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Indians Trying to Save thier Reputation
NWCN King 5 | Pat McReynolds

Posted on 06/13/2004 4:27:40 AM PDT by oceanperch

Indians trying to save their reputation 10:42 PM PDT on Friday, June 11, 2004 By PAT McREYNOLDS / KING 5 News

TACOMA, Wash.
Native Americans are fighting back after federal agents raided 12 tribal smokeshops earlier this week. Shop owners didn't like their businesses being mentioned in the same sentence as Al-Qaeda.

Just as motorists cross into Tacoma on I-5, a new sign blinks in to view that says: "We are not terrorists. We are American Indians. We have been fighting terrorism since 1492." KING

"We are not terrorists. We are American Indians. We have been fighting terrorism since 1492." Patrons of the Emerald Queen Casino couldn't help but comment as they walked by. "I couldn't believe they put something like that up there," said one. "To me, it looks like an over-reaction," said another.

The owner of Lyle's Smokeshop authored the sign in response to a massive raid by customs agents earlier this week when they seized cash and thousands of cigarettes from 12 stores on the same day that the government announced a crackdown on cigarette smuggling and its ties to terrorism.

Those claims touched off a demonstration by smokeshop employees. David Turnipseed owns BJ's, another shop raided by federal agents.

"I think most people know that we're not terrorists. I think everybody knows that's a crock, that's just an excuse to get in the door," he said.

He even claims to have documents proving the cigarettes seized had already passed through customs. "It was bogus. It's a way in the backdoor to try and break the Native Americans," he continued.

Customs officials still have no comment on the raids, and even though many were put off by the message on the reader board, none of them felt their neighbors are funneling money to Al-Qaeda.

The sign is not owned by the casino and has nothing to do with it, and the message has done very little if anything to slow down Friday night business.

The raids took place on Tuesday and so far, customs agents have not charged any of the shops with a crime.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; americanindians; cigarettesmuggling; cigarettetaxes; indians; moneytrail; pufflist; smoking; taxes; terrorists; tobacco; tobaccoraid
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Anyone have any insight to what is going on with these raids?

I thought the sign was a nice slap in the face to Anglo Americans.

1 posted on 06/13/2004 4:27:42 AM PDT by oceanperch
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To: oceanperch
: "We are not terrorists. We are American Indians. We have been fighting terrorism since 1492."

The year Islam was expelled from Greneda.

2 posted on 06/13/2004 4:35:19 AM PDT by risk
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To: oceanperch
"We are not terrorists. We are American Indians. We have been fighting terrorism since 1492."

That's not going to buy them much sympathy, but they've done things like this before. In upstate NY there is, or was, a big sign comparing the mealy-mouthed, RINO, liberal George Pataki with George Custer.

The fact of the matter is that many Indians hate America and hate white folk. Of course, America and white folk destroyed their cultures and decimated them, so maybe they have a right to feel that way, but never mind all that.

I think these raids on Indian smoke shops have a lot more to do with tax dollars than with terrorism. Anti-smoking political correctness may have something to do with it as well. They're not raiding the gift shops with the faux head dresses and Indian jewelry, after all.

3 posted on 06/13/2004 4:41:58 AM PDT by Batrachian
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To: oceanperch

Here's some insight:

"The choice before us at present seems to be between two types of nonfree societies: (a) our present society with its constitutional guarantees of individual freedom and its helplessness against willful individuals who mug, rob,rape, murder, bomb, riot, and disrupt our institutions; or (b) a dictatorship which deprives individuals of many freedoms but maintains order and security in the cities. It is clear that a society in the grip of fear is not free no matter how numerous the freedoms its constitution guarantees."


4 posted on 06/13/2004 4:42:54 AM PDT by RunningJoke
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To: oceanperch
"We are American Indians. We have been fighting terrorism since 1492."

Who were these people fighting in 1492? It surely wasn't Columbus as that man never put his foot on these shores, and he definitely didn't visit Lyle's Smoke Shop.

5 posted on 06/13/2004 4:43:55 AM PDT by scouse
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To: Batrachian

I kinda was wondering that it had something to do with anti smoking.

One shop got ticked and started handing out packs of smokes that even teens were taking.

I wish the ATF would at least issue a statement as to why they raided these smoke shops.

I am not a smoker but understand a pack is now over five bucks so maybe it has created a black market and the smoke shops are the venue.

The sign was a bit much but let them vent, if I felt my business was unfairly being raided I would be ticked too.


6 posted on 06/13/2004 4:51:58 AM PDT by oceanperch ( 04 Bush.....He will continue to lead America with the Lords Blessing)
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To: oceanperch

I believe that technically the Indian reservations are sovereigh nations with their own laws, so if the Indian police arrested these Customs agents and tried them for trespassing, it might put a stop to this stuff. Of course, if I were a sovereign nation of a couple of hundred square miles surrounded by the world's greatest ever super-power, I might think twice about that course of action.


7 posted on 06/13/2004 4:58:29 AM PDT by Hardastarboard
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To: oceanperch; *puff_list; Just another Joe; SheLion; metesky; Madame Dufarge; lockjaw02; ...

Greed......plain and simple.....and not gred on the part of the Native americans, but on the part of the government.

Governments keep trying to balance budgets on the backs of smokers and smokers are fighting back by finding other sources of less expensive tobacco products.....government doesn't like this....they don't like "losing" money. And since the Reservation smoke-shops are not required to charge state sales taxes, the government big brothers think they are "losing"' money that wasn't theirs to begin with.


8 posted on 06/13/2004 4:59:34 AM PDT by Gabz (RIP President Ronald W. Reagan 1911-2004)
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To: oceanperch
Anti-smoking political correctness lets them get away with it, but tax dollars are the real motivation here, IMO. The states are so ravenous for taxes that they just can't sit by and let the Indians sell all that tobacco without paying a penny in taxes to the state. Treaties a hundred years old mean nothing in the face of this untapped source of revenue.

I have to admit it - my sympathies are firmly on the side of the Indians, unless it can really be proven that they're funding terrorists. But when you consider that no one has been convicted, or even charged, then I think it's safe to say that it's all a big crock that the state cooked up as a pretext to harass and steal from the Indians.

Once the Indians agree to "share" some of this money with the state there will be no more raids and no more accusations of helping terrorists.

9 posted on 06/13/2004 5:05:59 AM PDT by Batrachian
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To: Batrachian

Our local smoke shop sells milk now for almost half the price a gallon and I thought about buying it there on the weeks I can't find a coupon.

Sheesh hate to see them raid milk.


10 posted on 06/13/2004 5:11:56 AM PDT by oceanperch ( 04 Bush.....He will continue to lead America with the Lords Blessing)
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To: oceanperch; All

I need to get some shut eye as it is after 5am on the Left coast.

I look forward to checking back in tommarrow night.


11 posted on 06/13/2004 5:13:10 AM PDT by oceanperch ( 04 Bush.....He will continue to lead America with the Lords Blessing)
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To: oceanperch

They sell milk in the Indian smoke shops? What'll they think of next?


12 posted on 06/13/2004 5:17:03 AM PDT by Batrachian
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To: oceanperch; CyberCowboy777
Pings please. Indians here may have a reservation any place they hang thier hats. They didn't have to obey the county-wide smoking ban and enjoyed taking customers from their "American" competitors. They were given rights to take HALF of other people's private clam/oyster harvest FREE DURING THE SEASON. They have been caught discarding massive catches of fish that are too small so they can keep fishing for the big ones. Guess who doesn't have to follow all the OCEA & small business regulations? They are also allowed gambling games that no other "regular" residents or businesses in the state of Washington are allowed. Now they may have been caught importing illegal cigarettes and they and their employees are howling. Too bad. I want one nation, not Canada Redux.

Millions upon millions of Indian campaign dollars (so handy to use all that untaxed income) are going to DEMOCRAT politicians here for the governors race etc. Now they have bought a huge piece of prime property in Puyallup. It will house theaterS, restaurantS, gambling casinoS (an Indian Disneyland, if you will) ALL OF WHICH ARE OFF THE TAX ROLLS! Guess who will be asked to make up the difference in lost taxes to support schools, government, programs, transportation etc?

Our state has been sold down the river and if we don't get it back soon, just get ready to say "How" when visiting Washington. These people are not stupid. They have learned they can get it all, and probaby feel it is justified. But the real culprits are the so-called "elected representatives" who have brokered these massive schemes. BTW The tribes, I have been told, are currently looking into gas stations. Again, NOT paying tax to the state. This so-called "(dependant) "sovereign nation" is truly becoming a HUGE state within a state to the detriment of the citizens of Washington State. And is coming to your town if you don't say no. LOL The Indians may end up with all the land back, after all.

13 posted on 06/13/2004 5:28:13 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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To: Batrachian

Post 13 for you.


14 posted on 06/13/2004 5:30:05 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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To: oceanperch; Billthedrill; All

This is not about not smoking. It is about shutting down all other casino businesses, funneling it to the tribes, who don't pay state taxes which are then given to democrat politicians as campaign contributions. End of story. When we recently had an illegal county-wide smoking ban, it somehow didn't apply to the "sovereign nations." So much for caring about the "poor workers who will be hurt by second-hand smoke!" BS! It is about political control and money. Big shocker.


15 posted on 06/13/2004 5:35:00 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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To: Libertina

The Indians may end up with all the land back, after all.

That would be ironic wouldn't it? The government wants to renege on every promise made to the Indians. The sovereignty of Indian lands has been on-going since they are starting to make a little money. Its all about the money.


16 posted on 06/13/2004 5:38:04 AM PDT by BipolarBob (Yes I backed over the vampire, but I swear I didn't see it in my rearview mirror.)
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To: scouse

How did we get to two levels of citizenship in this country ?


17 posted on 06/13/2004 5:40:49 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (STAGMIRE !)
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To: BipolarBob

No Bob, they are not making a "little money." These tribes are making millions by NOT having to obey the laws that other Washington businesses are saddled with. I do not begrudge Indians $ for gambling - IF other businesses are allowed the same. But other businesses are not allowed to do as the Indians do. That is a two-class system and will tear down the country. Remember the Bible, A house divided cannot stand. Two systems, as in Canada, are bringing them down, not making them stronger. Unfair is unfair. A new unfairness cannot "make up" for a previous/historical unfairness. It only sets the stage for conflict. IMHO


18 posted on 06/13/2004 5:47:12 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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To: Libertina; MarMema

Ping. Need you to join in. BUMP


19 posted on 06/13/2004 5:47:48 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

Same way we got "minority" preferences in college, in-state tuition rates for illegals, and gay-"marriages." Sedentary citizens, scheming politicians, and tyrannical judges who don't obey the law.


20 posted on 06/13/2004 5:50:07 AM PDT by Libertina (Reagan showed us what being a great president was all about. Thank you sir for bringing pride!)
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