Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 5/13/09 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Chris Curry

Tradition compels us to annually gorge ourselves on Guinness, buy mom roses or get the neighborhood kids hopped up on mini Snickers.

Our American consumption machine loves a holiday. It usually can't go more than a month without the opportunity to hype a sale.

But there is one lonely month that is mysteriously void of annual celebrations. Maybe they noticed poor turnouts at their August mattress sales.

I question how much longer this holiday hole will last, but I know the man who is destined to change this - America's latest Superman, Barack Obama.

America has turned the birthdays of former presidents Lincoln and Washington into a holiday. These men provided sage leadership when our country was coming together and tearing itself apart.

America has also turned the birthdays of civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, into holidays. They were

dedicated to making all of America and all that America offers equally available to everyone.

Potentially, Obama could wade through the pools of history and one day fit among these men. If he is that man, and leads America out of its troubles, he would bag some serious holiday credit of his own.

Being the first black man elected, he is already the figure behind the opening of the largest civil rights door in our country. His birthday just happens to sit in the last remaining open month in our calendar.

August 4 seems destined to become Obama's.
It sounds odd, but historically, America has been increasingly liberal with the establishment of its honorary holidays.

Lincoln had been dead for 103 years before the third Monday of February became what we call Presidents Day. It was 18 years after Dr. King's assassination that the third Monday of January became his. Cesar Chavez was dead for seven years before March 31 was dedicated in memoriam.

Washington is actually the precedent that makes my tongue-in-cheek suggestion of the Obanza somewhat

realistic. Washington's Birthday was celebrated like a national holiday while he was still in office. He was wildly popular and a very important first for our country. Sound like someone you know?

Every holiday needs traditions. Independence Day has fireworks, Halloween has pumpkins and Thanksgiving has turkey. Unlike Easter and Christmas, both full of traditions that have nothing to do with the man who inspired them, Obanza will be full of mid-summer, Barackish fun.

We would all give stimulus checks to each other. It's much easier than buying real gifts and, compared to an iTunes gift card, it covers for your lack of gift-giving creativity.

This holiday also needs to reflect Obama's promise of change. We'll take our nickels, dimes and quarters and decorate them. It'll be fun for the kids and every once in a while, a vending machine will give you a colorful little memento of the summer of 2012.

I can only hope Obama lives up to his lofty expectations. Then my new favorite holiday could become a reality. Oh yeah, I guess if he saved the country that would be nice too.

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