Sunday, June 1, 2014

Republican Redskin Racism



By Jeff Simpson


A group of fifty Unites States Senator's sent a letter to the NFL asking for the Washington Redskins name to be changed. 

“The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur,” the letter says. “We urge the NFL to formally support a name change for the Washington football team. . . .  We urge you and the National Football League to send the same clear message as the NBA did: that racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports.”

Bruce Allen, the Redskins president, sent a letter back telling the NFL - everything is fine, everyone loves the slur

''Our use of `Redskins' as the name of our football team for more than 80 years has always been respectful of and shown reverence toward the proud legacy and traditions of Native Americans,'' he wrote.
The letter references research that ''the term Redskins originated as a Native American expression of solidarity.'' It notes that the team's logo was designed by Native American leaders and cites surveys that Native Americans and Americans as a whole support the name.
 
The owner of the Redskins, Daniel Snyder, sent a letter saying "focus on reality":

  “Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder said Tuesday it's time for people to "focus on reality" concerning Native American matters instead of criticizing the team's nickname. "We understand the issues out there, and we're not an issue," Snyder said. "The real issues are real-life issues, real-life needs, and I think it's time that people focus on reality."
77 Native American tribes, have responded by sending a letter to every single NFL player asking them to publicly support a name change.

 
The National Congress of American Indians and the Oneida Indian Nation sent letters Wednesday to more than 2,700 players, asking them to speak out against a name that “does not honor people of color, instead it seeks to conceal a horrible segment of American history and the countless atrocities suffered by Native Americans.”

They also sent the letter to the Twitter accounts of the players, with the hashtag #rightsideofhistory.

“Because you are in the NFL, you command a level of respect and credibility when speaking out about the league’s behavior,” the letter said. “Indeed, players are the most publicly identifiable representatives of the league, which means your support is critical to ending this injustice.”
Not to let a good racist moment go uncommented on, GOP word guru Frank Luntz chimed in:
 
 
Luntz brought Reid’s opposition to the name up without prompt from host John Ralston during a larger conversation about civility in politics.
“He’s spending his time trying to get the Washington Redskins, which, the last time I checked my map, is 2,000 miles away from Nevada, and he wants to change the Redskins’ name. And he hasn’t done, if you use my language, crap for veterans on Memorial Day,” Luntz said, referring to the current scandal around the Veterans Administration.
When Ralston suggested that Reid and the Senate could multi-task, Luntz kept going.
“Every veteran who’s watching right now ought to be furious with him because he’s spending his time…attacking the name of a football team. And he hasn’t done squat for these veterans,” Luntz said. “This is part of the reason that I find it difficult to function in politics, that he would rather go for the soundbite, that he would rather make this political gesture to raise money from Native Americans, than to actually solve a crisis in the Veteran’s Administration.”

Apparently, there was not enough time in front of the camera, or ethics in his body, to disclose that the Washington Redskins have actually paid Luntz, to keep the racism going.  

 D'OH! 
 
The problem with the Washington Redskins debate, is that Snyder hangs his hat on false pretenses.  
 
 The team and NFL have claimed that then-owner George Preston Marshall picked the current name to honor the team’s Indian coach, William “Lone Star” Dietz, and some Indian players on the squad.
There’s a lot of controversy over whether Dietz was actually a Native American. Witten’s article doesn’t resolve that.
But it does refute the team’s contention that the name was selected to celebrate Dietz.
The proof is in a July 6, 1933, edition of the Hartford Courant, which Witten unearthed after the sports Web site MMQB tipped him off about it.
The edition includes a short Associated Press dispatch quoting Marshall saying: “The fact that we have in our head coach, Lone Star Dietz, an Indian, together with several Indian players, has not, as may be suspected, inspired me to select the name Redskins.”
Instead, Marshall explains, he gave up “Braves” to avoid confusion with a Boston professional baseball team of the same name. He apparently picked the Redskins name so he could keep the existing Native American logo.
Witten also reports that lawyers at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have rejected at least 12 applications to register “redskins” as a trademark since 1993.
The reason: The word disparages Native Americans.
 
 
Locally, we just had this debate with Steve nASS authoring a bill to allow high schools to slur Native American tribes, people and traditions, as long as a few white people in the community liked their logo.  A bill that Scott Walker gladly signed by the way.   It was Steve nASS' biggest accomplishment since he was able to skip out of paying child support for the out of wedlock child he fathered.   

Our really really dumb Senator, not having an original thought since 1971, echoed Frank Luntz's words as if they were his own and that made Kevin Binversie aroused!  
 
  
While Sen. Baldwin and other Democrats were out stalking headlines, it was Sen. Ron Johnson's quote that really stood out.
 
"We have enormous challenges facing America. Only some of them are the concern of the federal government,” he said. “The letter, signed primarily by Senate Democrats, concerns an issue that should be left to the team’s owners, its players, and its fans. I trust that they will do what is right. This is not a matter that requires congressional action. Congress should concentrate on its own duties.”
 
“And when it comes to football,” he said, “I will concentrate on the Green Bay Packers.”
 
Boom.
 
 Hey Kevin its Frank Luntz's poster you should have on the wall, he is the one spoon feeding thoughts into the ring czar's head!  




We at Cogdis, like to offer solutions and I think we have one that is fitting.  Since the Redskins are based in Washington DC, I recommend switching to the Washington Chickenshits.   Heck we even have your helmet designed already! 


 You are welcome! 

1 comment:

  1. Here's a good reason to change the team's name...it offends people! It doesn't matter whether it should or should not offend; it does offend. Community peace and harmony is important. Choosing a new name and logo could be a great marketing opportunity for the team. Instead they court bad press and bad feelings.

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