It’s sort of odd to take a day off in supposed celebration, rather than apology, for a murderous, brutal, rape-happy colonizer. Not to be a downer about it, but the dude was pretty loathsome.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.