Thousands of years of trial and error resulted in a simple, recent discovery. By recent, I mean relative to human existence. That discovery is that human societies must have well understood rules that apply to everyone. That’s the ideal, even though we accept that the rich and powerful can take advantage of their position. That’s why the tolerance for public corruption is a good measure of a civilization. A just and sane society has very little public corruption. The rich and powerful play by the same rules as everyone else.

In  this story we see once again how far American has fallen on that index.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office canceled six federal trademark registrations for the NFL’s Washington Redskins on Wednesday, saying the nickname is “disparaging to Native Americans” and cannot be trademarked under federal law that prohibits trademark protection on offensive or disparaging language.

The team has been under fire for the past year, with many groups, including the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, wanting the nickname changed.

Last month, the team hired a lobbying firm to help with the public backlash after senators sent a letter to the National Football League saying they also wanted the name changed.

 “We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered,” the Trademark Trial and Appeals board wrote in its opinion.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has repeatedly said that he will not change the nickname despite the opposition.

The Trademark Trial and Appeals Board said the “Redskins” name is the subject for cancellation for “entertainment services -namely, football exhibitions rendered in stadia and through the media of radio and television broadcasts.”

The team’s cheerleading squad, the “Redskinettes,” are also subject to the cancellation, for “entertainment services, namely, cheerleaders who perform dance routines at professional football games and exhibitions and other personal appearances,” according to the board.

This jihad against the Redskins is led by one of the most corrupt humans on earth, Harry Reid (D, Organized Crime). This is a man who entered politics penniless and is now super-rich. He made his money shaking down contributors and making land deals with organized crime figures. Dan Snyder may be an odious speck of a man, but he made his money honestly. He has a right to live in a land of laws and he has right to expect those laws will be respected by his government.

This is a national disgrace. Whatever your views on the name – and I think if you are upset by it you need psychiatric help – there is a proper, civilized way to go about it. Willy-nilly stealing the owner’s property is how banana republics function. What’s next? Will Reid send in thugs to break up Snyder’s house and threaten his family?

We have allowed our country to be taken over by criminals, deviants and lunatics. We should be ashamed of what we have done.