I'm in New England for a few weeks on business, and I noticed something in the television commercials: mention of Washington's Birthday (these were Toyota commercials, and I don't recall hearing the term in El Paso).
Today's holiday is generally referred to as President's Day, something I've long thought one of those Richard Nixon-created monstrosities, along with SALT I and II, the EPA, wage and price controls, and whatnot. But things are not always what they seem, and I read this in John Miller's comment (he's quoting Matthew Spalding of the Heritage Foundation on The Corner:
The third Monday in February has come to be known - wrongly - as President's Day. ... Although it was celebrated as early as 1778, and by the early 19th century was second only to the Fourth of July as a patriotic holiday, Congress did not officially recognize Washington's Birthday as a national holiday until 1870. The Monday Holiday Law in 1968--applied to executive branch departments and agencies by Richard Nixon's Executive Order 11582 in 1971--moved the holiday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Section 6103 of Title 5, United States Code, currently designates that legal federal holiday as "Washington's Birthday." Contrary to popular opinion, no action by Congress or order by any President has changed "Washington's Birthday" to "President's Day."
Several times, legislators have introduced legislation to direct all federal government entities to refer to the holiday as George Washington's Birthday. Better yet: the President could issue an executive order that, in one stroke of the pen, would not only enforce the law, but also remind all Americans that this George W - George Washington, that is - still deserves to be "first in the hearts of his countrymen."
I have been reading Sparrowhawk. Its a series of novels dramatizing the American Revolution. I am currently reading the book about the passage of the Stamp Act and the Viriginians opposition to it. Wow. Anyway, Washington is there and he is so totally awesome. Everyone is in awe of him and rightfully so. According to the book, he didnt speak much but when he did oh boy watch out. And he was known to get VERY passionately angry at the mention of curtailing liberty in anyway. He was very fond of that liberty. I suspect he would have challenged all our worst presidents to a duel for ruining the liberty he fought for, and of course, he would have won.
He is described as a very large man. Not fat but large in stature and mind.
He was a hero.
He was a great president.
Posted by: Marnee at February 20, 2006 11:27 AMYep. Indispensable.
Posted by: Craig at February 25, 2006 09:09 PM