Monday, September 2, 2013

Syrian & South African Sovereignty and Tribal Sovereignty, Birds of a Feather?

 Our President, Barack Obama is preparing to attack a sovereign country, Syria for attacks on their own people.  The Congress of the United States imposed sanctions on the sovereign nation of South Africa for the oppression of their majority population.

Why then, does our congress refuse to act against sovereign tribal nations, such as The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, which is currently running as apartheid system on their reservation?  Why does the Democratic Party, supposedly the party of civil rights, stand by when civil rights are obviously violated, in Pechanga’s case by members of their own Native American Caucus?

Currently, the Pechanga Tribal Council, led by Mark Macarro, has eliminated 25% of his tribe.  He has threatened landowners with expulsion from the reservation for the egregious acts of:  Using playground equipment and being in the park area unaccompanied by a tribal member.  He had his Tribal Rangers, trespass on private property to threaten allottee against trespassing on tribal land.

Yes, he has stripped the equivalent of 8 MILLION CA voters of their right to vote in tribal elections, thereby ensuring he maintains his power base and can spend tribal money with no oversight, and cover for his brother’s spending of tribal money on personal family trips.  All the while keeping politicians in check with campaign contributions and keeping local politicians in line with a few thousand dollars to local schools, this after he segregated the tribal school, forcibly removing children with the power of his Tribal Rangers.

It is past time for our politicians to do the right thing for the people who have been abused by tribes that wield sovereignty like a club against the weak.   

This is not an issue that affects only Pechanga, it includes tribes like the Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, and others in the north, including the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, the Redding Rancheria and one tribe angling Gov. Jerry Brown for a casino, the Enterprise Rancheria.    

The news media is strangely quiet. You won’t read much of this in the Press Enterprise, who blithely looks the other way and some local police incident reports look like press releases.   At one protest, the sheriff’s department lined up to protect the TRIBE against a concerned group of elderly women, men and young children.   Hiding behind the walls of the Pechanga Casino, they missed the threats from tribal members to protesters.

Readers, it’s time to stand up against tribal abuses.  HOW?   Do not patronize their businesses and let them KNOW why you aren’t coming back. In Temecula, there are plenty of places to spend your entertainment dollar. If you want to gamble, there is the San Manuel Casino in San Bernardino, Casino Pauma is nearby.  AVOID Pala!  If YOU respond economically, the tribe will react.   Don’t attend functions there and ask your local politicians to no longer use their casino for meetings and dinners.  All the while informing these corrupt tribes WHY you are no longer coming.   It worked in South Africa, it can work here.   Reform is needed and you can help.

Before we look to our President to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles at a sovereign nation, We should look to he and Congress to stand up to sovereign tribal nations that abuse American citizens.  Sovereign status comes with sovereign responsibility to their people and Pechanga has shamed their ancestors with their abuses.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would you link all these other tribes to your troubles? Each tribe has their own problems. It seems that by bunching them all in the same pot, it gives a false impression that this is wide spread which is unfair.

Anonymous said...

Hasn't Pala and san Pasqual the valley view casino disenrolled true members and ignored the B.I.A. findings and court orders. Yet these tribes have not through away tribal members to make more money for the ones in control of the tribe Sycuan , Puma , Barona , Fantasy Springs , Spot light 29 , San Ysabel and Viejas

Anonymous said...

THAT'S NOT EVEN WHAT THE POST IS ABOUT IT'S ABOUT BEING A SOVEREIGN NATION!!!! IF THE PRESIDENT AND THE CONGRESS CAN INTERVENE IN A WHOLE OTHER CONTRY THEN WHY CAN'T THEY INTERVENE WITH THE TRIBES THAT ARE CLAIMING THEY ARE A SOVEREIGN!!!!! THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF WHAT'S HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY FIRST.

OPechanga said...

Each Tribe DOES have their own problem. Many tribes, if you go through the news articles will use the EXACT same language. It's as if they all attended the same seminar on disenrolling tribal members.

The list is long and growing:
Pechanga
Pala
San Pasqual
Redding
Chukchansi
Laytonville
Enterprise
Snoqualmie
Cherokee Freedmen

The numbers are in the THOUSANDS.

Anonymous said...

And the disenrolled use the same words over,and over again. There are two sides to every tribe and the news articles don't have the whole stories.

Anonymous said...

Iv heard the disenrolled cry foul on their disenrollment. Iv heard the tribes say they are only trying to protect their members from imposters. so what the big problem if the B.I.A. was to settle this. All Indians complains that the B.I.A. doesn't do anything well let them do their work.

OPechanga said...

The BIA will stay out of most disputes. They don't have the funds, nor the people to get involved.

The best way to go after cockroaches like Robert Smith and Mark Macarro is to keep the light shining on them.

Send your letters to Boxer and Feinstein and help turn the tide. They won't do anything for 2 letters, but 20 makes a difference.

Call their offices and ask what they are going to do to help...

Anonymous said...

Amy Dutschke the BIA Regional Director, of the Pacific Regional Office is the Aunt to Sarah Dutshke, a main lawyer for Pala. Everything with California Indian Tribes goes through Amy. Amy took her sweet time, (in fact, I think they got their decision after the others got theirs), making a final approval of the decision to tell the first 8 Pala disenrollees that they belong, they should be enrolled, because Margarita Brittain is full blood. The paper that Robert claims is his basis for the 1/2 blood degree was given to him by the BIA Southern California Regional Director Robert Eben (SP?) who also will not release the information of where the trust monies are for the minors that were disenrolled. So the BIA only listens to the Tribal Leaders,and don't think that there hands are not sticking out and receiving major funds.