Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems

foxnews.com ^ | 2/9/12 | AP

[ColdOne]

LINCOLN, Neb. – An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, which encompasses some of the nation's most impoverished counties.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska also targets four beer stores in Whiteclay, a Nebraska town near the reservation's border that, despite having only about a dozen residents, sold nearly 5 million cans of beer in 2010.

Tribal leaders and activists blame the Whiteclay businesses for chronic alcohol abuse and bootlegging on the Pine Ridge reservation, where all alcohol is banned. They say most of the stores' customers come from the reservation, which spans southwest South Dakota and dips into Nebraska.

"You cannot sell 4.9 million 12-ounce cans of beer and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate, and say we've got nothing to do with it being smuggled," said Tom White, the tribe's Omaha-based attorney.

[Osage Orange]

A lot of Indians I know drink hair spray.

B.S.

[Sherman Logan]

Osage and Oglala are related to Assinobione.

Comanche is variant of Shoshone, a Uto-Aztecan language. Completely different from the Siouan language family.

[cripplecreek]

I can't wait for the price of beer to skyrocket, just like the price of tobacco products did.

2300% increase in the tax on loose tobacco shortly after the emperor was seated. Eventually people will quit smoking and then they start looking for something new to tax. In Michigan the revenue shortfall was so great that they were even considering taxing free food eaten by restaurant employees.

Maybe they should raise the tax on alcohol brought on to the reservation by 10,000%.

[FlingWingFlyer]

You go ahead and just believe what you want to believe. Maybe your dreams will all come true. I’ve got a reformed alcholic friend who is a Navajo. He fights the battle of trying to get his people off of this stuff EVERY DAMN DAY.

[FlingWingFlyer]

BS online

I have to deal with this crap too.

[Poison Pill]

Then I suppose gambling addicts can sue Indian casinos and lung cancer patients can sue Indian tobacco retailers.

[cripplecreek]

B.S.

You might be surprised. I know a guy addicted to eating Benzedrex nose inhalers. The effect is similar to meth and the results of long term use are the same as well. He learned it on a reservation in the southwest.

[ScreamingFist]

He fights the battle of trying to get his people off of this stuff EVERY DAMN DAY.

Yea. Whatever. Look bud, drunks drink mouthwash, they don't drink hairspray. Try to get your chemicals correct....

[FlingWingFlyer]

Look at my post above Bud. Click “BS Online”. Nope. They don’t drink hairspray.

[Osage Orange]

It's Indians being used by lawyers.

Nothing new.....

[frithguild]

I’d hate to be siouxed by an indian

Judge: Do you have a closing argument?

mmmh! Fire water bad medicine. Bring heap bad trouble. White mand now give much wampum.

[Altura Ct.]

I AM a victim!

[Gabz]

2300% increase in the tax on loose tobacco shortly after the emperor was seated.

But, but, but, but............the emperor didn't raise taxes .........

That lie drives me insane, because it was one of the first damned things he did and that is a tax that hits those in the lower income brackets really really hard as it is an EXTREMELY regressive tax.

[Osage Orange]

Well...I replied to the comment.

And I doubted you have "lot's of Indian friends that drink hair spray"....

Are you going to tell me again....you have lot's of Indian FRIENDS that drink HAIR SPRAY?"

Hey FRiend..I'm your FRiend here.

I'm just commenting on what you said......

[kempo]

This is like suing the auto makers when you run a stop sign. Hey Chief, it's not the beer, it's called personal responsibility.

[Osage Orange]

Eye's open here.....

I might be wrong........

[FlingWingFlyer]

It's Indians being used by lawyers.

I agree with you 100%. It's the lawyers that need to be sued. This is a serious problem although meth is really complicating the problem due to the influx of illegal aliens. Someday, I hope somebody decides to take this problem seriously and knock off the BS of trying to just get rich by exploiting it.

Like the DemocRATS say, "Never let a good crisis go to waste".

[FlingWingFlyer]

I consider everyone my friend except those who decide that they want to be my enemy. I do what I can to help them. That’s all I can do.

[muawiyah]

Language is one thing; DNA is another.

There was plenty of mixing.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“I’d hate to be siouxed by an indian”

Sounds like a real hatchet job