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MONDAY, MAY 19, 2003

"Gene Merriam, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, suddenly has become the strong, silent type.

This is a dramatic change for the commissioner who was so chatty when he was a guest at a fundraising event for an organization called Proper Economic Resource Management (PERM). It was at the April 27 event in Wahkon, on the shore of Lake Mille Lacs, that the then-loquacious Merriam was quoted as saying, 'I think that any system of apartheid based on race is inherently misdirected.'

What was the state DNR commissioner doing at a PERM fundraiser in the first place? (PERM's reason for existence is to undo rights won by Indians after years in court, meaning that for Indians PERM represents a perpetual threat.)

What was the context of his remarks? Did he understand that apartheid has become the word of choice among whites in the Lake Mille Lacs region who believe they're societal victims?

Did he know his comments sounded much like words written recently by a PERM leader?"

Get the Story:
Doug Grow: DNR's Merriam suddenly becomes strong silent type (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 5/18)

Relevant Links:
Proper Economic Resource Management - http://www.perm.org
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/index.html
Mille Lacs Ojibwe - http://www.millelacsojibwe.org

Related Stories:
Treaty rights called 'apartheid' by official (5/13)
Minn. governor won't remove DNR commissioner (5/13)