Holiday!

By Arielle

No, not that one.

According to the Associated Press, the powers that be in Perry County, Alabama, have officially declared "Barack Obama Day" a county holiday. It will be observed on the second Monday of November and "highlight the Democratic president-elect's victory as a way to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved."

All 40 county employees will get the day off, paid.

I found this a bit hasty. I'm all for commemorating important historic moments and clinging to whatever optimism we can wring out of the present state of the world, but aren't there proper waiting periods for naming things after people or declaring holidays? Like waiting five years after retiring from football to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, or having to be dead to be considered for sainthood. Or at least waiting for the guy to do something as president.

Besides, can you just declare holidays - the paid, day off from work kind - so casually?

Then I read on: seems the state of Alabama has way more holidays than the rest of us. There's Confederate Memorial Day. That's in April. The state observes Jefferson Davis' birthday in June. Alabama marks the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. like the federal holiday that it is, but he's got to share the date; the Official State of Alabama Calendar lists the holiday as the "Martin Luther King, Jr./Robert E. Lee Birthday."

So what's one more holiday? Commemorating something that happened since 1865? 

I'll be expecting my Barack Obama Day card next Nov. 9.