The Questionable Sincerity of Senators Calling For the Redskins Name Change

Recently, 49 Senators -- all Democrats -- signed a letter that was sent to the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urging that the Washington Redskins football team change its name.  Not one Republican was even asked to sign that letter.  Thus, making it seem that "only" the Democrats are concerned that the name "Redskins" is is considered demeaning to Native Americans.

This change-the-Redskins-name demand has been around for years; but, only now, when it appears that the control of the Senate may shift over to the Republicans in the Fall, are the Senate Democrats suddenly concerned over Capitol Hill's local football team's name. I guess, along with the war on women, we are now somehow to believe that Republicans are also at war with Native Americans.

Somebody ought to tell these Senators that most people don't consider the name to be a slur and don't think it should be changed. Further, some tribes, themselves, call their football teams "Redskins."  A Navajo reservation high school in Arizona proudly wears this jersey when on the football field:

No football team in this country wants to go by a term that insults people.  Instead, they carefully choose names that suggest courage, and that demand physical respect, from their opponents.  Notre Dame doesn't seek to demean Irishmen by somehow implying they fight all the time.  Instead, the name implies that, when given a challenge, the Irish will fight to win. Similarly, I think, like a lot of Americans, the name "Redskins" implies strength and the ability to win when facing off against another team. For those reasons, the name could actually be considered a compliment; not hateful or racist as some would claim.

References:

Redskins say name 'respectful,' suggest Senate Dems don't have all the facts: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/05/24/redskins-president-calls-team-name-respectful-after-senators-urge-change/?intcmp=latestnews

How Many Native Americans Think ‘Redskins’ is a Slur?: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/10/08/how-many-native-americans-think-redskins-is-a-slur/

Red Mesa High School: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Mesa_High_School

A Presidential Order That Is Oddly Missing After Our Embassies Are Breached

The killing of our Libyan Ambassador Stevens, three other Americans, and the complete destruction of our Benghazi mission on the anniversary of 9/11 is a big thing; especially from a security aspect.  Then, too, the breach of the Cairo Embassy, just hours earlier, brings the security of our missions overseas into serious question.

Yet, nowhere can I find a statement by President Obama ordering an immediate and complete security review of, at the very least, all of our Middle East State Department installations.  Other countries took that action within a day following the attack on our missions. But, not this President.  Making this so oddly non-presidential; if not just derelict of constitutional responsibility.

Instead, it took a group of bipartisan Senators -- Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Dan Coats (R-IN), Roy Blount (R-MO) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) -- to take the lead on this.  After seven days of inaction by the Obama Administration, those Senators felt compelled to write a letter to the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, urging her to initiate a complete inter-agency security review of our diplomatic missions overseas.

This, to me, is just more proof that we have an incompetent President at the helm of this country.  There is no more of an important responsibility of an any American President than to protect the lives of all American citizens; both domestically and abroad.  This President, through his inaction, failed this; both before the Benghazi attack and, then, afterwards.

Lastly, there are some conspiracy theorists who believe that the attack on Benghazi was really some kind of setup of a hostage situation which would have allowed Obama to heroically negotiate a hostage release in exchange for releasing the Blind Sheik; just days before the election.  While this might seem implausible, the lack of an ordered security review of our other embassies seems to support the idea that the lax security at Benghazi was intentional.

--- Atlanta Journal Constitution: Senators urge review of embassy security: http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2012/09/18/senators-urge-review-of-embassy-security/

--- The Center For Western Journalism:  Muslim Brotherhood Behind Benghazi Attack With Link To Obama: http://www.westernjournalism.com/muslim-brotherhood-behind-benghazi-attack-with-link-to-obama/#comments