Disrespecting George W

This article is not about the incessant attacks being waged on President George W. Bush. The liberals everywhere love to hate and beat up on President Bush. Some disenchanted Bush voters are joining this Bush-Bash-Bandwagon as well. No, this article is about the on-going desire to minimize the importance of one of the key founders of this nation, George Washington.

February 22nd is President Washington’s actual birthday. This is the day we should celebrate, commemorate it. Lumping and honoring the generic “Presidents” Day does a disservice to the truly great and elevates the weak wholly ineffective one-term “wonders”, such as Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, far too high. I support the bill that Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, who will reintroduce his "Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act," H.R. 75, on the 275th Anniversary of Washington's Birth on February 22, 1732 this week. This legislation will force the federal government to return honor to George Washington on HIS federal holiday that is being celebrated today.

Roberta Combs of the Christian Coalition in a recent Action Alert email quotes Congressman Roscoe, "A generic Presidents' Day diminishes the accomplishments of America's greatest Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, while rewarding the mediocrity of others," said Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-6-MD) explaining why he has reintroduced his legislation, the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act, H.R. 75, to restore recognition of the federal holiday that will be observed on Monday, February 19, 2007 by its legal name, Washington's Birthday. February 22, 2007 is the 275th anniversary of George Washington's birth. There has never been a President's Day federal holiday!"

“The big lie of Presidents' Day stems from the 1968 law which shifted the observance of most federal holidays to Mondays," said Congressman Bartlett. "George Washington's birthday was one of the original federal holidays, but it is no longer observed on his actual birthday. . . "

“Finally, Congressman Bartlett said, “There would be no Declaration of Independence, no United States of America, no Constitution, and no Presidency at all without George Washington. He is also the only President elected unanimously, not once, but twice. . . . Presidents' Day is a historical myth that is more damaging because it eliminates Washington's indispensable greatness from our conversations, news stories and school lessons about this federal holiday. H.R. 75 would help correct this ongoing historic mistake."”

Kathleen Parker, a Washing Post writer, in an article titled, “Schools No Longer Interested in George Washington” reinforces the need for Congressman Roscoe’s bill. She writes, “Once ubiquitous in American classrooms, Washington's portrait has all but disappeared from schools. When Bill Sanders, a New Jersey businessman, noticed the first president was missing from his daughter's classroom, he set out to correct the oversight and started a project called Portraits of Patriots.

“He began producing high-quality prints of Washington from an 1862 engraving based on Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait . . . also lobbied for state legislation proposing that at least one Washington portrait be placed in each school district.
“Although a bill passed the House several years ago, it died in a Senate committee after the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) objected. Nancy Volte, spokeswoman for the NJEA, summed up the general sentiment to USA Today:

“``Requiring legislation to honor one person does a disservice to many individuals,'' she said. ``There are so many others who were also instrumental in securing our country's freedom.''

“Maybe so, but only one person was the first president of the United States. Only one man was Gen. George Washington, who led American troops in the decisive battle of the revolution.

“Such silly sensitivity has displaced intellectual honesty in American education. We've produced a generation with no sense of national identity and little connection to the nation's collective memory.

“In the process, we've traded life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for fat, dumb and happy.”

This bill many not be as critical and fundamental as either the Life at Conception Act or the Marriage Protection Act. Yet it is symbolic of the need to return to our roots. It is symbolic of the need to begin to turn back the near100 year liberal tide, which is a tsunami-like wave wrecking America – our history, our traditions, our principles and our values.

TAKE ACTION

Contact your Congressman at 202-225-3121 or you can go to here (to email your Representative http://www.cc.org/contactcongress.cfm and urge him or her to co-sponsor Congressman Bartlett's bill, H.R. 75, the "Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act."