American Indians: Victims of Jack Abramoff and Republicans' Lobbying Scam
 

February 2 2006
Counterbias.com
by Mike Graham
 

The Jack Abramoff lobbying issue has put the Republican Party's head on the chopping block. This one issue has shown Americans just how much hate the Republican Party has toward the American Indian community. Jack Abramoff and Republicans set up this lobbying scam against Indians. Republican party politics should be on trial along with Abramoff's. American Indians are the victims in this case, and the Republican Party leadership has committed a deep wrong against the American Indian community.

Federal and State Republican representatives are trying to make the Abramoff issue an Indian problem. (That dog won't hunt.) Republicans are trying to pull the wool over people's eyes by pumping out press releases saying Indians are to blame for this "lobbying mess", not them. Calls for congress to enact lobbying reform laws have been around for decades. Now that this one issue has come up involving Indian nations, Republicans are falling all over themselves to introduce "more" anti-Indian legislation, not lobbying reform. In doing this the Republican leadership is showing it's true colors as to how it deals with Indian nation's issues.

The Jack Abramoff scandal lies at the feet of President Bush. President Bush has a long record of being against most all Indian issues, including when he was the governor of Texas. He spent a lot of time as governor trying to close the Texas Indian tribe's Tigua casino. When he joined up with Abramoff, Bush's dream came true. Abramoff got the support of Texas state Republicans to shut down the Speaking Rock Casino. Hundreds of people lost their jobs over the state's action against the small Indian tribe. Bush and Republican Party leaders were jumping up and clicking their heels because they pulled off a fast one over the tribe.

Texas has a state lottery. The state government has no problem with gambling, but they do have a problem with Indians trying to make a buck. Before opening the Speaking Rock Casino, the Tigua tribe with 1,300 members was among the poorest group of Americans in the country. Texas Republican officials sat back and did nothing to help the Tigua Indians economically. After all, they see them as just Indians--not Americans.

After opening the Speaking Rock Casino, the Tigua tribe was bringing in around $60 million a year in profits. The tribe's unemployment and school dropout rates went from more than 50 percent to almost zero. Now that's what you call the American dream come true. But it was a nightmare to the Republican Party. They had to shut the Indian casinos down at any cost...

After Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff got the Speaking Rock Casino closed, he turned around and offered his help to get the casino reopened. He forgot to tell tribal leaders that he, along with Republican state representatives, put them out of business in the first place. (That's what you call double dipping.) This also shows Americans how Republicans have no problem subverting our government to pass laws to cause harm toward the American Indian community.

Now that the cat's out of the bag, Republicans are using the right-wing press to try and make this issue all about Indian nation's sovereignty and gaming. In some reports, their using words like Indian gaming is the new smallpox blanket in reverse. Indian casinos are the new "Iron Curtain" bringing down America. Right-wing Republicans go on to say in their reports, that Indians are "reservation shopping". They want you to forget the fact that Indians still own the land they are claming, under treaties made with the federal government, and that state governments are doing all they can to make sure those treaties are not honored.

Indian nation's treaties made with the federal government are the "supreme law" of the land. In the U.S. Declaration of Independence it states "whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness". Today, federal and state Republican representatives are going out of their way to cause harm and pain toward American Indians.

It's past time for the Republican Party leadership to rethink it's ill-conceived policies of today against the American Indian community. American citizens will not stand by and watch our government trash a race of people. Our government should be working with Indian nations to make the American dream a reality, not putting them down. Every year, our government sends billions of our tax dollars to other countries to help them out, while cutting program funding here for Americans.

American Indians are fed up with the Republican Party's anti-Indian propaganda in the media and legislation. Jack Abramoff is the Republican Party's problem, not the American Indians'. Our federal government had better start dealing with real Indian issues like housing, poverty, education and health care. It's time to get off the gaming issue. Move on! Or we will see you at the voting booth...

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Mike Graham is a member of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, and founder of United Native America. He can be reached at mikecherokee@aol.com.

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