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Geronimo's tribe seeks apology for bin Laden code name

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Ah, I was waiting for this to appear. Didn't the word "Geronimo" get selected by the airborne corps in order to synchronize the timing of hooked-up paratroopers when they jumped out of the planes?

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just demand a royalty fee from every skydiver while your at it

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Why didn't they codename bin Laden as George Washington? Oh, because that would have been offensive! They should apologize. Geronimo was a great man. Laden was scum. Custer would have been a better codename.

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Codenames are likely chosen at random. Ask the computer for an apology.

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Codenames are likely chosen at random

Uh ... no.

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Yeah. They have a big wheel with random codenames. They spin it and throw darts at it. Yeah. I believe that!

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I think the name was chosen for the mission, and not necessarily the target.

All the same, agree with MrWoody -- even the thought of calling it 'Washington' probably makes some Americans cringe, and the chosen name can therefore be deemed inappropriate. Obama should just apologize quickly, explain that it was indeed random, and offer to delete such names from the random list, ensuring as much as possible it won't happen again. It's only going to get worse over time.

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@Virtuoso

Didn't the word "Geronimo" get selected by the airborne corps in order to synchronize the timing of hooked-up paratroopers when they jumped out of the planes?

No. There is better technology available for that.

"We have a visual on Geronimo," and then "Geronimo EKIA." these were some of the updates reported live to the Situation Room

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Political Correctness run amok. Oops, you can't say "amok" anymore because that is also "offensive."

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"Why didn't they codename bin Laden as George Washington? Oh, because that would have been offensive!"

Not offensive. Just stupid. Unimaginable.

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Lieberman2012: Why would it be stupid if the name has nothing to do with the original person? Jesus, Ulysse or Attila would have been more appropriate?

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Not offensive. Just stupid. Unimaginable.

Same with Geronimo then? Or are you just being contrarian?

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Yeah, it's a pretty bad choice of name. And a pretty big storm in a tea-cup.

People seem to be just queuing up to get upset over the death of the worlds' most reviled terrorist.

I don't quite grasp that....

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@virtuoso - The custom of yelling "Geronimo!" is attributed to Aubrey Eberhardt, a member of the U.S. Army's parachute "test platoon" that demonstrated the feasibility of parachute troop drops at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1940. To speed up the drops, the brass decided to try a mass jump, in which the chutists would jump from the plane in quick succession. The men were nervous about this, and to relieve the tension a group of them went to see a western at the post movie house the night before the jump. The movie featured the cavalry mixing it up with the famous Apache chief Geronimo. None of our sources said exactly what movie this was, but one supposes it was Geronimo (1939) with Andy Devine and Gene Lockhart.

Full story is elsewhere on the internet - The Straight Dope

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Wow, this is the second time Obama has been in trouble with the descendants of the Chief.:

"In 2009, Ramsey Clark filed a lawsuit on behalf of people claiming to be Geronimo's descendants, against, among others, Barack Obama, Robert Gates, and Skull and Bones, asking for the return of Geronimo's bones."

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Geronimo! Eureka! Jesus! Jumping Jehosophat! Captain Pugwash...any of these monikers would have been fine IMHO.

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I found using that name very offensive too. It reminded me of oppression when I first heard it. They deserve more than an apology.

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Nandak,

Captain Pugwash......heh, thanks for the memories. And you do realize that makes Deputy al Zawahiri "Seaman Staines"!

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Given that the target was an deluded, ruthless fundamentalist surely "Sarah Palin" would have been a better choice?

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Code names, while not chosen at random, only have any meaning within the context of the mission. So what? Call OBL Chopped Liver, who cares? It only matters to the players in the mission for its duration, and it's over now. The poor Apache will have to find some way to rebuild their now-shattered lives. Some people absolutely go out of their way to play the victim.

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Some people absolutely go out of their way to play the victim.

I know. Through insulting Geronimo it would seem that non-Native Americans think they were the victim!

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I found using that name very offensive too. It reminded me of oppression when I first heard it. They deserve more than an apology.

Well by all means, since you feel that way, please feel free to open up your wallet and give them the amount you feel they deserve.

Given that the target was an deluded, ruthless fundamentalist surely "Sarah Palin" would have been a better choice?

In 2001? Hell Obama would have been a better choice, or barring that, if you're looking for a religious extremist, Jeremiah Wright. Certainly both were better known then Palin in 2001.

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The Seals flew in on Apache helicopters... oops, erm... should that be Blackhawk, oh, no!!!

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I see why Geronimo - Indian, kinda like Pakistani, kinda like Muslim. What a racist thing from our administration.

Why didn't they just call him something like "The Arab"?

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"Hell Obama would have been a better choice"

Wow, don't hold back molenir. I thought calling for the death of your own president was a no-no, but there you go!

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Wow, don't hold back molenir. I thought calling for the death of your own president was a no-no, but there you go!

Did you even read what I was responding to? Code name was given back in 2001, back before Palin was known, and some idiot felt that that was a good name to use in place of Geronimo. I merely pointed out to this left wing loon, that back then you would be better off using Obama or Wright then Palin, as both were better known.

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