Columbus Day - Should We Still Celebrate?

Columbus Day - the second Monday of October - is a very controversial subject.  I am not really on either side of the issue when it comes to this holiday, but I do understand why people think and feel how they do about it.  On one hand, Mr. Columbus inadvertently put into motion the events that would create what many people consider to be the greatest nation on Earth.  Although Christopher Columbus wasn't the first person in the world to step foot on the North America continent, he did teach the Eastern world a lot of things.  For one thing, he proved that the world was not, in fact, flat.  Although this seems monumentally stupid that people would ever think this, it was the normal way of thinking at the time and he eventually proved that the world was a sphere and not a cube or flat plane.

However, Chris Columbus also caused countless people to be hurt and killed throughout the years after his so-called discovery.  In fact, the Europeans that came over and started to inhabit what is now known as North America pretty much ruined the entire continent for people who were already over here.  Not only did the Euros rip off the Native Americans and eventually steal all their land, but they didn't seem to care at all about the lives of those who lived in this vast land.  Especially after we know how large the United States and North America as a whole turned out to be, it seems like we could have all learned to live in peace and help each other out instead of mostly killing off the Native Americans across the US.

So should we still celebrate this holiday like we do Independence Day and President's Day?  Well if you live in my state, then that question isn't as easy as it is for most other people.  That is because Nevada does not officially celebrate the holiday at all - most state offices don't take the day off or celebrate Columbus Day at all.  However many government offices still do take the day off and it causes havoc all around.  I wish the state would just make up their mind whether to take the day off or not.  I have been inconvenienced personally today and this week in general in a way that I wish could have been averted.  But, since this is still a federal holiday and therefore such services as mail delivery has been stopped while other things such as my local library was open.  So I could go check out a book on Columbus but not get my daily mail delivery.

Anyways, what are your ideas on the subject?  Should we continue to celebrate Columbus Day?  Or does Nevada have the right idea?  Let me know in the comments section of this page.  Thanks and Happy Columbus Day!