A Day Off...

 

 

"A day off to lie around on the beach. Hold on! It is the middle of January!"

 

 

As I was waking up this morning watching the latest Chris Christie scandal, a mere mention was made that this was a national holiday. The news person paused from the main story for a minute to go over what was open and what was closed. What is closed you might ask? Other than schools and all forms of government, not much.

 

Now I have no real objection to MLK day. He was a great man. An American hero. However, our history is replete with other heroes whose birthday's go unrecognized. How about a day for John Adams? Ben Franklin? Nathan Hale? What about a day recognizing the signing of the Declaration of Independence? For those who signed it, it could have been like signing their own death sentence.

 

When I worked as a defense contractor, it aggravated me that every year on November 11th, I, along with my co-workers, would come to work and have no customers to deal with. Veterans Day was observed as a Federal holiday. Everybody in the government got the day off, veteran or not. The people I worked with, many of whom were veterans, did not receive that honor for their service. It was simply another day.

 

If I ruled the world, if there was ANY day kids should have the day off of school, it should be Veterans Day. Why? If not for the sacrifice that many veterans made, in particular World War II, we would have no free schools. In the 1940's, American fighting men and women saved the world. That is an immutable fact. If we had not won World War II, our kids would be "goose stepping", or something worse. If we lost the war, children which the state did not consider "pure or "perfect", might be put in a detention camp or taken out and shot.

 

So I will enjoy my day off. Just kidding - I am retired so every day is a "day off". Dr. King was a great man and should be honored as such. Was he greater than the great men that came before him? That is, and will be, up for debate.