Posted on 02/21/2005 8:29:25 AM PST by metalmanx2j
WASHINGTON — It took George Washington (search) less time to win the Revolutionary War (search) than it has taken Rep. Roscoe Bartlett to win passage of a bill to make the government again call Presidents' Day by its legal name — Washington's Birthday.
But the Maryland Republican is not giving up. Bartlett (search), who first tackled the issue in 1999, has reintroduced the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act (search).
It would require that all federal government officials and entities refer to the holiday exclusively as "Washington's Birthday," and require that the first president's name be used in any publication about the holiday "funded in whole or in part by federal funds."
The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Frank Wolf (search), R-Va., would also require that Congress ask for a presidential proclamation honoring Abraham Lincoln's birthday every year and encouraging "appropriate ceremonies and activities" by the public.
"A generic Presidents' Day diminishes the accomplishments of America's greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, while rewarding the mediocrity of others," Bartlett said in a statement.
Bartlett said Washington's name and image have been diluted by advertisers and others who call the holiday "Presidents' Day."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I wish they would just go back to separate holidays for Lincoln and Washington, and drop the MLK Day joke.
Thats cool. Bring on a Washington's birthday holiday and a Lincoln's birthday holiday. It means more days off maybe :)
President Nixon (I believe) wrote a proclamation that today America would celebrate all of the Presidents, but it had no legal force behind it, so the day remains Washington's Birthday.
Better yet, make it ONLY Washington's BDay and drop Lincoln's as well. Speaking of jokes.....he was NOT nearly the president OR THE MAN that Washington was. Over-rated, just like Roosevelt. They both get accolades for using the force of government and growing the government besides. Washington would have been disgusted.
Yes let's celebrate Washington and James Buchanan on the same day! /sarcasm
Washington's Birthday bump.
Considering what Washington's response was to a small mob of Pennsylvania backwoods farmers who started a rebellion, I shutter to think what he would have done to the Confederacy.
Agreed.. Washington did not take any crap from no one..
There was no question who the boss was.
The Whiskey Rebellion where they simply wanted to get away w/o taxes after being part of a democratically elected government which went along w/that - and were indeed a MOB violating others' rights? They were not the same as the earlier rebels who were not represented in Britain. Nor were they the same as the rebels who decided they wanted to leave - EXACTLY AS THE REVWAR REBELS DID - and should have been let to.
Give me a break. The Civil War was a travesty, never mind a tragedy.
Washington would have let them do what they wanted - Founders believed very much in the principle of secession. After all, it is the same basic thing as you exporting yourself and emigrating. There are no walls and guns to stop you.
FYI, my son's college was closed Jan 17 for MLK day, but classes are being held today. I intend to send the college a polite e-mail asking for an explanation.
Before conferring on the Confederates of 1860 the same distinction as the Patriots of 1776, you may want to brush up on the concepts of Natural Law, The Right to Revolution, and understand why the Patriots of 76 took the time to commit their reasons, rational, and willingness to suffer the consequences of failure down on paper and sign their names to it, and why the Confederates did not.
The Whiskey Rebellion was a bunch of folks who didn't want to pay a tax that had been lawfully enacted. The Confederates didn't accept the results of a perfectly legitimate national election. Different issues, same philosophy.
Washington would have stomped them like a bug!
Yeah good point. Wonder what would have happened? Oh well, Lincoln was THE MAN as far as I'm concerned...and maybe I'm some damned Yankee, but I love the South better than the North anyways. So, no hating please. The North is a lost cause...except Indiana!
I guess we haven't stamped out all the "pro-Confederacy" lunatics yet.
If they do have Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays as a single holiday, they should also add another February presidential birthday: Ronald Reagan.
I would go along with a Ronald Reagan Birthday holiday, as long as we could get rid of MLK day.
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