Cobell v. Norton
Most people are either not aware, or are only peripherally aware of the class-action lawsuit Cobell v. Norton currently wending its way through the courts, if you have no familiarity I would recommend checking out the website and gaining a quick overview.
I won't go into the details of the lawsuit here, I just wanted to comment on the clown show involving the federal government granting itself a trust relationship over Indian lands and affairs, systematically abusing that relationship over 100-plus years, then attempting to stymie at every turn an investigation into its mismanagement in its own courts.
The entire history of Indian/US relations is toxic almost from day one, certainly from the point when the Marshall Court issued the pipe dream ruling regarding Cherokee Nation v. Georgia; it's been downhill since. Indian policy in this country needs to be thrown out in its entirety and reconstructed from the ground up, hopefully in an environment less colored by racism and paternalism than previously. What is genuinely scary is that we currently have a Supreme Court populated by the likes of Scalia (see previous post titled "Marshall Sucks." See how it all comes together?) and seemingly dedicated to destroying what remains of tribal sovereignty and reducing Indians to mere second class US citizens. Smiling happy faces, everyone!
I won't go into the details of the lawsuit here, I just wanted to comment on the clown show involving the federal government granting itself a trust relationship over Indian lands and affairs, systematically abusing that relationship over 100-plus years, then attempting to stymie at every turn an investigation into its mismanagement in its own courts.
The entire history of Indian/US relations is toxic almost from day one, certainly from the point when the Marshall Court issued the pipe dream ruling regarding Cherokee Nation v. Georgia; it's been downhill since. Indian policy in this country needs to be thrown out in its entirety and reconstructed from the ground up, hopefully in an environment less colored by racism and paternalism than previously. What is genuinely scary is that we currently have a Supreme Court populated by the likes of Scalia (see previous post titled "Marshall Sucks." See how it all comes together?) and seemingly dedicated to destroying what remains of tribal sovereignty and reducing Indians to mere second class US citizens. Smiling happy faces, everyone!
posted by Mimbreno at 2:28 PM
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