Should history be sanitized to make it politically correct?

Some Native American tribes are pushing for the removal of the word "squaw" from any geographical location in the country, because the word has now acquired a negative connotation for their women, equating it to the "N" word for African Americans:

"It's like saying the 'N-word' to a black person," says Bernal, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock, one of five tribes with reservations in Idaho.

"To me, it's a slap in the face. It belittles me and it belittles all Indian women."

Bernal is among Native Americans across the West fighting to excise "squaw" from the names of region's waterways, peaks and river valleys.

The 55 tribes of the Pacific Northwest say the "S-word," once commonly used when referring to an American Indian woman, is demeaning and never uttered on reservations.

They claim the term evokes the painful chapter in American history when Indian lands were confiscated and native peoples were subjugated by whites.

Yet the word litters the national map, with more than 800 place names including the word "squaw" and some resistance from local officials who object to what they say is a push to be politically correct.

I believe everybody deserves the uttermost respect, but in this case I'm not on the side of the offended. I actually happen to agree with Jeff Ford, former member of the Idaho names council, who said, "It's not meant to be demeaning and that term's been there forever. There must have been a reason for people of European descent to call places that. It probably wasn't a nice reason but we can't keep whitewashing history. A geographic name should reflect the story that brought it about."

I agree with that position. There's a town in Italy named "Bastardo," I heard of a road somewhere named "Dick," a river in Argentina is called "Negro," and a town in Austria is called "Fucking." Should we change them all? I'm sure those names are upsetting or insulting to someone.

What we're talking about here is rewriting history because now those words have a different meaning, or because now the people offended by that meaning have more powerful outlets to vent their frustration, anger, and dissatisfaction.

We're not talking about a word used in comedy skits or in movies or TV shows with the sole purpose to offend the recipients or earn a cheap laugh. These are names of peaks, rivers, cities, with a history behind them. Maybe it's not a pretty history, but it's their history. Are we going to wipe out everything we don't like about the past?

How long before someone demands the deletion of all references to the Holocaust from history books, so as to avoid hurting the feelings of Jewish students?