| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front |
| AIM activist dumps Daschel, supports Republican candidate(!) |
| 2004-02-06 |
| Severely edited for brevity. Republican John Thune [former US Representative for SD] has received the backing of American Indian activist Russell Means as Thune challenges Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in this year’s election. "I’m going to work with Sen. Thune’s staff and the state Republican Party, and that will open doors to work with the National Republican Party to completely change Indian policy in America," Means said. He made the announcement Wednesday during a Pennington County Republican luncheon, where he declared himself a "Lakota Libertarian Republican." My surprise meter is pegged! |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #11 We may see a trend as tribes recognize that their gambling cash flows look awful tempting to socialist types who were having trouble funding nanny programs through the recession and have now depleted their rainy day funds. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-6 4:38:34 PM |
| #10 Means is just another racist thug, just like Sharpton. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-2-6 3:22:33 PM |
| #9 The Indian issue will once again have to be settled, just not like the last time. And I say this w/halfbreed blood from way back. They can have it both ways at this point in time. They were screwed monetarily and in other ways, no doubt about that (and Rubin and Babbitt helped by shredding records.) HOWEVER, they are separate nations. They can have their own license plates. No tax on cigs and no tax on casinos. One CA(?) tribe just tried to welch on $3m in contractor payments on a new casino, IIRC, using the "sovereign nation" line. IF they are sovereign nations, each treaty must be adhered to. If the treaty does NOT cover voting rights, that means they do not get to vote, run candidates unless the candidate is an AMERICAN and NO CONTRIBUTIONS TO ELECTIONS. One tribe in the NE was using their 1790 treaty to gain more land. As to HC - for some reason, I wouldn't think that HC was covered in treaties written in the 17-1800s. But I really haven't read any. If they are sovereign, too bad get it from their casino proceeds. Build a fence and charge Americans to get back in the country after visiting their casino. You are or you're not, no special privileges. If you want to be a sovereign nation, then you will be treated as such. Pay them, sign the paper waiving future lawsuits against America(ns) and move on and cut the programs. Same w/reparations, which I'm coming to agree w/as long as diversity programs are cut to the bone. We can afford it that way. The WSJ is one of the few who keeps an eye on this stuff. |
| Posted by: Anonymous2U 2004-2-6 3:21:06 PM |
| #8 More on Means here: Back in the days when American Indian activist Russell Means was firing pistols at U.S. military jets flying over Wounded Knee, S.D., it was big news. So, too, would have been the treatment received by a weekend festival in Erie, he said. "The way you've been treated, it would have been national news," Means told about 200 people at Total Liberation Fest 2004. Means, one of the members of the American Indian Movement who occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days in 1973, was a featured speaker at the two-day festival. It also drew representatives of radical environmental and animal liberation movements. The event, which also included bands, was billed as "a revolutionary conference on state repression, political prisoners, social justice, and earth and animal liberation." Means spoke to the young people about the world left to them. "This is the world your folks and their folks have given to you, a world of graft and corruption at every level of leadership," he said. Means, who was born an Oglala/Lakota and described himself as "a Libertarian politically," said he used to favor militant and armed insurrection. Instead, he urged his listeners Sunday to know the U.S. Constitution and the rights it gives them. He also pushed for the replacement of patriarchy with matriarchy. Means said thousands of years of history record that men are incapable of leadership. "Matriarchy is a balanced society, in which you celebrate all sexes' strengths," he said. Yup, he sounds like he's mellowed with age. Should be interesting to see how Daschle tries to counter him without pissing off the entire Indian block. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-2-6 3:06:39 PM |
| #7 Russell Means once did more than rant.... isn't there blood on his hands? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-6 2:47:01 PM |
| #6 This could cut into the Democrats phoney Indian voter program on the reservations. Mr. Means most likely noticed after years of blindly voting for the Democrat party, his people were still not any better off. You take your help where you can get it, remember, we're at war. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-2-6 2:46:49 PM |
| #5 To me, changing the mascott rants are superficial, window dressing, bullshit on Means' part. Let's talk about systemic issues like alcoholism, unemployment, and health care for the Indians. That's the shit he needs to express, not whether Poedunk H.S. in Michigan are called the red skins. BTW - I'm all for changing Indian policy in U.S. I'm not usually a sensitive guy, but the Native Americans are the only minority group I truly feel bad for in this day & age. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-2-6 2:45:04 PM |
| #4 Then Means is a bastard, and I'd hope Republicans would tell him where to go and how fast to get there. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-2-6 2:43:25 PM |
| #3 Why, yes he is! |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-2-6 2:32:54 PM |
| #2 Bleah. Isn't Means the fellow who hounds after schools to change their mascots? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-2-6 2:10:40 PM |
| #1 The Democratic Party is weak across the board. That's why Daschle is targetted. There are 5 major southern democratic Senators who have decided not to run for re-election; J.Edwards, F.Hollings, Z.Miller, B.Graham, J.Breaux. Is it because of the one issue (terrorism) none of the Democratic candidates for President don't want to talk about? |
| Posted by: Daniel King 2004-2-6 2:04:12 PM |