PCM

This article describes very well the people that the Fighting Sioux name and logo are intended to honor and respect.

And if he'd ever seen Davidson, he wouldn't be dumb enough to be calling him out.

No. He was left behind in Houghton to carry on a guerilla harassment campaign against MTU fans.

Olshansky makes a good point, but it doesn't address concerns about schools that won't play UND as long as it retains the Fighting Sioux nickname.

The information you seek is here.

I thought it stood for "To Judy's!" That wasn't funny. Lord, I aplogize. I believe your answer is correct.

Certainly. At this point, I'd say the odds are against UND retaining the name. But a great deal can change over three years and I believe the settlement creates a new dynamic. I think it's a mistake to assume that we're headed down a one-way path. I also know that Kupchella has said the following:

So am I and so was Stenehjem last Friday. The media jackals, as you might expect, were full of cynacism and skepticism about the possibility of coming to an understanding with the tribes. But Stenehjem pointed out that he'd been involved in negotiations with the tribes on a number of legal matters and they'd found ways in which to work things out. Besides, nobody gave up hope when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

That's the impression I got.

Imagine how much fun it would be to play a college hockey video game with Parise, Mapletoft and Crosby on the same line!

And, again, I will point out that I doubt very much that this was Stenehjem's call to make. The other thing I think was interesting about Friday's events is that many in the news media assumed that Stenehjem would be heading the negotiations with the Sioux tribes. I don't have his exact response handy, but it was something to the effect that he would be involved if he was asked. He then made a statement about the negotiations being conducted from the highest level of state government. I could certainly be wrong, but the impression I got was that Stenehjem believed he had done as much legally as he was allowed to do and that those with the authority to make public policy on behalf of the state should lead the negotiations. He didn't rule out his invovlement, but he clearly didn't believe that it was his responsibility to negotiate with the tribes without an invitation from a higher authority.

Because Bill Goetz, the current chancellor and former chief of staff for Gov. Hoeven, said so.

I sort of like the idea of replacing the word "Sioux," which didn't originate from Siouan languages, and replacing it with a word that did. By the way, how ironic is it that scholars label the languages of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota as "Siouan," a word derived from "Sioux." Somebody better fix that.

I've already outlined what UND got. I'm not going to repeat myself. Once again, Scott, what part of "change in public policy" don't you get? Goetz's statment Friday was a clear signal that, for whatever reason, the decision on how to proceed wasn't strictly legal, it was also political. And once the decision had been made to recognize the authority of the two Sioux tribes to oppose the nickname, the only thing Stenehjem could do was get the best deal possible. I believe that under those circumstances, he did the best he could do. That doesn't mean I'm thrilled about the settlement. I, too, had hoped for something better. However, it's quite obvious to me that based on what was said Friday, the change in public policy was made at a level above Stenehjem's. Blaming him for that change serves no useful purpose. Need I remind everyone that a person no less than Tom Clifford (also an attorney) once said that he thought there was no way UND could continue to use the nickname if the Sioux tribes opposed it? Charles Kupchella seriously studied the issue and came to the same conclusion. Also, allow me to take you back to Dec. 21, 2006, when Scott Murphy wrote: Whatever happened to that pragmatist, Scott?

So you were in all the meetings at which the settlement was discussed? Please feel free to fill us in on the details.

Yep. That's it, Scott. You got me.

It has nothing to do with them or any other reddish people. It's about UND's history, its geography, its geology, its hydrology and the forces of nature that have shaped its culture and heritage. It's not our fault that some people choose to be ignorant about us.

The old "pretend to know everything" technique is quite effective, too.

Which is what you did, quite effectively. But to say that North Dakota quit and got nothing isn't reasonable because it's not true.

And if Sidney Crosby had come to UND as planned... WOW!

Let me ask the "battle to the bitter enders" a question: How much money were you willing to contribute to a protracted legal fight? Because it's pretty easy to make such demands when it's on someone else's dime. Were you willing to empty the coffers of your personal fortunes until every possible legal remedy had been exhausted? If not, why not? Do we know that those who were funding the bulk of the lawsuit didn't put a limit on what they were willing to spend? Do we know whether the expenses were approaching that limit? Because that certainly would make a difference in the state's willingness to cut the best deal it could get.

It has nothing to do with "conspiracy theories." It's how politics work. Public policy changes such as this aren't made in a vacuum.

Obviously, that wasn't the point. When the AG says that he's optimistic that something positive could come out of negotiations with the tribes, I'll trust the Kool Aid served by someone who's here in the state dealing with the tribes, politics and legal issues every day over someone who isn't.

Residents of North Dakota can always vote their elected leaders out of office if they don't like changes made to public policy. So, by all means, exercise your democratic right to get everyone associated with the settlement voted out of office. But to believe that Stenehjem is the only elected official involved in the policy change is naive.

It's just nature. What can you do? We also have the Grand Forks Greenway, so there's a logical connection to the current school colors.