You know reading more of that article about the indigenous peoples, there's an issue (other than reigning in Wall-street) that I can actually agree with him on vehemently that no politicians fucking talk about. Now, I find it odd that his advisor is from Ontario, but Vermont borders Quebec in an area not far from the capital in Ontario so that makes sense since the tribes' borders don't fall along the same national/provincial borders before we genocided them and stole their land.
So that said, while my overall distaste towards the Sanders campaign remains, I respect him a lot on this issue and he's 100% right that the issues effecting natives are not just largely, but pretty much
totally ignored on a national level. And it's really sad. Growing up in central FL there were no reservations close by, though we had a large native population and we frequently went to large and small pow wow events.
But after moving up here to Washington north of Seattle, I can see the Tulalip reservation from the corner of my street 3 houses south (and on a clear day, Russia). But it's jarring when you go onto the reservation because the roads suddenly get much better. Unfortunately about every 100 feet on average (and sometimes on sharp curves and intersections as few as 10 feet) there's a sign that says "Please Don't Drink and Drive" and below, smaller long rectangular signs that list the names of the people killed in DUI accidents. Many signs are themselves dented or have the poles bent from
new DUI crashes. So there is obviously a serious fucking problem on the reservations that allowing the operation of massive Casino Resorts, sale of tax-free cigarettes &a alcohol, and illegal (off the res) fireworks isn't going to solve.
And the animosity of many white people here towards the natives is atrocious. I can understand (but sure as fuck not agree with or condone)
some of it, as unfortunately when you come from a culture/civilization that was systematically undermined and destroyed you may not see many options so criminal activity often appears to be the only way to get ahead (but it still doesn't give the people who later settled on the stolen land a right to discriminate and make bigoted statements) so it does creat a rift.
So it's good to know there is a nationally known democratic (
) primary candidate talking and focusing on these people and the problems facing their community. So that's 1 for Sanders. I don't have high hopes, but maybe Clinton will pick up and run with this issue and give it exposure.
For my part, I'd love to see the varied Sioux tribes get the Black Hills back one day and reface(?) Mt. Rushmore considering how IIRC every POTUS carved onto the side of that once lovely cliff face played a part in the genocide.
