"A few Native Americans and the usual suspects in the Coalition of Progressives Against All Western Culture will again attempt to intimidate local Italian-Americans as they celebrate the legacy of an important, if somewhat imprecise, explorer.

Christopher Columbus is often compared to Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin. The Genoese explorer doesn't belong in any conversation that includes genocidal dictators. Quite the opposite.

But Vernon Bellecourt, the principal spokesman for the American Indian Movement, has fought against Columbus Day for decades and lent a helping hand in organizing the protests here in Denver.

By 1991, his brand of 'civil disobedience' became so violent in Denver that Columbus Day parades ended for the rest of the decade. When the parade was resuscitated in 2000, police arrested 147 protesters who tried to block Denverites from celebrating a national holiday."

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David Harsanyi: Columbus critics miss the boat (The Denver Post 10/7)