Stop waffling on the Wolfpack

Last month we wondered whether the school board was being overly sensitive when it delayed a decision on a mascot for Glacier High School.

Although Wolfpack had broad support as the mascot, the board wanted to wait a month to see if the name passed the test of community political correctness.

That was five weeks ago. The board is still waffling and we're still wondering, but now we're wondering about the indecision. There's not much doubt that board members are indeed being way too sensitive.

Judging from the mewing and fretting by trustees last week over whether there's too much controversy associated with the Wolfpack, you'd think they were deciding on some huge revamping of school policy rather than simply a name for sports teams.

Board members worried over everything from wolves' impact on ranchers to World War II Nazi connotations. But let's be realistic: We're not bringing back real wolves - we're just naming teams! And the submarine argument is a real diversion: Both U.S. and German submarines were known as wolf packs.

So rather than make a decision, a split board passed the buck back to the committee that recommended Wolfpack.

That committee, you may recall, overwhelmingly picked Wolfpack after a fun and spirited public-involvement campaign.

Now the school board, in a misguided attempt to offend no one while satisfying every trivial objection, has taken all the fun out of it.

We appreciate when a board gives thoughtful consideration to an important issue. We don't appreciate hypersensitive dithering over what really is a minor decision.

Look at the letters to the editor on this page and you can see that we are not alone in castigating the school trustees for bending to the whims of political correctness. If, in fact, trustees are so committed to "sensitivity," then why do they allow Braves as the mascot for predominantly white Flathead High School?

All the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the Wolfpack is surely detracting from serious issues that the board should be considering for the new high school. Issues such as the grade configuration, the transition to the new school and the curriculum are far more important than what logo is going to represent the school.

So now this tempest in a teapot goes back to the committee for re-evaluation.

Our advice to the committee: Meet for five minutes, reaffirm the Wolfpack and toss it back to the school board.

Our advice to the school board: Take a stand and skip the sensitivity sessions. Vote the Wolfpack up or down - but for goodness' sake, vote.