The R-word is Like the N-Word, According to Some Members of Congress

Last week, ten members of Congress wrote to Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins.

Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), Zoe Lofgren (D-California), Michael M. Honda (D-California), Barbara Lee (D-California), Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Donna M. Christensen (D-Virginia), and Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) signed a letter urging him to change the team name. The effort was headed by Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) and Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus.

What did they say?  

Among other things, the authors said:  

"Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur akin to the N-word among African Americans or the W-word among Latinos. Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw widespread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans...The current Chairman and Chief of the Penobscot Nation, Chief Kirk Francis, recently stated in a joint statement that the [R-word] is ‘not just a racial slur or a derogatory term,’ but a painful ‘reminder of one of the most gruesome acts of . . . ethnic cleansing ever committed against the Penobscot people.’ The hunting and killing of Penobscot Indians like animals, as declared by Chief Francis, was ‘a most despicable and disgraceful act of genocide'... In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs...We look forward to working with you to find a solution to this important matter."

(Preach.) 

Snyder's response? 

Snyder told USA Today, "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER - you can use caps." He continued, "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."

Too bad support for the team name went down from 89 percent to 79 percent over the past generation. And we're sure the lack of support is growing.

Furthermore, the Native American Finance Officers Association, the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism, the American Indian Movement West, and the United South and Eastern Tribes oppose the use of the term as negative, hurtful, and past due for a name change. 

And so do we - duh! Why is there even a question as to whether this is offensive? It's 2013. (All one-eighths of my Blackfoot people are offended and will continue to be offended. And so are all seven-eighths of my Mestiza people.) 

Never say never, sir.

(Note to DMV/NOVA children of the 1990s: Remember when the Bullets became the Washington Wizards because of the violent undertones of the team name? Hey! Wasn't that a good idea?)

Shut it down, Snyder. 

Read more here.  

Are Barack Obama and Clarence Thomas the New Biggie and Tupac?

Objectively, President Obama and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are two of the "highest ranking" professional black men in the United States. They have much in common, but have barely spoken a word to one other.  The divide between them is puzzling.  This is not to say that all black men should be friends, or all black law school graduates should be friends, because the issue goes much deeper than that.

The question is why don't they get along? It can't be purely because of ideological differences.

Both men were raised by their grandparents and had absent fathers.

Both men went to Ivy League Law schools.  President Obama attended Harvard. Justice Thomas attended Yale.

Both men chose a life of public service  where their annual salaries are nothing compared to what they could have made as corporate attorneys following President Obama's time as Harvard Law Review Editor-in-Chief or Justice Thomas' time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Remember in 2008 when then-Senator Obama said he never would have nominated Clarence Thomas. Except, the Senator expanded upon that statement to tell the world that he did not think Clarence Thomas was smart enough to be a Supreme Court Justice.

During a recent speech, Justice Thomas admitted that he and Obama have hardly spoken a word to each other. It seems their only contact was a handshake at one of the President's inaugurations.  Justice Thomas made another jab at the President, saying that knew the first black president would have to be approved by the liberal elites.

The back and forth comments are sophomoric (pretentious or juvenile). At this point in their careers, both men are essentially professional equals with one sitting in the highest elected office in the United States and the other holding one of the highest positions for a professional jurist. Because Justice Thomas is an Associate Justice, rather than the Chief Justice, he could arguably obtain one higher peg in the Supreme Court Justice ladder. That being said, there is no need for the in-fighting.

These men need to show each other respect.  By that, they don't need to become friends, but they need to be respectful to the offices they both hold. There are ways to respectively criticize and we don't often see examples of such good behavior. President Obama and Clarence Thomas have an opportunity to peacefully co-exist.

Read more here.

#Support4Wilmot - Free Kiera Wilmot!

This is what happened to me when I entered the science fair. I won the school fair. I won the regional fair. I was invited to a summer program with the Discovery Channel. I placed at the state fair. So, not a clean sweep but I won a $1000 scholarship for college. And I used it. 

I wasn't taken in to federal custody and charged with two felonies. Nor was I expelled from school and only allowed to graduate from an "expulsion program."

Kiera Wilmont, a 16-year-old student from Florida, mixed household chemicals together in a bottle before the school day started. Although, she only expected smoke, there was an explosion. She wasn't injured. None of her classmates or school property were injured. After the small explosion and the smoke, she didn't go to first period. She went into federal custody for Possession/discharge of a weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device. To a so called "juvenile assessment center." She is being charged as an adult. 

We don't know what will happen to her but we can only hope these charges are dismissed and her story ends like mine. Because scientifically curious students should be rewarded, not punished. Free Kiera Wilmot.

Read more here and here and here. #Solidarity4Wilmot  #KieraWilmot

What exactly does it mean to "get ghetto in the bedroom"?

Well, as if the ghetto blaster purse were not enough, you can now buy the Hoodie Pillow Case, which "lets you get ghetto in the bedroom." It "offer(s) a degree of warmth while ensuring you have that rather mysterious look whenever your hoodie is up." For only $19.99, you can order the pillow from an online company and receive a heavy dose of ghettoness in the mail.

Yep, that's exactly what I want when I sleep. Warmth. Check. Mystery. Check. Ghettoness? We don't think so.

It even includes a pocket for your phone so you won't lose it while being stopped and frisked in your dreams. (Our commentary, not theirs.)

We are not posting the link because if you want to purchase the Hoodie Pillow and get ghetto in the bedroom, find it yourself.