Hurricane Names Go Politically Correct

The Hill ^ | July 29, 2003 | Bill Thomas

[Southern California]

Hurricane Latonya?
Hurricane Names Raise a Warning

The 2003 hurricane season is here, and that means a whole new list of names such as Larry, Sam and Wanda ready to make tropical-storm history.

Although Spanish and French names are included in this year’s lineup, among them Juan and Claudette, which struck Texas last week, popular African American names, like Keisha, Jamal and Deshawn, are nowhere to be found. Some black lawmakers don’t seem to mind, but Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) does. “All racial groups should be represented,” said Lee.

The World Meteorological Organization began naming tropical storms after women in 1953. That made sense to scientists at the time who thought women and storms were both unpredictable. After feminist groups protested, men’s names were added in 1979.

The National Weather Service says hurricane names are derived from languages spoken in areas that border the Atlantic Ocean, where such storms occur. Yet that doesn’t explain why Gaston, Ernesto and Cindy were chosen and Antwon, Destiny and Latonya were passed over. Lee said she hoped in the future the weather establishment “would try to be inclusive of African American names.”

That could take a while. The current roster of hurricane names isn’t due to be updated until 2007.

[Southack]

Funny, but not exactly "breaking" news...

[wardaddy]

LOL....we have passed the ridiculous and have entered the twilight zone X10

[tiamat]

"Hurricane Sheila".

I like it.

Tia .

[Polybius]

Will the redneck lobby insist on Hurricane Bubba and Hurricane Sissy?

[jgrubbs]

Headline of the Future:

Hurricane Deshawn Be Doin' Some Mad Damage to da Coast

[mhking]

Are you sure this isn't from The Onion?

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[Pokey78]

Hurricane Kweisi: The storm that destroys white America.

[FreeTheHostages]

but this is old news

[xrp]

Complete insanity.

Hurricanes should be identified numerically and by category. For example Hurricane 3-1. The 1st Cat3 hurricane of the season. Hearing "well, Elaine is COMING TO FLORIDA!" isn't scary. Numbers aren't either, but at least it removes the PC crap.

[DownWithGreenspan]

Seeing as how hurricanes bring damage, destruction & ruin to cities, I am (for the first time ever) in agreement with the Honorable Ms. Jackson-Lee. Those like her really should be more greatly represented among the names of disasters.

DWG

[Capriole]

Is this a parody? I guess anything having to do with Sheila Jackson-Lee is inherently humorous--the woman is her own parody, monumental in her ignorance. Sheesh, imagine actually wanting to have hurricanes named after your ethnic group. Mark my words, if the NWS had started naming hurricanes LaQuonda, Chanel, and Ja'Kaira Ajenique, Jackson-Lee would have been screaming that it was racist to do so.

By the way: Jackson-Lee is a pretty funny name for a black woman, considering the Confederate associations. Wonder why she hasn't changed it to something African.

[Schatze]

The liberal wackos simply can't leave any facet of society untouched by their PC hands. Sheila, get a life.

[MatthewViti]

If Sheila's a blowin, you best be a ______.

*giggle*

[End Times Sentinel]

Funny, but not exactly "breaking" news...

 

You know, it's Prudence Pinch-faces like you who got my brilliant post about how I just got a bag of M&Ms without any green ones moved from Breaking News to Chat.

 

Owl_Eagle

" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[Chewbacca]

Good idea, but you should also include the year of the storm for historical reference.

"For example Hurricane 3-1. The 1st Cat3 hurricane of the season."

This should be something like 3-1-2003, or 1-3-2003, or better yet for cataloging on a spreadsheet 2003.1.3.

[LibertyThug]

This is a joke, right?

How dull our lives would be without Sheila Jackson Lee...

[Argus]

Way out here
We got a name
Fer wind and rain and fi-yah.
The rain is Tess,
The fire's Joe,
And they call the wind
Sh-hee-la.
Sha-hee-la!
Sha-hee-la!
They call hot wind
Sheila.

[tiamat]

LOL!

Tia