Cinfici Is Quoted in a Reading Eagle Article on Reading’s Columbus Monument

           I was quoted as a historian in yesterday’s article in the Reading Eagle on a proposal to remove the Christopher Columbus monument from Reading’s City Park: https://www.readingeagle.com/news/local/reading-resident-wants-christopher-columbus-statue-removed-from-city-park/article_40f5818a-b724-11ea-94fb-af2e95792b60.html.

            I noted Columbus’ accomplishment of joining two worlds together and its significance of exchanging goods, ideas and knowledge and providing the opportunity for friendship and that the monument was intended to affirm the equality of immigrants who have faced prejudice, not for events that took place later for which the discovery is blamed.  Indeed, the article notes how xenophobic nativists protested the monument when it was placed in 1925, paid for by local Italian-Americans and sculpted by an Italian artist.  The upkeep up the statue has been performed by the Columbus Day Committee, which is made up of Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Parish (an Italian national church), whose Pastor founded it in 1956, and other Italian organizations.

            As I have noted in posts every year on Columbus Day, but was only implicit in the article because of space limitations, Columbus truly did discover the Western Hemisphere, as one need not be the first to uncover something to be credited with its discovery, which thus does not slight the Native Americans who first crossed the land bridge with Asia during the Ice Age.  His observations that led him to theorize that an inhabited landmass inhabited by Asiatic people were nearer to Europe than known.  Although Columbus was incorrect that it meant the world was smaller and that Asia was closer, his primary scientific theory was correct that there was an inhabited landmass inhabited by Asiatic people closer to the Eastern Hemisphere, which he accomplished with only a clock and a compass.  He is also credited with the scientific discoveries that the Northern and north magnetic poles are not in the same location and that the Earth is not perfectly spherical.  Columbus’ outstanding skills as a navigator allowed him not only to reach the New World, but to bridge the two hemispheres permanently, as no one had previously done, as he was able to sail back to his home port and return to the New World. 

            Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain financed Columbus’ expedition with the goal of trade and spreading the Faith, which was Spanish national policy.  Columbus was also motivated by commerce and regarded spreading Christianity as his mission.  When he made contact with the Native Americans, the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere reacted either peacefully, or by running away or in a hostile manner, to which Columbus and his Spanish crew did not react.  He ordered his crew not to harm the friendly Natives or to exploit sexually their women, who did not wear clothing.  Columbus founded a colony on the island of Hispaniola, but when he returned on his second voyage, he found its inhabitants had all been slaughtered.  His critics judge him harshly by present standards and blame his discovery for all of the diseases that were exchanged, as happens whenever there is contact between two peoples when one of them does not have immunity, and for cruelties inflicted by the Spanish, which were against the wishes of Isabella.  Columbus’ critics credulously believe all of the allegations that his Spanish rivals in the New World later made against him, without any appreciation of the arrival of Western Civilization and Christianity to the Western Hemisphere and the ideals that developed more fully from them of equality and liberty, among the many benefits of the reuniting of the two worlds, in contradiction of the critics’ claim of tolerance of cultures and blaming of the discovery for the diminishment of Native American culture in some places.  It is typical when two cultures come into contact that the more technologically advanced culture dominates, as the less advanced culture adopts much or all of the more advanced culture while anything regarded as worthy of conservation is retained and perhaps even picked up by the more advanced culture.  In accusing Columbus of “genocide” because of disease and because some of the Native tribes lost military conflicts with the Spanish and because of the cruelties, these critics also ignore how the European migrants to America rescued certain Native tribes from genocide by other tribes from cannibalism or human sacrifice.  As I have posted before, commemorating Columbus does not denigrate Native Americans, who are properly honored by the United States at Thanksgiving for their friendship with the English settlers at Plymouth.  The accomplishments of Native American culture and the contributions of the many millions of Native Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere ought to be appreciated throughout the Americas.

           As I have noted in previous posts, the effort to commemorate Columbus Day as a federal holiday was led by an Irish-American Priest who had founded the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, to refute the advancement of the Leif Erikson legend to minimize Columbus’ accomplishments, by the Ku Klux Klan and other Nativists who are prejudiced against Catholics and Southern and Eastern Europeans.  The minimization of Columbus’ accomplishments is based upon negative stereotypes about such people and Italians particularly and furthers those stereotypes.  For example, the claims that Columbus’ discovery was accidental or that he was “lost” invoke the stereotype of Italians as less intelligent than Northern Europeans.  The point that America would not have come to its present existence but for its discovery by Southern European Catholics was intended to acknowledge the contributions of all immigrants and to welcome them, based on the American Creed, the foundational belief of America which holds that because all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, they are equally free and independent.  

The District of Columbia is Not Being Taxed without Representation Like the American Colonies

           Advocates for statehood for the federal District of Columbia argue that it is being taxed without being represented in the United States Congress, like the argument made for the American Revolution by the Thirteen American Colonies against the United Kingdom that was the basis for the slogan, “No taxation without representation.”  However, there are major differences and there are other solutions besides statehood for more equality and to avoid constitutional concerns.

            The Colonies collectively are estimated to have had nearly a third of the population of the United Kingdom, yet had no representation in the more than 600-member British Parliament.  Furthermore, that Parliament sat remotely across the Atlantic, which took weeks for communication at the time.  The Federal District has an estimated population of about 700,000 out of well over 300 million, and the Congress sits in it.  Indeed, the main reason it is wrong that Columbia is unrepresented is that it is represented by the entire House of Representatives generally, which, under its rules, even dedicates a standing Committee to its affairs, although the District enjoys home rule, but particularly it is represented by a Delegate.   Like the Delegates of the territories under House rules, Columbia’s has powers equal to Representatives in committee and even on the floor, except voting on final passage of bills.

            A Republican proposal to eliminate the federal income tax obligations for District residents, which would obviate the taxation part of the argument, has been repeatedly rejected by Democrats.   Note: payroll taxes, which should be optional, are for the receipt for benefits.  An exemption could also be made for excise taxes.

            Another proposed solution has been to retrocede the residential portions of Washington to Maryland, just as had been done with parts of the District that had been ceded by Virginia.  Maryland should then be awarded an additional U.S. House seat for that District, at least, with a corresponding increase in the size of the House.  Note: I have argued for a significant increase in the size of the House from the current number of 435, which has not kept pace with population growth over the last several decades, which could give the current residents of the District additional seats.  The State of Maryland, including the former District, would continue to be represented by two U.S. Senators and the State would appoint the corresponding number of presidential and vice presidential Electors that would commensurate with the size of its congressional delegation.  Maryland’s current method of appointment is by popular election statewide with the slate of Electors of the presidential ticket receiving the most votes being sent to the Electoral College.

           The reason the Framers of the Constitution established a federal district for the capitol was to avoid the undue influence of any State.  Of particular concern would be the advocacy by a congressional delegation representing Colombia for growing government to increase state tax revenues or for patronage for residents.  Retrocession would give equality to the residents of the federal District without causing the degree of harm feared by the Framers.

Foreign Digest: Russia and Ireland

Russia

The European Court of Human Rights ruled earlier this week that the Russian Federation, led by tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, illegally banned the website kasparov.ru, founded by Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, liberal democratic dissident and Russian presidential candidate against Putin.  Kasparov, who is widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, is the Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, https://hrf.org/ , and is the founder of the Renew Democracy Initiative, https://www.rdi.org/, which is dedicated to renewing constitutional democracy in the United States, where he lives in exile.

Ireland

           A new Prime Minister of Ireland has taken office today to lead a coalition government that, for the first time, includes the two main political parties, both of which are center-right, together with the Greens.  As I had explained in my last post, the unprecedented coalition was necessary to keep the far-left Sinn Fein from power.

Foreign Digest: Italy, Ireland, Syria, Philippines, Belarus and Hungary

Italy

            A ring of anarchists with international ties was arrested in Italy earlier this week.  They had ties to anarchists in Greece, Germany and Chile.  Italy and Greece have suffered from many violent attacks by anarchists over the years.  There have been several in Italy over the last few months.

Ireland

            The two leading rival Irish political parties, both of which are on the center right, have formed an unprecedented bloc this week to keep the far-left Sinn Fein from power in the Ireland.  Sinn Fein in Ireland is a version of the same party in British-ruled Northern Ireland associated with the Irish Republican Army terrorists during the Troubles, when thousands were killed over decades of violence.  The leftist party seeks unification of the province of the United Kingdom with the Irish Republic.

Syria

            There was a protest in Syria earlier this week against the tyrannical regime of Bashar Assad, the first since Syrian regime forces, with the help of its Iranian, Hezbollah (the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorists sponsored by Iran) and Russian Federation allies have won a series of battles.  Syria has been in a civil war since 2011 when there was a popular uprising against the Assad dictatorship.  Both moderate Muslim and Islamists have been engaged in the fighting, as well as Kurds.  The United States backed moderate Muslims and the Kurds against the Islamists, together with a coalition of Western and Arab States, but has retreated.  Turkey has opposed the Kurds and backs a different group of Arab Muslims.  Fighting sometimes spilled into Lebanon or Israel.  The Israelis continue occasionally to strike Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria that threaten it.  Millions of Syrians have fled their homes, creating the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War.  Over half a million have been killed.  Syria’s Assad regime uses chemical weapons and other indiscriminate weapons on civilian populations while Russia targets hospitals and aid convoys.

Philippines

            A reporter critical of the Filipino Government was convicted on criminal charges in the Philippines earlier this week.  Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, the “Filipino Trump,” has been violating the freedom of the press while he encourages Filipinos to murder suspected drug dealers.

Belarus

            The Belorussian opposition presidential candidate was arrested late this week.  The former Soviet Republic of Belarus has been ruled by the same authoritarian leader since independence in 1991.  After protests today of his arrest across Belarus, the Belorussian regime arrested them.  Mobile Internet was cut off and journalists were also arrested.

Hungary

           The European Union’s court ruled late this week that Hungary’s restrictions on non-governmental organizations violated its rules.  The increasingly authoritarian and autocratic Hungarian President refers to his rule as “illiberal.”  It is also xenophobic and anti-Semitic.  The particular organization in question in the case was founded by a Jew the Government makes accusations about, just as it bans refugees from fleeing across its borders.

Foreign Digest: Italy, Greece and Turkey, Zimbabwe and Sudan

Italy, Greece and Turkey

            Italy and Greece signed an agreement last week to demarcate their maritime economic exclusion zones.  The agreement is in contrast with the behavior of the Islamist Government of Turkey, which signed an energy agreement earlier this year with Libya without consultation with Greece, Cyprus or Egypt, who were all angered by the Turkish unilateralism in the shared eastern Mediterranean Sea that ignored their interests. 

            Meanwhile, the increasingly authoritarian Turkish regime continues—nearly four years after the failed military coup in 2016—to use the attempt as a pretext to make arrests in order to eliminate any dissent.

           

Zimbabwe

            Two opposition leaders in Zimbabwe were re-arrested by the far-left authoritarian Zimbabwean regime after having been freed.  The same party has ruled since independence from the United Kingdom in 1980 without fully free and fair elections.

Sudan

           The Sudanese provisional government turned over a militia leader wanted for war crimes to the International Criminal Court.  The chief prosecutor urges Sudan to hand over the former Islamist Sudanese dictator and terrorist sponsor for war crimes, namely genocide against various peoples, whom the military overthrew last year.  The military-civilian provisional government is transitioning to elections for a fully representative government within three years.

Foreign Digest: China and Mali

China 

            There were more protests in Hong Kong against Communist China’s violation of its agreement with the United Kingdom in 1997 whereby it had agreed to respect the territory’s autonomy and freedom.  The U.K., which has been among the many States condemning Peking’s encroachments on Hong Kong, is offering passports to millions of the City State’s residents.

Mali

           French forces in northern Mali have killed the Algerian-born leader of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (North Africa), which has been responsible for hundreds of killings in Mali and surrounding States.  France sent troops to its former territory in 2013 to assist Malian forces against Islamist rebels in the north, pushing them from the Sahel and oases in the Sahara into the desert.  Other African States have also been aiding Mali militarily.  The United States also has been supporting the fight against al-Qaeda as part of the War on Terrorism.