4/20: Another Date That Should Live In Infamy

4/20: Another Date That Should Live In Infamy   

By Benjamin Herrington

    One day out of every year (and for some, every day at 4:20 pm), a celebration takes place. The symbolisms of the day and its meaning have, apparently, gone their separate ways within the minds of those who partake in its celebration. Some acknowledge the onset of the counter-culture holiday as a day of freedom, originating in San Rafael, California. Few, however, realize the sad coincidence. Another group also celebrates April 20th-Nazis. It is the birthday of Adolf Hitler.

    One of the most dastardly adversaries to humanity was born on April 20, 1889. The atrocities committed at his behest need no explanation. We all know the horrors of the Holocaust and those who deny it do so outwardly, while knowing in their hearts that it was one of the worst crimes against humanity ever. We also know the man responsible for inciting and directing these heinous acts-Adolf Hitler.

    As an American, I am in love with the idea of freedom. I am also the grandson of an American World War 2 veteran. I am also the great-nephew of a man who was killed by Nazis in the war against the totalitarian government of Germany, headed by Adolf Hitler. Furthermore, my son bears the same blood as the victims of the Holocaust. My personal connections are almost infinite, so my opposition to all things Nazi is innate-I was born and exist in complete opposition to everything the Nazis stood (and stand) for. It is for this reason that I make my plea.

    The morality of cannabis usage is not a factor in my stance against this particular date and the numerical associations made with it. Inadvertent celebration of an evil man’s birthday is not something that should be punished, but rather a misguided act that should be corrected.

    I plead to the morality of American Counter-Culture to reconsider a holiday that takes place on the birthday of one of the most vile creatures to ever soil the earth with hatred. I ask that those who love this country and partake in the consumption of Marijuana to think more carefully about the date. The number does not bear any true significance other than the date that Hitler was born. It was a coincidence that at 4:20pm, in 1971, high school students from San Rafael High School gathered at a statue of Louis Pasteur to seek out a mythical pot farm. It is no coincidence that neo-Nazi groups celebrate the date 4/20 as the birth of their ideological savior.

    To some, 4/20/1889 began the systemic attempt to exterminate them from the face of the earth. No Jew, Jehovah’s Witness, Homosexual, Gypsy, physically or mentally challenged person, or multi-racial person should celebrate the birth of evil that occurred in Austria on that day. It should, instead, be a day to remember the fact that evil is not a myth or legend, but a very real product of humans (no matter how inhumane they act). Perhaps a more appropriate date would be 4/13-Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. Let us not forget the crop he so proudly grew.

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