Tribe: Remove ‘halfbreed’ from Montana place names

Associated Press ^ | Jul 30, 2014 7:19 PM EDT | Lisa Baumann

[Olog-hai]

The time has come to remove the words “halfbreed” and “breed” from the names of creeks, lakes and other places around Montana, according to leaders of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Nicholas Vrooman, who works with the tribe, presented a bill draft to that effect during a recent meeting with the State-Tribal Relations Legislative Committee. The words are racist terms that demean American Indians, he said. […]

The bill would require state and other agencies to identify places with the terms and remove them from maps, signs and markers when age or vandalism calls for an update. It would also create a volunteer advisory group that would determine replacement names. Under the proposed bill, replacement names would come from the tribe’s three traditional, historic languages: Chippewa, Cree and Michif. …

[blueplum]

the article says “the tribe’s “ instead of “ the tribes’ “ so are the historic Montana nations also good to go with just the three dialects?

If they want to change place names I don’t see it as any biggie. Just curious.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/05/22/us-proposes-changes-to-tribal-recognition-rules-that-may-help-montanas-little-shell/9457181/

[nathanbedford]

We are witnessing the elevation of subjectivism over liberty. When it comes to changing names because of offense subjectively taken by some group or other it is bad enough when it applies to public places or institutions but when it applies to private property, such as the copyright property interests of the Washington Redskins, it crosses another line.

When I was a child it was quite proper to refer to members of the Negroid race as "colored people." Hence, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Then, I think sometime in the 1950s, it was required in politically correct society to drop "colored" and use "Negro." Hence the Negro College fund. Later, it was necessary to change to "Black" with the emergence of the Black Panthers and black exploitation movies etc. Now evidently we are in the age of the "African Americans."

The point is that I have lost control over my own language and have seen control over it pass to a nameless authority which shifts my language according to its subjective needs. I may have something to complain of but I have no constitutional leg to stand on. People can do with the language what they will, as I can do what I will, and we will compete in the marketplace of ideas. The government should have absolutely no role because, ultimately, language is power as it affects the way we perceive and think when we strive to express ourselves.

Likewise, if pressure groups can convince elected representatives of the people to change place names of public places that is part of the game of representative democracy. It may be unwise, it is often ludicrous, but it is not unconstitutional and it does not affect my liberty. But we should not forget that if we allow the subjective feelings of self proclaimed groups, usually racial groups, to dictate public discourse by enlisting government, we are a short step away from mob tyranny.

If the elevation of the subjective extends to government control over property rights, as we saw in the case of the Washington Redskins loss of of some of their copyright prerogatives, we have perverted government into an instrument of oppression. We violate the constitutional property rights of the Washington Redskins. We decide that if a group can gin up enough public-relations support and create enough commotion, they can get government action to deprive other people of their rights. And this is done by parading the subjective hurt feelings of a group presuming to speak for a whole race. The group may or may not be cynically motivated, it may simply be motivated by greed yet their will prevails over the constitutional rights of their victims.

The business of elevating subjective feelings over liberty is successful in raising money for the agitators and it works because it invokes the toxic charge of racism. Nathan Bedford's Maxim: all politics in America is not local but ultimately racial, finds obvious application in this area.

Once society gets conditioned to accept elevating subjectivism over constitutional rights when race is invoked, we have embarked on a new journey into tyranny.

[vette6387]

But then what would we call our President?

[ozzymandus]

I am sick and tired of this whiny PC crap.

[ifinnegan]

Half Breed - That’s all I ever heard

Half breed - How I learned to hate the word

Both sides were against me since the day I was born

Or some such idiocy from the 70’s

[sauron]

I agree with you.

I might even go one un-politically correct step farther: Since the place names being mentioned occur on federal/state land (i.e., owned and administered by Americans, and not non-Americans, that is, Indians) we get to name creeks, mountains, etc., what we will without paying any regard to what the Injuns tell us.

And in return?

They get to name their creeks, and rivers, and mountains and we will not presume to tell them what they allowed to name 'em.

I mean, fair is fair. And we can play the PC game and intrude into their culture as much as they're intruding into ours.

That's how I feel about all this crap. Sorry if I've offended, by I'm sick and tired of watching my culture, the culture that allowed us to leave bootprints on the Moon, being sullied by cultures that would still been barking in worship OF the Moon had we not come to justly dominate them.

They should all be glad we didn't eat 'em. Some cultures do that, ya know. ;)

Instead, we gave 'em space travel, the ballpoint pen, Mozart, and drive-through pharmacies. I'd say they did pretty well on the deal.

[nathanbedford]

The inevitable post-revisionist class of historians have not yet really begun to rewrite the history of imperialism, especially British imperialism and I fully expect that the Victorians and those who preceded them will be rehabilitated to a great degree. The benefits to humanity of the British Empire are often overlooked and discounted but the basis for civil society, the idea of a rule of law, circles the globe today where it does because of The Thin Red Line.

The idea that we must deprecate advanced Western civilization and debase it to the level of Stone Age Societies, like American Indians, many African tribes, or Australian Bushmen was inserted into our cultural bloodstream as part of a conscious effort by The Frankfurt School to so diminish our civilization in the minds of our people so that they would be eager to do away with it. In other words, if Western civilization is no good then what Karl Marx has to offer must be better. To shape society to the point where it is willing to jettison all the virtues of Western society which you have described, capitalism, Christianity, religion in general, the family, the rule law, and patriotism had to be undermined if not fully destroyed. These institutions which had supported those building blocks such as the family, the church, the state, the court system, seats of learning, media etc. all had to be either destroyed or perverted.

This naming business is only a rather fatuous symptom of that generations long campaign initiated by the Frankfurt School, implemented by Cloward and Piven and popularized by Saul Alinsky.

[DaveA37]

Does that mean we can remove odumbo? He’s a “half-breed”

[DH]

Orwell used the term “newspeak” in his famous book.

Not only did that term apply to today’s politically correct bizarro world, but everything else in his book has come to pass too.

Citizens (and illegals) have become the proles and their mannerisms are clearly defined in todays society.

[Ben Ficklin]

"stop calling bars Honky Tonks"

If you did that, how would differentiate between Honky Tonks, Fern Bars, and Lizard Lounges?

Besides, there not any real Honky Tonks left.

[Seattle Conservative]

That’s one of the 1st things that came to my mind (outside of being sick and tired of all of this PC cr*pola).

Guess we need to ban Cher’s song, too - no?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***I want them to stop calling bars, “Honky Tonks”! ***

I got into trouble back in 1952 when we were parked in from of the old general store in Farley NM. My dad went across the street and into the bar to see a man about a dog.

I had the canvas water bag and was getting myself a drink when my little brother wanted a drink and I would not let him have the bag. He kept saying ...”I want a drink!”

I mustered all the smart s$$ a 5 year old kid could could muster. pointed at the bar and said to him.....”You want a drink? Well you just march right over there to that HONKY TONK and get you a drink!”
Boy did Momma set me down!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Besides, there not any real Honky Tonks left. ***

Sure there are! Over in the edge of Oklahoma. You can get a drink, a case of clap or crabs and dance all in the same place.

[Defiant]

To which breed is it demeaning?

[Fightin Whitey]

All the blanket Indians like to pretend they are sovereign nations (despite being almost wholly dependent on U.S. federal aid).

So name their own place names.

If they want to change ours, declare war and come and make us.

[Liberty Valance]

Indiana?

[Pompah]

Sticks and Stones may break my bones,
But words Blah, Blah, Blah...
Boring !!!