If the campaign against "redskins" were only a debate about a name, it would be superficial. But the name represents the surface of a whole complex of issues, all rooted in anti-Indian colonialism…a colonialism that continues to this day in the form of laws and practices enshrined in "federal Indian law."

Federal Indian law rests on the doctrine of "Christian Discovery," derived from 15th century Papal decrees promoting Christian colonial wars against "heathen and pagan inhabitants" of the "New World." That religious legal doctrine has never been overruled; it continues to be cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions. If proof is needed that colonialism still exists, these decisions provide it. The ones who need a calendar are those whose calendars only show the game schedule of the Washington football team.

One comment on another Facebook page, "Save the Washington Redskins," offers an over-the-top defense of the name: "To protect the sanctity of [the] term Redskins and the legacy of the Washington Redskins Franchise." Wow! "Sanctity"?! The dictionary defines that word to mean "holy, sacred, saintly." The anti-Indian religious roots of "Christian Discovery" have flowered into a sacred worship of the "term redskins"!

Not satisfied with the sacred worship of the racial epithet, the commenter also calls to protect the "legacy of the…Franchise." Here we have entered the temple of corporate worship. A football franchise represents one of the most lucrative forms of capital investment. A sports franchise receives tax breaks and subsidies in the form of stadiums and relief from anti-trust laws. A sports franchise that has been deified by its fans—"sanctity"—has achieved the highest form of human allegiance: worship.