Charles Shiflett Column August 14, 2005

College Sports And The War On Terror

To understand why the United States will have a tough time effectively winning the war on terror, one
need look no further than the National Collegiate Athletic Association - the NCAA. So what do the
Alcorn State Braves or the Florida State Seminoles have to do with Osama bin Laden? It may seem
like a stretch, but stay with me on this.

After bowing to pressure from some self-aggrandizing two-bit organizations like the "National Coalition
on Racism in Sports and Media", the all-powerful NCAA has just decreed that "hostile" and "abusive"
American Indian nicknames will be banned from collegiate post-season games starting in February.
No team names or logos on the uniforms and no team mascots on the sidelines. The ban will even
apply to cheerleaders and marching bands in 2008.

According to the NCAA's actions, the organization must feel that a large number of Americans are
racist and/or bigoted when it comes to American Indians. Why else would we have chosen Native
American names and emblems to identify some of our collegiate sports teams?

Now typically when a building, bridge, or road is named after someone or some thing, that name is
chosen out of respect. Wouldn't the same hold true for sports teams? Weren't team names such as
Braves or Warriors chosen because of admiration for the bravery and determination of America's native
peoples?

The NCAA started their politically correct crusade a couple of years ago with a strong
recommendation that schools with Native American team names consider changes and some
acquiesced. One example is Marquette, which changed its team name from Warriors to Golden
Eagles.

A total of eighteen colleges and universities are affected by the ban. Thankfully, Florida State has
promised a legal fight and I hope they win. The stakes are much bigger than just college sports… this
pervasive mental disease of political correctness threatens the very existence of our nation.

The people who support the NCAA's actions are of the same ilk as those who oppose racial profiling in
our efforts to protect Americans from future terror attacks. How many 80-year-old grandmothers
participated in the attacks of 9-11? So why are grandma and others who obviously don't fit the terrorist
mold searched at airports instead of having security personnel concentrate on young Arab males?

Though we are not at war this time with a particular nation or group of nations, our enemies are easy
to identify. Almost to a person they are Arab Islamists. God blessed our nation with two wide oceans
on either side to protect us from those intent on causing harm, but it's no longer being utilized.

The answer is simple… ban travel to the U.S. by anyone from any Arab or predominantly Islamic
nation without an extensive background check. And those Arabs/Muslims already in the U.S. legally
should prepare to be searched when boarding planes, trains, or mass transit. If the profile fits…

Yeah, it's a tough policy and it's politically incorrect, but we are quickly becoming prisoners in our own
land. I'm tired of average Americans being harassed and inconvenienced. I'm tired of surveillance
cameras multiplying like weeds. I'm tired of bank accounts and Internet records being subject to
secret law enforcement searches.

I'm thankful for our former congressman Bob Barr and others who have fought the far-reaching
provisions of the Patriot Act. I appreciate the efforts of those who realize what we as a nation are up
against and aren't afraid to speak out about it. Unfortunately most Americans just shrug their
shoulders and go about their daily routines.

Perhaps Georgia's Bulldogs should start their search for a new moniker soon… It's rumored that
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" (PETA) plans to start a crusade to force colleges to
remove animal names from their sports teams.

And all you local organizations and business with Etowah in your names are also officially on notice.
You do realize that Etowah is a Native American word? I guess we'll have a lot of renaming to do in the
years ahead… if there's anything left to rename after the terrorists are through.

I still support Georgia and Georgia Tech, so if you see me around town wearing a Florida Seminoles
jersey or cap it's out of defiance to the NCAA and the politically correct crowd. And the NCAA can
stick that in their peace pipe and smoke it.