February 21, 2012--Presidents' Day

An friend yesterday was grumbling about holidays. He's a curmudgeony type who enjoys being politically incorrect.

"Whatever happened to Washington's Day?" he asked.

"I'm not following you," I said.

"It used to exist," Ralph said, "It was always February 22nd."

Rona said, "They rolled Lincoln's Birthday and Washington's Day into a single holiday and now call it Presidents' Day."

"To honor both of them," I added.

"But," he said, "the holiday now is to celebrate the lives of all the presidents. All 44 of them. You're looking at me skeptically," we were, "because of the all presidents part so when you get home look it up and you'll see I'm right."

Which we did and yes he was. From Wiki I read--

Presidents' Day, celebrated each year on the third Monday in February, is a day when Americans honor the legacies of the U.S. presidents. The holiday was established in 1800, when Congress declared February 22–-George Washington's birthday-–a federal holiday. Still legally known as Washington's Birthday, Presidents' Day has become a day to honor not only Washington, but Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president who was born on February 12, and the lives and accomplishments of all U.S. presidents.

So when I saw Ralph this morning and reported out to him, he smiled, feeling good about himself. "Read it to me again," he requested. After I did, he said, "I find this very confusing." As the other morning I again looked at him skeptically. "It's 'still legally known as Washington's Birthday' but they call it Presidents' Day?"

"I agree. It's very confusing."

"And how did Washington's Birthday get turned into celebrating 'the lives and accomplishments of all U.S. presidents?'"

"Another good question," Rona agreed.

"Does this include President Andrew Johnson," I asked, "who became president after Lincoln was murdered and who was such a racist that he proceeded to roll back the gains of Reconstruction?"

"And what about Herbert Hoover," Rona wondered. "Isn't he the one who presided over the Great Depression? I'm not sure I want to celebrate his 'accomplishments.'"

"The list of lousy presidents is quit long," Ralph said. "And if it includes our current president, count me out. And while we're at it," he is not the strongest civil-rights-orientated person in the area, "what's the story with Martin Luther King Day? Does he deserve a holiday of his own when we eliminated Washington's? And, of course, as far as I'm concerned, even if our first president still had a day of his own, I wouldn't . . ."

I cut him off not wanting to give him the opportunity to go on about Obama and King. "You're making a few good points--just a few--and I don't want to . . ."

He smiled at me. "I know what you're thinking. And you're right!"

On the way home Rona continued to think about holidays. "I bet they eliminated Lincoln's Birthday because a lot of people in the South were unhappy celebrating the birthday of the president who they feel launched what some call 'The War of Northern Aggression.'"

"Could be."

"But I'm with Ralph about not having any holiday honoring presidents. Even the good ones like Washington. We're not a monarchy here and we shouldn't see presidents in the same way as we honor the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's a holiday everyone can agree about."

"I'll bet even Ralph likes July 4th."

"I'm not sure about even that. He's so grouchy. But if we have to have a holiday honoring significant historical figures I'd prefer to have a Founders' Day. That way we could honor Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, among others, who never became president. They're more important than President Calvin Coolidge. And if we have holidays to honor leaders from different ethnic groups, in addition to one for Martin Luther King, shouldn't there be one for Hispanic?"

"Or a woman?"

"There's already one that's a twofer--Columbus Day, which Italians see as their own holiday."

"Should there be a Gay Day? Ralph's gay so what do you think he'd say about that?"

"He'd probably be against that one too."

By the way, how did Labor Day manage to slip in?

"Why and how did Armistice Day became Veterans' Day."

"What does Memorial Day memorialize other than the unofficial first day of summer?"

"It used to be Decoration Day and was to honor the Union soldiers who died during the Civil War."

"But not Confederate soldiers?"

"That's why they changed the name and also who is honored."

"All soldiers who died in combat?"

"Exactly."

"Then there are Mother's and Father's Days."

"For which we don't get the day off."

"I think I'd vote for a national Parents' Day holiday."

"But that leaves out folks like us who don't have children."

"And why is Christmas a federal holiday? What about the separation of church and state?"

"It's all very confusing."

"And probably very political."

"We'll see what Ralph thinks."

"Knowing him, he'd problem be happy if all holidays are eliminated."