Local School District Cancels Veterans Day

[Cryozombie]

<sarcasm> I love Illinois SO much. <3 <3 <3 </sarcasm>

CARPENTERSVILLE -- Students in Community Unit School District 300 will attend classes on Veteran's Day beginning this fall.
The board of education approved a state-mandated waiver to hold classes on Nov. 11 on Monday after several veterans voiced support for keeping students in school on the holiday. Board members wanted to hold classes on Veteran's Day to increase student attendance days in November.
"So many (students) stay in and watch TV or do nothing to honor the significance of Veteran's Day," Superintendent Ken Arndt said. "We really can make a very powerful statement in our communities."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/...District-will-hold-classes-Veteran-s-.article

Jay Leno Chimed in about this as well.

Here's my thing... So kids need to go to school on Veterans Day cuz instead of honoring Veterans they will be playing Guitar Hero? Ok. Fine. What about Martin Luther King Day... will they be Honoring Mr King, or Playing Guitar Hero? Casimir Pulaski day? Honoring Pulaski, or Playing Guitar Hero? Christmas? Honoring Christ, or Playing Guitar Hero? Thanksgiving? Giving Thanks, or... well, you get my freakin point.

And don't let the "Several Veterans wanted this" quote fool you. There is a large Veteran Protest movment that has been started about this from numerous Veteran Parents or Parents with Family members who served/are serving with kids in D-300

 

[Cryozombie]

Oops, I meant to post this in the study. My bad.

 

[tellner]

The veterans' groups nabbed Memorial Day and turned it into a generic holiday in their honor. They did the same thing with Armistice Day and renamed it after themselves. Why do we need two holidays for the same thing?

We have Flag Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, President's Day (formerly celebrating the birthdays of two Presidents as if they were frickin' Kings), Dead Indians Day 1 (Columbus Day) and Dead Indians Day 2 (Thanksgiving). Do we really need two more war, conquest and Imperial idolatry holidays? One should be plenty.

If you want to get twitchy about something think of how far Labor Day has fallen. No more Union and Grange parades. Nothing to honor the people who make the whole thing work. Even Arbor Day and completely commercial holidays like Mothers Day and Fathers Day at least celebrate something life-affirming. Juneteenth marks the removal of the Chain and the Lash from innocent victims, but how many Whites even know what it is?

 

[crushing]

The regional furniture superstore will still have their Veteran's Day 50-75% Off Blowout Sale, I hope?!?!?!?

Armistice Day came about after The Great War and was renamed Veteran's Day after the second world war. That way we didn't have both a WWI Armistice Day and a WWII Armistice Day, but instead combined them into a single Veteran's Day. So, Veteran's Day means one less war/conquest holiday. Yeah!!!!!

According to Wikipedia, Juneteenth is a holiday in 29 states. I admit I was ignorant of the holiday until reading Ralph Ellison. It does seem like it should be a more prominent holiday considering the war and massive sacrifice from many thousands of people that eventually lead to the Emancipation Proclamation and finally, some years later finally enforced in Texas.

As far as Thanksgiving is concerned, I would assume that fall harvest festivals have been celebrated long before the first invaders into the new world and that they simply brought it with them, not unlike the pagan origins of many Christmas traditions.

It won't be long and we'll move President's Day to August 4th and add a third president to celebrate. Although, it may be more fitting to keep President's Day during Black History Month.

 

[Sukerkin]

It is something easy to get emotional about, I agree.

But behind the 'free points' earnable by 'taking a swing' at this, there is the valid position that it isn't really a public holiday (at least Armistice Day isn't here, much as I think it should be).

 

[Sukerkin]

With my Moderator Hat on, I have moved the thread to the Study as that is where Cryo intended it to be.

 

[Gordon Nore]

November 11th in Canada is celebrated as Remembrance Day. In my youth, schools were closed on that day. In those days I would imagine there were more people walking around who felt a close personal proximity to the World Wars.

Now Remembrance Day is a school day; however, it is marked in virtually every school in the country with a memorial service and visits from veterans or those currently serving in the armed forces. Speaking as a teacher, I like the fact that it is being observed in school, rather than as a day off. With so many latch-key kids, the event would otherwise go unrecognized. Having kids participate in ceremonies at school keeps the day alive.

Further, having a moment to remember those who served in past wars, we have the opportunity to help our students learn that we have Canadian military in harm's way right now.

 

[grydth]

I am not sure I understand all the excitement. From the read, this simply does not sound like a far left plot to disgrace or forget veterans.... rather, it appears the opposite - keep the children in school and ensure they learn about veterans on that day.

 

[jetboatdeath]

Wow no wonder this country is falling into the situation it is.
Some posts in this thread (most of them to this point) saying that honoring the people who fought to make this nation free, and what it is today is "just conquest and Imperial idolatry holidays, Dead Indians Day 1, Dead Indians Day 2". Maybe you should stop and take a look of what you have and why you have it, maybe stop and think there are a lot of places that even typing this could land you in prison. Whatever happened to National pride? You same people are telling me to back Obama, well I say to you back our nation. I don't agree with a lot of the things our nation has done, but I support it and back it, I even put my life on the line for it and sadly some of you. This post saddens me not because I feel I am owed a holiday or any thing like that but, because I feel for the Vets who come home and get spit on, kicked to the curb forgoten by the same Government they fought for. But mostly i feel sorry for the people who seem to think that Veterans Day should be forgoten... What ever I am sure they are the same people who would love to see this republic fall...

 

[CoryKS]

We have Flag Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, President's Day (formerly celebrating the birthdays of two Presidents as if they were frickin' Kings), Dead Indians Day 1 (Columbus Day) and Dead Indians Day 2 (Thanksgiving). Do we really need two more war, conquest and Imperial idolatry holidays? One should be plenty.

Hey, but at least we have one day where we celebrate a King like he was a frickin' President.

 

[Nolerama]

Casimir Pulaski Day... I was starting school in IL for the first time that week. I went to school thinking there were classes in session. Then some local cop said I should go home because it's Pulaski Day. I asked what that was and the cop shrugged.

If I had Guitar Hero at the time, I would've played it.

I can see both sides to this. While making the kids go to school on these holidays makes sense in the fact that it's not to promote laziness, it does detract from a day specifically set aside for citizens to enjoy, because someone, or some group "earned" that day.

 

[Carol]

Reads to me like it is a slight to veterans. Maybe its just me but I remember being in school and my teachers making sure we knew about *why* we had a day off from school before the day off from school actually happened. In other words, we were in school learning about veterans, on November 10, and our teachers had a strong motivation (the holiday) to make sure we learned about veterans.

 

[Gordon Nore]

If you want to get twitchy about something think of how far Labor Day has fallen. No more Union and Grange parades. Nothing to honor the people who make the whole thing work.

Very interesting point. Labour Day is virtually orphaned from school curriculum, as, in many North American districts, it comes at the end of the summer break before classes have begun.

Juneteenth marks the removal of the Chain and the Lash from innocent victims, but how many Whites even know what it is?

I only learned of it by accident several years ago. Black History Month has grown in popularity in Canada over the last number of years, and I found out about it doing research for a grade five class. Sad that it is overlooked.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Reads to me like it is a slight to veterans. Maybe its just me but I remember being in school and my teachers making sure we knew about *why* we had a day off from school before the day off from school actually happened. In other words, we were in school learning about veterans, on November 10, and our teachers had a strong motivation (the holiday) to make sure we learned about veterans.

I can certainly understand Vets themselves feeling slighted. I am curious, though. Currently is Veterans' Day just a school holiday in the USA, or is everyone (with the usual exclusions) off work for the day?

 

[Carol]

Technically it's neither. Mandatory closing of offices on federal or state holidays required by law only for federal and state/local public offices, which includes schools. Aside from certain local restrictions (blue laws, etc.) no private employer in the U.S. is mandated to close for any holiday, including Christmas.

As far as what is typically found in the private sector, banks are closed, retailers are open. Many offices are open, but some employees take Veteran's Day as a vacation day to be with their children.

 

[Sukerkin]

But mostly i feel sorry for the people who seem to think that Veterans Day should be forgoten... What ever I am sure they are the same people who would love to see this republic fall...

I'm not sure that anyone said that, did they?

Over here in England, the Armistice is marked by a nationwide two-minutes silence.

It's not a holiday and that I think makes it all the more poignant. For those two minutes, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone even moving, let alone working, talking or playing.

Think of that 'gag' they played in Grand Central Station where a number of people just stopped still for a period and imagine that across a country of sixty-odd million people.

 

[jks9199]

We never got Veteran's Day off; my dad did, as a federal employee. It was the one day that HE got to sleep in while WE had to get up and go to school.