A Lakota group is renouncing treaties with the US Government and pushing to become an independent nation. Seems like this might not pan out too well. First off your major proponent is named "Russell Means" which doesn't sound like a very good Indian name. You want me to believe you're serious about being an independent Indian nation, you'd better change your name. Some thing like "Russell Means Business" or "Not Joking Bear". It costs $34.95 to register a name change with the South Dakota state government.
Secondly, they're inviting Lakota and people that live in the various parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana to renounce their US citizenship and live tax free under their jurisdiction. Somehow forfeiting my citizenship to live in an unofficial landlocked nation with no treaties doesn't sound too appealing. But hey, maybe there's other factors at play here. I didn't sit down with Mr. Russell Means Business to conduct a fake interview.
Alright, you're starting a new country, what are its selling points?
Well, no taxes. And we'll foster the Native American culture and way of life.
I'm not sure I know what that means. How is the quality of life over there?
Teen suicides are 150 percent above the norm for the United States; infant mortality is five times higher than the US average; and unemployment is rife.
...really? That sounds pretty bad.
No, it'll be cool. We're gonna issue driver's licenses and passports. And the public officials will be informally elected by the tribal elders.
You've really thought this through. Oligarchy, that's a ballsy play; especially with a cowboy president ramming democracy down peoples' throats half a world away.
I spose.
But driver's licenses? Cars? And paved roads? How are you gonna pay for any of this with no taxes?
Well, there'll be gambling.
What the hell's your problem?
You took our land.
Yep. I spose so. Then we instituted a global climate where it isn't cool to gank peoples' land. You shoulda though of that way earlier.
You're stealing our culture.
Uh... stealing implies that we want it and took it. Just because something is disappearing doesn't mean someone else is taking it. Like evaporation... or selfrespect.
Our land is our culture.
Oh. That's weird. You shouldn't have let us have it.
I didn't let you have it.
And I didn't take it; I'm glad we're on the same page here.
This land is my ancestral right.
And I think that's super. But unfortunately history is a fickle bitch and you guys came out on the ass end.
That's not really fair.
You're catching on. The good news is that you can walk off the reservation any time you want and join our melting pot society where everyone's heritage is simultaneously exploited and ignored for corporate gain.
1 comment:
If you don't even know who Russell Means is, why are you even commenting?
Did you know that the 'Blood Quantum' way of measuring 'indian-ness' was forced on the indigenous tribes by the U.S. government as a way of stealing their land post land-grant, by attrition?
BTW, that oligarchy's is already in place.
The same person who was the leader of the Pine Ridge reservation when Means, Banks, Peltier, and a host of others engaged in a long-term firefight with the Feds who were protecting the tribal government, is STILL the tribal leader.
BTW, your reference to what is an "Indian Name" or not is ignorant and racist.
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