Saturday, February 21, 2004

AMERICAN INDIANS TOTALLY INCORRECT

From an American Indian blogger

"Indians have been outlawed in California. Jacki Goldberg, the great white `Indian killer,' finally counted coup. The California Assembly just passed a law (AB 858) which will make it illegal for all public schools in the state to use the name "Redskins" in any context, for any reason. No Redskins allowed in Central Valley.

At least, no white people will be allowed to play Indian anymore.

But if you have "black" skin, you might get by with it. Outkast, the hip-hop group, performed "Hey Ya" just last week, as they received the Album of the Year award at LA's Grammys. And their "Indian" outfits were more inauthentic and insulting to Indians than any mascot that has ever been banned.

Did Assembly member Ms. Goldberg not write up that law quite accurately? Is there some confusion over who can play Indian and who can't?

Goldberg has been trying to ban the use of American Indian names, mascots, and logos for two years. In 2002, she couldn't find enough Indians to protest. Indians simply weren't offended. Later, her AB 2115 called for the elimination of any name or image that could possibly be associated with American Indians, like "chiefs," "warriors," and even "braves." When it was voted down, Indian students and tribal elders of the Pala Reservation rejoiced. Their Fallbrook Union High School has used the name "Warriors" since 1936.

But Goldberg is relentless. She doesn't want a single visible sign of Indians in her state. She revived her first failed bill, AB 858, and began another onslaught. This time she scored. The bill passed January 29, 2004, and may be implemented in 2006. Goldberg doesn't want another nickel of public funds used to preserve Indian names or images.

In her imagination, Indian images are irreparably damaging, humiliating, and derogatory, and must never again be seen in public.

In her "white" judgment, Goldberg doesn't even want Indians to play Indian at our own schools, or schools where many Indians attend. She turned a deaf ear to the Pala Reservation elders before, but, to get her AB 858 passed this time, she conceded that schools located near "Indian-controlled land," whose Indians mascots had been endorsed by Indians, would be allowed to keep their own image. A noble gesture, Jackie.

(Wait. "Indian-controlled land"? Is Goldberg out to remove Indian "reservations," too? Such devotion must bring a great sense of cultural security to all Indian country.)"



And a comment with some relevance to the above from "Opinion Journal"

First Lt. David Hoe, a member of the U.S. Army's 608th Ordnance Company, has an inspiring letter to the editor in the Washington Post:

I want to thank the Washington Redskins cheerleaders for visiting us in Fallujah, Iraq, on Valentine's Day. I find it odd and impressive that the first entertainers to risk boarding a Black Hawk helicopter to fly into the most restive and hostile town in Iraq were cheerleaders. Not to discredit their visits, but we have all become accustomed to watching on TV as celebrities such as David Letterman, Robin Williams and WWE wrestlers land at the airport in Baghdad, smile for the cameras, entertain a few soldiers from the 1st Armored Division and then fly home.

The Redskins cheerleaders had the courage to take a daytime helicopter ride over Fallujah to visit with the soldiers who are fighting in the front lines of this war.

Sort of puts all the whining about the Redskins' "racist" name in perspective, doesn't it?

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