A Brief Post for Presidents Day
Today is Presidents Day. It’s a holiday for many, and just another workday for others. Thank them when you shop, go out for a meal, or find yourself in need of health care.
Presidents' Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1879, in honor of George Washington's birthday. Initially, it was observed on February 22, Washington’s actual birthday until 1971 when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the holiday to the third Monday of February to provide workers with more three-day weekends. Over time, the holiday evolved to honor not just Washington but also Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is on February 12, and eventually all U.S. presidents.
Since its founding, our nation has had a number of honorable, courageous, and trustworthy men (yes, only men so far) who have led our nation through times of peace, war, economic depression, civil and social unrest, natural disasters, terrorist threats, and more. They have taken their oath to uphold the constitution and to work in the public interest seriously.
With this historical perspective, I welcome the holiday. But I am hard pressed to honor our current President. In just these first few weeks of his current administration, Mr. Trump has delivered the shock and awe he promised. We have cited and discussed much of this chaos here on SciLight – here, here, here, here, here, here. I leave it to you to decide if his actions have been in the public interest. But I have no doubt that Co-President Musk and other plutocrats have a lot to be thankful for on this Presidents Day.
We the People
We the people are the gatekeepers of our precious democracy, and it is in a fragile state. We must not take it for granted. And every day counts. As K. Starling says in their We the People Dissent post yesterday: “No One is Coming. We must save ourselves—we are the answer.” Reading it gave me hope, resolve, and energy. Take a moment and read it yourself. I’m especially looking forward to more details about plans for an economic blackout. Now that’s something that could really garner some high-level attention, as it could hit them where it hurts.
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Can you share more about the economic blackout? The file is unavailable.
I would be interested to know which presidents were honorable, courageous, and trustworthy men. As I have continued to deconstruct American propaganda and learn the real history of the United States I have been under the impression that there have been none. The United States was founded on an indigenous genocide and a black holocaust that some argue is still going on today. The government has always represented capital interests of an elite few. I struggle to find a president that truly looked out for the interests of the people. My belief is that we should remove capital interests from the bodies that govern us and implement humane systems. Public interests should take precedence over private interests. Individuals should not be allowed to hoard resources and power. Too many people are suffering so a few can live like kings. We, the people, can not allow this to continue.