Need some opinions - Jim Leach hands out Indian headbands

[rurallib]

with a feather in them at parades every summer to kids. Rather there are young folk who hand them out prior to parades. The headbands have the words "JIM LEACH" emblazoned on them.
He's been doing this for years everywhere in his district except for Johnson County(Iowa City & Coralville). Apparently someone complained and so Leach stopped.
I've been in several parades this summer and it just pisses me off when I see kids wearing those things. Even back in the day I was politically asleep I thought these things were a real slap at Native Americans. I am not sure why. It seems to recall a stereotype that made Native Americans less than human much as many of the usual stereotypes do.
Am I out in left field here? I want to write an LTTE and send it to all the little town papers. Things like this along with Leach's vote against the re-upping of the voting rights act shows just how truly out of touch he is.
Opinions? I'd really like some help in framing a good letter.

[Rambis]

1. Offensive

but again a great leach gimmick and it is nostagic for people that remember wearing them as kids. They remember them because he has been in congress for 28 frickin years! Please write the letter about the voting rights act it can follow the one that will be in todays paper.
Leach democrats-

[IA_Seth]

2. I don't know...

My grandmother is half Cherokee, which admittedly makes me only 1/8th, but I grew up with that heritage as a frame of reference and can sometimes be easily offended when it comes to the Native American stereotypes. In this case though, that itchy little disgust I feel when I see one of those is probably more because they are coming from Jim Leach than because they are supposed "Indian" headbands. Sure, they probably aren't the most tasteful thing, and it's kind of stupid really (I mean, what the hell does Jim Leach have to do with a headband with a feather in it?)....but I don't know if it is so offensive.

Now, if you would have asked me the day my lil nephew came over wearing one of those (after one of the recent parades) I would have probably given you a completely different answer. I SO wanted to take that dang thing off of him and throw it away, but he would have been pretty upset (he is 3.5)...so instead we busted out some construction paper and made a new one that had HIS name on it instead of the Leach's.

[CornField]

5. I feel similar

And I have a similar heritage to you, Seth. My paternal grandmother was full-blood Cherokee, although she would never admit to it because she feared what might happen. (Not that you couldn't tell. I mean she was maybe 4'10" tall with beautiful lond dark hair and that unmistakable skin tone.)

If Leach had Indian ancestry -- and I'll admit I haven't researched to see whether or not he does -- I don't think it would bother me at all. There are two parts which I find rather disgusting:

1) the whole "good little Indians" smack of it
2) and the fact it is associated with Leach/GOP/two-faced crap

To be honest, after all the Abramoff publicity and what was said by that Republican operative and his associates about the Native American tribes, I was quite shocked to see Leach still using the red feather hats. Whenever I see them now, my mind goes straight to "troglodytes."

[Debi]

3. You have to ask yourself two questions

1) Why doesn't Jim Leach think this might offend Native Americans and those who care about Native Americans; and
2) Why do the parents of the kids who get them allow the kids to wear them rather than explaining that it might not be appropriate?

For Leach it's a gimmick that he's used for years - everybody knows that little kids wearing the headbands got them from Leach. It's up to us to make those damn things a memory by supporting Dave Loebsack.

[Rambis]

4. Dave is great

I guess Leach is pretty damn angry that Dave is being shown as being on the same "level" as he is. Part of the Leach mystic is that he likes to appear to be "above" the competition and if you can show that you are on par intellectually or at least on his level it drives him nuts.
Dave is doing that and at the same time exposing the Leach voting record but we need somebody to write the voting rights act letter to the editor. Leach will just right himself another 250,000 dollar check we need to overcome the money with facts.
Help!

[pstans]

6. U of I Native American festival

When I was going to school at Iowa, each April there was a big Native American festival thing held at Carver. They held a Pow Wow and lasted all weekend. You could try to contact one of their organizers or someone with the University in the Native American Studies area that would write a letter. It would hold more weight to it.