I was standing around on Cal Poly Pomona's campus during lunchtime today eating PBJ, when I heard "Indian Chanting" behind me.  It didn't register at first, because all I could think about at the time was the upcoming vector statics class (my all-consuming past time!).

The chanting persisted, and grew louder.  I turned around to look, here came the anti-Christopher Columbus rally marching towards me with marxist, American citizen hating protest signs.  The protesters were composed of: blacks pretending to be Indians, whites pretending to be Indians, some orientals(I think) pretending to be Indians.  The only "real" Indian in the whole bunch (out of a hundred people!) was an old guy  with a megaphone, chanting something.

I watched their anti-US signs and their insane love-Indians / hate-everybody-else sentiments and dismissed them by saying, "Hippies."[:(!]

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The poster announcing this march features a grainy 1970's picture of some Indian defiantly standing on a rooftop holding a Win. Model 12 next to an upside-down American flag.

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When I look backwards in time at the identities of my ancestors, I see a few Indians(like Grandpa).  

Grandpa loved this country.  And he was no Marxist!  [marines]

These people give Native Americans a bad name. I'm 1/8th Cherokee, but I am still American. These people especially since they aren't Native American or of Native descent are just a bunch of PRK troublemakers

How about we all dress up like whatever "indigenous people" the Sioux, Cherokee, Shawnee, Pawnee, Navajo, Comanche, and a bunch of other's I've missed, drove out.

The history of the North American continent is replete with new people driving the old people out.  Those with the most efficient lifestyle will always win.  So far, that's European colonizers.  I wonder who's next?

My mother is 5/8ths and my father is 3/8ths. I guess that would just make me an American like everyone else. Real people don't need posters or protest to prove their ancestry.
I like to consider myself 100% American redneck. We don't got no posters cause we cain't spell so good.

If the celebration is about the first "European" discovery of the North American Continent, they should change it to "Leif Erikson Day", as Leif's landings along Canada pre-date Columbus by about 492 years, a colony was establised (and destroyed by the "scraelings" or indigenous peoples about 3 years later) and was a source of lumber for the Greenland colonies up through the time of Columbus' "Discovery".

P.S. 1/16th Iroquois, 1/2 Slovak, the rest Euro-mutt, and 100% all-American

I really, really dislike hippies. I would say hate but I might get banned.[;D]

DITTO!!! Uncle was one, but saw the light at age 47- better late than never I suppose. Now he feels truly sad about the harm caused by (his words) being an American Traitor

Don Out

Signs that its time to get a new hobby -

When your present hobby involves protesting against dead people.

[rolleyes]

There used to be such native peoples' awareness days at the Univ. of Massachusetts/Amherst when I was in grad school there. Just to be a royal pain in the ass, I went and told one of the demonstrators that I too was a Native American, of the English tribe. He looked like he was going to explode, and said, "That's not the same - you're not a native". I replied, "Oh, no? We've been here for 353 years- I think we are pretty much settled in by now...." /:^P

On the race question on 4473s I ALWAYS put down Native American, for the same reason...

THe compulsion to feel "ethnic" in todays white youth is very strong.

The compulsion to feel "opressed" by todays black youth is very strong too.

Indians are an interesting bag so far as i've seen. My dad used to have property on the Ojibwe reservation on Leech Lake Minnesota (You don't own it, but they give you a 99 year lease)- I spent many a summer there playing with kids named "John NestingEagle" and "William Fastcreek"- you get the point.

I am in no way a racial apologist.
The Indians there had some M-A-J-O-R social problems. If it weren't for the casino's they would have been living in the stone age like the Indians in the Dakotas. Either way, they were a good and honorable people. Sure- they had thier representative scum. And the young kids were 90% thieves... They wanted to strip the lakes of all the fish using modern equiptment- claiming "tribal rights" to ruin the places. And alcoholism was a huge problem (There is a reason that sterotype exists) But for the most part, they just wanted what was theirs.
They really weren't all too bad. Culturally, they were a very philosophical and introspective people. I have big time respect for them.

EFFE THE INDIANS!  How about a Hawaiian Appreciation Day???  Lol, i'm j/k.  I'm half Hawaiian but ALL AMERICAN!

I have many friends that are all-American, ready to serve their country, standing for the flag and National Athem, knowing the Pledge of Allegiance and what it means and are Indian, whether full-blooded or their great grandpa was one.  Those hippies need to grow some brain cells cause they're permafried.  Tell them if they feel so sorry for the Indians, to move back to Europe or Africa, or wherever it was they came from.
Indian is a background and a heritage, and most of them are patriotic and Americans.
I even have a friend that is full-blooded and he checks the box marked Other: and then writes American.
Ice

LOL, that's a good one....ILC.