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It's Washington's Birthday, Not Presidents' Day
Heritage.org ^ | February 16, 2009 | Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.

Posted on 02/19/2012 7:50:11 AM PST by Daffynition

February 22 is the birthday of George Washington -- the man who, more than any other, made possible our republican form of government.

The third Monday in February has come to be known, wrongly, as President's Day. America's political leaders should take this occasion to remember Washington's deeds, recollect his advice, and again call the holiday celebrating him by its legal name: Washington's Birthday.

Washington biographer James Flexner called him the "indispensable man" of the American Founding. Without Washington, America would never have won our War of Independence. He played the central role in the Constitutional Convention and set the precedents that define what it means to be a constitutional executive: strong and energetic, aware of the limits of authority but guarding the prerogatives of office.

(Excerpt) Read more at heritage.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: abrahamlincoln; georgewashington; greatestpresidents
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To: CatherineofAragon

Or as the NAACP says on Jan 15:

“We’ve had many presidents but only one King”

Puke..........


21 posted on 02/19/2012 9:43:07 AM PST by nascarnation (DEFEAT BARAQ 2012 DEPORT BARAQ 2013)
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To: nascarnation

You know, a few years ago I was watching my local news on MLK day, and a black civil-rights leader actually called King “savior.”


22 posted on 02/19/2012 9:46:25 AM PST by CatherineofAragon (I can haz Romney's defeat?)
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To: CatherineofAragon

The ironic part is that although King was a philandering commie, he was a far better person than Baraq.


23 posted on 02/19/2012 9:50:07 AM PST by nascarnation (DEFEAT BARAQ 2012 DEPORT BARAQ 2013)
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To: Daffynition

We studied George Washington in my public school, but we used his full name “George Washington Carver.”


24 posted on 02/19/2012 9:53:24 AM PST by UnwashedPeasant (Don't nuke me, bro)
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To: sanjuanbob

“Christmas?”

was it renamed to “Jesus of Nazareth day” and i missed it?


25 posted on 02/19/2012 9:56:49 AM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: Anima Mundi
I want one of two things. Either I want to change Presidents’ Day to Washington Day OR I want to change MLK Day to Civil Rights Day (or some such inclusive name to include others who did similar work). If there is to be only ONE day honoring a specific person then it should be the first President of the country I’d think. Changing the names of things may seem small, but it is the way that the whole culture has been tweaked, drip by drip.

i would agree completely

26 posted on 02/19/2012 9:58:16 AM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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To: CatherineofAragon
"No need to be sorry-—I agree with everything you said."

Thank you. I was only apologizing for the rant.

"Kids today are also not taught, and have no idea, that the Founders by and large abhorred slavery, but they understood that they would never have a unified nation AT THAT POINT if they abolished slavery there and then. In other words, it was a choice of having an imperfect nation or none at all. However, they acted to curtail it as much as they could."

Yes, those of us who have read the Constitutional debates know that many of the Founders wanted to include that in early drafts. Unfortunately, others were still locked into the ways of the time. Still, those exceptional men of conscience gave us a way to amend our societal compact, and so we did and to the betterment of the world.

27 posted on 02/19/2012 10:08:29 AM PST by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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To: A Navy Vet

Yes. Today I see no men of that caliber in the public eye, so it infuriates and pains me to hear our Founders slandered.


28 posted on 02/19/2012 10:20:41 AM PST by CatherineofAragon (I can haz Romney's defeat?)
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To: nascarnation

No doubt. There’s a dead skunk in the road near here-—I’m sure it had better character than Obama.


29 posted on 02/19/2012 10:22:42 AM PST by CatherineofAragon (I can haz Romney's defeat?)
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To: CatherineofAragon
"Someone should ask them how they feel about the current-day issue of slavery in the Sudan."

NO one knows that is going on there - thank you MSM and State Department. If there's any reason for the US to get involved for humanitarian reasons, that would be it, not to mention the past with Rwanda.

It's like the feminists ignore the atrocity of girls/women experiencing genital mutilation. Where are they? I find that to be one of the most horrific actions taking place in the world today. Killing in civil wars is one thing - we all die, but the deliberate painful mutilation and living with the mental scarring in the name of religion is beyond my capability of understanding.

But let's be so PC and understanding of the Religion of Peace. I would have no problem with them all dying today. Like I said, we all die. Think how better the world be if they simply didn't exist - no more mass murders; mutilation; women as cattle; threats of nuclear terror/explosions, etc. Again, off topic.

30 posted on 02/19/2012 10:36:09 AM PST by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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Tired of the disruptions?


31 posted on 02/19/2012 10:53:06 AM PST by RedMDer (Forward With Confidence!)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
"I always have to laugh that the Board of Education in New Orleans changed the name of George Washington School. They decided that they didn’t want a school named after someone who owned slaves. They re-named the school after some obscure African king. This supposedly helped boost the self-esteem of the black students who attend the school."

Pathetic.

"New Orleans has some of the worst public school achievement in the country. But the Board of Education doesn’t want to spend time on that matter. They want to make sure they make their political statement in naming a school."

Big surprise with the entitlement attitude New Orleans has. They couldn't even bother to get the hell out of town with a major disaster bearing down on them (Katrina), not to mention their historically pathetic and corrupt leadership.

I spent 3 weeks in NO during Navy recruiting school, and I was surprised to find how lazy and slow and uncaring the service was EVERY place I went.

Everyone thinks NO is so cool with their laid back mindset and party just because it's Tuesday. Yes, it has its history, but the general attitude is of "gimme". I made the mistake going back the next year for Mardi Gras after I got out of Navy...same lousy service and same f**k you mentality if you weren't a resident.

Screw New Orleans. Gawd knows, they screwed Texas for taking them in after Katrina. The Houston crime rate sky-rocketed from those miserable leaches. Many still don't want to go back because of getting a free ride in Texas.

32 posted on 02/19/2012 11:09:59 AM PST by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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To: Daffynition

I’m with you. Eliminating Washington’s birthday celebrations was just one step in the destruction of our republic, which, since they did that, has proceeded with alacrity.


33 posted on 02/19/2012 11:31:06 AM PST by RoadTest (There is one god, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.)
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To: Daffynition

I think people are missing the point here: the way Washington’s Birthday (and Lincoln’s birtheay) both of which were celebrated when I was a schoolchild, morphed into the nonsense known as “President’s Day” was when Everett Dirksen, Rep. Senate Minority Leader, decided that the restaurants and resorts needed another three day weekend (who knows if there were “contributions” involved. Out went our hisotry and our honored leaders, in came that we are now celebrating Jimmy Carter’s and Lyndon Johnson’s day (ugh!) as well as Washington’s and Lincoln’s. It will always be Washington’s brithday in this house.


34 posted on 02/19/2012 11:42:01 AM PST by laconic
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To: Sacajaweau
School districts/teachers are paid for approx 180 days [depending on your state laws or district.]

In a large urban city here, teachers used to be obliged to work/be paid for 180 days. The AFT union capitulated in negotiations and teachers now work 185 days, without commensurate pay for those five added days to the school year.

If you don't like the law in your state...work to get it changed. :)


35 posted on 02/19/2012 3:40:34 PM PST by Daffynition (Our forefathers would be shooting by now.)
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To: A Navy Vet; CatherineofAragon; savagesusie
Rep. Frank Wolf is fighting to have Washington's birthday switched back.

"We need to change the focus from celebrating sales at the mall to celebrating the significance of Washington’s birth to the birth of our nation."

"Today many states, the media, advertisers and the general public have abandoned recognition of Washington’s Birthday and replaced it with a commercial ‘shopping holiday’ that leaves American history and patriotism by the side of the road. The holiday was far more meaningful when it revolved around George Washington, and schools were able to focus on his sterling example of character and leadership. We look forward to the day, when once again, February 22 is marked by patriotic festivities and lessons about the life of George Washington, which can teach and inspire American leaders of today and tomorrow."

36 posted on 02/19/2012 3:50:40 PM PST by Daffynition (Our forefathers would be shooting by now.)
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To: Daffynition
Yes indeed!

Lincoln should have his own birthday honored as well.

37 posted on 02/19/2012 5:44:18 PM PST by fortheDeclaration (All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Burke)
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To: fortheDeclaration

38 posted on 02/19/2012 8:27:36 PM PST by Daffynition (Our forefathers would be shooting by now.)
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To: RoadTest
Where are our leaders with spine?


39 posted on 02/20/2012 12:14:06 AM PST by Daffynition (Our forefathers would be shooting by now.)
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To: Daffynition
"We need to change the focus from celebrating sales at the mall to celebrating the significance of Washington’s birth to the birth of our nation."

Good luck with that ever happening. Liberal acadamia and pop culture has pretty much drummed that out of our childrens' minds.

40 posted on 02/20/2012 12:22:14 AM PST by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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