Good Night and Thank You

For God's sake, get out!
Yes, he was smarmy self-righteous and arrogant, but as attorney general he took on Wall Street when no one else would, and as governor he faded the heat and approved the St. Regis Mohawk Casino, against some of his early anti-Indian rhetoric. Nevertheless, there's already going to be enough fall-out from this idiotic self-immolation, if for no other reason than it allows the GOP to deflect attention from their own morally bankrupt, whoremongering hypocrites. Is it a double standard, especially considering how fast the Vitter scandal dropped off the MSM radar? Sure, but shouldn't Democrats be better than Republicans? Shouldn't we at least demand that our leaders not flagrantly break the law? Hit the road, governor. You have no one to blame but yourself. Don't let the doorknob hit you in the ass on the way out.

Great White Father Knows Best, Part 2

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of New York and the St. Croix Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from Wisconsin are suing the Bush Administration over its' grotesquely paternalistic land-into-trust (re: anti-casino gaming) policy. Fortunately, word of Interior's ludicrous new attack on tribal sovereignty is starting to get around. Apparently, "local control" and "self-determination" only apply to non-Indians in the Republican Lexicon.

Great White Father Knows Best

Adding to the list of Bush Administration misdeeds that the next President will have to undo is this smarmy, condescending, paternalistic new policy on land-into-trust applications for off-reservation gaming. You can almost hear Dubya's smirk, "Now, there, there, you red fellas, you gotta trust that we know what's best for y'all. Now git on back to your reservation and stop scarin' the white folk."

Slow Surrender

Tim Giago (Oglala Lakota) on the corrosive effect gaming compacts have had on tribal sovereignty.

Blood Will Tell, Part 2

A good article from Wired Magazine about the Freedmen controversy, and one of the few that gets it right by discussing the random, capricious and racist nature of the Dawes Rolls. It also points out the shortcomings of using DNA testing to determine Indian heritage, something that seems to be all the rage lately to judge from my GoogleAds. However, the author does imply, unfairly, that this is all about money, mentioning how much the Five Tribes are raking in from casino gaming. That's a cheap shot; it might be true for small tribes in California or New England (several of whom are currently engaged in nasty purges of their membership), but Cherokee citizens don't get any kind of allotment or dividend from gaming operations. All that money goes to fund the tribal government, making it self-sufficient. There are plenty of legitimate complaints to make about the anti-Freedmen faction, but money isn't one of them. As the saying goes, a white (CDIB) card and fifty cents will get you a cup of coffee.

Uh, Thanks, But No Thanks

Today, jailed Indian-casino lobbyist Jack Abramoff discovered that he is not, in fact, Jewish. “Actually, I’m Native American,” Abramoff reported. “You know, a member of the tribe.”

From the Jewish Press (with tongue planted firmly in cheek). H/T to Indianz.com.

It's A Thin Line...

...between anti-casino forces and anti-Indian sovereignty groups, and the rhetoric of both is loaded with racist buzzwords from the past.

Pombo Smackdown

Cong. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), one of the most corrupt and virulently anti-environment and anti-Indian members of Congress, suffered a big defeat today as his bill to restrict tribal gaming went down in flames, hoist by the petard of typical Republican parliamentary tactics to eliminate amendments or debate. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Rub some salt in the wound and support his opponent, Jerry McNerney.

Sovereignty Warriors in Action!

From ePluribus Media: Local Native Americans crash a GOP fundraiser for a candidate who wants to eliminate tribal water rights.

Stand And Be Recognized

The Charlotte Observer editorializes in favor of Federal Recognition for the Lumbee Tribe. I would only add that the Cherokee Nation, the UKB and the Eastern Band should stop their shameful efforts to delay recognition solely because of casino economics.

Tecumseh Would Weep

The Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band and the UKB (who rarely if ever agree with the CN on anything) are united in lobbying to delay or deny Federal recognition to the Lumbee of North Carolina. Why? Casino revenues. What the hell do we need white people for? We can defeat ourselves all by ourselves.

Wohlgemuth-Abramoff Connection?

In this recent story from The Texas Observer, notice that Arlene's name is mentioned in a 2001 email from evangelist/ninja Ralph Reed to uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff as someone to contact in their efforts to kill HB514, an Indian casino gambling bill opposed by Abramoff's clients, the Louisiana Coushatta Tribe, who didn't want competition from Texas tribes. Someone with more time on their hands than me should check Wohlgemuth's campaign filings and see if she received any Abramoff money...