Profiling by the numbers

I recently attended a work related meeting with an agency that worked with mentally challenged youngsters. As I drove to their office, I noticed two initials were missing from their agency’s MRDD sign. They had converted it into a DD sign. After asking about the missing initials, I learned that the "M" and "R" initials are offensive because society considers the term "mentally retarded" as degrading. To appease the masses, the director removed the two letters.

So who decided that mentally retarded is offensive? Was there a national vote? If so, someone forgot to ask for my input. To me, mentally retarded is a reference to a learning disability. Apparently, the ACLU, NAACP, religious leaders, and other self appointed watchdogs have decided we are incapable of understanding offensive topics. Here are some more examples:

• Secretaries are administrative assistants

• Trash men are sanitation engineers

• Janitors are custodians

• Lunatics and nut-jobs are mentally challenged

• Negroes and blacks are African-Americans

• Fat has been replaced with words like obese or large boned

• A Faggot (a bundle of sticks) is an anti-gay derogatory slur

• Gay (happy) means homosexuality

Has someone released an official document to inform the public? Daily newspapers and the Internet are jam-packed with people who will file a lawsuit because someone hurt their brittle feelings. Whatever happened to sticks and stones breaking our bones because names can’t hurt us?

We now live in a debilitating culture where people fear speaking their minds. They don’t want to be considered politically incorrect. So how does anyone separate the offender from the offended? Whatever happened to people expressing themselves? Isn’t that why we revolted against England? Didn’t we fight for the right to worship God and speak out against our transgressors?

The latest profiling drama is from Arizona. Their governor wants to take a stand against illegal aliens. This had me scratching my head. So when did it become politically incorrect to overlook crime? And yes, illegal aliens are criminals because they sneaked in without paying the cover charge.

Since 9/11, I have no problem with showing identification to law enforcement agencies. We live in a dangerous world and terrorists have become more evil. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid profiling. Corporations profile us based on a three digit FICO score. What's odd is that no one is offended.