Posted on 10/08/2013 6:38:19 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
The Oneida Indian Nation held a “Change the Mascot” symposium at the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton Oct. 7. The discussion was held in a packed Fahrenheit restaurant. At the same time, the same hotel is also hosting the NFL’s fall league meeting of owners and officials, which begins tomorrow.
Speakers included Ray Halbritter, the National Representative of the Oneida Indian Nation, D.C.’s Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn.
“Washington’s team name is a painful epithet that was used against my people when we were held at gunpoint and thrown off our lands,” Halbritter said. “When marketed by a professional sports team, it is a word that tells Native American children they are to be denigrated.”
Halbritter also cited President Barack Obama’s comments over the weekend that appeared to support changing the name of the Washington Redskins. “It elevated the visibility” of the Oneida Nation’s cause, Halbritter said.
In a fiery speech, Del. Norton said, “Dan Snyder tried four times to trademark the name (Redskins) and failed. The name should go down in the dust bowl of history.” Norton went on to say that under previous ownership the “team was forced to integrate itself” and did so “only because they were playing on Federal land.” She added, “Snyder should not wait to be compelled to do the right thing.”
Rep. McCollum said that when “Washington comes to play in Minnesota on Nov. 7,” the team will be “met with a large presence and our name change mascot.”
Those on the panel also included psychologist Michael Friedman, David Borgstrom, president of the Cooperstown, N.Y., school board, and two students from Cooperstown, who led the effort to change the school's mascot from "Redskins" to "Hawkeyes."
Some NFL officials were invited to the discussion, but none attended.
I had no idea the Native Americans experienced a government shutdown also.
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And they were hauled off to reeducation camps..would have made the Commissars proud.....
The forerunner to such great lines as...
“When it comes to Illegal Immigration, ask the American Indians how that worked out”?
Picture of Pilgrims debarking at Plymouth Rock and one Indian turns to the other and says “There goes the neighborhood”.
And one of the ‘greats’..
“We are from the Government and here to help you”.
They should change the Washington Redskins to a name that does not bring despicable and negative associations:
“The Redskins”
How about the “global warming deniers”.
That’s really scary. OR...
The large capacity “Clips” Extra scary.
“The Redskins”
We have a winner!
Never give in to the professionally outraged.
Permanent outrage is at full volume all the time, whatever happens. It is never appeased by anything you do. Even full surrender doesn’t satisfy it, it just moves on in search of another host upon which to feed.
Tune it out. Smile and go about your business.
Can these folks get Obama to change his name back to Barry Soreto?
The name Barack Obama offends me.
Because it contains the word "skin", preceded by a color. It's easy to convince the sheep it's racist. And they know damn well that PC metrosexual sports consumer types won't lift a finger to learn the actual history of the term.
They're going to win this battle. The Redskins will eventually acquiesce.
(No offense intended for genuine Redskins fans.)
A couple posts here have suggested that the "New York Giants" should also have to change their name, as they offend "giants" everywhere, and I would just like to add that their name also offends "little people", who are excluded and discriminated against from their current name.
Why are so many, including the president, suddenly eager to talk about Indian nicknames of sports teams as some pressing national issue?????
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Minority votes. That is all it has EVER been about.
Will the Atlanta Braves be next?
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
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