John M. Robinson, the Diversity Officer of the US Department of State wants to add a few "no no's" to what people should say. But hold on. Before I continue, let me make sure "no no" is also politically correct enough for the ultra sensitive "everything is offensive and hurts someone so it offends me crowd."

Anybody? Not yet? Okay continuing on...

"Hold down the fort" is offensive to Indians - oops! - Native Americans because it used to refer to American soldiers "holding down" land they conquered or "holding down the Natives themselves. Wait. Can I just say "Natives"or does it have to be the whole term "Native Americans" even though everybody would know I am talking about the natives of this land? By the way, I know many Indians or Native Americans, and I have never had any of them get upset by the term Indian and some of them even use it themselves.

Another phrase is "rule of thumb". The reason given for this is because it refered to old laws that allowed men to beat their wives with a stick no wider than a thmb. What the Hell? Really? Very few, if anybody knew this crap. In fact, I have heard plenty of chicks - oops! - I mean women use the term "rule of thumb". Actually I cannot even dig up any evidence that it is what the phrase originally meant. Even if it did, are women supposed to suddenly be outraged at the phrase ever being used?

Should everyone be hypersensitive toward everything because every phrase, every word might offend someone here, or on the other side of the country or the other side of the planet?

I guess people should no longer be upset over that horrible word "gay" being used to refer to something as being stupid. Because long before gay meant homosexual, and even before it meant happy, it meant things like colorful, bright, and flamboyant. So really the Sun should be offended by people referring to happy as gay or people referring to homosexuals as gay.

See how incredibly retarded - oops! - I mean dumb that sounds? Words and phrases evolve. Get over it.

How about this for a "rule of thumb": People grow and develop their backbones and not let every little thing offend them. If people get offended it is their fault. They let it happen because they chose to be offended.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/state-dept-mag-black-and-tan-is-a-racist-beer/article/2506475#.UEFYn9ZmTnY

http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/if-you-say-hold-down-the-fort-youre-a-dirty-racist/