Thursday, December 22, 2011

Sierra Star News OP/ED: The Loss of Chukchansi Citizenship is wrong

My Op/ed piece in the Sierra Star News:


I find it disturbing that in all the years we've had mass terminations of tribal citizenship, no politician has stood up for those Indians who have been harmed by their tribe.

When you give it a benign name like "disenrollment," it takes on the context of, say, losing membership in the PTA. That makes it simpler for a politician to take tribal money and say, "tribes can choose their own membership" than taking a closer look at what it really entails.

The U.S. Government can strip an American of citizenship for few reasons, here's one from US Code 1481:

7: Committing any act of treason against, or attempting by force to overthrow, or bearing arms against, the United States ... engaging in a conspiracy to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the government of the United States.

We are talking about treason or overthrowing the government. No disenrollees have threatened overthrow of their tribal government. No bearing arms against tribal councils. In Indian country, you can lose your citizenship for simply disagreeing with the tribal council.

Can you name one American stripped of their citizenship? How about American terrorists who advocate death to American and Sharia law?

On the Pechanga reservation in Temecula, Original Pechanga allottee descendents have had their citizenship taken away, along with voting rights, health care and the right to speak at meetings. Redding Rancheria terminated 25% of their tribe, including their first tribal chairman.

The same politicians who rightfully found the apartheid policy of sovereign country of South Africa abhorrent now side with tribes who are practicing the same apartheid in their own districts.

Politicians in California who were appalled over neighbor state Arizona's stricter immigration enforcement laws, going so far as to call for boycotting that state over 'possible' civil rights violations, are supporting tribes who have actually stripped voting rights, health care, per capita (now totaling $500 million), elder care and educational assistance.

They tell themselves, "well, it's only nine people," or "it's only 75 people." Yet how many does it have to be to make it wrong?

The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians took away citizenship to 50% of their tribal people. When is it wrong, or rather "wrong enough?" What if, say, the GOP got 50% of Democrats excluded? Would it be wrong? Of course it would.

Read the rest of the column: The Loss of Chukchansi Citizenship is Wrong

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it treason when a tribal council hi-jacks a tribal government, throws out ALL votes made by the tribal members and enacts laws the tribe voted against? Sounds like tribal terrorism to me. This is exactly what Mark Macarro and the Pechanga tribal council has done to the Pechanga Tribal Government.
Tribal terrorism ends now!

Anonymous said...

The Sierra Star News has been out in front of this story.

Shame we didn't have the same gusto out of the Press Enterprise.

smokeybear said...

"TREASON:" - An act of deliberate betrayal
betrayal, perfidy, treachery
knavery, dishonesty - Lack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing
double cross, double-crossing - An act of betrayal; "he gave us the old double cross"; "I could no longer tolerate his impudent double-crossing"
sellout - An act of betrayal..."TREASON"...

In, essence: "Corrupt Tribal Leaders" have "Committed Treason Against Their Own!"

When you process the amount, and the degree, of "Criminal Acts" that these "Tribal Leaders" have brought into play against "Native Americans" is "Staggering."

"Sovereignty" is their "License to Steal!"....And the "Government(Indian Affairs)" backs all "Illegal Acts" that these "Criminal (Casino) Indians choose to use against their own...All for "Greed, Self Interest, and Political Power.

Because they "Can." Whose to stop them? Involvement is everything. So we must stay focused on the task at hand, and "Take Down" these "Criminals" for the good of all "Oppressed Native Americans."

Now, you know that there are some that will take: "Take Down," out of context, but: "So Be It." Or maybe my statement, in an earlier post: "Beat Down?"... So take it anyay you like, for the end result will be the same: "Criminal Tribal Leaders" being measured for their "Federal Jump Suits" and an 8x10 cell...."Can't Wait!"