Scott Walker is Unintimidate? More like Spineless.
Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday that school districts should drop Indian team names and mascots on their own and questioned whether the state should force them to do so, signaling that he will sign a bill this week making it harder for state officials to end the practice.
Schools ought to come up with team names that tribal members do not find offensive, Walker said. But he said he would prefer to see schools do that voluntarily.
“If it were me, personally, I’d find a way to move away from nicknames or mascots that certain groups of our fellow citizens seriously found to be offensive,” Walker said during an interview Tuesday at the governor’s mansion along Lake Mendota.
Walker’s fellow Republicans passed a bill this fall that would make it much harder for the state to order schools to change race-based team names and mascots.
Walker has until Thursday to sign or veto the measure; if he does nothing, it will automatically become law then. Walker said he would not allow the measure to go into law on its own, saying he would approve or reject it by the deadline.
He said he empathized with those who are offended by Indian team names, but cast the ability of schools to choose their team names as a First Amendment right.
I’m disgusted (but not at all surprised) that Gov. Walker would take a strong stand in favor of allowing schools to keep their offensive school mascots/logos.
I can’ think of anything of smaller consequence to the well-being of citizens of Wisconsin than the issue of Indian mascots – pro or con. What a non-issue.
Why would it be news that Walker “caved” to Republican Extremists. Isn’t he part and parcel of the breed? Aren’t they all pulling together for whatever ALEC and other special interests have bribed them to support. Aren’t they all vested in keeping this kind of wedge issue in the forefront of discussion? Caved?
Charles, I guess I just hoped Walker’s better angels would help him make the right decision.
Color me an optimist.
I’d say that it is of no small consequence to those being targeted (to use some regrettable but true to GOP “sensibilities,” terminology) in this instance.
LGBT, Apartheid Milwaukee (economic repression, the schools to prison culture), Hispanics, Asians, degradation of all women and their rights, voter suppression, all part of their program. Give the right-wing extremists an inch and then what, will they be satisfied? No war but class war.
Absolutely worthy to call them out on every aspect and every instance of their white supremacist ALEC agenda.
But I see the point of distraction from all the rest of Walker’s even worse failures, jobs and the a failed economy under his leadership in WI.
I probably should have used “distraction” rather than “wedge issue.” It’s more accurate, thanks.
I still think the Indian mascot thing is a non-issue; that it would be difficult to find a preponderance of opinion one way or the other with either left or right wing partisans. The “issue” seems to originate with a tiny cadre of very vocal types who think naming sports teams after strong, courageous (I hesitate to risk a possibly-racist pun by saying “brave”) Native Americans (one example group)is some kind of racist slur. I’d submit that, far from being a slur of any kind, such naming is actually meant and should be considered as an honor and a tribute. Unfortunately that small vocal group will be useful by the political types as a distraction from the real issues.