Failing to answer question of honor to Pfc. Piestewa

Arizona Republic ^ | Apr. 17, 2003 | Ed Montin

[presidio9]

We dishonor the memory of Lori Piestewa with our pettiness. She put on a uniform and went to war and was killed, leaving behind a loving family and two small children. In return we waste the opportunity to honor her sacrifice and mend a bleeding insult by depreciating her life and pouring salt on the wound.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Well, I have not heard of any other such initiatives...if and when they come up, I'll comment. Unless it is anything other than renaming the moon, I'll probably be for it!

[Rastus]

This is foolish. Of course we should honor this brave woman (and I shouldn't even have to say on Free Republic that "brave" is not used by me as some sly Indian reference), but this is not necessarily it. I find it a little slimy that these people have been fighting to change the name of the peak for a long time, and they see her sacrifice as a opportunity to shame the opposition into giving them what they want. They don't care about her. They don't intend this to honor her. Before she died, they would have gladly called it Bill Clinton Peak, I'm sure. It's all about renaming the peak, and this is just their newest, best hope. I say, when they come up with something that really honors her and is only intended to honor her, go for it. Until then, how dare they use her for their petty PC politics?

[lawdude]

Q: Since "squaw" has been used for years, how can you say it's an insult?

A: If it were not, we would use it in conversation. If it were not, someone by now would have used it in reference to Piestewa or to other Native American women. That will never happen.
_____

BS. You can drive through the Navajo reservation and see signs advertising Squaw Dances.

The reference he says 'will never happen' happens every day. he is just plain ignoring fact!

[metesky]

A few years back Maine's legislature, in it's wisdom, changed the place names of all "squaw" places.

No more Squaw Mountain, etc. even though the ski resort of that name proudly (and I think correctly) refuses to change their signs and promotional literature.

I always thought it was about a defeated Stone Age people having something to bitch about and getting some quality face time on local TV.

[lawdude]

"Rename it!
She died for our freedom.
Enough said."

Based on that logic, we should rename landmarks for EVERY serviceperson killed in action in avery war. Brilliant!

Rename your own friggin landmarks. Leave mine alone. I live about a mile from SQUAW PEAK.

Bull pucky.

[Van Jenerette]

Former semiconductor engineer turned law-yah

...speaks volumns for your comment about warriors...your argument loses with this member of the jury.

[lawdude]

"your argument loses with this member of the jury."

Just what part of my "argument" do you disagree with? Is Ms. Piestewa above the special place we give to all military lost in battle? Is it because she was a woman? Is it because she was an Indian?

Just what is you point/position? I have stated my position, you merely say I am wrong. Easy to do but darned hard to justify. If you can show me the error of my ways, I will gladly change my view. You see, I can understand logic, not emotional dribble.

Next we can try to equate John McCain and Ms. Piestewa. Does he deserve a McCain Mountain? Does he deserve a McCain freeway? Will he be so honored upon his death?

[verity]

Tempest in a Teepee!

[freedumb2003]

We could change the name but everyone would still call it Squaw Peak.

Hey, don't you know that changing a name solves everything? They changed the name "South Central" to "South Los Angeles" and the crime sropped, the welfare queens all got jobs, people could walk unafraid at night, carjacking stopped, drugs ceased to be used or sold and the birds chirp while the sun kisses the morning grass. Yep, name changes are the new wonder solution of this century.

[presidio9]

I find it a little slimy that these people have been fighting to change the name of the peak for a long time, and they see her sacrifice as a opportunity to shame the opposition into giving them what they want.

The most guilty of this tactic are homosexuals. Whenever I have a disagreement with a gay-rights advocate it's not long before I am accused of homophobia. How have we gotten to the point in our culture where disagreeing with homosexuals is somehow morally less clean than having buttsex with another man?

I'll be honest with you. I am not in love with the name Squaw Peak. What I am opposed to is the naked opportunism of using a soldiers death to advance your private political cause. Pfc. Piestewa was from AZ and certainly familiar with Squaw Peak. Did anybody ever hear her complain about the name?

Cousins to these ghouls are the enviornmentalists who are now claiming that we need to shut down all nuclear power plants because they are a target of terrorist attacks.