The County Line
Should Indiana change its name to satisfy the increasingly crazy brand of political correctness? This idea was actually discussed on the TV show ‘Indiana Week in Review’ on Friday evening. To their credit, the panelists all gave an emphatic NO to the question.
But, crazy ideas in the past have become political issues and then sometimes have found their way into acceptance. We need to put the brakes on this one right now.
As I have editorialized before, changing history or changing names to try to sanitize history is dead wrong. The name Indiana was, of course, designed to mean land of the Indians. Now we are told we should always say Native Americans lest we offend those we formerly knew as Indians.
Following this line of logic, the name Indiana might also be offensive. Hogwash. It is a 200-year old name given honorably for people who were once the sole inhabitants of the state.
Thinking about this whole crazy idea of changing names that hint of being offensive to someone, we might one day be faced with demands for changes locally.
Three of Hamilton County’s townships (Washington, Jackson and Clay) were named for slave owners. That’s a real target of today’s PC do-gooders.
Or, how about that pattern of swastikas in the courthouse floor tiles? (Never mind the fact that the design was used by Native Americans as a sign of prosperity long before the rise of Nazism.)
Maybe Conner Street should have a new name because William Conner’s conduct with the Indians has sometimes been criticized.
Maybe best or worst of all is the fact that a veteran of the Confederate Army is buried in Crownland Cemetery. Should he be moved out?
Of course, I am being facetious about some of this, but you never know how insane this national craze is going to get.
I loudly say leave history alone. Do not change state names. Do not tear down monuments. That is our history. I know slavery was wrong. But so are a lot of things. Like riots and killing just for the sake of killing. This is America. Act like Americans. This is your land. Respect it!!!
And its brought to you by yourselves if you support our liberal school super and teachers that are encouraging protests and ignoring the fact the left wing liberals are behind the monument removals and renaming of anything held in high esteem by history.
These same people who would want to change the name of Indiana are nothing but “Shake down Artists”, the same ones who want to change the name of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team, 118 years, same name.
I support the logic of Fred Swift. An emphatic No to any changes to our state, our capital, and our Indians ball park and logo. And also an emphatic no to changing any of the township names.
Cleveland Indians not ok, but Indianapolis Indians are? Seems like splitting hairs here. Its either all or none. If some must go, so should all. How can the amount of time the name existed be a factor? What is the date where its ok and not ok?