Indianz.Com > News > Blotter: Minnesota Republican can't read treaties

Blotter: Minnesota Republican can't read treaties
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Filed Under: Opinion | Politics

"In a disturbingly dishonest op-ed entitled "Minnesota's tribes have it both ways," Republican state senator Dick Day repeats old anti-Indian canards in a callow, self-serving way.

This piece is irresponsibly simpleminded and should not go unchallenged. It is ignorant of history, of the U.S. Constitution, of modern law, and of ethics.

It is also sadly representative of most politicos' understanding of Indian tribes and their relationship with other American governments. Let's talk about Indian law for a second.

The larger point of Day's argument -- he wants to build a racino for gaming revenue -- is fine for what it is. If Minnesota's legislature wants to approve Day's plan, fair enough. But when he gets into the "tribes have it so easy" nonsense, he's clearly out of his depth.

Case in point: Day mutters -- unsupported and devoid of context -- standard anti-Indian talking points like these.

"Domestic dependent nations" is the label that the U.S. Supreme Court has assigned to the relationship of Native American tribes with the U.S. government and the state of Minnesota. "Dependent" is the word that catches my attention. The tribes are dependent on a lot of state services that we all benefit from, but they alone are exempt from paying for those services.

Of course, it's not at all the way Day paints it. In exchange for all the land that now makes up the state of Minnesota, tribes bargained for certain guaranteed rights. The right to fish, the right to maintain a land base -- rights they'd had since time immemorial anyway."

Get the Story:
The Blotter: Why Can't Dick Read?: Dick Day's ignorance of treaties and the constitution (The Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages 3/27)