Jots & Tittles: Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

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Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
--Winston Churchill

Evidently, Columbus Day is offensive to some Americans.

Although Columbus Day is a federal holiday, it is not a legal holiday in the state of Washington.

According to an AP report, a Seattle City Council resolution was passed that declares “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” the second Monday of October and intends to honor the contributions and culture of American Indians and the indigenous community in Seattle.

Italian-Americans and others objected to the move, saying the change honors one group while it dismisses those with Italian heritage.

I propose that this holiday be officially nullified and the second Monday in October should no longer be a Federal holiday; the banks should be open and the mail should be delivered.

Indigenous Peoples Day? Bah! Humbug!

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Did You Know . . .?

Lions can roar about 50 times in 90 seconds. If you're close by, they sound 25 times as loud as a gas-powered lawn mower.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1977 4 Palestinians hijacked a Lufthansa airliner and demanded the release of eleven imprisoned members of Germany's Baader-Meinhof terrorist group, also known as the Red Army Faction. The Red Army Faction was a group of ultra-left revolutionaries who terrorized Germany for three decades, assassinating more than 30 corporate, military, and government leaders in an effort to topple capitalism in their homeland. A German special forces team stormed the aircraft, releasing 86 hostages and killing three of the four hijacker. The Red Army Faction's imprisoned leaders responded to the news later that day by committing suicide in their jail cell, in Stammheim, Germany.

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WORD FOR TODAY

frisson [free-SAWN]
noun
a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill: The movie offers the viewer the occasional frisson of seeing a character in mortal danger.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Paul Frederic Simon

(born October 13, 1941)

Paul Simon is an American musician, actor and singer-songwriter. Simon's fame, influence, and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, formed in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote nearly all of the pair's songs, including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts: "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

Olive Marie Osmond

(born October 13, 1959)

Marie Osmond is an American singer and a member of the show business family The Osmonds. Although she was never part of her family's singing group, she gained success as a solo country music artist in the 1970s and 1980s. Her best known song is a cover of the country pop ballad "Paper Roses." From 1976 to 1979, she and her singer brother Donny Osmond hosted the TV variety show Donny & Marie.

Michael Richard Uram "Rich" Clifford

(born October 13, 1952)

Rich Clifford is a former United States Army officer and NASA astronaut. Clifford is considered a Master Army Aviator and has logged over 3,400 hours flying in a wide variety of fixed and rotary winged aircraft. Clifford retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has logged over 12 hours of spacewalk time over three Space Shuttle missions. He is also one of the first people to conduct a spacewalk while docked to an orbiting space station. The spacewalk was conducted during STS-76, while docked at the Russian space station Mir.

Kelly Preston

(born October 13, 1962)

Kelly Preston is an American actress and former model. She has appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, most notably including Mischief, Twins and Jerry Maguire. She is married to John Travolta.

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He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
--Muhammad Ali

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