Posted by [EMAIL PROTECTED] : From: "Robert Eurich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.boston.com/dailynews/332/region/Bill_to_ban_squaw_from_place_n:.shtml Bill to ban `squaw' from place names picks up momentum By Associated Press, 11/28/99 13:34 AUBURN, Maine (AP) Anne Wood, a Penobscot Indian, remembers being called a ''squaw'' at school in Old Town. There was little she could do about the insult that still makes her cringe today. ''I never even questioned the idea that it could be changed,'' said Wood, who is now a school nurse living in Auburn. ''We, as Indians, didn't have much say in anything.'' That has changed with the introduction of a bill in the Maine Legislature to remove ''squaw'' from the names of mountains, streams, ponds, points and islands across the state. Rep. Donald Soctomah, a Passamaquoddy Indian, introduced the legislation after spotting a ''Squaw Pond'' on land his tribe acquired. ''We started to discuss it and we found it was very offensive to our wives, to our children, to our grandmothers,'' he said. Many American Indians interpret the word ''squaw'' as slang for whore. ''If you go onto a reservation and call a woman a squaw, you'd be damn lucky to get out of there alive,'' said Rep. Donna M. Loring, a Penobscot and the other American Indian representative in the Legislature. ''You can't legislate how people use words, but you can legislate state names,'' said Loring, of Richmond. ''The word has basically been anglicized and used in a hateful manner.'' So far, there has been little opposition to the bill that calls for changing about 20 place names in the state. Gov. Angus King said last week that the measure deserves a serious look but he stopped short of endorsing it. The Legislature will take up the bill in its session early next year. Sen. Richard Bennett of Oxford likes the proposal because its discussion will provoke better understanding of native tribes in Maine. As assistant Republican leader, he is on the nine-member review committee that voted unanimously to put the issue before the Legislature in a session intended for emergency legislation. ''The existence of something that's insulting to people I think rises to the level of emergency,'' he said. If the law passes, official names would change, but private businesses, such as Big Squaw Mountain ski area in Greenville, would not have to. Rep. Gerald Bouffard, D-Lewiston, says he would probably support Soctomah's bill. As a Franco-American, he said, he has endured insults because of his background. ''If its derogatory to them, I guess I would listen to them and be very sympathetic,'' Bouffard said. Maine would join Minnesota, Montana and Colorado if it removed the word from place names, said Sherri Mitchell, a Penobscot who lives on Indian Island and has spoken in favor of the bill. From: "Robert Eurich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov99/recall25112499a.asp <clipped excerpt> State superintendent chides recall efforts Special elections in Milton, Parkview school districts trivialize voting, he says By Kathleen Ostrander Special to the Journal Sentinel Last Updated: Nov. 24, 1999 The state's top education official is taking the unusual step of criticizing residents in two Rock County school districts who are mounting separate recall efforts. In a news release sent to media outlets throughout Wisconsin, State Superintendent of Schools John Benson singled out recall organizers in the Milton and Parkview school districts as examples of "single-issue, closed-minded voters (who) have trivialized the institution of voting." In Milton, recall organizers are targeting three board members who voted to change the high school's Redmen nickname and American Indian logo. An election is scheduled for January. And in the Parkview School District, a recall election for two board members who voted not to renew a basketball coach's contract is scheduled for Dec. 21. Benson says the recall process in Wisconsin was set up to remove public officials who stop short of breaking the law, not because of their votes on a single issue. He is particularly upset because four of the five board members being recalled already are up for re-election in April. "The framers of the Constitution did not mean for this to happen on a single issue," Benson said in an interview. "This is ridiculous. What a waste of taxpayer money. Why couldn't people wait until April and run a qualified candidate? Think of the better uses for this money for the students - textbooks, choir robes, computers, maybe athletic equipment." According to officials in both districts, the special recall elections will cost between $4,000 and $6,000. The Parkview election may cost more because it will require a primary, officials said. Benson, who normally doesn't get involved in local disputes, said he had been watching the two districts' recall efforts since they began and finally became so angry over the situations that he had to speak out. But the recall organizers in each district say they're completely within their rights to try to remove board members - even if the efforts do center around a single issue. <end excerpt> From: "Keith and Michelle Pounds" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Know this is late. Been trying to get info, but difficult. --------- http://www.ulm.edu/plans.html NLU is the University of Louisiana at Monroe. "The estimated cost for converting signage and related physical representation of the new name is less than $50,000 and will be covered by private funds...Our athletic teams will continue to be known as the Indians and Lady Indians. The Indian mascot reflects our pride in the Native American heritage of north Louisiana --- a singular geographic and historic cultural element. This tradition as well as the designation of maroon and gold as the official school colors, will remain the same." .................. American Indian Sports Team Mascots http://earnestman.tripod.com/ Robert Eurich <<<<=-=-= =-=-=>>>> "We simply chose an Indian as the emblem. We could have just as easily chosen any uncivilized animal." Eighth Grade student writing about his school's mascot, 1997 <<<<=-= http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/racial/ =-=>>>> IF it says: "PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...." Please Check it before you send it at: http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm <<<<=-=-=FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!!=-=-=>>>>
