OleMissCub

That is a direct quote from OMC Okay... I'm not offended by what he wrote. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and not taking that sentence to mean he is superior for having an actual office on a reservation. What is the problem with that? I need to go back and read the whole transcript again, but I wouldn't take offense to his saying that line. I have no problem with what he wrote. Thank you. The entire point of all of that was to indicate that this isn't just some flippant "ummm but i have a black friend" type of situation. These are people who are my literal family. I live with them and work with them. All I've ever said this whole time is that this gives me the ability as an outsider to make an educated opinion on where many of them likely stand on this issue.

you’re such a bigot. I feel sorry for you. Go project your own racism onto someone else.

It's interesting how you claim that you aren't just trying to be a jerk, but you really are. Otherwise you wouldn't continue to insult me and my efforts. That's about the third time that you claim that I've just "tried to help" people a few times. I've personally completed over 300 felony expungements. An insertion I got into a bill five years ago has made over 20,000 Mississippians eligible for expungements of their felonies. I assisted in writing and passing the largest criminal justice reform bill in our state's history just this past legislative session. Several thousand inmates will be paroled and will be returning to their families as part of it. As far as the tribe goes, last year we were able to secure over $350,000 from the federal government to improve public safety and for domestic violence prevention for the tribe. My actual job with the tribe is as a legal liaison between the state and federal correctional agencies and the Ittikana Ikbi 'Peacemaker' Court, which is the tribal justice system. Currently we're trying to get more Covid-19 tests administered on the reservation but Trump's people don't seem to want to help. It's been a real disaster. They have the highest fatality rate of any ethnic group. The Mississippi Band has had over 60 deaths so far. https://www.meridianstar.com/news/local_news/mississippi-band-of-choctaw-indians-awarded-in-public-safety-funding/article_b562d9ef-0697-5218-8222-d7a4fda6fdab.html I could be making exponentially more money than I do now if I was working in some office generating paper for the sole purpose of making rich people even richer like many attorneys out there. I do what I do because I actually want to make the world I inhabit a better place and thankfully I've been somewhat successful at it. It's not some side gig I have that makes me feel smug about myself. I don't believe in an afterlife so this isn't about some faux-righteousness either. That's not the purpose at all. It's a genuine effort to improve people's lives. I know that for every expungement I write and get signed by a judge that person will now be able to get a better job and the lives of their children will improve, etc. It's the same idea when I do Post Conviction Relief work with the Parole Board. So it's discouraging that you feel to need to mock someone's efforts because they phrased something poorly or have an opinion that you think is improper. Mock me for "blackfriending you" or for being a dumb white southerner or whatever else, but don't boil my life's work down to "you've tried help a couple of times". That's an undeserved insult.

lol what a bunch of [expletive]. I said I've earned the right to form an educated opinion on the issue, I never said I earned the right to speak for them. Also, your brain is really going to some dark places with regards to why I do things for people. I'd prefer you keep your own racist projections to yourself. Using terms like "mystical homogeneous group", even in jest to mock my assertion, and calling me "dances with wolves", belies something disturbing deep within you.

I've lowered myself to work for them? How dare you. Lol I’m not the one claiming some secret knowledge of this mystical apparently homogenous group of people because my wife is Choctaw and “I actually try to help them ok.” But sure I crossed a line, right. Imagine giving us your in depth thoughts on black lives matter and then defending yourself by saying umm my wife is black ok. Want me to prove it? “For shizzle.” I told you to suck a dick, not "fo shizzle", fwiw. What's troubling to me is your intellectual dishonesty about this. I'm almost 100% certain that if I were to make the claim that my extensive personal interactions with NA's leads me to conclude that most of them want all of these things gone, then I doubt I'd have gotten the same kickback from you or anyone else. I'm also amused, especially coming from a journalist, how merely stating an opinion derived from personal observation is somehow a claim of "secret knowledge". That's really the ultimate issue here and it's quite transparent: you ultimately disagree with my assertion so you have to attempt to discredit it by attacking the legitimacy of how that observation was gained.

I've lowered myself to work for them? How dare you.

aii'napa bushul

It's a daughter and I'm sure it sounds like I'm "blackfriending" you, but considering that I literally spend several days a month on a freaking Indian reservation and spend time in DC lobbying for them and they are literally my family, I think I've earned the right, as a "white southerner", to at least relay to you an educated opinion on the issue. I'm sorry if that opinion doesn't jive with what you want to be true, but it's an honest observation. I don't have some stake in this. I don't own a sports team that is going to have deal with this. I don't support any teams with Indian names. I don't have some hidden agenda here. If I observed that many of them were hurt or outraged by the Atlanta Braves or whatever then I'd have no reason to NOT tell you guys about it. As far as how many people have to be offended for something to need to be changed, I have no idea. If that percentage lobbies successfully enough to get something changed, then more power to them.

lol wut? I've already said that I think it's silly that some people want to change Braves.

My wife was literally born on a reservation. My child is a quarter Choctaw Indian. I have a legal office on an actual reservation. I have gone to Washington DC to lobby for increased federal funding for them on multiple occasions as a legal liaison for them. Because of my ancestry I'm technically a member of the Tribe myself although I'd never claim to be one (see: Elizabeth Warren). So perhaps I have some insight that goes beyond whatever a typical "white southerner" has on this particular issue. I can't speak for Native Americans in other parts of the country so perhaps I shouldn't have opined on what their opinions might be, but the ones I know (my clients and, ya know, my family) really don't care. They are either indifferent to it or actually support their existence given the amount of Braves gear, in particular, I see on the reservation. Again, this isn't about a legitimate racial slur like Redskins or bucktoothed red-faced cartoons or about having white guys on the 50 yard line wearing an Indian Chief costume ala Zach Morris. Those things need to go. I'm talking about team names like the Braves, Chiefs, and Warriors and tribal names as mascots. In my experience with the Tribe over the past 10 years they don't seem to be bothered at all by that sort of stuff and certainly don't need woke white people being offended for them.

lol the leap it took you to get there. yes I have some master strategy and I'm playing coy semantical games with Derwood. I'm just wondering if he's only concerned with Indians since that represents an ethnic group or does his concern extend to the Braves.

I agree, it’s funny that people think the Cleveland Indians or Atlanta Braves team names offend anything approaching a majority of Native Americans. No, it’s funny that you continue to defend the use of an ethnic group as a team mascot So just to be clear, since we all agree that Redskins needs to go, you’re only referring to the Cleveland Indians, right?

I agree, it’s funny that people think the Cleveland Indians or Atlanta Braves team names offend anything approaching a majority of Native Americans.

That’s a hell of a loaded way to ask that question. It was still an even split which is truly shocking given how the question was phrased. Regardless of polling, Redskins is going away as it rightfully should. So given the fact that, according to your poll or the previous Washington Post poll they cite, a majority of Native Americans aren’t even offended by an obvious racial slur like Redskins, do we really think a significant number are offended by Indians or Braves?

Relationships with the tribes have always been critical and will be even more critical moving forward. Mississippi College are the Choctaws and the school has a very close relationship with the tribe. Tribal members can get full scholarships to attend there. I'm aware that the Seminole Tribe is extremely involved with FSU. What I've always encountered when this topic is brought up to NA's themselves is that they are happy for the recognition it brings them. I'm not sure many Americans would have ever heard of a Seminole if it wasn't for FSU. Sames goes for the Utah Utes. That tribe is very involved as well with the school. Seems to me that if the tribes themselves consent to the name usage then those names will remain fixed to those schools for the foreseeable future. I suspect the Indians and Braves will play along by forming committees to review their names, but I highly doubt they change their names. I do suspect the Braves will probably announce they are terminating the stupid tomahawk chop.

Changing the Indians and Braves seems silly. Something like 90% of Native Americans aren't even offended by Redskins Citing the poll where they asked 500 Native Americans? Oof Having a full blooded Native American father in law and being legal counsel for Native Americans actually. But yes, there is an old poll floating around.

Changing the Indians and Braves seems silly. Something like 90% of Native Americans aren't even offended by Redskins, so do we think they are offended by Indians and Braves? Granted, despite them not being personally offended by Redskins, it's still a racial slur so it certainly needs to go, but Indians and Braves? Nah. There isn't even a tribe called the Blackhawks to be offended by that name. Black Hawk was the name of a native warlord. Redskins aside, is it really that big of a problem when the people who you are trying to save from being offended aren't even offended in the first place? I get why you want to get rid of the racist smiling Indians logo or want to get rid of having a white dude dress up like an Illini at a football game. But the names themselves seem pretty benign. As long as the associated paraphernalia that comes with those teams isn't distasteful, I really don't see the issue. My wife is a Choctaw Indian and I'm a legal liaison for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, so while I"m not a NA myself, I do kinda have some insight on the issue. edited: to add the personal connection I have to the issue.

Washington Warriors perhaps? I like the Washington RedTails a ton.

Whoa

are the games going to be played in the actual stadiums or all in AZ or FL like the NBA is doing?

He’s 100% going to kneel during the anthem this season.

As much as I love Drew, he’s never struck me as all that intelligent. He’s not at the Gronk level of meathead, but he’s definitely nothing more than a typical jock on the intelligence spectrum. Him being an evangelical Christian reaffirms my idea about his intelligence. I’m remembering when he broke his thumb last year. He was standing on the sideline with his helmet on like they were going to send him back in. It’s like “Drew, dude, you’re done. You’re not going back in.” He was licking his hands and pretending to call plays with his helmet on in games he wasn’t active in. I remember the announcers being like wow what a professional and the rest of us were like if a doctor broke his hand and was in a surgery room standing over people pretending to make incisions with his broken hand you’d be like WTH is wrong with you. As NOLA said, he’s remarkably generous (donated 5 million for New Orleans Covid relief just last month) and he’s not at all a bad guy, but I don’t think there is much nuance in his worldview.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-plan-for-2020-season-to-include-approximately-80-games-and-expanded-playoffs-report-says/

I didn’t see much of him at Michigan, but he sorta sucked at Ole Miss. No kidding, that’s why he transferred. He conveniently used the NCAA crap to get a waiver to play immediately upon transfer. The real reason he transferred is because he was going to lose his starting job to Jordan Ta’amu, who is now Patrick Mahomes’ backup.