<nettime> Re: FW: If Indians don't like it, send in troops, GOP delegate says

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

Are we back to 19th century and Indian Wars? What a perfect 
piece of news for the Independence Day 2000!
ivo

Date sent:      	Tue, 4 Jul 2000 10:33:11 +0200
Send reply to:  	International Justice Watch Discussion List
             	<JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
From:           	Mario Profaca <mprofaca@PUBLIC.SRCE.HR>
Subject:        	FW: If Indians don't like it, send in troops, GOP delegate says
To:             	JUSTWATCH-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU

It's bizarre that Native Americans ("Indians")
even thought they could be sovereign in their
homeland, isn't it?

Mario Profaca

Mario's Cyberspace Station
Navajo Code Talkers
http://mprofaca.cro.net/navajo.html


-----Original Message-----
From: Editor Native News
[mailto:NatNews-owner@onelist.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2000 5:24 AM
To: ishgooda@voyager.net
Subject: Your resolution to abolish tribal governments

========================================
 If Indians don't like it, send in troops, GOP delegate says
========================================
The Washington state Republican Party
has passed a resolution calling for
the abolition of tribal governments.

"We do not recognize them as sovereign
nations, as governments," said John
Fleming, the Skagit County delegate
who was a main author of the resolution.
It calls on the federal government to
"immediately take whatever steps
necessary to terminate all such
non-republican forms of government
on Indian reservations."

"We think it can be done peacefully,"
Fleming said. But if tribes were to
fight the effort, "then the U.S. Army
and the Air Force and the Marines and
the National Guard are going to have
to battle back."
===================================

John Flemming, Delegate
Skagit County
skagitgop@cs.com

To Delegate John Fleming,

    Regards the resolution you
authored calling on the american
government to abolish tribal
governments, by whatever steps
necessary to terminate all such
non-republican forms of
government on indian
reservations.

    A news story has you stating...
"then the US Army and the Air Force
and the Marines and the National
Guard are going to have to battle
back."

    What you have said and what
you intend to do is going to be
reported around the world.  You
clearly have plans for the native
people of Washington state and
those plans are for the destruction
of even more human beings.

    You are a Republican party
delegate and so you speak for that
party in this matter.  It appears
plain to me and to many others who
have read the news story concerning
this concept that you would try to
unleash american military force upon
the citizens of Washington state.

     John Fleming, you underestimate
the american indian. You can not
threaten humans with extinction
without having it exposed to the
world.

     Are you prepared to order in
the military?  I bet you are. You
willing to set americans against
americans?  You clearly are.

     Why is that ?  How can a person
holding such a position in the Republican
party have such a racist mindset?
How did you come to have that position?

     This attempt by you to tear down
the indian nations will just stir up a
big mess for you. That is the certain
result.

      I will do everything in my power
to assure your comments about using the
american military against american
indians is broadcast around the world.

     James R. Burnes
     Cherokee
     Marina, California

IN REFERENCE TO THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE:
This was covered on CSPAN earlier today..
from Victor Rocha..

Resolution would end tribal sovereignty
If Indians don't like it, send in troops,
GOP delegate says

Julie Titone - Staff writer

The Washington state Republican Party
has passed a resolution calling for
the abolition of tribal governments.

"We do not recognize them as sovereign
nations, as governments," said John
Fleming, the Skagit County delegate
who was a main author of the resolution.
It calls on the federal government to
"immediately take whatever steps
necessary to terminate all such
non-republican forms of government
on Indian reservations."

"We think it can be done peacefully,"
Fleming said. But if tribes were to
fight the effort, "then the U.S. Army
and the Air Force and the Marines and
the National Guard are going to have
to battle back."

The action comes at a time of growing
discontent over reservation rules that
affect non-Indians, ranging from hunting
privileges to liquor sales. The backlash
against tribal governments has become so
strong that human-rights activists have
labeled it "racist."

Tribal leaders call the GOP resolution
outrageous and an affront to their rights
under treaties signed by Congress.

"It's absolutely the reverse of what
Republican principles stand for_ to
protect all rights and to uphold the
integrity and honor of this nation and
all of the commitments it makes," said
Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown
S'Klallam Tribe.

Allen is vice president of the National
Congress of American Indians. A Republican,
he was surprised to hear about the
resolution approved June 17 during the
Republican state convention in Spokane.

"The Republican Party nationally has been
making some effort to improve its image
with regards to its relationship with the
Indian nations," Allen said.
"This is polarizing. It's the opposite
of what they should be doing."

Beth Jensen, chairwoman of the GOP
platform committee, said she had no
idea how the writers of the resolution
intend for termination to be carried
out.

Her committee sent seven resolutions
to the 1,300 delegates with a "do pass"
recommendation. Among other resolutions
were ones calling on the federal
government to preserve hydropower dams
and to drop its lawsuit against Microsoft
Corp.

Although some resolutions were heavily
debated, the one dealing with tribal
governments was barely discussed, Jensen
said.

"I was so unfamiliar with the issue
that I wasn't totally focused on what
the debate was. It seems like what was
being said was, there were acts by the
tribal governments that weren't the way
we do government in America," she said.
"A couple of people gave examples to
people who didn't have a clue, and it
passed."

The committee considered 29 resolutions
in two hours' time, she said. "I wish we
had the luxury, the time to discuss them."

Fleming lives within the Swinomish
Reservation. He refers to tribal
governments as "non-republican" because
non-Indian reservation residents can't
vote in tribal elections. That makes
them illegal under the U.S. and state
constitutions, he contends.

In 1994, Fleming began trying to
persuade the Republican Party in Skagit
County to pass a resolution. This year
he succeeded.

"Out of 250 delegates, only two people
said no. They were tribal members or the
mother of tribal members," he said.

The Skagit delegates to the state
convention championed the cause in
Spokane. Now, Fleming wants Washington's
delegates to work the idea into the
national GOP platform.

Supporters of the cause hope that a
class action eventually will find its
way to the U.S. Supreme Court and that
the court then would rule tribal
governments illegal.

"The key to this is making people
aware," Fleming said.

Fleming has written many essays
attacking tribal sovereignty.
He is active in regional and national
organizations that oppose treaty rights.
Asked if he is anti-Indian, he replied:
"Oh my God, no."

The Northwest Coalition for Human
Dignity has concluded that efforts
to abolish tribal government are
racist. Coalition researcher Robert
Crawford called the GOP resolution
"disturbing."

"I wouldn't say it's a majority view.
It's in line with the hard core of
anti-Indian folks within the party
such as (Sen.) Slade Gorton and (Rep.)
Jack Metcalf," he said.

Termination was the focus of the
government's Indian policy in the
mid-20th century, he noted.

"In the 1950s and '60s we rampantly
violated the rights of tribes,"
Crawford said. "We can do better
than this."

The resolution

Terminate tribal councils

Here is the resolution passed at
the Washington state Republican
Party convention June 17:

Whereas Article IV, Section 4,
of the U.S. Constitution
guarantees every state a republican
form of government, and this guarantee
to each state is a warrantee to protect
the citizens of that state; and

Whereas the federal Bureau of Indian
Affairs is currently aiding and abetting
Indian tribes to regulate and collect
taxes, injure property rights, withhold
due process and grant unequal protection
under the laws to some citizens, for
the benefit and advantage of other
citizens; and

Whereas these same Indian tribes, with
the support and advice of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, organize and operate
tribal governments that are not
republican in form, and in fact
prohibit certain citizens from voting
for the representatives who enact such
measures and laws and injure the
citizens being denied representation;

Therefore be it resolved that the
executive and legislative branches
of the federal government immediately
take whatever steps necessary to
terminate all such non-republican forms
of government on Indian reservations,
and compensate those citizens who have
wrongly suffered loss due to denial of
their constitutionally guaranteed rights
to be governed by a republican form of
government.

http://www.spokane.net/news-story.asp?date=070300&ID=s821704&cat=section.Tribal_news

Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
The preceding message has been
distributed courtesty of Native News Online.
Ishgooda
Managing Editor

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