Reflections on "Columbus Day"

Today is "Columbus Day" -an American federal holiday marking Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World over 500 years ago. It is a strange commemoration in many ways as some Americans celebrate it as an anniversary of the European "discovery" of America and others lament it as the onset of a period of exploitation, slavery and outright genocide of the indigenous peoples (who of course, were not the "Indians" Columbus believed them to be). At the extreme right are people like Michael Berliner (of Ayn Rand Institute) who hails the event as a time when Western civilization brought "reason, science, self-reliance, individualism, ambition, and productive achievement” to a people who were based in “primitivism, mysticism, and collectivism”. In Venezuela, by contrast, the anniversary is called, Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) and is used to criticize European colonialism and celebrate native culture.
It's interesting to look at which groups have used the anniversary and for what causes. In past eras, Catholic-Americans and Italian-Americans have used Columbus Day to counter discrimination from supremist groups like the KKK -claiming that a Catholic/Italian man discovered America thereby legitimizing their citizenship rights. Hispanic groups call Columbus Day, Día de la Raza (Day of the (Hispanic) race) and mark the occasion as a time to celebrate Hispanic and Mestizo culture in the Americas.
I remember reading a fascinating book about Columbus in a History of Latin America course I took in my undergrad. The book is called, "The Conquest of America" and is written by Tzvetan Todorov. Some of the 16th century sources Todorov cites are just incredible. Columbus is so convinced that he has found the mainland (of the Orient) that he totally disregards the native inhabitants of Hispaniola (Cuba) when they try to tell him that they are actually on an island. Quoted from one of Columbus' journals:
"And since these are bestial men who believe that the whole world is an island and who do not know what the mainland is, and have neither letters nor long-standing memories, and since they take pleasure only in eating and being with their women, they said it was an island". At one point he apparently institutes a fine of ten thousand marravedis (Spanish currency) and a punishment of having the tongue cut off for anyone who contradicts him. A truly remarkable combination of arrogance and ignorance... Now, let's all go set off some fireworks in honour of this noble and heroic man.