City slammed as it declares Monday 'Great Americans Day'
Source: Associated Press
SATURDAY, JAN 14, 2017 03:15 PM EST
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) The city of Biloxi has sparked a debate about the holiday honoring the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. after announcing on social media that city offices would be closed Monday for Great Americans Day. Monday is federally recognized as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Sun Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2jbCH5z ) Great Americans Day doesnt exist as a holiday and is not even recognized by the Mississippi Secretary of States Office. However, Biloxi City Council passed an ordinance in 1985 declaring the holiday Great Americans Day.
After Biloxi defended the holiday reference on Twitter and Facebook, dozens of comments were posted that criticized the move.
Mayor Andrew FoFo Gilich called for the city to repeal its ordinance and recognize the holiday with the King name.
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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2017/01/14/city-slammed-as-it-declares-monday-great-americans-day/
Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)Probably not a coincidence.
BumRushDaShow
(127,312 posts)and apparently no one blinked an eye... until now.
Apparently the city hid that designation and never "publicly" called it that until now via that tweet. After which the ghost of that ordinance was unleashed into the wild.
underpants
(182,279 posts)That has been a Virginia state holiday since 1904. When MLK Day was approved they lumped them together into Lee-Jackson-King Day. Hold on there jus a moment (old Virginia accent) one uh them was not BORN here in the Commonwealth ya see.
So under then Gov. Jim Gilmore they created a 4 day weekend for state employees. Yeah that made a lot of sense.
BTW - "Stonewall" Jackson's birthplace is now part of West Virginia.
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)These fucking southerners don't even attempt to hide their sheet wearing bullshit
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)to recognize his................ accomplishments?
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)Make sure it has a bible in the hand too. The Klan is a good Christian organization.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)underpants
(182,279 posts)I didn't know that.
keithbvadu2
(36,368 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(56,897 posts)I was going to add that trivia point, but you already got it.
I grew up in Alexandria, which is the boyhood home of Robert E. Lee. When I was in elementary school (which was, uh, a while ago), we got Lee's birthday off. I'm pretty sure we didn't pay any attention to Lincoln's birthday.
Third grade Virginia history was a trip, not that anyone used that term back then.
underpants
(182,279 posts)Until Gilmore and his kind pulled that BS.
paleotn
(17,781 posts)Aldrich Ames / John Walker day? And in tribute to the Praetorian...um, I mean FBI, how about Robert Hanssen / James Comey day? Loves them some Russkies, those FBI guys do. I see little difference between them and Lee / Jackson.
hollowdweller
(4,229 posts)I had a college buddy, from NY, he actually roomed with another friend who was black in college.
He took a job in SC and came to visit me for the first time in 30 years last summer. Said a number of racially insensitive things.
Had a number of friends who moved south and became more racist and became republicans.
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)Hekate
(90,191 posts)The buying and selling of men, women, and children? Forcibly tearing families apart? Human beings as chattel?
No. Lincoln did the right thing, and over half a million Americans died contesting that battle.
Feeling the Bern
(3,839 posts)The South decided to attack.
No, the south would have fallen apart because by the second year, three states were talking of secession from the south.
nolabear
(41,915 posts)It's one of those odd Gulf Coast towns that depends on the military and tourism (casinos these days) and as little Mississippi towns go it's fairly well-to-do. In spite of having been nearly blown off the map by Katrina there are a lot of big and lovely homes there. And there's a massive Vietnamese population that now does a great deal of the shrimping.
I say this to emphasize what a fool move it was. There's no percentage in it. People are there from all over the world. I don't know if it's the last gasp of the old school Southern politicians or what, but it's just ridiculous.
underpants
(182,279 posts)Thanks for the post.
JI7
(89,176 posts)So even with changes in population certain types still remain in power.
But it wont last long.
catbyte
(34,170 posts)Labor Day.
Shitheads.
alfredo
(60,065 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,368 posts)Or 'All Saviors' day'.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)UPDATED Jan. 14: After a national firestorm and a No. 1 trend on Twitter, Biloxi Mayor Andrew FoFo Gilich said the Biloxi City Council on Tuesday, the day after the holiday, should change the citys Code of Ordinances" to reflect the official federal name of the holiday, 'Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,' commonly known as 'Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.'
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/weblogs/jackblog/2017/jan/13/did-mississippi-rename-mlk-day-great-americans-day/
nolabear
(41,915 posts)packman
(16,296 posts)Oh, well - I'll just wait for a few months or years for that day to happen. Then again, when Donald gets sworn in, wouldn't that be Putin Day?