On the all-important Question of the Universe concerning what Washington should name their professional football team, Senator Maria Cantwell (D, WA) and Congressman Tom Cole (R, OK) wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in which they decried the Washington Redskins’ name as “an insult to Native Americans” and demanding that the Skins change their name to something more politically correct, more acceptable to these two Speech Police Officers.

In response to this foolishness, the Washington Redskins have issued a statement outlining their position on this matter.

STATEMENT BY THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS

ON SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL’S (D-Wash.) LETTER TO THE NFL:

As the former Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Cantwell should be aware that there are many challenges facing Native Americans, including an extremely cold winter with high energy bills, high unemployment, life threatening health problems, inadequate education and many other issues more pressing than the name of a football team which has received strong support from Native Americans.

If the Senator wants us to change our team name, has she already told that to the team named “Redskins” in Wellpinit, Wash., where the school’s population is more than 90 percent Native American?  We hope Senator Cantwell has visited with those students in order to hear their thoughts.  We hope Senator Cantwell is aware how upset the students in Port Townsend were when they were forced to change their name.

In an ESPN report on Sept. 18, 2013, Tim Ames, the superintendent of Wellpinit schools stated, “I’ve talked to our students, our parents and our community about this and nobody finds any offense at all in it.  Redskins is not an insult to our kids.  “Wagon burners” is an insult.  “Prairie n—–s” is an insult.  Those are very upsetting to our kids.  But “Redskins” is an honorable name we wear with pride….  In fact, I’d like to see somebody come up here and try to change it.”

Finally, why did Senator Cantwell send her letter to the New York Times before she had the courtesy of sending it to the NFL?  No one other than a politician does that.

Surely, with all the issues Congress is supposed to work on such as the economy, jobs, war and health care, the Senator must have more important things to do.

“Redskin” is an insult?  How that dastardly slur, “Yankee,” or “Yankee doodle” that those Evil Redcoats used to call us?  Oh, wait….