Posted on 06/27/2014 9:55:16 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
*
In the United States today, the names Apache, Comanche, Chinook, Lakota, Cheyenne and Kiowa apply not only to Indian tribes but also to military helicopters. Add in the Black Hawk, named for a leader of the Sauk tribe. Then there is the Tomahawk, a low-altitude missile, and a drone named for an Indian chief, Gray Eagle. Operation Geronimo was the end of Osama bin Laden.
Why do we name our battles and weapons after people we have vanquished? For the same reason the Washington team is the Redskins and my hometown Red Sox go to Cleveland to play the Indians and to Atlanta to play the Braves: because the myth of the worthy native adversary is more palatable than the reality — the conquered tribes of this land were not rivals but victims, cheated and impossibly outgunned.
The destruction of the Indians was asymmetric war, compounded by deviousness in the name of imperialist manifest destiny. White America shot, imprisoned, lied, swindled, preached, bought, built and voted its way to domination. Identifying our powerful weapons and victorious campaigns with those we subjugated serves to lighten the burden of our guilt. It confuses violation with a fair fight.
It is worse than denial; it is propaganda.
*
Noam Chomsky has clarified the moral stakes in provocative, instructive terms: “We might react differently if the Luftwaffe were to call its fighter planes ‘Jew’ and ‘Gypsy.’ ”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
sort of like there was never a civil war or Confederate States of America. Their flag is banned everywhere and history is being rewritten by the Politically Correct liberal idiots.
portraying our native friends as violent, militaristic people.
These liberal fools have nothing better to contribute to America....it speaks volumes. Useless bastards...that can only make trouble for others.
The DemocRat platform...just keep attacking problems that do not really exist.
While we are at it; I would suggest that we rename the EPA the “Green SS”, the IRS could be renamed the “Internal $$ and one of my favorites, the BLM can become the “T-SS”. It’s for the turtles after all.
The aurhtor of the article mentions your favourite schmuck - Noam Chomsky.
If the native tribes did not stand a chance, this does not imply lack of resistance or of courage; regardless, it doesn’t much matter in this context. Whatever courage they had, the U.S. military is not heir to it. If honor matters to the members of our armed forces, they will agree.
Honor does matter and we honor those who fought bravely against us. That is our, undying honor to those with whom we have faced on the field of battle.
The moral of the story...don’t get conquered.
My rototiller has a 1938 Tecumseh engine on it and I only live about 30 miles from Tecumseh MI.
And outlaw English people since they’re all razist anyways.
Thank goodness that those of us who are not white, have sniveling, liberal whites available to tell us what should offend us....
While you’re right on, libtards will have us believe that all “Native Americans” lived in peace, harmony, tranquility and established a utopian society that excelled in mathematics, sciences and human evolution.
No diseases, no killings, all one with nature. I’m not kidding either.....
IIRC, the HMS Beagle (unforgotten because of Charles Darwin) was of a class of ship named after an American Indian tribe.
Mr. Waxman has his work cut out for him...
So what are going to do, outlaw anything that references a Native American, because there is a whole lot out there, probably more than imaginable. Or do we just want large entities to pay up enormous sums of money...
I believe that US Military has already stopped using American Indian terms for exercises. Under Bush43, maybe.
Do we have Rebel drones, now?
“Okay, Mr. Waxman, let’s name the Redskins the Panzers. You oaky wit dat?”
Careful, you might get the detroit tigers (tanks) in trouble. lol
Honoring the warrior is exactly right. I dread anything being named after the head of this administration. Getting sick at the thought.
The destruction of the Indians was asymmetric war’
Oh screw off you victim of collegiate thievery. The warfare wasn’t asymmetric. Both sides were fighting in many instances.
You were robbed by your college. You paid them good money and you were given a wholly inadequate education. It is criminal how they robbed you.
The U.S. Navy use to name their Ocean going fleet tugs after American Indian tribes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.