that hurts me just as much as any freedmen descendants as a blood test would more than likely get me in the tribe.
You probably meant the blood test would not let you in the tribe, either, right? But, imagine if your family had been accepted into the nation generations ago because they had been slaves in the tribe, and you had been living as a citizen of the nation generations later, only to have that citizenship revoked suddenly.
What's ironic isn't that they're denying people admittance if they have no evidence of Cherokee blood. The ironic part is that a hero of the Democrats, hailed for "bettering" the Cherokee Nation, dismissed a bunch of people whose families were with that nation a lot longer than she was, based on bloodlines, and the Dems are willing to overlook that part of the story.
I think whitewashing happens on both sides. She did do a lot to improve the Cherokee Nation. I don’t think that should be diminished because of her choices in regards to the freedmen. Discussed sure, but that doesn’t make her less of a positive force on the actual tribe.
I’m pretty sure that if I were given a blood test I would be found to be of at least some Cherokee descent. However, those ancestors chose to not be put on the rolls. I don’t think I should get to become a member of the tribe based on my blood.