Letters to the editor

Tribes have no aboriginal rights

Editor,

I seem to have come across an inconvenient truth: In 1912 the United States Supreme Court in the case of Clairmont v. U.S. held that where the Indian title to lands within the original Flathead Reservation had been extinguished they could no longer be considered a part of the reservation.

Now, how does that work?  Turns out that if the land is no longer held in trust by the U.S. Government, on behalf of the tribes, has been issued a fee patent or simple fee deed and the tribe or tribal member has been paid for the land, it is no longer “Indian Country” or a part of the reservation.

That seems to indicate that there are no “aboriginal rights,” historical or otherwise, to that land.  Claims of “Time Immemorial” go out the window as well.  That hasn’t seemed to stop the “sovereign, foreign, tribal governments” from making ethereal claims on the land they and their ancestors sold to non-tribal members of society, but they are hollow claims of smoke with no substance.

Once you sign and surrender the pink slip to your car, in trade for cash or other remuneration, you no longer maintain title to the vehicle; it’s a car you “used to own.” To reacquire the vehicle will take cash, hard, cold cash.  Hijacking it during the night is called Grand Theft Auto around here and that’s frowned on by most people.  Paying law enforcement to look the other way is called bribery and it too is frowned upon.

Michael Gale

Ronan

Tribe’s water suit aggressive

Dear Editor,

In a recent article, Education vs. Litigation, it appears as  compact opponents and the individuals named in the CSKT lawsuit are responsible for, or worse yet, wanted to litigate concerning ownership of the land and water within reservation boundaries.  The article left out the most important part of the Mountain States press release that said:  

In their lawsuit, the Tribes claim all water and land within the boundaries of the Reservation, and thus challenge the validity of the original homesteaders’ patents—signed by the President—and seek to acquire those lands and their water rights.  

The parties named in the lawsuit were not given a choice except to respond to the tribe’s aggressive suit.  In it, the tribe attempts to bypass the state courts and the process of adjudication asking the federal courts for a favorable decision.  

The suit is not “narrowly tailored”, and was designed with the intention of scaring people into accepting the compact and Unitary Management Ordinance giving the tribes control over the water needs of non-Indians.  The CSKT have aggressively gone after compact opponents using tribal leases as a means to squash dissent.  How might compact opponents fare for their water needs with a water board designed to serve that same tribal agenda?  

Proponents of the compact would like the public to believe that the compact will provide us with “certainty”.  The only certainty is that the goals of the CSKT written into the pages of their lawsuit will become a reality if the current proposed water compact is ratified as it is written.

The next time you see Representative Dan Salomon, ask him if he’s okay with the tribe’s lawsuit.  After all, it’s no different than what is written into the compact that he blindly supports without understanding its future implications for all western Montanans.

David Passieri

St. Ignatius

Greed, growth, God and government

Two questions I’d like to see take front and center in the media and in public and private gatherings, conversations, dialogues and debates.

Question #1:   What is it going to take to change our American political landscape from one of Big Money Greed-Power to We The People Growth-Power?

The ‘Big Money Greed-Power’ in our political system is quite obvious to most and is often talked about among the mix of Republicans and Democrats as something that really needs to be corrected.  We see it in all areas of our national economy, health care system, infrastructure needs, environmental challenges, education and even driving entire political campaigning and election process.

On the other hand, the ‘We The People Growth-Power’ is not as clearly and thoughtfully viewed by both Republicans and Democrats in a bipartisan way.  One party is characterized as ‘the give-away party to any and all, and the other party is characterized as the fiscal responsible party saving us all from bankruptcy.  Neither characterization is, of course, an accurate characterization but it makes for impressive sound-bites, quick and forceful media commentary and a great way to get people riled up and defensive of their party label.

So, where are we here?  Are our two political parties so far apart in what is best for all Americans that nothing can actually get passed in Congress?

Question #2:  When is our system of government going to ‘separate church and state’ and leave personal-life choices up to the individuals and out of the political arena?

So often, it seems, these life-choice issues so dominate political operatives minds that the business of needed legislation gets pushed into the background.  This imbalance affects our executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to the detriment of all.

Anyway, I can visualize that with local, state and national focus upon encouraging thoughtful consideration of these questions it would go a long way in helping heal our obvious national crisis in politics.

Oh, I just thought of one more question:  Question #3:  If you are a registered Republican, which Republican party do you support?

Bob McClellan

Polson

Mock disaster helps first responders

Editor:

The Mission Valley has a little-known but valuable asset with the local Tribal Emergency Response Committee/Local Emergency Planning Committee. TERC/LEPC consists of a group of people who meet monthly in order to better respond to emergency events in Lake and Sanders Counties. A varied group of professionals including law enforcement, fire responders, ambulance services, Search and Rescue, emergency management officials, schools, public health, area hospitals, and infrastructure specialists are only a few of the many entities involved in emergency planning for our area. In a spirit of cooperation and support, representatives include tribal, city, county, regional, state, and federal affiliates.

On June 25, a joint training exercise involving a chemical hazard was held in Ronan. By transporting real people and responding as if to an actual emergency, our TERC/LEPC emergency response improves dramatically. Thanks to the Ronan Fire Department, Ronan Ambulance, Lake County OEM and dispatch, and St. Luke Community Healthcare, the exercise was a great success. Kicking Horse Job Corps deserves special kudos for providing students to act as victims and family members.

While practice often doesn’t lead to perfect results, emergency planning and practice leads to improved outcomes. Thanks to the people who participate in TERC/LEPC, the Mission Valley is a safer place.

Linda Cox,RN

Emergency Planner

St. Luke Community Healthcare

Ronan, MT

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