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Should Obama's Admin Apologize to Native Americans for Using "Geronimo" codeword?

Should Obama's Admin Apologize to Native Americans for Using "Geronimo" codeword?


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X Factor

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Have you all heard of the controversy surrounding the use of the name Geronimo for the successful military operation that killed Osama bin Laden?

While the Geronimo codeword for the bin Laden operation has been widely reported, the Pentagon has not confirmed it. Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for reaction to the objections by Native Americans.
"To equate Geronimo or any other Native American figure with Osama bin Laden, a mass murderer and cowardly terrorist, is painful and offensive to our Tribe and to all native Americans," wrote Jeff Houser, chairman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, in a letter to President Barack Obama. Houser said that while he was certain the naming of the operation was based on "misunderstood and misconceived historical perspectives of Geronimo and his armed struggle," he demanded a formal apology from Obama.

Bin Laden, Geronimo link angers Native Americans - Yahoo! News

Do you agree? Is an apology in order?

(I admit, I'm especially curious what the liberals here think. :mrgreen:)
 
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Message to Jeff Houser, chairman of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe: it was a codeword, get over it!
 
I don't understand where they are getting the belief that just because the military names an operation "Operation (blank)", that the (blank) necessarily has to refer to the target.
 
People are much too sensative
 
The U.S. Senate committee needs to look at the prevalence in American society of "these inappropriate uses of Native American icons and cultures," said Tuell.

"The impacts to Native and non-Native children are devastating," she said.

think_of_the_children_186.jpg


Jesus ****ing Christ, if someone is too stupid to be unable to separate the target from the origin of the code word used on that target, they should have their breathing license revoked.
 
Have you all heard of the controversy surrounding the use of the name Geronimo for the successful military operation that killed Osama bin Laden?



Bin Laden, Geronimo link angers Native Americans - Yahoo! News

Do you agree? Is an apology in order?

(I admit, I'm especially curious what the liberals here think. :mrgreen:)

My initial reaction was....what? I am not sure how I feel because I haven't given it a whole lot of thought....but my initial thought was that it was wrong and should not have been used.
 
It's a codeword. It could be pretty much any word in the world. I can think of maybe a handful of words that I would find inappropriate, and that because the words are inappropriate in almost all situations. Swear words, racial or religious epitaphs, that is about it.
 
An operations name should bring HONOR to Geronimo!!! Im actually pretty darn pissed with these Indians!!! First they outsource our jobs to them.... now THIS!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrr.........
 
I don't understand where they are getting the belief that just because the military names an operation "Operation (blank)", that the (blank) necessarily has to refer to the target.

Probably from this;
It has been widely reported that U.S. forces said "Geronimo EKIA (Enemy Killed in Action)" to confirm bin Laden's death.
 
I may be liberal, but I am not politically correct. I do not know that the two are necessarily tied together, and no I do not care what codeword they used.
 
The name of the plan was Operation Neptune Spear. Not Geronimo. X Factor is correct about the use of Geronimo-EKIA. That's the message that was sent at mission end directly to the White House.

“Geronimo. EKIA”
 
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The moment I first read "Geronimo", I saw this coming. It was dumb to nickname Osama after a famous (hero) person. Just dumb. "Rat-face EKIA" would have done fine. Sometimes, the little things bite you on the ass. This is one of those times. Painting the resistence of the Apache in the same light as AlQ is just retarded (whether inadvertent or not).

You think everyone would be like "hey, it's just a code word" if we named him "Churchill EKIA". The Brits would totally be like "WTF?!" If it was "Reagan EKIA", conservatives would absolutely lose their freakin' minds. But because it is just natives, they can shut up?


An apology is in order. "We're sorry that we were so short sighted as to refer to OBL as one of your hero figures."
 
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An operations name should bring HONOR to Geronimo!!! Im actually pretty darn pissed with these Indians!!! First they outsource our jobs to them.... now THIS!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrr.........
We outsource our jobs to native Americans???? :roll:
 
I had heard about it and even brought it up in another thread last night. I say no because it was not a slight. Having said that? I can understand if Obama feels the need to do some damage control over hurt feelings:)
 
I say no because it was not a slight.

Not a slight?? How bad does the person/target need to be before it counts as a slight?

What if the compound was code word "Wisconsin". You think they'd have a problem with that?


The code name was a bad call. So? The mission was still a resounding success.
 
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Of course. The direct and short response should be "oops...yeah...you are right...I can see where some people would be upset about that and we probably didnt think that one out real well...my bad...sorry."

WTF...why is this stuff so hard????
 
It's quite obvious that neither the CIA nor this President cares not one wit about injuns.
 
If they had said "George Washington EKIA" would that have offended anyone? Just trying to see how people think about our own heroe's names being used to indicate an enemy.
 
Not a slight?? How bad does the person/target need to be before it counts as a slight?

What if the compound was code word "Wisconsin". You think they'd have a problem with that?


The code name was a bad call. So? The mission was still a resounding success.

The reason it was not a slight is because the code name was not for any one person and based on the mission itself.

The word has been used in military jumps. This is not a huge deal.

So do you have a problem with it? Or not? If not? Get off my ass and keep it moving and if you do? You need to tell me why.
 
If they had said "George Washington EKIA" would that have offended anyone? Just trying to see how people think about our own heroe's names being used to indicate an enemy.

This is a fair question. I've been posing that very question to myself (only I used Lincoln). Honestly, it wouldn't bother me, however I have to recognize that many, if not all, of the right wing talkers would spin that as further evidence of Obama's disdain for the US.
 
The reason it was not a slight is because the code name was not for any one person and based on the mission itself.
Last I heard, the code name was for OBL.

The word has been used in military jumps. This is not a huge deal.
I've only seen it used in two military jumps, exiting the training tower at Benning. The first time the guy did it, the instructors got pissed - and then he did it again. It was outrageous and certainly not condoned by our instructors.

So do you have a problem with it? Or not?
If Geronimo is used in an inspiring sense, then it is ok. Just as Florida State can use the Seminole as its mascot - because it is a positive, an inspiration; however, if Florida State called their opponents 'Seminoles' there'd be a problem.

I don't have a problem with the use of the name Geronimo in military or other settings; I do have a problem with how it was used in this particular event. Generalizing is not going to make it any better, neither will the ensuing obfuscation.
 
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