Christine Brennan’s September 12th USAT0day OpEd plea for the Washington Redskins to change their name as, “if only some Native Americans think it’s racist … It’s racist”, is yet another sad example of selective political correctness and displays her lack of appreciation for the very rights which make her profession possible.  How few individuals comprise “some” who might deem any term or act offensive?  Are the Cleveland Indians next in her cross-hairs?  Where is her outcry about the Navajo Reservation’s Red Mesa High School’s Redskins mascot?  Why is it that members of the African-American community can freely use the “N” word but it is verboten for the rest of society?

 Our national obsession to eliminate any language which might hurt any individual’s feelings runs the risk of materially infringing on our First Amendment rights.  Free speech not only ensures we can openly, and without fear or retribution, express ideas and use words of our choosing … but concurrently requires individuals who believe that some language and opinions are reprehensible and an anathema to their core beliefs to respect rights of the speaker/writer to voice them.  Or, more elegantly credited to Voltaire, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”