shut the fuck up, whiner
geronimooooooo!!!
The leader of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe is looking for [del]a formal apology[/del] attention from President Barack Obama for the government’s use of the code name “Geronimo” for Osama bin Laden.
Eh, I can see their point too.
Plus, such issues aside, isn’t the point of a code name supposed to be that its hard to guess what it refers to? Using the name of a leader of an anti-American guerrilla group who was famous for his numerous escapes from the US gov’t despite their best attempts to capture him over a period of more then a decade as a code name for the name of a leader of an anti-American guerrilla group who was famous for his numerous escapes from the US gov’t despite their best attempts to capture him over a period of more then a decade seems kinda pointless. Why don’t they just call him “Osama”.
What do you suggest? They run every fucking codename by the POTUS?
Face facts. No matter what anybody does some bunch of ball bag bitches somewhere are going to cry a river about it.
Fuckin’ pussies.
Though historically, if you had to be a paleface in the wrong place at the wrong time, whose hands would you have least wanted to fall into? Gruesome as it was, imagine the Nick Berg video if that had been the Apace or Comanche.
It was a poor choice of a name, largely because if someone with knowledge of American history had intercepted it they would have been able to figure out who “Geronimo” was. They should’ve called him Teacup.
I’m having a hard time working up outrage for it from the perspective of it being an insult to the historical man, though. His name wasn’t Geronimo, as has been mentioned. I think a more valuable use of energy would be in separating the historical Goyathlay from a Mexican nickname. You can’t say “No one can use this non-Native American name, because it was once used as a nickname for a Native American leader.”
It was named Overlord at Churchill’s insistence. He also laid out guidelines on random operation names so that some mother wouldn’t have to say her son was killed in Operation Bunnyhug. Operation Just Cause (the invasion of Panama) was also deliberately renamed by Bush; originally it was Operation Blue Spoon.
Wonder if the writers of Dr Who got the same complaint last year.
Or Obama. Or Yo mama!
Nope. But if he can sit down and have a beer with two shlubs from Cambridge, he can tell his intelligence guys to pick neutral names.
Yes, many are. The words of Native people aren’t free for the occupiers to freely use as they see fit.
It’s easy to say “get over it” and worse but this is a government that repeatedly breaks treaties and fails to live up to its obligations toward Native people to this day. It’s not your culture, your heroes, your history being misused and smeared. It isn’t yet another example of insult being given to centuries of injury that have left your people impoverished, poorly educated, victims of crime, fighting addiction and incapable of accessing basic necessities like potable water or basic health care at rates that, if duplicated in the larger population, would all trigger national crises.
It’s a word, but it’s indicative of an attitude that Native people, Native culture, Native identities are just commodities and that insulting Native people isn’t something worthy of a moment’s thought.
I agree with the gist of your post, but the name Operation Babylift was hardly luck of the draw. It was an operation to evacuate children from Vietnam by air.
Perhaps “Monica Lewinsky” would have been an appropriate name for this latest operation. After all, OBL had part of his head blown off.
Did they use Blackhawk helicopters during the raid? After they bagged bin Laden, did the SEALs do the “tomahawk chop”?
There are no neutral names. Somebody, somewhere is going to get offended about anything.
For example, I’m offended that your username clearly refers to a weapon with a spiked metal head, clearly indicating that you are wanting to commit violence rather than discuss this rationally.
I assume that one involves a hand-picked team making a speedy run to a dry cleaner?
Or possibly spray something in your eye. Which brings us back to Operation Monica Lewinsky.
-Joe
Sure they are. You can complain and create a hostile environment for anyone who would appropriate things from Native cultures, but there is no basic, natural law preventing people from appropriation. There is nothing stopping white people from making shitty rap or hipster douches from wearing Che shirts.
People, culture and identities are used as commodities. The problem here is not that people have it out for Natives (though many do), but that the average white American does not view culture in the way that many people of color do. They call themselves Irish Americans when they’re of 95% English descent and know nothing of Irish culture except for offensive stereotypes. They proudly crow about their Native ancestry when all they have is a family rumor of a “Cherokee princess.” The majority of white Americans don’t even see what’s going on. They view heritage more like DNA roulette that you win or gain the right to claim instead of as tradition and identity. Say that they can’t use words from another language and many will just get angry and ignore what’s going on and others will try to be “sensitive”, but still won’t have any real idea what the issue is.
Like I said, a better focus of energy is on divorcing the historical Goyathlay from a Mexican nickname. Staking sole claim to a name that never belonged to any Native people is never going to work.
Yes there are, and no, someone isn’t always going to be offended.
I’m offended by your taking offense of my name.
It’s obvious that in this thread, “John Mace” is just code for “troll”.
Wow. That was quite a list of examples. Let’s all just assume that I said “No there aren’t.”
Let’s see some. I wonder how many operations the military names in a year? Wonder how many targets the intelligence services give names to every year?
-Joe
I happen to be of Scandinavian ancestry, the culture from which Trolls are descendant. I find your lack of regard & understanding for my heritage offensive. Apologize.