Arizona Mountain Renamed for Fallen Native American Servicewoman (Feminazis: it's done deal)

Feminist Daily News Wire ^ | April 18, 2003

[SamAdams76]

I'm asking a serious question here. How did "squaw" come to be offensive? BTW, I haven't heard that term used since a John Wayne movie I watched five years ago.

[Jotmo]

The sad part about this is they can’t even honor a fallen soldier without the excuse about being offended by the word “squaw” and turning the whole thing into a political statement to advance the feminist agenda

It’s a worthy idea name a mountain after her, for her sacrifice deserves to be honored. It should be done according to the law and without using the event to pound on the PC war drums.

Despicable.

[liberalnot]

it's all b.s., anyway.

feminists objected to "squaw" saying that it meant "vagina" and mounted a legislative campaign across the united states to change state names of mountains, creeks, etc. meanwhile, the same feminists staged their play "the vagina monologues".

in retrospect, "multiculturalism" has done little for blacks and latinos in universities. it has, however, been a bonanza for feminists and liberal-left jews, who dominate the humanities and social sciences at american universities.

[wardaddy]

FWIW:

(Etymology)

'Squaw' is one of a number of words in English that were borrowed from Eastern Algonquian languages, sometimes via French, during the early contact period. The source in this case is conventionally Massachusett squas (Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd Edition). The term meant 'young woman' in Massachusett and is attested as early as 1624. In fact, related words derived from Proto-Algonquian *et^kwe:wa (t^ represents a theta - a th sound) 'woman' occur throughout the Algonquian language family. Mostly they're fairly similar to the proto-form and each other (cf. Cree iskwe:w), though in a few languages the descendant form is so modified by accumulated sound changes that only someone familiar with the changes involved would recognize it, e.g., Arapahoe híthei. Bright's useful summary of this cites Cutler 1994 and Goddard 1996, 1997 for the etymology of the term.

(extract from John E. Koontz's "Etymology" page)

[wardaddy]

More info this time from a more PC source...whew!!(pardon the "French")

Is squaw a bad word?
The etymology is perfectly innocent (see above). The problem with squaw has nothing to do with its etymology. Nigger has a perfectly unobjectionable etymology in Spanish negro 'black', for example. The difficulty with nigger is that it came to embody and represent a discriminatory attitude toward blacks. Similarly, the difficulty with squaw is that it is associated with a discriminatory attitude toward Indian people and sometimes by extension toward women generally.

The pattern of racism associated with squaw is not readily perceived by many people today, especially by non-Indians, perhaps because the word squaw is obsolescent, found mainly in historical literature and movies, or as a fossil in placenames and expressions like squawfish, squaw dance or squaw corn (a term I actually first heard used quite innocently by an Omaha man). It seems inoffensive to many people in these contexts, and they don't see any point in avoiding it, even though the same people would never use a form like nigger, and may instinctively avoid placenames based on such forms, as well as fossil expressions like niggertoes and perhaps even the wholly unconnected word niggardly.

There are some tests that might help clarify matters for you if you believe you are not bothered by squaw. One thing would be to ask yourself if you would feel comfortable referring to a woman you knew with the term. The reference has to be understood as essentially serious, since humor often permits, or at least obscures, insulting usages. Another test would be to consider whether you would willingly use the term, or an expression including it, in front of someone you knew to be an Indian. If you think you would avoid the term in these contexts, you might want to reconsider the proposition that squaw is inoffensive in placenames and other fixed expressions.

A thing is to notice that when English speakers use a specialized noun to refer to one or both of the sexes of another ethnic group, or to the children of that ethnic group, there is generally some sort of conception of special status involved. This might be a perception of higher status (e.g., consider Lord or Lady), but usually it is quite the opposite. The terms themselves need not be especially insulting in origin or meaning. It's the pattern that marks them. At a minimum there is a indication of exclusion, generally combined with an expression of solidarity with the addressee.

There is something of a gradation here - compounds with '-woman' or borrowed feminines are usually not insulting as such, but are generally avoided in direct address or, for most people, even for references to another in their presence. Names (Marie), titles of respect (miss, ma'am), or generics ('this woman', 'this lady' -' that woman', 'that lady' are subtly less polite) have to be used instead. Usages like 'hey, Frenchwoman' or 'hey, Frenchy' or even 'this Frenchwoman' (in her presence) are generally avoided.

[FreedomCalls]

Buildings != natural formations. It's that simple.

See this previous thread:

House Votes To Name Mountain After Ronald Reagan
| March 14, 2003 | Associated Press

Posted on 03/14/2003 10:00 AM CST by Living Free in NH

Lawmakers Say They Shouldn't Wait Until 40th President Dies

CONCORD, N.H. -- The House voted Thursday to name a mountain after President Reagan.

If enacted, Mount Clay would become Mount Reagan.

The mountain peak is in the Presidential Range in the White Mountains.

Supporters said New Hampshire shouldn't wait until Reagan dies to memorialize him.

[wardaddy]

25 is pasted from this link:

http://spot.colorado.edu/~koontz/faq/etymology.htm#squaw2

[Skooz]

Squaw Peak in Arizona . . .will now be called Piestewa Peak...

Only on the map. Everyone who lives close by will continue calling it by it's name, not the PC moniker foisted upon it by the shrill hussies with nothing else to do but ram their weirdness down everyone else's throats.

They really have nothing going on, do they?

[Timesink]

Lawmakers Say They Shouldn't Wait Until 40th President Dies

That's equally wrong and should be equally ignored by the relevant federal agencies. (I do know that the regulations for presidents are sometimes lower, and codified as such - for example, you have to be dead ten years to even be considered for a postage stamp, but presidents automatically get one a year after their deaths. I don't know if there are any such president-only regulations regarding naming geographical places.)

[Savage Beast]

I think this is a good idea. It's a good idea to honor her in this way.

[FreedomCalls]

Buildings != natural formations. It's that simple.

And here's another.

Plaistow, NH
Friday, March 7, 2003 Rep. proposes new moniker for mountain

By Nate Evans
nevans@seacoastonline.com

CONCORD - Mount Reagan.

It just sort of rolls off of the tongue, doesn’t it?

At least, State Rep. Kenneth Weyler believes it should.

Weyler, an eight-term representative from Kingston, proposed a bill to the Legislature in January seeking to change the name of Boott Spur Mountain, which is located next to Mount Washington, to honor "the greatest president of the last 50 years".

Weyler, a huge Ronald Reagan fan, not only admires the former president’s political accomplishments, but also his personality and demeanor.

"Reagan was somebody you could look up to and admire and say I want to be like him," Weyler said. "He had a great sense of humor, he was good to people ... not a mean bone in him."

Weyler’s proposal was forwarded to the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, where it is still being considered.

Weyler said Rep. Richard Cooney of Salem, the chairman of the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, is planning to propose an amendment to the bill to change the mountain that would be named after the Gipper. Cooney would like to see one of the Moat Mountains - either North Moat, Middle Moat or South Moat - changed to Mount Reagan.

Weyler supports the proposed amendment, explaining that he doesn’t care which mountain honors the former president, as long as one does.

[Timesink]

And here's another.

So take it up with them. I've made my opinion clear.

[jackbill]

I find it disturbing that people tend to want to "honor" virtually anyone who dies in combat by renaming a road, mountain, river, etc.. This is a recent occurrence.

During our previous wars, hundreds of thousands of our troops lost their lives - heroically,by ambush, or other means. Not very many of them were honored by having something named after them.

I would prefer that people honor all with their prayers, then take a really deep breath and consider what they are proposing.

And that includes Chris Matthews, who proposed the Medal of Honor for PFC Jessica Lynch.

Please. Give me a break.

What was named for my cousin who flew B-17's in England and North Africa, had completed the required number of missions for rotation back to the States, volunteered to lead a "green" crew on their first mission and was lost? And what was named for his crew? And for the crews of many hundreds of aircraft lost during WWII?

[FreedomCalls]

No, you make a statement that you attempted to pass off as fact. I just wanted to show you that that fact is not true. You are entitled to your opinion, but the fact is that people have attempted to get natural formations renamed for Ronald Reagan. And curiously, no conservatives got into a hissy fit over it like they are getting into for Piestewa for some reason.

[IronJack]

I would continue to call it Squaw Mountain. Until the Mind Police actually make it a crime, they can posture all they want. But they can't FORCE this PC crap upon an unwilling populace anymore than they could force prohibition.

[Oztrich Boy]

Usages like 'hey, Frenchwoman' or 'hey, Frenchy' or even 'this Frenchwoman' (in her presence) are generally avoided.

That's being overparticular. In normal converastion one doesn't use the more correct long-form "Cheese-eating surrender-monkey woman" every time.

[RaceBannon]

um...what is illegal about this??

[wardaddy]

LOL....I just saw that term used on O'Reilly with his on street interviews on South Beach in Miami.

Was that a FReeper?

[vetvetdoug]

I guess that answers why jerked salmon is called squaw candy because of the relationship of the smell with the offensive term.....NOT!!!

[madfly]

From the Phoenix New Times
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2003-04-17/nelson.html/1/index.html
(X-rated terms)

Late last week, increasingly lame Governor Janet Napolitano asked for the resignation of the chairman of the Arizona Board on Geographic and Historic Names because the guy refused to consider a request to rename Squaw Peak in honor of Army Private Lori Piestewa, the Hopi woman with four syllables in her last name who was killed in the early days of the invasion of Iraq.

The volunteer chairman, Tim Norton, had the audacity to remind Napolitano that state and federal rules prohibit naming or renaming a geographic feature in honor of a deceased person within five years of the date of the person's death.

The rules are in place to avoid the confusion and bureaucratic messes caused when pandering politicians such as Napolitano attempt to reap political gain from civic moments of grief and patriotism. If there were no such rules, federal topographers would be changing maps weekly to keep up with politicians renaming landmarks for every cop, fireman, soldier, sports hero or oppressed minority whose death happens to inspire a candlelight vigil photo on the front page of the Arizona Republic.

The five-year rule allows for a cooling-off period of sorts, a chance to weigh the historical significance of the person and his or her accomplishments against the huge inconvenience to both the government and the citizenry of changing a landmark's name.

It is a good rule. And besides that, Tim Norton is a good man who is simply doing his duty in an utterly thankless position that nobody knew existed until last week.

Yet Janet Napolitano sees an easy target, which, her pedestrian career proves, is the only kind of target she likes. Beating up Tim Norton gives her the chance to look like the liberal she refuses to be when it would take some actual courage to be a liberal.

Indeed, as U.S. attorney, state attorney general and now governor, Napolitano has proven she sorely lacks the characteristics of courage, intelligence and vision needed to get a major landmark named after you.