Wesley Clark has been endorsed by the Native American Times, the largest and most widely read independent American Indian newspaper. Clark has also been endorsed by the Abenaki chief--the Abenakis refused to endorse Dean. Yesterday, Clark received the endorsement of Congressman Dale Kildee, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus. Tex Hall, head of the National Congress of American Indians, has pledged to get one million voters to the polls on November 2--many of these voters will be voting in their primaries for Clark because he has met with their leaders and has promised to support them on issues of importance to them. Many other American Indian leaders have endorsed Clark, as shown in the Democrats of Oklahoma link below.Please read through the information below to see why Clark is receiving overwhelming American Indian support. If you have time, click through the links and read the whole articles, especially Kildee's endorsement.
Clark has said that if he is elected, he will halt the environmentally racist Yucca Mountain project. Yucca Mountain is a sacred American Indian site, and Clark's willingness to protect traditional American Indian values resonates with American Indians:http://www.clark04.com/press/release/181/"I am against the nuke dump at Yucca Mountain, period. I will use the full force of the presidency to kill this dangerous project, which would put the lives and health of Nevadans at risk for generations. Unlike President Bush and other politicians, that is the only position I've ever taken and it will remain my position as president."
Native American Times announces endorsement of Clark:http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=3445A strong belief in tribes as sovereign governments must be first and foremost in the mind of our country’s top leader to understand the complex relationship Indian Country has with our federal government. Treaty obligations with tribes are seldom understood by most political leaders, which can lead to a deterioration of this relationship and dire circumstances for Indian Country. There is one candidate running for President who not only understands it, he has enforced treaty agreements and sovereign rights of other nations around the world. As the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) Supreme Commander, Wesley Clark put his own safety at risk while supporting treaty agreements between nations around the world. This is one of many reasons why the Native American Times endorses Wesley Clark for President of the United States.
While death loomed close to him, General Wesley Clark helped save 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, all without losing one American soldier. He is proven to be a remarkable leader. If words are a person’s bond and actions even more telling, then Clark is the clear choice from a Native and non-Native American perspective. If our country truly seeks peace, it will need a proven peacemaker. Only Clark fills that role.
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Clark has talked in poignant detail about the depressing statistics facing Indian people on crime. He understands the unique and shameful way Native American men, women and children are victimized in Indian communities. With overlapping jurisdictions and a critical gap in understanding by federal and state authorities, tribal courts and police officers must live with an unfunded mandate that neither acknowledges the source of the problem in Indian country nor the solution.
If Clark brings that same respect for international sovereignty to the sovereign Indian nations, he is not only the best candidate for Indian people; he is the best candidate for all Americans.
Four states (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and North Dakota) with huge Native American populations will hold their primary elections on February 3rd. Indian people have been the margin of victory for many high profile races across this country and this race promises to be close. This time, Indian voters can literally help determine who will be the next President of the United States.
Go look at this "Democrats of Oklahoma" website to see the numerous endorsements Clark has received from Oklahoma's American Indians:Scroll down to the last post on the page; there are too many names to list (of interest to me are the Creek and Choctaw endorsements):
http://demookie.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7383Abenaki Nation explains why it endorsed Clark:http://news.lycos.com/news/story.asp?section=Elections&storyId=813312Tribal leaders of the Abenaki Nation at Missiquoi, which claims about 4,000 members in Vermont and 2,000 in New Hampshire, acknowledged their support for Clark was also a statement against the former Vermont governor.
Dean, as governor, opposed state and federal recognition for the Abenaki, saying it could lead to extensive legal battles over land claims and might allow the tribe to build casinos in Vermont.
Chief April Rushlow said the tribe is seeking recognition for other benefits, including scholarships to state schools.
"He didn't do anything for our native people," she said of Dean. "I hear him talk about education, but our children can't apply for scholarships earmarked for Native Americans."
Native American Times explains why New Hampshire primary will not resonate in the Southwest:http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=3599Voting Native Americans will probably have to wait until next month to see if they can make good on Tex Hall’s promise to send one million voters to the polls. New Hampshire just doesn’t have a significant Indian presence.
Hall, the head of the National Congress of American Indians, said in his “State of Indian Nations" speech this week that he would mobilize one million Indian voters in eight states this fall. He said the Indian turnout in Arizona, South Dakota, New Mexico, Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma and California will be "critical to our success in reclaiming other important rights - the right to adequate health care, quality education, the right to fully govern our lands, to protect our citizenry and the right to see our nation's commitments to tribes fulfilled."
Democrats running for the US White House met for a final debate Thursday night before next week's New Hampshire primary election. Most polls show Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts opening up a ten-point lead over former Vermont Governor Howard Dean - now in second - who enjoyed a 30-point lead as recently as a few weeks ago.
According to the 500 Nations website, there are two tribes still based in New Hampshire: the Abenaki Nation of New Hampshire and the Pennacook New Hampshire Tribe. Both are not federally recognized. There is no contact number for the Pennacook, and Abenaki, who appear to be based out of a private home, could not be reached for comment. Both are situated in Manchester. At one time the state was the ancestral home of several tribes. English settlers colonized New Hampshire in the early 1600s. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the latest figures show less than one percent of state residents identify themselves as American Indian.
Tex Hall of the NCAI promises to have one million voters at the polls on November 2:As mentioned in the Native American Times, Tex Hall, president of the National Congress of American Indians, will get at least a million voters out to the polls to trounce Bush:
http://www.phoenix360.com/news/morenews/index.asp?did=7010(Washington-AP) -- The president of the National Congress of American Indians is pledging to mobilize one million Indian voters in eight states this fall.
Tex Hall says the states will be key to winning important political races. Hall says the turnout in the states will be critical to Indians reclaiming important rights -- rights to adequate health care, quality education and sovereignty.
Hall made the pledge yesterday during his second annual "State of Indian Nations" address in Washington. He also outlined areas where he said the federal government has fallen short in its responsibilities to Indian tribes.
Those include funding of the Indian Health Service and schools, and the need for changes in the management of an Indian trust fund.
Finally, Congressman Dale Kildee, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Native American Caucus, just announced his endorsement of Clark; read about it here:http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=3591General Clark has spoken with each of us concerning the key issues facing American Indians and Alaska Natives. He has expressed a sincere understanding of the significance of retained sovereignty to America’s constitutional structure. He spoke of his admiration for the military service to our country of so many brave young Americans from Indian Country. And, perhaps most importantly, General Clark expressed a desire to work with tribal leaders to solve problems.
As President, General Clark’ policies and approach to leadership will be very different than that of the Bush Administration. General Clark is not only a decorated veteran who helped bring peace to the Balkans. Throughout his long career of public service, he has worked to find effective answers to tough, complex problems. General Clark will bring experiences and values from his years of service to the task of leading America. And Wes Clark understands that no part of the United States is in greater need of a higher standard of leadership more than Indian Country.
As President, Wes Clark will respect the obligations that the United States has undertaken, through treaties, statutes, and court decisions, to preserve tribal self-government. The federal government has a legal and moral obligation to allow tribes to exercise meaningful self-government over their reservations and trust lands.
Under Wes Clark’s leadership, the Native American Caucus will have an ally we can trust. We will work with tribal leaders and Wes Clark to reform, and better fund, Indian Health Services. And the Clark healthcare plan emphasizes prevention, an emphasis that is particularly relevant to Indian Country. Consider diabetes. It is bad enough that 1 in 11 Americans have diabetes; it is tragic that 1 in 4 American Indians do. If everyone who addresses the issue of diabetes knows that improved diet and greater exercise are a large part of the solution, why isn’t the federal government doing anything about it? It is a failure of vision, it is a failure of leadership, and it is a failure that Wes Clark will correct.
more at the link above.
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The involvement of American Indians is great news for all Democrats, no matter whom we support. For too long, American Indian issues have been situated on the back burner. As a person of American Indian lineage, I am a proud supporter of Clark. I appreciate his commitment to all American Indians and his promise to stop Yucca Mountain desecration.DU American Indians, let's keep this kicked!
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