Liberal WaPo Columnist Resurrects Lament About Redskins Name

Update/Related Post link added below.

First, it goes without saying that Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy is entitled to his opinion as well, a columnist. So my gripe here isn't so much about liberal bias as it is about Milloy's insistence on projecting a politically correct pall, in the heat of playoff season, over the ONE thing that can unite Washingtonians across party lines. Our beloved Redskins.

Is it asking too much for the liberal Post columnist to refrain from resurrecting a fringe PC issue a mere three days after the Redskins clinched a playoff berth, and that while playing the despised Dallas Cowboys?

I guess it is (see excerpt below fold):

These are the times that try Suzan Harjo's Cheyenne soul.

Her lawsuit claiming that the name "Redskins" denigrates Native Americans appears to have stalled in the courts. Several tribal elders who were among her staunchest allies recently died. And everywhere she looks, the dreaded name and logo of Washington's professional football team are in full bloom.

"It's sad because I'm outside the fellowship of good feeling," Harjo, a District resident and president of a Native American advocacy organization, told me recently. "I want to support the home team. But it's very hard when they are carrying a racist name."

Update (16:45 EST): Fellow NewsBuster and Redskins fan extraordinaire Geoff Dickens reminded me of a blog post of his from January 10, 2006, about some political correctness from the Seattle Times and their refusal to use the term "Redskins" in reporting on a Washington-Seattle game. In that post, Dickens noted a poll showing 69 percent of Native American poll respondants don't mind the Redskins nickname for the Washington football franchise.

Dickens item is also noteworthy given the Redskins-Seahawks matchup this Saturday will present the Seattle Times with more occasion for mindless political correctness. I guess it's to be expected for a city that doesn't know how to tailgate properly.

You may recall that some liberal wackos had a hissy fit last year when Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck and then-fullback (now running back coach) Mack Strong attended a Republican fundraiser.