With all the problems this country has they want to burden our legistartor's with this crap. Columbus was to important to this country to elimnate from our history's celebrations.

Stupid idea, sometimes tradition trumps the ideas of those who want to change traditions, maybe they should look into changing Christmas for honor Titanic Day.

Is it any wonder Columbus Day's "popularity has been decreasing over the years"? Liberal professors have been bashing him for decades. They are making him out to be a murderer, rather than the great hero he was! He worked for 14 years just to get an appointment with the queen of Spain to provide ships for him to explore the ocean. When others feared falling off the face of the earth if they sailed too far, he believed the earth was round, and set out to prove it. His tenacious courage and vision for scientific truth drove him forward, when others cowered in fear! If it hadn't been for Christopher Columbus, our world would be much different today! NO, I WILL NOT APPROVE OF ELIMINATING ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST HEROES FROM OUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY A HOLIDAY NAMED AFTER HIM!!

Thanks for your thoughts, but we have a bigger goal than just a federal holiday based around the idea of exploration, scientific research, creativity, and ingenuity. Our plan is to make something of it...like similar holidays...the kind of day that encourages children to spark their imaginations and expand their horizons. Inside, we are all explorers.

It would be the first federal holiday of its kind to not only celebrate the past, but what is possible for us in the future.

It's about optimism...and that is never a waste of time. - Karl

seriously? let's tackle the issues first. the folks in Washington have enough trouble focusing.

i agree with the comments. We have too many people interested in watering down any history and heritage we try to honor. I am tired of holidays being changed to fit in better with "Someone's" ideas and convienences. Try to celebrate life and change things like pollution and poverty so our world is better for everyone. Don't waste our time with this.

Here is a history channel episode on who really discovered America. It's not watering down of history...it's a raw and data-driven look at our continent's real history: It's disconcerting for some for sure...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzEWHG9iGI4

BTW, it was a liberal, FDR that made Columbus Day a holiday in the first place because of some heavy lobbying of Knights of Columbus...1939 I think was the year.

The idiots in Washington are not doing what they are paid to do already. Perhaps they can agree on something.

This is not a bad idea. Honor: Columbus, the Vikings, Lewis and Clark, Armstrong, Magellan, Marco Polo, and many others. If we extend this to scientists we can include Newton, Tesla, Galileo, Archimedes, Franklin and many others.

If handled correctly in our schools (a far stretch) children may get inspired to take up Math and Science.

The guy must hate Italians

The Vikings might have been the first to discover America, but there was no permanent settlement.
What sets Columbus apart from the rest is that permanent settlements were established.

What I think is funny how not once person even mentions the native americans that were already here.......But i guess they left that out of history class these days too. Such a shame to see my ancestors forgotten.

They watered down Lincoln and Washington's B-day so they could be politically correct and have MLK Day. This is just more of the same thing...Surprised he doesn't want to name it Obama Day....or is he waiting to get rid of the 4th of July for that?

I'm on board with "Exploration Day." Yes, Columbus was historically significant, and should be honored for his incredible efforts and achievements. AND, there are many, many others who fall in the "explorers" category for whom there are not enough days in the year to honor! And the idea of having this holiday "focus forward" is hugely important, to help motivate and encourage today's students (read: future explorers), and glorify ALL the outcomes -- past, present and future -- of intrepid exploration. GO EXPLOR(ERS?) DAY!

In South Dakota it is not called Columbus day but Native American day. As such we celebrate the culture and history of the Native Americans of the nation who are not recongise with their own holiday as the should be because of their long history and culture they have contributated to this great nation.

Leave the holiday as Columbus Day. He may or may not have been the first European to set foot on American soil, but he definitely was the first to irrefutably record the discovery and to enable the chain of events that gave rise to the United States. The Vikings didn't do that even though evidence suggests they had a short lived settlement here. There are also legends about Iberians, Irish monks, and even ancient Egyptians landing on these shores. But nothing came of it. Columbus was head and shoulders above all of these and he earned the recognition. Were it not for Columbus, our own history might have been very different.

Maybe it's semantics, but when we say Columbus "discovered" America, it means it's the first time the European Renaissance establishment was aware that there were lands in the world that were not on their maps. The native people knew they were there. LOL. It's not like the moon, where the government funded, built the rocket and trained the explorers, and chose who would go. This was Columbus' own idea and he had to get the funding from a skeptical monarchy, convince a crew it would work, and then risk his own reputation. And he ultimately didn't deliver what he promised. I guess the rest of his life was a dismal failure; don't take this one bit of posterity away from him.

Dr. Rod Wright on why the Time is Right to Establish an Exploration Day To Replace Columbus Day: - http://goo.gl/np0vd

Excerpt:

"National holidays are an event that all should celebrate — regardless of background or political beliefs. For better or worse, Columbus Day no longer has that characteristic.

A number of years ago, the people I worked with decided to trade Columbus Day, as a paid holiday off, for Veteran’s Day. Our demotion of Columbus Day was consistent with a national trend of paying less and less attention to that holiday as more and more states have removed Columbus Day as a paid holiday.

There are several reasons for this trend, some which are controversial. Without question, history has been unkind to Christopher Columbus. Certainly many Native Americans have found celebrating his life to romanticize and legitimize the history of genocide in our country. Also, many historians now paint a picture of Columbus that falls far short of type of person for whom a holiday should be named. It is not essential to delve into that history. Let’s just say that a national “Columbus Day” holiday has resulted just as much from Columbus’s just self-promotion as from his achievements.

Surely we can agree that holidays like Independence Day should unite rather than divide. Surely we can agree that a holiday that’s become a source of contention and declining observance should be redefined to something we all admire. A national Exploration Day does just that."

We are looking for Guest Bloggers at www.ExplorationDayUSA.org. While we are mostly looking for supporters, we may consider well articulated dissent as well.

If you are interest, just fill out the Contact Us Page at http://explorationdayusa.org/contact-us/ and put "Guest Blogger" in the headlines.

Read through some of what has already been posted to get an idea of what we are looking for.

Maybe we should change it too "there goes the neighborhood day"'

OK, folks, particularly on this day, it is important to remember WHY Columbus set out to find a new trade route......look it up.

Why should we honor and celebrate anyone who came to the americas to plunder loot and kill the native peoples. This is a holocaust that has been swept under the rug and no one recognizes We need to do away with Columbus Day And celebrate the victims of the conquistadores.

Then why do we have Cinco de Mayo day. It has nothing to do with American independance. Mexico doesn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

All i see is yet more polituical correctness coming,,this world, especially america is colaspsing right before our eyes due to political correctness , far left loonecy, and ego ,power hungry, evil intended, keep GOD out of america type thugery politisions like Obama and his cabinet of immoral cronies. We are about to undergo a near armagedden in america with economical disasters, and you want to change a holliday?? I weep for this country and what it has become, and mark my words GOD is about to show his mighty hand to us and the world. We are about to see a time of sorrows and a tribulation never before seen by human eyes. I pray it comes sooner rather than later ,just to prove to the world who really is in control. GOD be with us.

Columbus day is my BIRTHDAY. When I was a kid I could see the red letter on the date. DON'T SCREW WITH MY BIRTHDAY.

I compare this idea to Male Bovine Feces.

I once worked in a company that had a number of engineers who were predomiately German. they looked down on Italians and would always bring up their superiority. one day while at coffee break i brought up the fact that while their ancestors were in a cave eating with their hands we Romans (Italians) were seated at a table in our home eating with knife, fork and spoon.

Liberals with way to much free time on there hands summer breaks maybe..oh and genuis with-out colombus you would have been born a ???? certainly not an american...

THIS IS UNREAL BUT AGAIN WHY NOT JUST DO AWAY WITH IT ALL .why not change the name of MLK DAY to something like something for everyone who preached Peace Like Mother Theresa .

I agree with those who said that Columbus was no explorer of lands. He was an explorer of WEALTH. If you study history you will find that not only did he accidentally stumble upon South America but he certainly not the first. You will also learn that as a result of Columbus setting foot in the Americas, well over 1 MILLION Native Americans became victims of genocide that he was DIRECTLY responsible for. Additionally it was Columbus who FIRST established SLAVERY in South America along with the export of Native slaves to Europe. His governing of the territory was to supress and torture and was so bad even those he counted as friends testified to his cruelty. His own letters prove it as well. Having said all that I feel that for this country to celebrate a man such as Christopher Columbus, and for other individuals to support honoring that celebration is a the very least disgusting. Its the equivalent to having a Adolph Hitler day. Some can claim ignorance of the history but that is no excuse. If you're going to defend a position you should know the facts.

Lastly, while I think its a great idea to replace Columbus Day with ANYTHING else, I think it would be more appropriate to be renamed to honor the Native American People, who at the hand of the white man suffered a genocide that pales in comparison to the jewish holocost.

Correction I meant to say that the jewish holocost pales in comparision to the genocide inflicted by Columbus against the Native Ameriscans.

Just another attempt at political correctness-- take a nice, focused memorial celebration and turn it into some mish-mash of collective "inclusion" to make sure nobody's "hero" is "left out". Enough, please!

there they go the government trying to change the name of an important holiday LEAVE THINGS ALONE WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO

Columbus didn't discover American, the Native Americans were already here. Lets have a day to honor them!

The bottom line is that this is what we are all about: "We propose that Columbus Day be re-dedicated as Exploration Day, for the true American spirit is about achieving the impossible through exploration, scientific research, innovation and creativity. America continues to inspire the dreamers, the courageous, the adventurers and the resolute to reach farther, to build greater and to strive to make America that more perfect union."

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/rededicate-columbus-day-exploration-day/Z608fK5N

We wlll be live on the Big 550 this morning at 7:50am with McGraw Millhaven:

If you would like to listen online: http://www.ktrs.com/listen-now

Media Updates:

Here is the audio from the Big 550 with McGraw Millhaven. Click on Audio and then "Karl Frank and Tom Diehl." http://www.ktrs.com/shows/weekdays/the-mcgraw-show#

And Fraser Cain of Universetoday.com endorsed our efforts as well. He indicates he may write an article in support. http://explorationdayusa.org/2012/09/13/fraser-cain-from-universetoday-com-plugs-exploration-day-efforts/

No one cares.

Tom Diehl and I were on St. Louis on the Air Today with Don Marsh 90.7FM

You can listen to the audio here: http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/city-museum-co-founder-gail-cassilly-exploration-day

Too much time on their hands, apparently. Come on guys. if you want to do something constructive, bring Oakville a nice upscale restaurant so we don't have to ride out to West County to have a nice evening. Glass Olive was a breathe of fresh air.