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In The Hoop
JUNE 6, 2001

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

The Battle for Los Angeles
In The Hoop thought it was just a song by the Leonard Peltier positive alterna-group Rage Against The Machine but it turns out that people really care about who runs Los Angeles.

After a hard-fought race, James K. Hahn captured the Mayoral position, triumphing over Antonio Villaraigosa, who was hoping to be the city's first Hispanic mayor since 1872.

Interestingly enough, though, after raking the coals with its May 31 story on how much the two tribes spent on the race, the Los Angeles Times didn't manage to find any American Indian or Alaska Native voters to participate in its exit poll. With 29,412 Natives in the city (according to the Census 2000), you figure a paper of such alleged high-esteem could find at least one.

Where's the NewsDude when you need him?

Gale Norton Extra-Curriculars
In case you thought Secretary of Interior Gale Norton was all about drilling federal and Indian lands, think again.

At a hearing before the House Committee on Resources this morning, Norton said she recently took in an art exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery. Yes, the same Corcoran where Sandia Pueblo has shelled out some of its hard-earned casino profits to sponsor a photo exhibit.

But it wasn't necessarily those 61 photographs which caught Norton's fancy. It was the exhibit featuring the private paintings of fellow Coloradan (and billionaire) Phillip Anschutz.

Yes, that same Phillip Anschutz whose company wants to drill in the Valley of the Chiefs, considered sacred to a number of tribes.

But lest you think all those paintings had anything to do with the decision to allow a test well to be drilled, think again. It turns out Norton knows absolutely nothing about the matter but has promised to learn more about it sometime in the future.

Move Over Fancy Dancing...
In The Hoop has discovered that fancy dancing is not important enough to this country to be declared a national dance. Another type of dance is poised to grab this important distinction.

As it turns out, the national dance is not determined by MTV or the latest NSYNC video. Its actually decided by Congress, many of whom can't dance. (We have proof.)

To fulfill this duty, quick-footed Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) has introduced a resolution to designate square dancing as the national folk dance.

What exactly will a national folk dance do for this great nation? Drive down gas prices? Keep Timothy McVeigh's execution on schedule? We're not sure, but all the fancy dancer lobbyists and the big corporations that support them are probably very concerned about this.

So if you want fancy dancing to be declared the national dance, call, fax, or email Saxton to let him know. This ignorance of Native culture cannot be allowed to continue.

In Your Hoop
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