Friday, April 13, 2012

Lori Potter: The Truth Lives On; On Tribal Gaming, Power and Acceptance of wrongdoing

Blogger Lori Potter has a nice piece on what's happened to the Mashantucket Pequot and how they all bear responsibility. It's a story that will fit many California tribes. Take a look


Perhaps the most tragic outcome of this entire experience would be to purposely ignore how and why certain decisions were made that inevitably brought us to the place we are today. How does one tiny community – known for extravagant wealth – now find itself reeling from an enormous debt, bringing them back to “square one” after twenty years of exorbitant spending?

We need to face the truth:

The truth of every decision made out of rivalry and envy.

The truth about striving and contending for what we believed was our “fair” share.

The truth of wanting to have ownership of things we could never truly own.

The truth of wanting to be in complete control.

The truth of allowing outsiders to take control.

The truth of being afraid to speak out and risk being labeled “troublemaker”.

The truth of wanting to be the center of attention – to be admired, noticed, or celebrated.

The truth of feeling entitled; gaining something at the detriment of others that was never earned.

The truth of saying “yes” to anything that might preserve one’s wealth or position.

The truth of the illusion of unity rather than building authentic unity.

Read the rest of Lori’s post here

3 comments:

smokeybear said...

The "Chuckcansi Nation" in "Chaos!"

nickey...
Yours is the first encounter with a "Corrupt and Criminal Tribal" leader that "Refuses" to accept a legal election result in which he loses, and the "Government(Indian Affairs) refuses to act "Responsibly" and stop all this "Foolishness." So, in essence, this will happen again in other "Tribes" that realize that they can get away with similar actions because no on stopped "Lewis!" This is "Dangerous Ground" being exibited without "Intervention." If "Lewis" is left to his own devises, the "Distruction" of the "Chuckcansi Nation" is "Eminant!" I really can't understand why the B.I.A won't step in, knowing full well this could be a "Stone rolling down a hill and the "Momentum" will be "Unstoppable" if not acted upon. This can not be "Understated," for all of "Indian Country" is watching to see how this will be handled. If "Lewis" isn't stopped "NOW," the "Erosion" of "Indian Country" is at hand. "Mark My Words!"...Eagle Eyes."

creeper said...

Lori, a lot of people have a problem with the TRUTH, but at the end, living with lies will do you in. One way or another. Let's hope THE TRUTH WILL HAVE THE UPPER HAND.

Lori Potter said...

Creeper, you're absolutely right. I believe truth will prevail, ultimately. Take care!
-Lori