Oreste D

So, the former Washington Football team, which before that had a name that was a terrible slur to this country’s First People, is now the Commanders, and the Attleboro High Blue Bombardiers are, well, the Blue Bombardiers.

By official school board action and pressure from alumni and students, the high school teams will remain named after the guy on the warplane responsible for sighting and releasing aerial bombs.

I don’t have a problem with either the name change or the name keep. Even if the Commanders were a little slow getting around to it, and the school was happy to keep a World War II name even though no one knows where it came from.

Footnote: Bombardiers is also the name of officers of low rank in the British army who operate large guns.

I last addressed the AHS re-naming in my May 16, 2020, column, where I offered these suggestions: Blue Jays, Blue Jacks, Blues, Blue Beards, Blue Grass, Blue Lobsters, Blutos, Blues Brothers, Blue-Pers, Blue Plate Specials and The King Arthurs (you may have to be a regular at Tex Barry’s Coney Island Diner to get that one).

Just for fun, I looked at the lists of pro team names and came up with names some might find offensive.

If I were a Communist or lived in a Republican-controlled state, would I be offended by the name Reds?

Is the name Bills a slur against people in debt?

Does the name Titans offend tall people, Browns people with darker skin and Padres all the world’s non-Christians?

Further, the name Clippers might offend barbers and hairdressers, Canucks those of Canadian lineage and Angels any devils you might know.

Even Senator and Cavalier could be construed at times as slurs.

And then there are the Ravens. Well, that’s like a lot of my columns — ravings. But I’m not offended.

Saturday sermon

“Love and hate are horns on the same goat.”

— The old ‘The Vikings’ movie

Nice going, Kate

Stop the presses! Great Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge is the new patron of English rugby, a role previously held by her brother-in-law. Kate, who is athletic but, I believe, never played rugby, will be the figurehead for the sports and has already had photos and videos taking of her and some scrummers and backs.

I didn’t know that

The Valentine’s celebration has its origins in ancient Rome where Lupercalia was celebrated Feb. 13-15. It was a time to drink, sacrifice a goat and a dog and then whip women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.

So you’re so smart …

Last week I bet you couldn’t tell me what was the most common thing to erase pencil marks before the eraser was invented. My answer: a rolled-up piece of white bread. Getting it right were Bert H., Doug W., Colleen V. (“Don’t laugh if I’m wrong!!”), Linda C. (“I think I may finally have been able to answer a question, finally!!!!”) and Kathy H. Other guesses included wax tablets, milk, sand and “spit and a good rubbing with a middle finger.”

Now, I bet you can’t tell me, without looking it up, what countries in the world have nuclear weapons. There are nine of them, including the U.S., Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom and North Korea. Name the other three. Deadline is noon Tuesday.

Columns for Kids

Donations can be sent to The Greater Attleboro Area Council for Children, PO Box 424, North Attleboro, MA 02761. Its website is www.councilforchildren.org. And make sure you note that your donation is for Columns for Kids.

Thanks. See you next week.