NEWS AND OPINION:
There will be considerable talk about the fate of Columbus Day on Monday as a growing number of states and cities choose to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. Minnesota, Vermont, Alaska and South Dakota opt for the latter according to a Time magazine study — along with 54 cities in those states, plus 19 others. President Trump is definitely in the Columbus Day corner however, recalling Christopher Columbus in his official proclamation for the day, which was authorized by Congress in 1934.
“We honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions — even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity,” Mr. Trump said. “We also take this opportunity to reaffirm our close ties to Columbus’s country of birth, Italy. Italy is a strong ally and a valued partner in promoting peace and promoting prosperity around the world.”
Meanwhile, there is survey confirming that a majority of Americans agree that Columbus Day is OK.
“Almost 6 in 10 Americans (57 percent) believe that celebrating Columbus Day is a ’good idea,’ while only 29 percent oppose the holiday,” notes a new Marist Poll. “An overwhelming majority of Americans (76 percent) believe that Columbus and other historical figures should be judged by the standards of conduct of their own lifetimes, as opposed to modern standards. Only 16 percent disagree,” the poll said, noting that 56 percent favor Columbus and 28 percent don’t.
“The Knights of Columbus joins the vast majority of Americans in celebrating Columbus Day,” says Carl Anderson, CEO of the two-million-member organization, which funded the poll. “He was a man ahead of his time, who brought two worlds together and began the process that led to the founding of this country. It is a testament to Americans’ commitment to a fair reading of history that the explorer’s popularity has endured despite the unfair and hateful attacks by British propagandists, the Ku Klux Klan and revisionist academics.”
Such hashtags as #KeepColumbus and #SaveColumbusDay are active on social media. Based in the nation’s capital, the National Christopher Columbus Association also has launched TruthaboutColumbus.com — a new website to counter misinformation about Columbus.
THE PENCE FACTOR
They trended at the top of Twitter for many hours. That would be Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence following their abrupt exit from an Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday after members of the San Francisco 49ers did not stand for the national anthem. Positive tweets included suggestions that Mr. Pence had “launched his campaign for 2024,” among other things. Meanwhile, much of the news coverage of the Pences’ exit from the game was fairly neutral. Some was not. A few representative headlines:
“Vice President Mike Pence uses Colts for political purposes” (Indianapolis Star), “Mike Pence escapes kneeling men, patriotically beats traffic” (Slate Magazine), “Vice President Mike Pence tweets same photo From 2014 Colts game” (Sports Illustrated), “The real mockery of national anthem was by Vice President Pence” (USA Today).
GOLD-PLATED TALK RADIO
Who makes the most money in talk radio? Forbes magazine reveals the salaries among leading personalities who have challenging jobs, but are well compensated. The numbers are “estimated,” based on industry sources Forbes says.
“The controversial Howard Stern leads the pack once again with a $90 million haul, earned between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017, before taxes and management fees. Stern, who is one of America’s wealthiest celebrities with a net worth of $450 million, renegotiated his eight-figure contract with SiriusXM in December 2015. The deal includes digital distribution channels like apps and video streaming, which could pad Stern’s paycheck in the future,” Forbes says.
“Next up is Rush Limbaugh, who pocketed $84 million, enjoyed a 21 percent increase in listeners to his eponymous show thanks to a ’Trump bump.’ The most-listened-to talk show host in America, with 14 million listeners by Talkers Magazine’s estimate, he was far from the only one to get this ratings boost.”
In third place is Ryan Seacrest with $58 million, followed by Bill O’Reilly ($37 million), Sean Hannity ($36 million) and Glenn Beck ($10 million).
A WYNN WIN SITUATION
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, Las Vegas casino executive Steve Wynn revealed his resort upgraded security two years ago, after consulting with members of SEAL Team 6 and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, among many expert sources.
“We had to recruit and expand security by tens of millions of dollars to cover every entrance, to retrain the entire workforce, from housekeeping to room service,” Mr. Wynn said. “We had to cover every exit and every aspect of the building to see if we could identify and preempt any kind of terroristic or violent action. It is never perfect, of course, but what you can do to use local vernacular, you can change the odds.”
The hotel never lets room occupants go into “do-not-disturb” mode for over 12 hours, there are 24-hour magnetometers at every public or private access, and in high traffic areas like night clubs.
“We profile or inspect or examine everybody that enters the building. And under most circumstances, it’s unnecessary to wand people or to do any kind of invasive procedure. The things we’re looking for that represent potential threats are much more obvious, and allow us a great deal of freedom in allowing us not to interfere with the normal flow of people in and out of the building — which is close to 15,000 or 20,000 people a day,” Mr. Wynn continued.
“We’ll be fine, we’ll be fine,” he said, later complimenting President Trump for his response to the mass shooting in Las Vegas last week.
“The president did a good job,” Mr. Wynn noted.
POLL DU JOUR
• 64 percent of Americans say not standing for the national anthem is disrespectful to the American flag; 63 percent say it is disrespectful of the military.
• 61 percent say the act disrespects the nation and its values; 59 percent it disrespects “fellow Americans.”
• 52 percent say professional sports leagues should require athletes to stand for the anthem.
• 31 percent approve of athletes who refuse to stand.
• 31 percent approve of President Trump calling on NFL players who do not stand to be fired.
Source: An Associated Press/NORC poll of 1,150 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 2
• Have a pleasant and productive Columbus Day. Thanks you for reading Inside the Beltway.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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