I just read something interesting about the State of Rhode Island. The official name of the state is "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." It was the name given in its original royal charter. That is a long name for a little state. My first thought was does anybody actually call it that. I remember when we learned the states in school it was just Rhode Island. There is more to the story. The state house has passed legislation to allow the citizens to vote on dropping the Providence Plantations part. Apparently, there are people that feel the full name conjures up images of slavery.

There is no doubt slavery was wrong. It is not something unique to America. It has existed in every culture in world history. In many parts of the world it is still a problem. Our nation has good and bad things in its past and present. We are not a perfect nation and never will be. We are a product of both our successes and failures. That applies to us as individuals and as a nation. We need to understand all of our history. .This is another example of political correctness running wild in America.

It is time for the people to stand up and say enough. We have serious problems that need to be dealt with at all levels of government. This type of legislation that tries to make people feel guilty about the past is wrong. We should be united as a nation and moving forward. Slavery will always be a part of our past. Changing the name of a state will not alter that past.