See also: The American Indian Movement, and the campaign to free
Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier
Defense Committee
Donations to: LPFW
http://www.freedomwalk.com
For more information:
http://www.leonardpeltier.net |
I became interested in the
treatment of Native Americans, and the management of reservations, in 1969. It was
shocking to learn of the neglect and mismanagement... Recently, I took a course at my
local college, and was fascinated to learn that there were members of 5 different tribes
and reservations in the class. The funniest, saddest reservation joke one of them told
had to do with the fact that when Custer, who was in charge of Indian Affairs, and his
troops left the fort for Little Big Horn, he told those left behind not to do
anything until he got back. Thus, the BIA is just following orders. Like Arnold says,
"Where there's smoke, there's fire."
These days, the American Indian Movement leaders generally agree on at least 3 things:
if the Federal and State Governments will simply allow them to operate their casinos, and
give them reparations for the mismanagement of some $100 billion, and then just
leave them alone, they would be better off... as well as allowing them to operate as a
sovereign people, something to which we agreed as a nation.
This speech excerpt is another fine example of good intentions gone awry, the public
face of an issue which has become facade, and how the expediency of politics in this
government has again, over a period of decades, failed to keep its promises and agreements
regarding human rights and justice.
It's easy to blame the failures of the nation or a group of people on citizens and
corporations, when the truth is, it's often the failure of leaders to deliver the
empowerment they promise at the time it's needed for those who trusted them to keep their
word... from Native Americans to retirees who place faith in the promise of social
security and the integrity of the Stock Market.
Consider this one more reminder. |
