A new name for Squaw Peak

Squaw Peak, a mountain in Phoenix, Arizona is being renamed to honor Lori Piestewa, a soldier killed in Iraq.(link)

What could possibly be wrong with this? After all, Native Americans have been trying for years to get the peak renamed, as the word "Squaw" is offensive. Janet Neopalitano (the governor) has thrown her weight behind this, not-so-gently pressuring the Arizona Geographic and Historic Names Board to change the name. The board consists of several fattened bureaucrats, with some ordinary citizens. Well, scratch that, no more ordinary citizens. One resigned, not wanting to be a "rubber stamp" to be "steamrolled by the governor". The other citizen (the chairman) was asked to resign by Neopalitano because he had the gall to point out that a Federal guideline (admittedly, an oft-ignored one) prohibited renaming something after a person until five years after their death.

According to the group's by-laws, a certain number of citizens must be present for the meeting. Well, they didn't have the required number, so the bureaucrats suspended the by-laws, then renamed the peak. Now, I've got nothing against replacing an offensive name with the name of a fallen soldier. Lori Piestewa (as you could have guessed) was a Native American, and I'm sure that she fulfilled her duty in Iraq, and indeed, she made the ultimate sacrifice. Then again, so did four other Arizonans. They weren't even mentioned. As much as Lori should be honored for her service to her country, there are still a few problems with renaming the peak after her:

1. The governor is pushing this simply to get votes. If Neopalitano were so outraged at the offensive name "Squaw", why didn't she do anything earlier?
2. I love the way the Arizona politicos run the place like a Banana Republic, without regard to silly things like "by-laws".
3. If the name "Squaw" is offensive (and yes, it is), why not let the Native Americans rename it, instead of opportunistic white politicians?