TRUMP DRIVES THE LEFT CRAZY – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  Monday is Columbus Day.  We are ordered by the political left and much of the media to feel guilty.  One guy clearly does not.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is proclaiming Monday as Columbus Day — without any of his predecessor's qualms.

The president's proclamation Friday directs the U.S. to celebrate his discovery of the Americas, noting "the permanent arrival of Europeans ... was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation."

Trump's proclamation only praises Columbus, Spain and the explorer's native Italy.

It contrasts with President Barack Obama's document almost exactly a year earlier. Obama's proclamation acknowledged Columbus' spirit of exploration. But he said the nation should "also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers."

COMMENT:   Of course we should understand that there was some pain associated with Columbus's arrival.  But too often this acknowledgment drifts into what historians call "presentism," judging the past by today's standards.

The left accuses Columbus of bringing European diseases with him, as if he did it intentionally.  Medicine in 1492 was utterly primitive.   Columbus could not possibly have known about the transmission of disease.

We should celebrate Columbus Day, and the Italian and Spanish heritage that Columbus brought, while recognizing that exploration in his time lacked the sensitivity we would expect today.

October 7,  2017