Elouise Cobell, pioneer of Indian trust case, dies

[Wetzelbill]

Source: The Missoulian

Elouise Cobell, who won the largest legal settlement on behalf of Indian people in the history of the United States, died Sunday evening at a hospital in Great Falls, according to state Rep. Shannon Augare.

"She was a pretty phenomenal person," said Auguare, a family friend, who like Cobell is Blackfeet from Browning. "She was a saint."

For more than a decade, Cobell pursued a case on behalf of more than 500,000 Indian people due royalties from the federal government for the use of their lands. In 2010, the federal government settled for more than $3.4 billion.


Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_d95ea634-f876-11e0-b730-001cc4c002e0.html

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A great woman. I am proud to be of the same tribe. I met her years ago and we had a great discussion about Native issues etc. Couldn't have found a better person or a tougher fighter.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. The article doesn't say how old she was...

I hope she had a full, long life.

And how lucky you got to meet her and discuss Native issues.

Safe passage to her...

[Wetzelbill]

2. She was in her mid-60s

[Wetzelbill]

3. kick

[LaurenG]

4. Sad news Wetzelbill.

I am sorry. :hug:

[xchrom]

5. recommend

[Roland99]

6. K&R

[Ptah]

7. Obama, other top officials, comment on Cobell's death

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20111017/NEWS01/111017002/Obama-other-top-officials-comment-Cobell-s-death?odyssey=mod

"Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of
Elouise Cobell yesterday. Elouise spoke out when she saw that
the Interior Department had failed to account for billions
of dollars that they were supposed to collect on behalf of
more than 300,000 of her fellow Native Americans. Because she did,
I was able to sign into law a piece of legislation that finally
provided a measure of justice to those who were affected. That
law also creates a scholarship fund to give more Native Americans
access to higher education, and give tribes more control over their
own lands. Elouise helped to strengthen the government to government
relationship with Indian Country, and our thoughts and prayers are
with her family, and all those who mourn her passing," Obama said.

[sofa king]

8. If you ever want to see how you'll get screwed, learn Cobell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobell_v._Salazar

It's how you're going to lose your Social Security, your guaranteed bank funds, your homes, and everything else.

Wetzebill and I chatted a bit about this back in 2007. What we failed to mention was that the judge on the case had just been removed the previous year. It was the same Royce Lamberth whom the Bush Administration also had removed from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2002, just as the PATRIOT Act began to show its ugly teeth. Exactly as we predicted, absolutely nothing else of consequence happened in that case until Bush slinked away after losing the case but daring to appeal a settlement that was less than one percent of what the plaintiffs claimed it should have been, thanks in large part to the US government's destruction of documents, which was successfully used as a defense.

And this is what I'm telling you now: the law doesn't mean shit and never has in America. All that matters is the muscle you bring to the fight. Ripping off the Indians set the precedent for how you will be ripped off next, if you haven't been ripped off already.

If we are very, very lucky, Eloise Cobell may have torn away the mask in time for the rest of us to save ourselves. If we do, Eloise Cobell deserves to be remembered as the person who devoted her life to protecting the "guaranteed" interests of all Americans, by protecting the interests of American Indians when the rest of America wouldn't.

I'm sorry you have lost a friend, Bill, and that I have lost someone I so deeply admired.