What a bunch of Indian givers.
If they withdraw from the US how about giving back the billions of dollars of US taxpayer’s money that have been poured into these areas? The South Dakota portion of this new “Lakota” nation contains the poorest county in the US, (Shannon county)and the entire area of this new nation consists of Indian Reservations that depend on the Federal dole for everything from education, housing, health care, public safety to paying the actual living expenses of the residents. These reservations are total welfare states. Who does Mr. Means think will pay for all this if they withdraw from the US ...Cesar Chavez?
If they set up a financial system based on hard money and put absolute privacy and free exchange laws into place, when coupled with making earnings from outside investments tax exempt and refuse to enter into tax treaties with any other country, this could get interesting. Of course the US would retaliate by refusing to allow any US bank to have a correspondent relationship, but hey, there are European correspondent banks who will correspond with anyone.
Let the economic competition begin!
I’m thinking that Massachusetts could benefit from this example.
So the Reservations won’t be turning out to vote for any more Democrats in U.S. elections?!
Why would they stop at Driver’s licenses and passports? I can see all kinds of interesting opportunities.
1.Fly over fees to Airlines for flying over their soverign territory.
2. Havens for deserters and escaped criminals
3. Casinos galore, prostitution, drugs, non-taxable items such as cigarettes and booze and anything else that the white man outlaws.
If Russell is smart, he’ll be the next Warren Buffet.
Time to stop sending the welfare checks...
No problem! just build fences along the new border and change a good deal of money for entry into the US. Also revoke any Indian benefits to people living on that tribal land.
Set up a tariff system and make sure they cant live off of ‘tax free gas’ and casinos..
I wonder how long it will take Serbia and Russia to recognize the independent state of Lakota, as a message to the United States of could happen if Kosovo is allowed to unilaterally separate from Serbia.
The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies, and would continue on their diplomatic mission and take it overseas in the coming weeks and months.
Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free - provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship, Mr Means said.
All it will take is one or a few of these countries like China (for leverage against Taiwan), Russia (payback for Chechnya) or Venezuela (just to stick it in our eye) and this could get really ugly.
Will it survive on casino revenue? Can we drive through on interstate highways without a passport?
If so, not much of a sovereign nation. They’ll come crying back when the welfare money dries up.
Lakota teen suicides are 150 per cent above the norm for the U.S.; infant mortality is five times higher than the U.S. average; and unemployment is rife, according to the Lakota freedom movement's website.
I'm looking for the part where this is somehow the fault of White Americans. I see nothing to indicate that it is.
Indeed.
Beyond the eighty or so posts so far, it's got implications for all sorts of mischief, by all sorts of people and groups.
For openers - how do you address a civil war inside a 'sovereign' indian tribe (just in case someone actually presses for secession and others don't agree).
Do the several casino wealthy tribes have anything to say in a stand off between the USA and another break away tribe? (Note: the one indian I've known from South Dakota was collecting large bucks off of casino profits so the destitute Sioux image is flawed)
If they try to go ahead with this we will have to deal with a kosovo that our government wants to separate from Serbia and one or more indian reservations that I'm sure the feds don't want to let go.
("Kosov - Si, Sioux City - No" ?)
The statement talks of several states, not a delineated reservation - reconquesta rather than Independence.
It would be interesting to watch how the self defined indian territories (a) dealt with the 'squatters' who deny citizenship in an indian tribe and how (b) they'd go about reclaiming property.
If they act as though they have withdrawn from the treaties they have released the US government of responsibility for the safety of members of the tribe - what's to stop non-indians from going on a warpath?
The UN has an opportunity to either act responsibly or climb all over our internal affairs - my bets are on the latter. (picturing a blue topped gaggle of third world peacekeepers trying to hitchhike from New York to ... what's the name of the town in North Dakota?)
How do we address North Korean and mexican efforts to establish embassies in Taos, Sioux City, or Yosemite Village?
To where do you deport a "Native American"?
Given Mean's record, I don't think it is too far-fetched to assume his break away group will include a terrorist friendly policy - the Little Mosque on the Prairie might not be just a gag line anymore.
Finally, also with an eye to history, even if he movement stays at the hot air level - how long before some nut case tries to enforce his tribal claims by force?
Knowing full well that this will end up either a non-event or a televised stand off between the FBI and a dozen loonies, on some run down farm, in the middle of nowhere; every day we come closer to the real possibility of the UN or our neighbors deciding they have the right to step in and decide questions like this for us.
Worse - probably half the population of the USA would go along with it.
BTW, I'm all in favor of allowing the Native Americans to keep as much of their culture as they can while they integrate into society. They have to realize that a lot of the Lakota lifestyle died 150 years ago and it's not going to return.
This should be interesting. I wonder, being out here in Colorado, if I need to fort up.
Is Ward Churchill another Lakota...Sioux leader, now, too ?
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Those treaties were actually between 2 sovereign nations, the Lakota and the US. This could mean more trouble than it first sounds like.
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According to Intrade, the winner of the December 12th GOP debate was... Duncan Hunter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1938773/posts
This would seem to be a big win for Republicans. Indians were Tom Daschle’s base.