Posted on 12/06/2001 10:50:15 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
The largest national group of Indian governments has declared Upstate Citizens for Equality a "hate group."
The National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution last week that says UCE, based in Verona, and two similar groups in other parts of the country want to "eliminate Indian governments, societies and culture."
UCE also has a Cayuga-Seneca chapter that opposes the Cayuga land claim. The Verona group opposes the Oneida land claim.
The resolution was sponsored by Alma Ransom, a Mohawk chief and treasurer of the Indian congress. It also labeled as hate groups the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance in Montana and United Property Owners in Washington.
"I know how it is to be treated badly," Ransom said of her reasons for sponsoring the resolution. "Every Indian nation identified with a similar situation near their reservation."
Members of UCE, which was formed in 1994, say they simply want tax laws enforced on Indian land and a settlement to the Oneida Indian land claim.
"We don't hate," said member Jim Opperman of Oneida. "Is it hateful to want the law enforced? Is it hateful to want a settlement to the land claim issues? Is it hateful to have a casino compact ratified by the state legislature?"
"This is nothing new," said Connie Tallcot of Union Springs, UCE chairwoman for the Cayuga-Seneca chapter. "The Indians make these claims to divert attention from the real issues."
"Our message is simple: No group should have special privileges and live under separate law than another group in the United States," Tallcot added. "Saying we are a hate group doesn't make it so."
Clint Halftown of Gowanda, spokesman for the Cayuga Nation, agreed with the designation of UCE as a hate group.
He said the Cayugas 64,027-acre claim to former reservation land in Cayuga and Seneca counties, has generated a dislike of the Cayugas.
"They hate the fact that we have a right, by treaty and federal court rulings, to have treaties honored, our land returned and to be a sovereign nation," he said. "They ignore that and focus on their desire to have everyone be assimilated and be part of one country."
Halftown said the comments of a Seneca County Board of Supervisors member, Richard L. Ricci of Seneca Falls, attest to the hate the Cayugas have experienced.
Ricci said at a UCE rally last year that "the Cayugas may out-money us, but they don't out-gun us."
"What is that saying when an elected official can say that and still get re-elected?" Halftown asked. "I feel they should be investigated as a hate group."
In a statement issued Tuesday by the Oneida Indian Nation, clan mother Marilyn John said: "The Oneida nation is gratified that NCAI (National Congress of American Indians) has formally recognized the truly hateful and harmful nature of so-called 'property rights' groups, such as UCE."
The statement said that UCE publishes "a list of local merchants and individuals who patronize the Sav-On gas stations and convenience stores, and targets those on the list for its members to boycott. It also encourages 'spying' on those who frequent the stores and stations."
Members of UCE have compiled boycott lists with names of people and companies UCE members have seen doing business at the nation's Sav-On gas stations. UCE's leadership says it does not encourage these lists, but they are made available at UCE meetings.
"We don't spy on people," Opperman said. "There is documentation that the Oneida Indian Nation does spy. Remember that the Oneida Indian Nation lost its deputization agreement (with Madison and Oneida counties) because (the counties) found out they had been doing spying."
Internal nation reports obtained by The Post-Standard in 1997 showed that nation police conducted a widespread spying operation on and off nation land, compiling dossiers on political opponents and their non-Indian associates.
In Tuesday's statement, the Oneida nation linked UCE to the KKK, which the nation said was active in Oneida and Verona back in the 1920s.
"I think all this name-calling is a bunch of childish nonsense," said Scott Peterman, president of UCE. "They label everybody that disagrees with them as a hate group."
Washita, Sand Creek, Wounded Knee ... a good start, but only just that.
Some people had another name for them: "Assholes In Moccasins".
FReegards,
Darth Sidious (1/16th Cherokee :-)
Give them their land, make them a sovereign nation, declare war on them for supporting terrorism, and give them the Afganistan treatment. End of problem.
Hank
Of course they are. assuming of course, that they support equality, they must want broken treaties, stolen land, forced marches and relegation to reservations for white people. how cruel and hateful they must be.
Now, regarding the 'hate group' charge. I don't agree that they are a 'hate group', however, that comment about, "They may out-money us, but they don't out-gun us" was, IMHO, the wrong thing to say. Even if it was just spoken in the heat of the moment, it was said, and it reflects very very badly on the people associated with the moron who said it.
Ah well, it's just another example of the divisive nature of politicians - to keep us all fighting amongst ourselves so we don't pay attention to other things they are doing...
But this "saying the wrong thing", though - there's a long history of that on both sides here. I remember a few years ago the Senecas shutting down the Western end of the Thruway with burning tires. I remember the Mohawks before that, blocking roads and manning them with some testosterone-charged, trigger-happy 20-somethings armed with AK-47's, scaring the living sh!t out of their neighbors. There's been a lot of bad blood, more than enough to go around an both sides.
Of course, looking at some of the truely ignorant comments on this thread ("...Where's Custer when you need him...", "...Give them the AFghanistan treatment..." etc...)... well, it makes me pretty ill...
Fortunately, since then, I think they've backed off a little bit and allowed for the possibility that they might accept some other form of compensation if they won - a money settlement or land somewhere else. And I think everyone might need to just cool off here in upstate just a bit...
I don't advocate forced removal of people from land they own, BTW, so don't get me wrong - I just think the State screwed up and both sides are paying for it...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.