Daschle Asks Native American Not to Run Against Him

Talon News ^ | 4/2/2004 | Jeff Gannon

[CyberAnt]

And that pattern would be ........??

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? I don't look at it that way.

Had Thune demanded a recount and still lost - HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RUN AGAINST DASCHLE.

Sometimes, you have to look at the BIG picture and not just one little race.

[CyberAnt]

LIBERALS DO NOT LIKE COMPETITION.

They always want to "level the playing field" = give them an advantage.

They always want "bi-partisan" = do what they want or else.

They want schools to pass students - even when they can't read. They want employers to hire people - even though they are not qualified.

That's why they always call the competition and TELL THEM they need to drop out of the race. JUST LIKE KERRY IS PLANNING TO DO TO NADER NEXT WEEK. However, after Nader's rudely conducted interview on ErrAmerica, I doubt Kerry will get the answer he was hoping for.

But .. I do realize that Kerry could be just delivering to Nader an offer he can't refuse.

[CyberAnt]

In Oklahoma - there is a National registry you can get information from. You need last names and dates of birth to get anywhere. My sons are all part Cherokee - but we don't have any records to prove it.

[alloysteel]

The "Sioux" (a name given them by French trappers) are not just one tribe, they are a loose confederation of several tribes: Dakota, Lakota, Nakota among others. They are part of a larger grouping called "Plains Indians".

Now one thing to get straight - North American Indians are anything but an homogeneous group. They have vastly differing languages, cultures, and views of their neighbors. Some of these tribes had been warring for thousands of years before white men ever set foot on the continent. It was not even necessary for an Indian to set eyes on any European, for life to be changed profoundly.

In 1500, no Dakota had ever seen a horse. By 1850, the tribe had splintered into a number of sub-tribes, and the hunting of buffalo had evolved from stalking on foot using spears to a lightning strike method of hunting, either by bow or with a firearm, from horseback. Always somewhat nomadic, the Dakota became even more nomadic and wide-ranging, as they could travel more swiftly with the buffalo than ever before.

This brought them into contact with other Indians they had never seen before, with inevitable conflicts growing out of territorial claims. Along with hunting skills, the various tribes also developed some of the finest light cavalry the world has ever known, even throwing back one of the most technologically advanced armies of its time, the US Cavalry. West Point still teaches Sitting Bull's tactics.

But do not minimize the pressure of superior numbers, as the Army returned again and again, finally driving the remaining resistance into restricted areas, where the problem was contained for the better part of a century. In these rural ghettos called reservations, the culture of the various tribes mutated even further, and a large dependency class developed. Thus the selling of beads by the side of the road.

Many of the tribal members do not literally set up shop in this manner. They travel to powwows, and set up booths. In between powwows, they do business at traveling flea markets and state fairs. Since much of this business is off the books, it is generally unrecognized, but does provide sustenance to a number of tribal members.

And you would like to get in on this? Apply to a tribe and see if they will adopt you. Even if you may claim descent from a particular tribe, there is something called a "blood quantum", usually more than 25%, and you usually must prove descent from your mother's side, but various tribes may differ on these rules.

The larger reservations were of sufficient size and diversity that some internal hunting and fishing grounds were developed, with use of these grounds largely restricted to tribal members. Some outside participation was occasionally offered, but this was up to the controlling tribal government. Federally recognized reservations are, in essense, sovereign nations, and are considered so by law. It is the sovereignty thing that keeps generating problems for various tribes and Indian-white confrontations.

Like the tribes themselves, no one answer fits all. Some tribes, like the St. Regis Mohawks of New York State, are trans-national, and hold sovereignty in both the US and Canada. A similar situation holds for the Maliseet of Maine. Not surprisingly, some degree of smuggling goes on in these locations. Who prosecutes them, or do the parties involved just tolerate the situation? And how about the special case of the Hopi Nation, surrounded on all sides by the Navajo Nation? Incidentally, both tribes are uneasy in the presence of the other, and at times there is considerable friction.

[Zack Nguyen]

Thank you very much for your analysis.

[fish hawk]

Could you please name some "Laws" that Native Americans do not have to follow? I am from a reservation and I can't think of any.

[fish hawk]

"We better watch it, we might be racist for not believing in "special rights."

Don't look now but this very statement is racist. At the least the attitude behind it is.

[TASMANIANRED]

Daschele is deeply saddened. Remember all the dead Amer-Indians that were registered to vote in 2002. Now they will all be voting for their own.

[TC Rider]

Giago said that in 25 years, Daschle has done little to help Native Americans free themselves from government dependency.

Giago doesn't get it, Democrats want minorities to be dependent on government.

[MegaSilver]

Please, I prefer "American-American."

Technically, it would be "Euro-American."

I'm proud of my European heritage.

[PA Engineer]

"Another openly controlled and manipulated group is the senior communities(reservations) in S. FL" and W. PA