Reassessing Elite Claims This Columbus Day

As president of the Catholic League, I speak for my members and have never said I speak for all Catholics. Would that other leaders of advocacy organizations do the same. But they do not. Indeed, the gap between the elites and the people they claim to represent is more often than not quite big. That’s because rich donors usually spend their money funding left-wing causes. 

The same is true in the American Indian community. Those who claim to represent them typically do not. Take the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). It claims to be “the unified voice of tribal nations.” This is demonstrably false. 

NCAI led the fight against the Washington Redskins football team, claiming the term “Redskins” was a pejorative. It succeeded in getting the team to change its name to the Washington Commanders. But does it represent the voice of American Indians? 

There is one American Indian group that thinks not. The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) says that 90 percent of Native Americans disagree with the notion that the term “Redskins” is racist. In fact, it claims that “Redskins” is an honorific name. 

“The name ‘Redskins’ carries deep cultural, historical, and emotional significance, honoring the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture,” says NAGA. It adds that the Washington Redskins were “the only team in the National Football League (NFL) to honor an actual Native American.” It is referring to Blackfoot Chief John Two Guns White Calf, who served as an inspiration for the Washington Redskins logo.

So who is right? The NCAI or the NAGA? The polls back up the survey cited by the latter. 

In 2002, Sports Illustrated found that in its investigation of this issue, “three out of four Native Americans” believe that “even a nickname such as Redskins, which many whites consider racist, isn’t objectionable.” The sports publication concluded that “although Native American activists are virtually united in opposition to the use of Indian nicknames and mascots, the Native American population sees the issue differently.” Yes, that is a three-to-one majority in favor of such names. 

And, in 2004, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey showed that 90 percent of American Indians did not find “Redskins” objectionable.

Similarly, in 2016, a Washington Post survey found that 90 percent of American Indians were fine with the name Washington Redskins.

So why does the NCAI continue to lie about what American Indians want? Because they are funded by George Soros, that’s why. 

Here’s some good news. NAGA sued the Washington Commanders on grounds of defamation, civil conspiracy, and civil rights violations for its role in suppressing Native American history. They also sued NCAI for its role.

The controversy over the name “Redskins” grew out of left-wing propaganda portraying Columbus as some kind of genocidal maniac. More trash.

Carol Delaney is associate professor of cultural and social anthropology, emerita, at Stanford University. In her book Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem, she notes that Columbus set sail to find gold so that he could:

fund a crusade to take Jerusalem back from the Muslims before the end of the world. A lot of people at that time thought that the apocalypse was coming because of all the signs: the plague, famine, earthquakes and so forth. And it was believed that before the end, Jerusalem had to be back in Christian hands so that Christ could return in judgment.

She was asked in an interview about the way Columbus interacted with the Indians. Her answer is a far cry from what radical revisionists offer.

“His relations with the natives tended to be benign,” she said. “He liked the natives and found them to be very intelligent.” In fact, Columbus instructed his followers to be kind to them. “Columbus strictly told the crew not to do things like maraud, or rape, and instead to treat the native people with respect,” explained Delaney. “There are many examples in his writings where he gave instructions to this effect. Most of the time when injustices occurred, Columbus wasn’t even there. There were terrible diseases that got communicated to the natives, but he can’t be blamed for that.”

As usual, anti-American savants in the academy, along with their George Soros–funded allies in the Native American community, misrepresent the truth. Their feet are well-planted in the grievance industry, hoping to turn the public against their country. 

Happy Columbus Day!

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