell. “It’s a question of the contact that matters. There wasn’t a significant or important tradition that survived from the voyages of the Vikings.”
As for claims that Columbus brought slavery to the New World, they are radically mistaken. It is now believed that slavery existed amongst the tribes of the western hemisphere for centuries prior to the arrival of Columbus. In fact, Columbus’ views of slavery were rather benign and average for the time. Whereas many held slavery as a product of racial prejudice, Columbus’ concept of slavery was rooted in the Aristotelian concept that ”if a person is captured in war, they’re legitimately a slave,” Connell explains. “There was nothing racial about it.”
The Times article then addresses the claims of genocide:
Moreover, widely spread accounts that Columbus’s followers wiped out the Taino people of the Caribbean were inaccurate, says Jorge Estevez, himself of Taino lineage, who is a program coordinator at the National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. Mr. Estevez says that although many natives were murdered, fell victim to European diseases, or were taken captive, others intermingled with the Spanish settlers. And the settlers who were given Tainos as slaves were required to pay taxes on them, resulting in the undercounting of the Tainos as a form of tax evasion and leading to reports of their eradication.
In fact, most of the “devastation” caused by Columbus was accidental, caused primarily by the unintentional exposure of disease to natives.
These inaccurate criticisms are rooted primarily in Columbus’ status as a western and Catholic hero. His mission of conversion, though seen as deplorable by irreligious people, was without a doubt a mission of love undertaken with the salvation of a backward people in mind. Are we to believe that the indigenous faiths of the Americas, such as the Aztecs, were better and more peaceful than Christianity? If we are to teach children of the evils of Columbus’ conversion mission, shouldn’t we explain to them that in one day 20,000 Aztec slaves were slaughtered in a religious sacrifice?
We as a society have gone back and drawn a Snidely Whiplash mustache on Columbus’ luckless countenance. Formerly a hero, he is now a villain. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between the two. But if we as a society are to choose between Che Guevara and Christopher Columbus, the choice is easy. As Mr. Connell says, “‘Celebrate’ is a word we could use for Columbus’s genius, his persistence against the odds in getting people who were much more powerful than he was to back him in a risky enterprise that had results way beyond anyone’s imagination. We can celebrate his enterprise and ingenuity. A more appropriate word for what happened would be ‘commemorate.’”
I’ll commemorate the brave actions of Christopher Columbus. Will you?
Monday, October 10, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
On Repairing a Canon Camera
This past spring, my Canon XL-1 got bumped off my office table and onto the carpeted floor below. I won’t be so cliche as to say my life flashed before my eyes, but there was a significant amount of horror in the situation.
A cursory examination said the camera managed to survive in fine condition. But my utopian hopes were shattered when I powered the camera up and found that the tape carriage would neither fully eject nor fully engage the tape inside – a tape which had valuable footage shot earlier that morning for a client.
So here I was with a camera that wouldn’t work, and a tape I could not access, and a complete lack of funds with which to send it off to the Canon repair facility. So over the course of the summer it sat on my shelf while I prayed for $400 to commence the camera’s rehabilitation.
One idea for funding the repair was not my first choice, but eventually I caved in and suggested it: Having the client pay $400 of her bill in advance. She agreed, and I promptly called Canon Repair – It has been a few years since either of my cameras has needed repairs (I recommend Canon products for longevity and durability).
Unfortunately, this avenue was shot down by the woman on the phone who informed me that Canon no longer repairs the XL-1 at all. I guess they figure everyone has moved on to the XL-2, if not to various high-definition models. Some of us don’t have that budget.
Through the magic of randomly commenting about life’s woes on Facebook, one of my uncles took up the challenge and offered to take a look at the camera, with the idea that at least he could probably get the tape out for my use while I debated about the fate of the XL-1 itself. But the fall the camera took was random yet precise enough to jam the tape carriage firmly into its out-of-place place.
My uncle was kind enough to ship the camera to a repair shop he trusts in Los Angeles that has the wherewithal to repair the XL-1 even though Canon does not anymore. They have assured him that in preparing their estimate, they will have to dismantle parts of the camera and will thus dislodge the tape for free. So for just the $40 for shipping my camera to my uncle, I will get the tape back and can proceed to edit the client’s project, putting the camera back on the shelf while I await wisdom regarding repairing or replacing it.
Ideally I’ll find a way to upgrade to a new camera, because this XL-1 is going to die eventually.
A cursory examination said the camera managed to survive in fine condition. But my utopian hopes were shattered when I powered the camera up and found that the tape carriage would neither fully eject nor fully engage the tape inside – a tape which had valuable footage shot earlier that morning for a client.
So here I was with a camera that wouldn’t work, and a tape I could not access, and a complete lack of funds with which to send it off to the Canon repair facility. So over the course of the summer it sat on my shelf while I prayed for $400 to commence the camera’s rehabilitation.
One idea for funding the repair was not my first choice, but eventually I caved in and suggested it: Having the client pay $400 of her bill in advance. She agreed, and I promptly called Canon Repair – It has been a few years since either of my cameras has needed repairs (I recommend Canon products for longevity and durability).
Unfortunately, this avenue was shot down by the woman on the phone who informed me that Canon no longer repairs the XL-1 at all. I guess they figure everyone has moved on to the XL-2, if not to various high-definition models. Some of us don’t have that budget.
Through the magic of randomly commenting about life’s woes on Facebook, one of my uncles took up the challenge and offered to take a look at the camera, with the idea that at least he could probably get the tape out for my use while I debated about the fate of the XL-1 itself. But the fall the camera took was random yet precise enough to jam the tape carriage firmly into its out-of-place place.
My uncle was kind enough to ship the camera to a repair shop he trusts in Los Angeles that has the wherewithal to repair the XL-1 even though Canon does not anymore. They have assured him that in preparing their estimate, they will have to dismantle parts of the camera and will thus dislodge the tape for free. So for just the $40 for shipping my camera to my uncle, I will get the tape back and can proceed to edit the client’s project, putting the camera back on the shelf while I await wisdom regarding repairing or replacing it.
Ideally I’ll find a way to upgrade to a new camera, because this XL-1 is going to die eventually.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Simple Pleasures
Yesterday my family celebrated my birthday. It was a small affair, because, let’s face it, one you hit your mid-thirties, very few people give two hoots about your birthday. In fact, the last time an adult is truly the center of attention is when he becomes a parent for the first time. After that, it’s all about the kids. Rotten kids, stealing all my spotlight.
So anyway, we did lunch at Applebee’s, taking advantage of their all-you-can-eat soup-and-salad deal for $7.99, which we discovered earlier this year as a great way to have lunch out without consuming vast amounts of grease. I don’t kid myself that their chili and their salad dressings are on a dietician’s list of most-desirable foods, but I’m fairly convinced it’s a better choice than a hamburger at Burger King.
After lunch, presents were forthcoming. My son Arthur generously gave me one of his own toys, a Curious George handheld pinball game. However, he still expects me to share. Arthur and Abigail together gave me a wooden brainteaser, one of those things where you have to get the wood block out of the interconnected blocks, and who knows but that there may be a metal ring down inside that I have to unlock before my mind simply implodes upon itself.
Veronica gave me Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on DVD, so the first three movies are no longer alone on my video shelf. An attending relative bestowed Subway gift cards upon me, and a little loving cash. Most of the cash will go straight to bills (or rather a single bill, or rather part of a single bill, but every little bit helps), though I am using a little of it as an actual birthday gift by placing an order for the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack CD.
Birthdays are no longer about piles of presents, and a birthday cake, and tons of guests, and a seemingly endless day of attention. But I am a happy man with a wife and kids and a Subway gift card. And that is what matters.
So anyway, we did lunch at Applebee’s, taking advantage of their all-you-can-eat soup-and-salad deal for $7.99, which we discovered earlier this year as a great way to have lunch out without consuming vast amounts of grease. I don’t kid myself that their chili and their salad dressings are on a dietician’s list of most-desirable foods, but I’m fairly convinced it’s a better choice than a hamburger at Burger King.
After lunch, presents were forthcoming. My son Arthur generously gave me one of his own toys, a Curious George handheld pinball game. However, he still expects me to share. Arthur and Abigail together gave me a wooden brainteaser, one of those things where you have to get the wood block out of the interconnected blocks, and who knows but that there may be a metal ring down inside that I have to unlock before my mind simply implodes upon itself.
Veronica gave me Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on DVD, so the first three movies are no longer alone on my video shelf. An attending relative bestowed Subway gift cards upon me, and a little loving cash. Most of the cash will go straight to bills (or rather a single bill, or rather part of a single bill, but every little bit helps), though I am using a little of it as an actual birthday gift by placing an order for the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack CD.
Birthdays are no longer about piles of presents, and a birthday cake, and tons of guests, and a seemingly endless day of attention. But I am a happy man with a wife and kids and a Subway gift card. And that is what matters.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Front Entrance
Greetings and welcome to All Things Brian!
I know why you’re here: You felt it, didn’t you? – That great cosmic ripple of energy as the matter in the universe aligned to celebrate my birthday. Number 37, to be precise. It was a grand and glorious September 29 in 1974, and it is a day that has never been equaled since. Well, it has been equaled every successive September 29 since then, but you know what I mean. It’s truly humbling.
So here you are, at the hub of my vast online presence, the Grand Central Terminal from which you can reach the various blogs, websites, and social networking pages that I have created and crafted over the past few years, turning myself into a jaw-dropping internet phenomenon. Please browse freely.
You can start right here, at the blog that is the cornerstone of my media personality, my great big journal of anything and everything that happens to be on my mind, with every entry being a golden nugget of inspiration. Then there are four other blogs at this time (though there is no knowing when a magnificent new brainchild from my fertile neurons will come forth) that I plan to pack so full of juicy tidbits that people won’t be able to stop reading them over and over, checking in daily for fascinating new pearls of wisdom.
Over on the right, you can scroll down to see a section labeled “Me, Me, Me!” (I’m not sure who hacked into my blog and made me look so pretentious, but it’s too late now.) As I write this, it contains links to my Facebook and YouTube pages, along with my listing in the Internet Movie Database, my business website that you are encouraged to refer to anyone in the Central Oregon region needing video production services, and links regarding my newfound interest in improving my health and figure. (There are those who insist my figure is beyond improvement, but they speak idle flattery, I’m sure.) Other links may come and go during the life of this blog – though if I add much more to the list of sites I personally maintain, I won’t have a life outside of the internet at all, which will disappoint the long line of admirers gathered outside my door even now.
On down the sidebar you’ll find links to sites where I am a contributor, as well as blogs and sites of good friends. Depending on your own religious or political positions, you may want to tread with care: Not all of my friends think like I do, the poor misguided fools that they are.
Then you’ll find a list of movies and books that people who want to be as wonderful as me should see and read, respectively. The movies are linked to their full information at IMDB, but there is, sadly, no book repository to link to the literary works.
Next are three options for making sure you don’t miss a single riveting word posted to this blog: You can “follow” this blog from your own Blogger account, or connect to the RSS feed. And if nothing else, you can browse back through the archived posts to relive your favorite moments, which will no doubt be too numerous to list. The sidebar concludes with an index of topics so that you can instantly see all the posts related to your favorite subject, which, I assume, will be all of them anyway so I’m not sure why I included that feature.
And there you have it. Start browsing. Soak it all in. And be sure to come back here often.
Because I’m just that central to your existence.
I know why you’re here: You felt it, didn’t you? – That great cosmic ripple of energy as the matter in the universe aligned to celebrate my birthday. Number 37, to be precise. It was a grand and glorious September 29 in 1974, and it is a day that has never been equaled since. Well, it has been equaled every successive September 29 since then, but you know what I mean. It’s truly humbling.
So here you are, at the hub of my vast online presence, the Grand Central Terminal from which you can reach the various blogs, websites, and social networking pages that I have created and crafted over the past few years, turning myself into a jaw-dropping internet phenomenon. Please browse freely.
You can start right here, at the blog that is the cornerstone of my media personality, my great big journal of anything and everything that happens to be on my mind, with every entry being a golden nugget of inspiration. Then there are four other blogs at this time (though there is no knowing when a magnificent new brainchild from my fertile neurons will come forth) that I plan to pack so full of juicy tidbits that people won’t be able to stop reading them over and over, checking in daily for fascinating new pearls of wisdom.
Over on the right, you can scroll down to see a section labeled “Me, Me, Me!” (I’m not sure who hacked into my blog and made me look so pretentious, but it’s too late now.) As I write this, it contains links to my Facebook and YouTube pages, along with my listing in the Internet Movie Database, my business website that you are encouraged to refer to anyone in the Central Oregon region needing video production services, and links regarding my newfound interest in improving my health and figure. (There are those who insist my figure is beyond improvement, but they speak idle flattery, I’m sure.) Other links may come and go during the life of this blog – though if I add much more to the list of sites I personally maintain, I won’t have a life outside of the internet at all, which will disappoint the long line of admirers gathered outside my door even now.
On down the sidebar you’ll find links to sites where I am a contributor, as well as blogs and sites of good friends. Depending on your own religious or political positions, you may want to tread with care: Not all of my friends think like I do, the poor misguided fools that they are.
Then you’ll find a list of movies and books that people who want to be as wonderful as me should see and read, respectively. The movies are linked to their full information at IMDB, but there is, sadly, no book repository to link to the literary works.
Next are three options for making sure you don’t miss a single riveting word posted to this blog: You can “follow” this blog from your own Blogger account, or connect to the RSS feed. And if nothing else, you can browse back through the archived posts to relive your favorite moments, which will no doubt be too numerous to list. The sidebar concludes with an index of topics so that you can instantly see all the posts related to your favorite subject, which, I assume, will be all of them anyway so I’m not sure why I included that feature.
And there you have it. Start browsing. Soak it all in. And be sure to come back here often.
Because I’m just that central to your existence.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Bible Thumper
Have you stopped by the Bible study blog? Here’s a sample from the first entry:
***
The Bible is nothing less than the entire history of mankind told from God’s spiritual perspective. Other history books focus on man’s progress, the rise and fall of civilizations, countries and their governments, cultural advances, warfare and conquest. Though the Bible is historical and contains much useful information on the ancient Middle East, its ultimate focus is God and His workings.
While the sixty-six documents that comprise the Bible may often seem disparate in their subject matter, in reality they all contribute to one big picture. That picture is of God’s creating a dominion to rule over, Satan’s attempts to usurp God’s authority in that dominion and lead a rebellion, the on-going spiritual war between God’s subjects and Satan’s subjects, God’s final conquering and defeat of all opponents, and God’s handing of the universe over to His Son Jesus Christ as an inheritance.
A look at the organization of the Bible reveals two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Without spending pages explaining this, basically the Old Testament is the history of man’s fall away from God, and the New Testament is the record of God’s rescue of man. This is definitely a layman’s simplification, but my purpose here is simply to introduce the framework of the Bible so that my study in Genesis has a basic context.
The book of Genesis, then, is the beginning of the spiritual history of the universe. It is the first book of the Old Testament, and the first book of the Pentateuch, a grouping of five books that detail the early history of the Israeli people, the Jews. The book is assumed to be penned by Moses, though who exactly put the words on parchment can never be proven and ultimately doesn’t matter; the message came from God (II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1, 2) and He has preserved the message through history for us today. So let’s get into it.
***
For my own discipline in building regular habits, my goal is to have new entries every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Stop on by, read, discuss, enjoy.
***
The Bible is nothing less than the entire history of mankind told from God’s spiritual perspective. Other history books focus on man’s progress, the rise and fall of civilizations, countries and their governments, cultural advances, warfare and conquest. Though the Bible is historical and contains much useful information on the ancient Middle East, its ultimate focus is God and His workings.
While the sixty-six documents that comprise the Bible may often seem disparate in their subject matter, in reality they all contribute to one big picture. That picture is of God’s creating a dominion to rule over, Satan’s attempts to usurp God’s authority in that dominion and lead a rebellion, the on-going spiritual war between God’s subjects and Satan’s subjects, God’s final conquering and defeat of all opponents, and God’s handing of the universe over to His Son Jesus Christ as an inheritance.
A look at the organization of the Bible reveals two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Without spending pages explaining this, basically the Old Testament is the history of man’s fall away from God, and the New Testament is the record of God’s rescue of man. This is definitely a layman’s simplification, but my purpose here is simply to introduce the framework of the Bible so that my study in Genesis has a basic context.
The book of Genesis, then, is the beginning of the spiritual history of the universe. It is the first book of the Old Testament, and the first book of the Pentateuch, a grouping of five books that detail the early history of the Israeli people, the Jews. The book is assumed to be penned by Moses, though who exactly put the words on parchment can never be proven and ultimately doesn’t matter; the message came from God (II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1, 2) and He has preserved the message through history for us today. So let’s get into it.
***
For my own discipline in building regular habits, my goal is to have new entries every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Stop on by, read, discuss, enjoy.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Can You Pinch an Inch?
On Wednesday I had my first bodyfat assessment with calipers. Branegan Dixon of Full Body Fitness did the unwelcome deed (I say “unwelcome” because as I am now I certainly would not want to be that close to myself with no shirt on; doctors and personal trainers are brave people).
I was under the impression that calipers would pinch more than they did. There was no pain at all – which was fine. After measuring up by my shoulder, at my mid-section, and on my thigh, Branegan took the figures to his computer where a program used those numbers to calculate my bodyfat, which came in at 24.5%. That’s not the highest reading I’ve ever gotten, but it’s definitely way too high.
I did get the experience on video, and it will soon be in an episode on my Fitness channel over at YouTube. Drop by and be grossed out.
I was under the impression that calipers would pinch more than they did. There was no pain at all – which was fine. After measuring up by my shoulder, at my mid-section, and on my thigh, Branegan took the figures to his computer where a program used those numbers to calculate my bodyfat, which came in at 24.5%. That’s not the highest reading I’ve ever gotten, but it’s definitely way too high.
I did get the experience on video, and it will soon be in an episode on my Fitness channel over at YouTube. Drop by and be grossed out.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Fruitcake Toss Day
I was just recently informed that there is an annual holiday called Fruitcake Toss Day, and this year it falls on January 6th. A little online searching produced the following, from WetPaint.com:
Fruit cake is one of the national symbols of Christmas and the new year. People give the disgusting “treat” to their friends when they’re too cheap to buy them anything nice, and they cover the horrid gift with the excuse, “It’s traditional!” Fruit Cake Toss Day was started as a fun way to get rid of all of your stored-up fruit cakes after Christmas when no one’s dared to touch them.
Actual Date: Anytime in January, but usually within the first week.
Other Interesting Tid-bits: An actual Fruit Cake Toss game has been created. All you have to do is get together with a bunch of your friends in the snow, and see who can toss the fruit cake the furthest into the snow!
And now you know, too.
Fruit cake is one of the national symbols of Christmas and the new year. People give the disgusting “treat” to their friends when they’re too cheap to buy them anything nice, and they cover the horrid gift with the excuse, “It’s traditional!” Fruit Cake Toss Day was started as a fun way to get rid of all of your stored-up fruit cakes after Christmas when no one’s dared to touch them.
Actual Date: Anytime in January, but usually within the first week.
Other Interesting Tid-bits: An actual Fruit Cake Toss game has been created. All you have to do is get together with a bunch of your friends in the snow, and see who can toss the fruit cake the furthest into the snow!
And now you know, too.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Stupid Calendar
After getting my first “Stupidest Things Ever Said” Page-a-Day calendar several years ago, my wife got me another one this year. Here are the delightful entries that have been peeled off so far:
George W. Bush, interview on Fox News: “It’s very hard to write the future history of America before the current history hasn’t been fully written.”
Texas Representative Gib Lewis: “I can’t tell you how grateful I am – I am filled with humidity.”
Little boy on Kids Say the Darndest Things: “I came back from the bathroom one day at school. Suddenly I noticed that my zipper was undone and I said to myself, ‘I’m insulting my own inheritance.’”
George W. Bush, interview on Fox News: “It’s very hard to write the future history of America before the current history hasn’t been fully written.”
Texas Representative Gib Lewis: “I can’t tell you how grateful I am – I am filled with humidity.”
Little boy on Kids Say the Darndest Things: “I came back from the bathroom one day at school. Suddenly I noticed that my zipper was undone and I said to myself, ‘I’m insulting my own inheritance.’”
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Snowball
The second half of 2010 was quite stunning for me. It is the first time I have had such a lengthy and seemingly unconquerable to-do list for so long. Since June, my list of obligations to clients has grown slowly, with projects taking a little longer than expected so they overlap into the next project’s estimated time frame. Then there were the little responsibilities that added up to make that snowball bigger, like being the speaker at church every Sunday – truly good preparation for a sermon takes some time. Add to all this the unexpected things like broken faucets, car maintenance, and wood-stacking, and the snowball became deadly.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Or, more appropriately for this analogy, the temperature is rising and the snowball is starting to melt. Yesterday I mailed out a bunch of the Camp Northwest 2010 Senior Week DVDs, and today I will mail out all the rest if my calculations are correct.
After that it’s on to the Mosier/Johnson wedding DVD, and somewhere in here I need to get the DVD done for She Stoops to Conquer from last April. Ideally, sometime soon the whole snowball will be nothing but slush and I can take off my snowshoes, put on my comfy warm socks, curl up beside the Fireplace of Achievement with my mug of Satisfaction and take a breather before the next Cold Front of Obligations rolls in.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Or, more appropriately for this analogy, the temperature is rising and the snowball is starting to melt. Yesterday I mailed out a bunch of the Camp Northwest 2010 Senior Week DVDs, and today I will mail out all the rest if my calculations are correct.
After that it’s on to the Mosier/Johnson wedding DVD, and somewhere in here I need to get the DVD done for She Stoops to Conquer from last April. Ideally, sometime soon the whole snowball will be nothing but slush and I can take off my snowshoes, put on my comfy warm socks, curl up beside the Fireplace of Achievement with my mug of Satisfaction and take a breather before the next Cold Front of Obligations rolls in.
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