By Carole McWilliams

Times columnist

The Sand Creek Massacre of a peaceful Indian village, mainly women, children and old people, is now considered one of the darkest days in Colorado's pioneer history.

The commander of that atrocity, Col. John Chivington, is reputed to have said of those dead children, "Nits make lice." Back in the day, some people probably were fine with that. Now, that wouldn't be politically correct.

Colorado was home to at least one internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. That apparently was politically correct back then. Gov. Ralph Carr is now honored for daring to say otherwise.

What constitutes political correctness changes over time and from one population group to another, as we've seen all too well in the current presidential election campaign.

It seems that sometimes PC means thou shalt not ever say anything that might offend anyone any time, anywhere. Sometimes, things really do need to be said, and it's the job of people like opinion columnists to do that. If they don't, they aren't doing their jobs.

For months, even some longtime conservative columnists have written against a certain presidential candidate who built his core base by spewing juvenile insults and politically incorrect, offensive and often blatantly false things. His core devotees cheer all that.

Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton committed a political incorrectness by calling 50 percent of his followers "deplorables." Apparently, political incorrectness and name calling are only okay when He Himself does it.

He Himself is howling that Clinton is demonizing his supporters as a group. Since he regularly (and falsely) accuses Clinton of doing things he does all the time, that's nothing new.

The latest is that she initiated the birther claims against Barack Obama in 2008, a claim easily shown to be false, as are a significant majority of Himself's claims or accusations.

Politifact gives this breakdown of Himself's statements: 15 percent true or mostly true, 15 percent half true, 17 percent mostly false, 35 percent false, and 18 percent "pants on fire" false, including Himself's assertion that he "finished" the Obama birther thing, of which Himself was the most vocal proponent.

Politifact also rates Clinton's statements: 23 percent true, 28 percent mostly true, 22 percent half true, 15 percent mostly false, 11 percent false, and 2 percent "pants on fire."

Unfortunately, He Himself keeps repeating blatant lies because he knows his devotees don't care.

Some devotees have shown themselves to be oblivious and openly hostile to actual facts. What does this bode for the future of our country, even if Himself isn't elected ruler?

It's nothing new for political campaigns to aim at voters' reptilian fight or flight brains as opposed to the rational thinking part of their brains. Some candidates or ballot issues wouldn't have a chance if rational thought were involved.Hillary Clinton used the word "deplorables" about people who cheer a campaign built on stirring up people's ugliest emotions and who ignore blatant lies.

The word I would use is "complicitors."