Time For A Name Change Oklahoma...!

I wrote about this the other day but a new bit of knowledge made me want to write about it again.

The federal government, liberals and the main stream media are trying to bully the Washington Redskins into changing their name because "it's disparaging to Native Americans." Even though the vast majority of Native Americans don't care about it one way or another it's the principle, according to those who are making all the noise.

Liberals seem to enjoy screaming loudly about small things that are important only to a small group of people while pretending they are representing all Americans. Harry Reid made the Redskins' name a topic on the Senate floor. We're fighting a war in Afghanistan, Iraq is being overrun by brutal terrorists (about which we're doing absolutely nothing), our President is releasing some of the world's most dangerous terrorists from Gitmo, our economy is horrible, unemployment is still high, the American labor force is shrinking, oil will soon be skyrocketing if the terrorists succeed in taking Iraq, etc., etc., etc. And the name of a privately owned football franchise is a topic on the Senate floor. I would find it unbelievable if it wasn't for the person who introduced it.

The U.S. Patent and Trade Office recently revoked the Redskins' trademark rights because they also said it disparages Native Americans. They didn't effectively change the team by doing that. They made it easier for more people to exploit the Redskins' name and logo because thanks to the government's decree the Redskins no longer own those things and therefore cannot control who uses them.

I wrote the other day about other sports teams with names that will eventually need to be changed because they might offend someone somewhere. I'm writing about it again today because of something I learned yesterday.

It's time for the great state of Oklahoma to change their name. The name Oklahoma is derived from Choctaw words that mean "red people." If a privately owned business can be forced by the government to change their name then certainly Oklahoma should be forced to change theirs. Every time you say the word Oklahoma you're actually saying "red people." That's got to bother someone somewhere.

I'm actually surprised no one has claimed that giving a state a Native American name is actually cultural appropriation. After all -when you say Oklahoma you're speaking Choctaw. And you can bet no one asked the Choctaw nation if it was OK to use their words and speak their language.

According to http://www.americanindiansource.com, there are 28 states whose names are either Native American words or derived from Native American words. We're all going to be confused after they change the names of over half of the states in the country.

Alabama -Indian for tribal town, later a tribe (Alabamas or Alibamons) of the Creek confederacy.
Alaska -Russian version of Aleutian (Eskimo) word, alakshak, for "peninsula," "great lands," or "land that is not an island."
Arizona -Spanish version of Pima Indian word for "little spring place," or Aztec arizuma, meaning "silver-bearing."
Arkansas -French variant of Quapaw, a Siouan people meaning "downstream people."
Connecticut -From Mohican and other Algonquin words meaning "long river place."
Delaware -Named for Lord De La Warr, early governor of Virginia; first applied to river, then to Indian tribe (Lenni-Lenape), and the state.
Hawaii -Possibly derived from native word for homeland, Hawaiki or Owhyhee.
Idaho -A coined name with an invented Indian meaning: "gem of the mountains;" originally suggested for the Pike's Peak mining territory (Colorado), then applied to the new mining territory of the Pacific Northwest. Another theory suggests Idaho may be a Kiowa Apache term for the Comanche.
Illinois -French for Illini or land of Illini, Algonquin word meaning men or warriors.
Indiana -Means "land of the Indians."
Iowa -Indian word variously translated as "one who puts to sleep" or "beautiful land."
Kansas -Sioux word for "south wind people."
Kentucky -Indian word variously translated as "dark and bloody ground," "meadow land" and "land of tomorrow."
Massachusetts -From Indian tribe named after "large hill place" identified by Capt. John Smith as being near Milton, Mass.
Michigan -From Chippewa words mici gama meaning "great water," after the lake of the same name.
Minnesota -From Dakota Sioux word meaning "cloudy water" or "sky-tinted water" of the Minnesota River.
Mississippi -Probably Chippewa; mici zibi, "great river" or "gathering-in of all the waters." Also: Algonquin word, "Messipi."
Missouri -An Algonquin Indian term meaning "river of the big canoes."
Nebraska -From Omaha or Otos Indian word meaning "broad water" or "flat river," describing the Platte River.
North & South Dakota -Dakota is Sioux for friend or ally.
Ohio -Iroquois word for "fine or good river."
Oklahoma -Choctaw coined word meaning red man, proposed by Rev. Allen Wright, Choctaw-speaking Indian, said: Okla humma is red people.
Tennessee -Tanasi was the name of Cherokee villages on the Little Tennessee River. From 1784 to 1788 this was the State of Franklin, or Frankland.
Texas -Variant of word used by Caddo and other Indians meaning friends or allies, and applied to them by the Spanish in eastern Texas. Also written texias, tejas, teysas.
Utah -From a Navajo word meaning upper, or higher up, as applied to a Shoshone tribe called Ute.
Wisconsin -An Indian name, spelled Ouisconsin and Mesconsing by early chroniclers. Believed to mean "grassy place" in Chippewa. Congress made it Wisconsin.
Wyoming -The word was taken from Wyoming Valley, Pa., which was the site of an Indian massacre and became widely known by Campbell's poem, "Gertrude of Wyoming." In Algonquin it means "large prairie place."

I'm not even going to get into the various cities, towns and attractions with Native American names. It would take all day to list them and all day to read this post. But it's clear we need to make some changes in this country lest some person be offended.

Oh - I did a little research and found out the name Reid is Scottish. Since ol' Harry is an American I'm sure I can find some Scotsman out there who is offended by Harry. So, Mr. Majority Leader...  what is your new name going to be? Don't worry - I know people who would be happy to give you some suggestions...