Free Republic

Opponents of the Washington Redskins’ name in Minneapolis are pulling out all the stops to bar the team from using its controversial name during its November game against the Minnesota Vikings. Now, a city attorney will explore whether the Mill City has the legal authority to ban the name entirely. The decision to look into taking legal action was part of two resolutions recently passed by the Minneapolis city council. The first resolution, which passed unanimously last week, officially condemned “the racist, offensive name of the Washington, D.C. football franchise.” One councilmember said the name is an affront to “a...

Prof. John Banzhaf has filed a petition asking the FCC to revoke the broadcast license of stations that use the word “Redskins.” Some “longtime participants in the FCC regulatory process” — including former FCC chair Reed Hundt — have likewise argued that, It is impermissible under law that the FCC would condone, or that broadcasters would use, obscene pornographic language on live television. This medium uses government owned airwaves in exchange for an understanding that it will promote the public interest. Similarly, it is inappropriate for broadcasters to use racial epithets as part of normal, everyday reporting. Current FCC chair...

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler said Tuesday that the FCC will consider punishing broadcasters for using "Redskins" on air. The Federal Communications Commission will consider punishing broadcasters for using the Washington Redskins' nickname on air, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler said during a conference call with reporters, according to Reuters. Legal activist John Banzhaf III, a law professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., petitioned the FCC to revoke a Washington radio station's broadcast license due to its repeated use of the nickname. Wheeler said his organization will "be looking into that petition." "There are a lot of names...

The Federal Communications Commission is going to outlaw a word. Or at least it is going to give serious consideration to doing so. Yesterday, the FCC agreed to consider a petition asking it to forbid the use of the word “redskins” on the public airwaves. “Public” airwaves, of course, is the insane claim of the federal government that it owns the air and all things which pass through it. A broadcasting company builds a transmitter and the equipment necessary to broadcast, it purchases the electricity which is the substance of a transmission, and it sends a signal to receivers purchased...

The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether to punish broadcasters for using the moniker of the Washington NFL team, the Redskins, a word many consider a slur to Native Americans, the agency's chairman indicated on Tuesday.

Redskins fans are mad at Phil Simms for his stated desire to avoid using the team name on Thursday night. Some of them took out their anger by bringing anti-Simms signs to FedEx Field. Simms is part of the CBS broadcast team working Thursday’s Redskins-Giants game.

NEW YORK — CBS lead analyst Phil Simms plans to try to avoid saying “Redskins” during Washington’s nationally televised game against the New York Giants. ... Simms’ broadcast partner, play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, said then that it’s “not my job to take a stance.”

The liberal legend of Jon Stewart began with his Oct. 15, 2004 appearance on CNN's "Crossfire," where he rhetorically sentenced the show to death. He proclaimed, "It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. ... You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably." CNN announced it was canceling the show two months later, as network president Jon Klein told the New York Times "I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise." As is so typical of liberals who preach one thing while doing its opposite (Leonardo DiCaprio, call your office), Comedy...

The four die-hard Redskins fans thought the opportunity was as golden as the vintage helmets of their favorite football team: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” wanted them to appear on the Comedy Central program to defend the team’s name, which has been under relentless attack. The Redskins Nation citizens eagerly signed up, most of them knowing that they might be mocked in their interview with correspondent Jason Jones. But several hours into the Sept. 13 taping of the yet-to-air episode, the fans, all from Virginia, said they were suddenly confronted by a larger group of Native American activists —...

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will introduce legislation aimed at eliminating the NFL's tax-exempt status, she announced at a press conference on Tuesday. Cantwell's motivation for introducing the legislation is the league's continued inaction against the Washington Redskins name. “The NFL needs to join the rest of Americans in the 21st century,” she said, according to The Washington Post. “It is about right and wrong.” The press conference was called by the Native American coalition Change the Mascot, which has sent a letter to 31 NFL owners urging them to take action that could lead to the Redskins name being changed.

Former Washington Redskins tight end Clint Didier, who is seeking to replace the retiring Congressman Doc Hastings in Washington State’s 4th congressional district, received a powerful endorsement on Thursday. Didier, a principled constitutional conservative with enthusiastic support from the pro-freedom Tea Party movement, was endorsed by Sarah Palin, who said “Clint sees the dangers facing our next generation,” and will “fight for farmers, for lower taxes, and less government.” Didier, who won two Super Bowl rings playing for the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl’s XVII and XXII under coach Joe Gibbs, became a farmer after retiring from his NFL career...

Political correctness is apparently more important than educating children. At least that’s the message I take away from a Colorado Democrat’s plan to defund schools that have “unauthorized” mascots. Wielding the self-righteous tomahawk of political correctness, Democrat Joe Salazar has decided to leverage Colorado’s pawns kids as a bargaining chip in his effort to rid the world of “offensive” Native American mascots.Under the Thornton legislator’s plan, schools will be required to seek permission from Native American tribes for their western-themed mascots, or go without any state funding. (On the bright side, I can now honestly say I’ve seen a Democrat propose...

Charlotte Observer has announced it will no longer be printing the name “Redskins” in local articles, citing controversy surrounding the name. The newspaper announced on Saturday that it will start the ban Sunday. The paper said it will still cover the team, but will not refer to them by that term. ...

NFL culture has finally pissed the American left off. No, feminist Democrats are not irate about superstars beating their girlfriends into unconsciousness and “equality” activists are not protesting the NFL’s lack of gender-neutral locker rooms. Their ire is directed at the team name of the Washington franchise, the Redskins, and the left has its jockstrap all bunched up because owner Daniel Snyder is refusing to cower to their fad activism. See, this whole feigned outrage is not about an offensive team name—it’s about control, it’s about liberal bullies not getting their way, and it is the epitome of fake courage....

The raw numbers look nice for those who favor keeping the name, but pay attention to the trendline. Way back in 1992, just eight percent supported changing it; last year, as the lefty messaging machine got rolling, it bumped up to 14 percent. Through eight months of this year, it’s up another nine points. Where will it be five years from now?Glass half-full or half-empty?Don’t read too much into the numbers among liberals. They’ll become strongly negative soon enough, as opposition to “Redskins” slowly joins the canon of What Good Progressives Believe. The number among the under-45 set is...

Don’t Gimme An “N”: “Redskins” is nothing like the “N-word” by Daniel Clark If you’ve watched any media panel discussions about the Washington Redskins’ nickname, you’ve noticed that the typical, knee-jerk liberal response is, “Calling a team the Redskins is no different from calling it the N-word.” A more honest critic would stop to wonder why that’s never been done. It can’t be that people have been more sensitive about offending blacks than Indians. Back when many sports teams were given their nicknames, nobody would have guessed that a racial slur would one day be censored as “the N-word.” The...

I'm attempting to understand why some of the descendants of the people Christopher Columbus called "Indians" say they are ashamed to be called "redskins". The only explanation I can think of is they are ashamed that they are not white or perhaps they are simply ashamed of their heritage. In the 1950's many black Americans were ashamed of their color. They tried to bleach their skin and straighten their hair to look more like white people. In the early sixties someone discovered a statement abolitionist John Sweat Rock had made a century earlier. Rock said, "black is beautiful". Many black...

On his Friday program, Keith Olbermann called on ESPN to "officially" ban the use of "Redskins." Citing Greg Gumbel, Tom Jackson, Peter King, Phil Simms, Mike Caray, Tony Dungy and others who have expressed concerns about using the team's name, Olbermann said that ESPN is the "conduit of sports" in the country while also being "loathe to be the news." Olbermann said that list of the words he and his colleagues cannot say on the air is "justifiably long" and "way less offensive than the name of the Washington team." He said he personally felt that "it is time for...

THIS PAGE has for many years urged the local football team to change its name. The term “Redskins,” we wrote in 1992, “is really pretty offensive.” The team owner then, Jack Kent Cooke, disagreed, and the owner now, Daniel M. Snyder, disagrees, too. But the matter seems clearer to us now than ever, and while we wait for the National Football League to catch up with thoughtful opinion and common decency, we have decided that, except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves. That’s the standard we apply to all offensive...

More and more we're hearing about various members of the media ceasing to use the name "Redskins." In perhaps the biggest deal yet, the Washington Post announced Friday the editorial board would cease using the team's nickname. "While we wait for the NFL to catch up with public opinion and common decency we have decided not to use the slur ourselves except when it is essential for clarity or effect," said a statement on the paper's own site. Worth noting: this doesn't affect the actual paper. The news-gathering side of the business can -- and will as we understand it...