It took 100 years for the government to say were sorry. I'm glad that the Indians get to have gambling now. At least that way they can make some money for themselves. Though neither is justifiable, what happened to the American Indians is far worse than what happened to the slaves. It is all very sad.
If the American Flag could speak, I think this is what it might say:
I am your Flag, and I am proud to be your Flag. Together we live in the greatest nation in the world. A free nation where I can fly freely in the breeze outside your home, on the street, in your schools and courthouses.
I am not just a piece of brightly colored cloth, I am a symbol that represents something great. My red stripes indicate hardiness and courage. My white is a symbol of purity and innocence. The blue color is vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
I was in the hand of my first President in the blood and snow of Valley Forge. I was there when my nation was born - small, with a wilderness at her back and seas at her sides, and not one friendly neighbor to whom she, as a struggling infant orphan, could call for help in distress.
I saw that child survive and grow strong. Most people forget, but I still see in my memory those bright and brave young men and women who died at Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Coral Sea, the Asian Jungles, throughout Europe, Korea and Vietnam.
And when they died for me, I wrapped them in my love and draped my honor over their caskets. Yes, I must speak because their voices have been silenced forever. I fly proudly over their green graves, praying that wars might end forever. Never forgetting them, I rise every morning to watch over the graves of our finest, whose years were short but whose service was longer than we can ever measure.
I, the American Flag, have lived long, traveled far and endured much. A million lives and more were sacrificed to give me the right to speak.
You can climb any mountain! Possibilities? They're unlimited - except as you limit them with a cynical, bitter, negative attitude! Yes, when you see me in church, school or flying on the streets - listen to my stars and stripes as I cry out to every boy and girl, every man and woman. "Dream Your Dreams" - "Dare To Believe" - You Can Make It In America.
I am the American Flag. Be humble enough to know where your glory and greatness come from. "Old Glory," I'm called. What is my glory? My glory is the freedom that I give to every law respecting man, woman and child. I live in the hearts of all people who yearn for freedom to laugh, to love, to pray, to play, to marry and to have children.
I have called out to countries, "Come to my shores, all who are tired, poor, oppressed, and yearning to breathe freely. Come and I will be your guarantee of liberty." I say to my people, "Be proud, be humble, and last,… be renewed! If you get a lump in your throat when you hear the Star Spangled Banner, or break out in a cold chill with goose bumps when I pass by waving freely, or tears shade your eyes when you sing "God Bless America", never think you are getting sentimental or weak. No, that is a sign of being strong, loyal, and dedicated to a cause, a principal - "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all......."
I agree with you there, Government policy was just short of genocide concerning the Ameican Indian.
We have the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde up near Lincoln City and they have a Casino that does very well and as far as I know they do a lot of good with the money they make. It's really good to see. This is from their site. The Casino was created to enhance economic self-sufficiency opportunities for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, its members and surrounding communities; to promote economic diversification by the Tribes: to support a variety of housing, educational and cultural programs under the direction of Tribal Council.