Have questions? Contact Me Here Don't Tear Down Columbus, Build a Better America As we celebrate Columbus Day today, I want to share with you a special message. We should not tear down Columbus, we should work to build a better America. Columbus’ bold and daring journey initiated the founding of our Nation. He changed the world and opened the door for opportunities in our land of promise. Let’s learn from our history. I hope you will take a few minutes to read my reflections below and share your thoughts with me! History is our collective memory – it is the sum of our experiences whether they be triumphs or tragedies, common or extraordinary. We cannot control the events of the past any more than we can blot out the sun or drain the oceans. To pretend otherwise is more than folly, it is disastrous for our future. But that does not mean we must endorse the past as wholly good or ill. It was lived by imperfect beings, just like we are -– frail and fallen. They achieved great things and committed terrible offenses. Now a strange hubris has descended on a segment of our American society – that they are the ultimate arbiter of truth, righteousness, and justice. All those who fall short of their recently discovered but unquestionably pure virtues must be stricken down. A movement has been afoot across America to topple the statues of Christopher Columbus for his perceived crimes against the Caribbean’s indigenous people. Absurdly, the wreckers accuse the explorer of “massacring” 100 million natives. Putting aside that wildly inaccurate population figure, Columbus and his crews were not responsible for the crimes of subsequent conquerors and settlers, let alone the diseases which were the real root of much of the suffering of the New World inhabitants. Facts seem to be no bother to the “history eaters” who devour the heritage and legacy of others as if completely meaningless. Columbus’ dangerous and daring journey opened up the New World and laid the groundwork for the founding of our great country – the only nation ever founded on the idea that liberty and equality are human birthrights from God. We have not always lived up to that high-minded ideal but we continue to strive toward “a more perfect Union” because we recognize our faults – we do not ignore them. And that is what the pursuit of historical truth requires – that the good, the bad, and the ugly be laid bare and we seek to do better. Communities that have erected a monument to Columbus are not blind to his faults but refuse to judge him only by his sins. The regions of New York State I represent have among the largest concentrations of Italian-Americans in the country. They are rightly proud of a man of their venerable heritage who changed the world and opened the door for their ancestors and their own opportunities in our land of promise. The French statesman Alexis de Tocqueville famously wrote, “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” To do that, we should remember that those who want to force us to forget leave no room for the wisdom of the past to shine through or the revisions of the future to be written. They might heed the humility of the philosopher Socrates, who observed, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” That they might not have the full, immutable truth in their grasp is lost on them. So, they destroy – without hesitation and without self-reflection. As Americans, we should live up to our charge – and make our nation more just and free. The plight of Native Americans – who these erasers claim to speak for – is one place where I have devoted a substantial amount of my time and free legal skills to make a difference in the now. I have advocated for a full-blooded Oneida Indian tribal leader for nearly two decades to secure his family’s ancestral Treaty land against the eviction by corrupt casino interests. Disabled and choosing to live modestly, the fate of millions like Melvin Phillips is often forgotten by the powerful and the supposed “social justice warriors.” Mr. Phillips seeks to honor and preserve the land and culture of his ancestors from powerful and wealthy Native interests who seek to cancel their noble history. I ask them – before they throw paint or hack at a century-old statue with a pick-axe – why don’t they build up instead of destroy? Help others who do not have power or privilege to realize the promise of this country. Killing Columbus is simply erasing our imperfect history, instead we should be writing the next chapter in bold colors. Our country is not perfect, but we should earnestly strive to be better each day. ### ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. Tenney | 1410 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]