Washington Redskins, PC Police and Unintended Consequences

 Because the right to hold personal property is so fundamental to a free society, many Americans are justifiably appalled that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has arbitrarily chosen to remove trademark protections from the Washington Redskins’ name and brand.

Unintended Happy Consequences

Perhaps I have once again fallen into the trap of seeing the bright side of everything, whether optimism is warranted or not.  Maybe I just have a hard time facing ugly truths and run home to momma for a happy ending—just like story time when I was little.  Or, perhaps this is yet another example of bureaucrats’ making decisions that result in the exact opposite of their stated intent. 

If I am right, and the law of unintended consequences trumps bureaucratic regulations, Chief Zee may be poised to offend millions more people than he ever could as the protected trademark of a single sports team.

All we have to do is remain calm and think this through. 

Q:  Does the removal of patent protection mean the team 

has to change its name?

A:  No.  It only means that the team does not have the right to sue organizations that use their logo without the team’s permission. 

That is all.  In other words, under this patent office decision, ANYONE can now use the Redskin logo.  "Chief Zee Is Free!" and will become a member of the public domain—free for anyone to use.

Q:  Even if the logo is free for anyone to use, will anyone do so and risk offending so many potential customers?

A:  It depends on how many people are actually offended by the name “Redskins”.  (They are called the “Washington” “Redskins" and people are offended by the “Redskin” part???)

The Consequence:  

Members of native tribes don’t seem to care and freely use “Indian” icons with their businesses, products, communities and schools.  Crafty marketers will start to use the Redskins' name, logo and variations thereof because there is scant evidence that anyone-- other than the usual crowd of terminally-offended and politicians who try to benefit from meaningless controversy-- gives so much as a gopher turd about the entire kerfuffle. 

With the “offensive” brand in the public domain, prepare to start seeing it EVERYWHERE:

Washington Redskins Moving Forward

As for the future of the Washington Redskins, I suggest they do change their name.  With a little subversive creativity, they can choose a name that is truly an offensive joke—one that is so subtle, the bureaucrats will never figure out that the joke is on them:

This article from the Independent Journal Review provides a concise summary of why the End Run Project exists.  Government is bad at so many things because there is simply no way for it to be good at them.


http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/139258-5-reasons-government-will-never-work-way-liberals-tell-can/

Government (almost) Always Makes It Worse

Pick a situation-- any situation that politician insert themselves into-- and compare those situations before and after politicians get involved.  Measure the actual outcomes against the stated goals of the action the politicians impose.  Why on Earth do people still think seeking solutions from politicians is a good idea? 


http://blog.heritage.org/2014/05/02/johnson-crapo-housing-finance-fannie-freddie-caution-senators-at-work/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

The VA and The Screaming Jar

It is naive to expect people to act in altruistic ways when we place them in situations where the preservation of their jobs and organizations will naturally be their top priority.  It's simply human nature.  Thus it is with bureaucracies.  The good intentions of those who create these organizations are lost when they are forced to compete with the instinct of self-preservation.

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart is a genius, able to convey that same idea in very funny ways.  Pass the pencil sharpener.

THE DAILY SHOW:  A Bureaucracy of Dunces

Government = Legal Use of Force

The article from Reason.com relates to the impact that the passage of Michigan's "Right to Work" law has had on unions, now that union membership is no longer mandatory for employees of certain organizations.  The fact that many forced members leave the union when given a choice is very revealing. 

However, that is not the reason this article was re-posted on End Run Blog.  Within the details of the story lie a vivid example of the way politicians can be manipulated by the special interest groups who support them financially... and the unchallenged ability of politicians and bureaucrats to use force against the citizens for the benefit of their cronies.

Take note of the plight of relatives caring for ailing family members (for free) who were "legally" classified as Home Health Care Workers and forced to pay union dues which the government deducted directly from their Medicare/Medicaid checks.  That is how our neighbors use government force to take money from our pockets and transfer it to theirs. 


http://reason.com/blog/2014/05/01/mich-right-to-work-law-results-in-mass-e

THE END RUN PROJECT

END RUN to a BETTER REPUBLIC

This entry is an introduction to the End Run Project.  It is dedicated to Dr.Zoltan Kemeny who escaped Soviet tyranny and now applies his considerable skills here in the Valley of the Sun.

It is the nature of the politics that those we elect are forced to make reelection their highest priority. Hence, rampant corruption, fiscal malfeasance & failed programs. All of the media "issues" about which we argue serve the political class by distracting & dividing us.

If we ever unite and hold them accountable, their wealthy, privileged, lives of power would crumble.  The key is to marginalize politicians and rely on our fellow citizens to champion causes they are passionate about.  In other words, we all have a civic duty to DO AN END RUN.  

A Doctor's Declaration of Independence

It's time to defy health-care mandates issued by bureaucrats not in the healing profession.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304279904579518273176775310?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304279904579518273176775310.html