From the AP via Yahoo News:

Use of the Word 'Refugee' Stirs Debate

What do you call people who have been driven from their homes with only the clothes on their backs, unsure if they will ever be able to return, and forced to build a new life in a strange place?

News organizations are struggling for the right word.

Many, including The Associated Press, have used "refugee" to describe those displaced by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.

But the choice has stirred anger among some readers and other critics, particularly in the black community. They have argued that "refugee" somehow implies that the displaced storm victims, many of whom are black, are second-class citizens — or not even Americans.

"It is racist to call American citizens refugees," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, visiting the Houston Astrodome on Monday. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed similar sentiments.

Now, Jesse Jackson moved beyond parody a long time ago, but this is a foolish comment, even for him. Not surprising, mind you, just extremely foolish.

Let's be clear - there is no racial connotation to the word "refugee." None. Zero. Zip. Nada. Not any whatsoever. In no sense, on no level, is what Jackson said the least bit rational. It is the ultimate in stupidity. It would represent real progress for American society if Jackson could simply be written off as a charlatan and/or a loon, but unfortunately, his wacky statements still receive respectful airing in the mainstream press.

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