-----Original
Message-----
From: Jose and Mary Alvarez [mailto:jealvarez@worldnet.att.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 5:22 PM
To: comments@wsrp.org
Subject: The Sovereignty of Indian Nations
(The above E Mails correspond to
the Washington State Republican Party and to Julie Titone who wrote the article
for the Spokane Net.)
Dear Sir or Madam of the Washington State Republican Party:
I received the following article by E Mail today by Julie Titone of the Spokane.Net
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Resolution would end
tribal sovereignty 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. |
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I am a Non Native American citizen (white person) of this great country. In my heart, I had thought that six hundred years of white people such as you and I, inflicting tremendous pain on Native Americans was enough. Native Americans were here before we came. We have massacred them, we have connived and deceived them, we maliciously and purposely killed of the bison, which to many of them was one of their main source of living, we have maliciously broken treaties which we originated with them, and forced them into the worst of lands... and the list goes on and on.
Much of that has been done by the United Sates Government such as what you are today. It is grievous and appalling that today the United States government is still involved in the same brutality towards Native Americans. It is grievous and appalling that the little that we have left to Native Americans, with we are still trying to take away! It is grievous and appalling that in these six hundred years, the United State government has not issued a statement of admission, recognition, and or apology, to the Native American population of this nation, for the innumerable murders, atrocities, and injustices that it has perprated upon it. I would like to offer you a suggestion that would place the Washington State Republican Party at forefront of the United Sates government nationwide, and would offer this nation an unheralded precedence in reconciliation and healing. I would respectfully challenge the Washington State Republican Party to come out with a statement of admission, and apology to the Indian Nations of the Northwest, for the hundreds of years of atrocities and injustices that have been done against them in the name of the United States government.
It would suffice me to say in the mean time that I shall E Mail this letter to as many Native American Christian leaders friends, and supporters of Native Americans as I know. We fill fight for the rights of our Native American brethren who have theirs stripped away by people such as you and I.
May God help us all, when we stand before Him, with the unrepentance, and ill will, that we continue to harbor in our hearts towards people that were here before us, and welcomed us with open arms, if indeed we don't start to change and bring justice back to them.
Thank You and God Bless You
Jose E Alvarez