Opinion

Blogger: North Dakota tribes out of control

Monday, February 18, 2008

"First the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe banished me for writing about the poverty, crime and rampant substance abuse which exists on the reservation. Now the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe has banished a health care provider for getting a restraining order against a member of the tribe after said member made threats on the health care provider’s life. The restraining order was issued, but the tribal member complained that it prevented her from getting health care as she wasn’t allowed to go near the health care provider at the clinic. She appealed to the tribe, and the tribe’s decision was to banish the health care provider.

It would seem to me that the Indian tribes in North Dakota are out of control.

What’s hard to imagine is that this sort of thing is happening in America. Yes, I know, the reservations are supposed to be sovereign, but those reservations also eat up a lot of federal tax dollars and as such should have to at least adhere to our most basic civil rights. Things like free speech and due process.

But they aren’t, and that’s a real travesty. Too bad no politician or reporter in North Dakota wants to speak out on it. I guess they don’t want to get banished either."

Get the Story:
Rob Port: North Dakota Indian Tribes Banish Again, This Time A Health Care Provider (Say Anything Blog 2/18)

Relevant Links:
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians - http://www.tmbci.net