哥伦布、匹兹堡及各地消息
　

Americans celebrate Presidents Day

　
Hello,
   Today, Americans celebrate Presidents Day. The Federal holiday was established to recognize the birthdays of President George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both men were born in the month of February.
   Washington and Lincoln were deemed to be two of the nation’s greatest leaders. They provided pioneering management and proved to be a guiding force for the populous. Conversely, both had detractors. Yet, Washington and Lincoln’s commitment to the Republic were undeniable. President Washington was quoted as saying, “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” More likely, most school children are probably more familiar with Mr. Lincoln’s statement, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand." Yet divided we often find our nation and local governments.
   History books suggest, Washington had many political enemies, some who were jealous, and others who cast blame against the President for things he did not do.  Massachusetts governor John Hancock snubbed Washington suggesting as governor he had more importance than the president. Furthermore, some critics assailed Mr. Lincoln in political cartoons describing him as an ape. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin accused President Eisenhower of being a communist.
   On September 9, 2009, during a joint address to congress by President Barack Obama which was nationally televised, Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina shouted "You lie!" President Obama was outlining his proposal for reforming health care.

   Political derision has always been rough on leadership. Many believe the Presidency deserves respect. How far can one go to demean a leader before it actually becomes demeaning to the office? Is anything fair game? Is it okay to lie about them? What are the limitations?
   Our nation is led by the President, and local governments are led by Mayors and City Managers all who have difficult jobs and task. The work is often thankless and tedious. While citizens should expect government leaders to cooperate for the greater good of those that are served, that principle is not always the result.
   Following the State of the Village address, Feb 11, 2021, a Woodmere employee inquired why I did not use my platform to assail those who have attacked me, in print and in public?
   Simply put, I choose to never diminish the sanctity of this office by responding to every insult, groundless accusation, and assault on my administrative agenda.
President Obama famously stated:
“When America soars, when we look out for one another and we take care of each other, when we root for one another's success, when we strive to do better and to be better than the generation that came before us and try to build something better for generations to come, that's why we do what we do. That's the whole point of public service.”
Servant leadership is my calling; I choose to do it with dignity, honor and my respect for the office of mayor. We salute Presidents Day; we recognize the significant sacrifice and accomplishments to advance our nation from George Washington to Joe Biden Jr.
   God bless, and God bless the United States of America.
Respectfully,

Your Mayor
Benjamin I. Holbert, III
　

有關美國總統日

   美國總統日一般指總統日(英文:Presidents' Day)聯邦節日,美國的10個法定節日之一,定在每年二月的第三個星期一,與陣亡將士紀念日,感恩節等享有同等地位;每年的這一天美國人都會用一些特殊的方式來重溫歷史、緬懷人們心中備受尊敬的偉大總統,學校和家長也會在這一天對孩子進行愛國主義敎育,讓他們瞭解和熟悉美國的歷史。
   中文名總統日外文名Presidents Day節日時間每年二月的第三個星期一節日類型聯邦節日流行地區美國節日意義瞭解和熟悉美國的歷史
   説起美國的“總統日”,人們一般想到的就是美國歷史上兩位偉大的總統,這就是喬治.華盛頓和亞伯拉罕.林肯,因爲他們不但是最受美國歷代人民尊敬和愛戴的兩位總統,而且剛好都是出生於2月。


喬治·華盛頓
   喬治.華盛頓1732年2月22號生於美國弗吉尼亞州。在獨立戰爭中,華盛頓作爲大陸軍總司令,率領殖民地人民浴血奮戰,迫使英國于1781年宣佈投降。1789年,華盛頓被推選爲美國第一任總統。在兩屆總統任期內,華盛頓爲這個新生國家的鞏固做出了巨大貢獻。最高法院、國務院、財政部以及政府其他重要機構都是在華盛頓當政時設立的。
   1797年,華盛頓功成身退,拒絶擔任第3屆總統,爲美國確立總統內閣制、廢除世襲制起到了決定性作用。由於華盛頓爲美國獨立做出了卓越貢獻,他深受全國人民愛戴,而他的生日2月22號就成爲全國性的節日。因此“總統日”的正式名稱也被定爲“華盛頓誕辰日”。


亞伯拉罕·林肯
   亞伯拉罕·林肯于1809年2月12號出生在肯塔基州哈丁縣一個伐木工人的家庭,先後干過店員、村郵務員、測量員和劈柵欄木條等多種工作。1860年,林肯當選爲美國的第16任總統。林肯當政期間,親自起草了具有偉大歷史意義的《解放黑奴宣言》草案,也就是後來的《解放宣言》,並領導北方軍隊在1865年贏得了美國南北戰爭的勝利。
   1865年4月14號晩上,林肯在華盛頓福特劇院觀劇時遭到刺客槍擊,第二天清晨與世長辭。
華盛頓和林肯都是美國歷史上値得尊敬的偉大總統。1968年,美國國會通過一項“星期一節日法案”,將華盛頓誕辰紀念日挪到2月份的第三個星期一。當時有個提案要將這個節日改爲總統紀念日,紀念生日在2月12日的林肯總統,但遭到否決。
   後來美國國會通過了統一假日法案,將兩者合併,取兩位總統生日的中間日子,而這一假日也推而廣之,包括了所有已故的總統。因此美國總統日就定在了每年2月的第3個星期一。
   據説1971年當時的美國總統理查德·尼克松(Richard Nixon)就曾號召要把這一天定爲紀念包括自己在內的所有美國總統的節日,但是因爲美國是一個兩黨制的國家,代表一個政黨的總統無論作出多大的功績都顯而易見的難以被另一個政黨完全接受,所以直到現在“總統日”在官方文件中仍常被稱作“華盛頓誕辰日”(Washington's Birthday)。