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There is a famous poem, “First They Came”– By Pastor Martin Niemoller.
Niemoller was a pastor and started off as an antisemitic Nazi supporter who changed his views once he was imprisoned in a concentration camp for speaking out against Nazi control of churches.
His experience inspired his poem that signified the importance of speaking out. It is a lesson that is as valid today as it is ever. The power of his poem can be reduced to the lesson that as humans, no one should be singled out and that we all deserve attention. As Americans, our voice and our opinions are protected under our Constitution and our service men and women serve to defend those freedoms.
With antisemitism on the rise and Jews being singled out especially since the brutal October 7th Hamas attack, you can see this divisive method for eroding our nation’s history is being used in the public school system right here in Stamford, Connecticut. In January, by a 5 to 3 vote, the Stamford Board of Education voted to remove Veterans Day and Columbus Day from the list of school holidays. This has sent both the Italian American and Veterans communities of Stamford, and the rest of Connecticut, up in arms.
A peaceful assembly happened last night at the Stamford Government Center with about 150 supporters, mostly Italian Americans and Veterans. Also present were Dr. Al Fusco and Attorney John Cassone, members of the Stamford Chapter of UNICO, which calls itself “The Largest Italian American Service Organization in the USA.” Other UNICO members were present, along with members of the local Stamford Republicans and State Senator Ryan Fazio and State Rep. Tom O’Dea.
I, Dr. Michael Goldstein, attended as well, as this is an important issue to me. In my last run for Congress, I am grateful to have received tremendous support from Italian Americans and our Veterans (and maybe some Italian American Veterans) when I was petitioning to get on the ballot. My whole campaign team spent considerable time visiting VFWs and our veterans, the lucky soldiers who make it home after defending our Constitution and our way of life. Veterans Day is a clear reminder that freedom is not free.
To see Veterans rise to salute the flag last night at the Pledge of Allegiance was a sight to behold. It always carries more meaning when Veterans are present because they walked the walk, and defended the flag and our Constitution. Meanwhile, progressives seem to think Old Glory can be a symbol of oppression. These same progressives are likely behind the rise in antisemitism and hate speech currently propagating throughout college campuses.
Stamford RTC Chairman Joe Andreana, Jr. addressed the BOE Panel. He explained that the significance of Columbus Day was about inclusion after 11 Italian Americans were lynched. He discussed the curriculum and the need for Veterans and Italian Americans to have been included in that decision, but more importantly that the BOE should focus on the curriculum and work on improving abysmal test scores, instead of removing inclusive holidays. He concluded his speech by standing up, putting his hand on his chest, and once again supporting America.
Congressman Jim Himes, along with most of our elected representatives on a state and federal level, have declined to take a stand against this cancel culture. It has already happened to the Jews, the Italians, the Veterans. You might be next if you do not speak up for yourself and elect politicians who serve the citizens who elected them.
Columbus was the one who discovered America. Over the past few years, the attempts to remove him from our history and change the holiday to Indigenous People’s Day is absurd. To erode memories of the historical challenges that Italians faced when they came to this country long after Columbus is now also at risk to cancel culture.
To remove Columbus Day and Veterans Day is simply a way to erase our history.
Whether you think our history is good or bad, you can't just erase it, or else you might end up repeating it.
The poem that Niemoller wrote is here:
The fact that you think you can elicit the emotions of the Holocaust to make a point about kids needing a day off from school, I will never, ever vote for you and will actively donate to any campaign against you.
As a kid, I'd love a day off from school to do nothing. If you cared about these holidays, wouldn't it be better these kids be in school and learn what they stand for and why they're important?
Why is it that whenever anyone mentions the Holocaust, the general reaction from the left is "how dare you"? Forget your history, and you're doomed to repeat it....but it didn't happen, right? BTW, if you really think Veterans Day has no importance, you're brainwashed. Tell that to my HS friend, who lost a leg during military service in the Middle East. This is a matter of respect.