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Earth to Newt...

Ok, this is a little off topic here....:) However, I saw a speech Mr. Gingrich gave to the American Enterprise Institute, I think it was yesterday...

Among his comments, I'm paraphrasing here: The problem with Native American Culture, among others, is their Culture...once again promoting the white idea we live differently and therefore need again to be brought up to white standards...always amazes me how they continue to want to spend our tax money and then blame us for not making enough to supply their enormous insatiable appetite for more money....

Well, Duh!!

Again paraphrasing, he believes that common ownership of property and no entrepreneurial activities is the failing of the Native American Community to come out of what? poverty....

Well, Newt, apparently you need to go back and read your history of American (European) and Native American history ...

American Policy: 1600s/1700s - Native Tribes were treated as separate governmental entities with which the Europeans made numerous treaties....few were ever followed or enforced...Tribes were literally rounded up and put on *reservations* and in some cases, the Indians were not even allowed to leave the reservations!! This, I remind you was done by the early American Government....so this was Native America's fault?

Native American culture included - hunting, fishing and farming always able to take care of their families. In the case of the Cherokee they were farmers in the South Carolina area....and what did the Americans do in 1838? They moved the entire Tribe to Oklahoma...then in the 1870s the Dawes commission gave their land to individual Indians...then in the early 1900s...they decided to tax that land and let the individual Indians sell their property...and due to sneaky practices, most lost their land....all documented in Angie Debo's book see previous post on where to purchase same.

The American government had set up a trust relationship to lure the Indians onto reservations. The US Government would take care of them....you want to blame someone, try blaming government Indian policies...don't look at the mess you created and blame Native Americans. Yeah, some tribes are isolated, that's what the folks and government wanted in those days they were rounding everyone up...now you complain we're isolated...hmmmm....

We're constantly at the whim of Congress - take a look at the Watson Bill....hope, where?? Native American Tribes have never gotten a fair shake when it comes to the US government, you've always wanted our land, took it and then can't figure out what Native Americans are doing wrong....

I say, just leave us alone....get off our backs...take your thumb off us....we can't afford you....

We can't fly with the Eagles when we're surrounded by turkeys....

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