Oklahoma going back to the Indians?

bayonetbrant · March 16, 2018, 07:30:43 AM

https://newrepublic.com/article/147472/grisly-murder-case-turn-half-oklahoma-back-tribal-lands

QuoteDid Congress fail to legally abolish the Muscogee Creek Nation's reservation? The Supreme Court may have to answer that question.

bbmike · March 16, 2018, 08:17:20 AM

Meh. Give 'em California as well.

Sir Slash · March 16, 2018, 10:51:45 AM

Congress make a mistake? Hardly seems likely. ::)

Gusington · March 16, 2018, 12:25:37 PM

They would have to actually do something, anything, first, and then muck it up.

Steelgrave · March 16, 2018, 02:02:38 PM

Funny but this story has received very, very little coverage in Oklahoma. But then again, it's a state where maybe one in five vehicles is sporting a Tribal license plate already. Hell, we couldn't do worse than the state government we have already. I'm fer it!

Steelgrave · March 16, 2018, 02:04:37 PM

Quote from: bbmike on March 16, 2018, 08:17:20 AM
Meh. Give 'em California as well.

What he said! O0

Emeraldlis · March 16, 2018, 03:08:51 PM

I think it would be great if Native Americans were given a slice of America, however small that slice might be. I think they got well and truly screwed from all sides, by a number of nations when America was being Colonised. I'm sure it'd be a big political and restructuring nightmare to do it, but if it can be done, I think it should.

Steelgrave · March 16, 2018, 03:22:03 PM

There is no part of America's history with the native population that we should be proud of. To this day, Native American's have shortened lifespans, less access to education, more problems with addiction and no shortage of poverty as compared to the non-native segment. I do believe a measure of redress is well overdue, but when you get into the nuts and bolts of what that looks like, things can spiral downward very quickly.

Emeraldlis · March 16, 2018, 04:13:04 PM

^ I completely agree with you, and I've read those statistics before about Native Americans. Its heartbreaking :'(

OJsDad · March 16, 2018, 04:41:12 PM

Steelie, it was my understanding the reservations dont have all of the federal and state laws and regs to follow. Is that true. If it is true, why havent they been able to attract business investment.

Steelgrave · March 16, 2018, 05:48:13 PM

I'm not certain of the legalities involved with tribal land and businesses, but the casino industry is thriving for the natives here in Oklahoma. Where the lines are drawn isn't anything I've ever looked into, to be honest.

Sir Slash · March 16, 2018, 10:19:54 PM

Yes, the Native Americans I see are doing pretty well with their casinos raking in lots of non Native American money. They don't seem to have a problem with us on THEIR land as long as we are losing OUR cash. And all of it while paying less taxes than I do. You might say now we're the ones being scalped.

JasonPratt · March 21, 2018, 08:20:58 AM

Also, tribal lands are effectively miniature nations within the larger United States, so they do in fact get slices of land (however small, or large in some cases), over which they have lots of authority -- enough so to trump federal authority sometimes.

A lot of that land isn't so great for industry and other development, true. But then a lot of tribes generally and tribal members particularly aren't interested in industry and other development, and can be highly antithetical toward it.

There have been real and tragic difficulties in the past, no doubt. But today those groups are allowed to make as much, or as little, of themselves as they want, corporately or individually, and if they want access to the technology to do it they can get it. Cultural resentment, and cultural preferences, translating into personal choice is the deciding factor at this point.

This was also the opinion of my Cherokee meteorology professor at college back in the 90s, as well as my Inuit professor in broadcast production. Things have not gotten worse for the tribes generally since then.

Ubercat · March 21, 2018, 08:49:08 AM

Sounds slightly similar to the case of the Palestinians in my Israel Test thread. Of course they aren't murdering people in any significant numbers but they're just as responsible for their own destinies. It doesn't matter to the SJW types, though. They'll never miss an opportunity to hand out victim cards.

JasonPratt · March 21, 2018, 09:05:25 AM

There are indeed a few similarities. Also great differences of course -- for various reasons, Native tribes have many more, and much stronger, advantages than the "Palestinians".