Matt Wuerker for August 31, 2015

The people of Alaska and its congressional delegation have been asking the name of the mountain to be changed back to Denali since 1975. Alaskans of all races and ethnic backgrounds have always called it Denali.For some reason, the politicians in Ohio believe they have the right to tell people in Alaska what Alaskan places should be named.

Shouting “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” has become the bigot’s favorite form of self-defense when his or her behavior is criticized.

It doesn’t work that way. One is government land and the other is a private business.

The native peoples and other residents of the TERRITORY of Alaska have long stuck with Denali, and objected strenuously to the name change to “McKinley”. It predates the 1970’s by a long margin.

Long past time to correct the geographic place names register.

Will GMC now have to change its top trim level to, say, the Yukon McKinley model?

Whenever I read travel brochures, and read about that great mountain in publications, like National Geographic, I believe I have always read it as Denali. Although I sometimes think we carry PC too far, this is certainly an instance that repeals an act of disrespect, bordering on insolence, to the original peoples who have lived in Alaska for numerous generations, long before the Europeans and Russians barged in.

Mt. McKinley was “named” by a gold prospector before McKinley even became President. McKinley never even set foot in Alaska, let alone “scaled its heights” as some Republicans have claimed. Naturally, others like Rep Boehner (R-OH) rail at the long-overdue change as just another example of Political Correctness..I suppose they’d rather auction off the naming rights. You know, Mt. Quaalcom, or Mt. MicroSoft, or Mt. Trump..After all, it’s only a big pile of rock, right?

Boehner liked McKinley’s only Republican apporved “accomplishment”; The Spanish American war. (And our acquistion of Guantanamo for a prison?)

Funny…when our son summitted Denali, he didn’t declare it MT. TIMOTHY!

Kaffekup: I find it interesting that the SUV is the “Yukon Denali”- which, Denali is not IN the Yukon!