Napolitano to eliminate "squaw"?

Governor ready to rid Arizona of 'squaw' sitesGov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday she's finally ready to fulfill a promise she made five years ago: Push to rename various sites around the state with the name "squaw" in them.

Napolitano promised in 2003, in the middle of a fight to rename Squaw Peak in Phoenix to honor fallen Hopi soldier Lori Piestewa, that the move was not simply politics. She said the word "squaw" is considered offensive by some Native Americans, and the Phoenix mountain was just the first step.

Five years later, the U.S. Geological Survey lists 79 other sites in Arizona that still have that name, including summits, reservoirs, valleys and streams. And two actually pair that word with an English slang word for the female breast.

Four years ago Napolitano's aides brushed aside lack of action on other sites, saying she had been busy with other higher priorities.

On Wednesday, though, the governor said the decision to do nothing was deliberate.Comment:  For more on the subject, see and Squelching the S-Word.