“Take these tribes down” The Anti-Indian Movement Comes to Washington State

[eridani]

By Chuck Tanner

April 6, 2013. As blue sky peeked through the clouds of an overcast Northwest morning, a group of mostly indigenous people gathered near the Lakeway Inn Best Western in Bellingham, Washington. Drumming and singing pulsed as those present held signs reading, “Honor the Treaties” and “We are All the People.” Event organizers, Idle No More Bellingham, had called community members together to protest two organizations “who are holding a conference to discuss opposition to the existence of tribes as separate and sovereign entities.”[1]

Inside a Lakeway Inn conference room, about fifty people were gathered to hear a lineup of speakers assail the very ideas of tribal sovereignty and treaty rights – of tribal nationhood. The anti-Indian movement had come to town. The concerns of Idle No More Bellingham were entirely justified.

The Bellingham conference was sponsored by the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA) and Citizens Equal Rights Foundation (CERF), one of a series of events being hosted around the country by these closely-linked national anti-Indian groups. CERA/CERF held previous meetings in New York and Massachusetts; others are slated for late April in the Midwest and June in Northern California. CERA/CERF organized these forums after canceling their regular annual Washington D.C. conference.

These two groups’ cross-country drive comes as One Nation United (ONU) – the other major national anti-Indian group - appears in decline. Despite building relations with former Washington State Attorney General (and losing 2012 gubernatorial candidate) Rob McKenna in 2007, ONU took down its webpage and quit responding to email inquiries in the last year.[2] CERA/CERF’s conferences appear aimed at boosting ties with local activists and asserting itself as “the” national anti-Indian umbrella. The meeting ended with CERA/CERF committing to help revive anti-tribal activism in Washington State.

read the rest of the story: http://www.irehr.org/issue-areas/treaty-rights-and-tribal-sovereignty/item/478-take-these-tribes-down

[napoleon_in_rags]

1. Same shit, different century.

Its this same old idea of "integration" of Indians and other Americans through coercion. Of course, when you get to the bottom there's something they want.

Brendale next took up how to fund such a lawsuit. “Where can we find the deep pockets, investors, with the need to reduce the number of stakeholders?” he asked. His answer - the “large coal companies, and the railroads, that mine and haul millions of tons of coal,” particularly those involved in the proposal to build a coal terminal at Cherry Point in the Lummi Nation’s “usual and accustomed” fishing area. Tribes, environmentalists and some local government officials are engaged in opposing the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point.

[freshwest]

2. Exactly, and they have baggers ready to line their profits after any seizure.

I've read their versions of 'equal under law' which read a lot like their arguments slavery wasn't bad and how good blacks have had it since they were removed to America. Greed is at the bottom of all their discourse.

[napoleon_in_rags]

3. You know blows my mind? The damn "property rights" arguments they make.

They use "property rights" arguments to justify their attempted theft. Of course in many cases, property rights are exactly what the treaties are about - the establish which property belongs to Indians. So property rights are sacred - when its their property - but not when its Indian property.

[freshwest]

5. Followers of the 'what's yours is mine, and what's mine is my own' philosophy. No boundaries.

No respect for others or life. Never an end to devouring other people and land.

I'm not sure how much of it is racism, Randism, or just avarice or sociopathy. There is no sense of awareness or reflection on why things should be done, all reasons just a canard, only focus on how to do it. Mindless.

I used to listen to a native radio station on the net. Some Cree were explaining they saw the Europeans as battered people who had lost their spirituality, being conquered by a dark path. In that way they felt sorry for them and saw that they were like ignorant children breaking everything in their path for lack of consciousness. And they would destroy the world if not taught better. But if they did not change their ways, the world would become a desert, incapable of supporting much life anymore.

[napoleon_in_rags]

6. Exactly man!

That was actually my thought when I was reading this article the first time... I'm especially with the Indians on this one because their fighting off a disease, which is the current greed culture, with no values. I believe a time could come when we no longer need those treaties, when, through mutual agreement, we all become one people... But its not till we've learned a thing or two from them! Native wisdom has NEVER been more relevant than in this time, with all the damage being done to the earth and economy, all the blatant imbalance and evil.

[unionthug777]

4. i wonder why

these people didn't start in wisconsin. gresham is near bowler and keshena. a couple of casino spots. why even start this crap again???? back to shootings at boat launches?? it really disgusts me that people do this sort of thing. of course, being native american, i am biased. i guess these people won't be happy until we are extinct.

[undergroundpanther]

7. this is sickening.

KnR

[countryjake]

8. Never too late to kick this issue ...

and thanks, eridani, for posting it!