Hawks, Redskins: 2 different meanings

This is in response to the guest editorial by John Mehrtens. Mr. Mehrtens is off base with his proposal for the Blackhawks to change their name. There are differences between the Washington Redskins and the Blackhawks. I don't know much about Indian history, but I have never heard of the Redskin tribe. The term Redskin appears to be a derogatory term in reference to skin color of the American Indian.

The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have a name that refers to the American Indian chief of the Sauk tribe. Keeping the name is not slandering the American Indians, it is just restating the name of the leader or tribe. There is no message of "we stole your land and now we will take your name and use it to entertain ourselves."

Many states and cities, like Algonquin, have names that are taken from Indian history. Should we start renaming the United States?

John Krakow

Roselle