Sioux Indians "Withdraw From the USA"? Or not!
Here is the kind of story that really proves how little the MSM bothers to research things, how they often simply print glorified press releases without doing any real "journalism," and how the defective end product gets picked up and regurgitated like it is suddenly a "fact." In this one we have the story of "the Lakota Sioux Indians" announcing that "they" have withdrawn from agreed upon treaties with the US government and that they are now a sovereign nation, no longer to be called citizens of the USA. Problem is "the Lakota Sioux Indians" that have made this announcement are just an unaffiliated group of Indian activists the leader of whom does not represent the official Lakota tribe leadership! Yet here is the news media reporting this story as if all "the Lakota Sioux Indians" have banded together and quit the union.
Take this report from USA Today: Lakota withdraw from treaties, declare independence from U.S
The Lakota Sioux Indians, whose ancestors include Sitting Bull, Red Cloud and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from all treaties their forefathers signed with the U.S. government and have declared their independence. A delegation delivered the news to the State Department earlier this week.
Wow, it sounds momentous, alright. But, who says that "the Lakota Sioux Indians" have abandoned their treaties?
"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us," said Russell Means, a longtime Indian rights activist. "This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically Article 6 of the Constitution," which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land.
And who is the Russell Means? He is a long time Indian activist who does not officially represent any tribe, that's who. It takes the local press to make this clear. The Rapid City Journal of Rapid City, South Dakota informs us that, "Means' group is based in Porcupine on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation," and that "it is not an agency or branch of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Means ran unsuccessfully for president of the tribe in 2006."
Yet in report after report, this Means character is presented as if he is "the Lakota Sioux" when, in truth, all he really is is A Lakota Sioux -- not a representative of all of them. He does not represent American Indians except as a tangential, activist. He has no authority to make this "declaration of Independence" for the Lakota or any other American Indian tribe.
It turns out that these reports are nearly all just a rehash of Russell Means’ press releases and not based on any real reporting at all.
And here is the worst part. The bulk of the news outlets that have picked up this story are foreign press agencies like the Agence Presse France, The Telegraph, and Radio Netherlands, all of whom presented this as if it was somehow legal and binding instead of an activist's scheming.
So, since this story wasn't reported correctly, foreigners are imagining that all American Indians are trying to leave the USA and become a new nation. The truth is less shocking, that Russell Means does not represent "the Lakota Sioux Indians" at all.
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correction on page G-17 below the fold
December 21, 2007 - 16:42 ET by wizardjrThe Lame Stream Media has gotten truly pathetic. I reside in the Peoples Republic of Minnesota, right in the middle of Sioux Land. I couldn't imagine such an idiot move by the tribes and sure enough - NOT.
Russell Means is the Al Sharpton of the midwest indian movement. He's just a cheap self agrandising hustler. The tribes dumped his butt years ago for good reason.
He was one of the idiots pushing "Native Americans" as a label that is completely false and therefore demeaning to our non-white brothers. Some of us unsuccessfully pushed for "The First Ones" which would have been true and honorable, considering no human is 'native' to the Americas and the American Indian tribes all got here first.
Russell Means ...
December 21, 2007 - 21:14 ET by allanfRussel Means is an actor and long time radical Indian activist. Most recently he played Wandering Bear in an episode of Lary David's Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Means is a founder of AIM - The American Indian Movement. In 1972 he participated in a break in at the offices of the Bureau of Indian affairs. He is perhaps best known for organizing a 1973 takeover of Wounded Knee at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The seige lasted for 72 days.
Typical of the MSM
December 21, 2007 - 16:55 ET by c5thenThey want it to be true so they choose not to find out if it really is.
The funny thing is, that I wish that the formal and official Lakota tribe would indeed do this. It would serve to show the vast majority of the country that we are not stuck with a government that refuses to abide by it's agreements and boundaries. The various indian tribes have the best and easiest way out, but they are not alone.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Folks, if I'm not mistaken,
December 21, 2007 - 17:09 ET by lotrFolks, if I'm not mistaken, Russell Means has also got some white in him -- kind of like Obama. To deny part of your lineage is a form of self-hate, if you ask me.
The Race Thing
December 21, 2007 - 19:55 ET by Lame CherryTo answer the race thing, most Sioux have "white" blood in them as they crossed readily with French explorers and later other ethnic white Americans as males readily sold their daughters for profit as "wives".
I have blogged on this, but the Mexican invasion is a sexican invasion on the Sioux reservation and Congress had better address this problem as the Sioux are starting to become Gonzales and not Red Cloud.
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Interesting
December 21, 2007 - 17:20 ET by NofI saw this story the other night on the Fox website and then heard nothing more of it. Which I thought was unusual. Thanks again NB's for clearing that mystery up. Besides another Spears is pregnant the world is already stopping again for another worthless story.
"When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat" R. Reagan
lakota situation
December 21, 2007 - 17:43 ET by soosan(this story is right up my alley... ) the Sharpton/ or a Jessie Jackson comparison is a good one. According to everything I can find out this was definitely not a move by the federally recognized Tribe but another in a long line of ongoing stunts by Mr. Means and a radical faction. Should we be suprised that the MSM got it wrong? I'm not.
This is like the time they
December 21, 2007 - 17:56 ET by motherbeltThis is like the time they had the headline "Catholic Church to OK Women Priests" or something like that....turned out it was a rebel offshoot group of Catholics who set up their own parish under their own rules, but still called themselves Catholics.
Oh, nevermind....
The Dem propaganda machine
December 21, 2007 - 17:59 ET by dscottThe Dem propaganda machine (MSM) has to resort to manufacturing bad news since things didn't turn out the way they had hoped in Iraq or the federal budget or the myrad of other fruitless investigations. Fear not, your fearless leaders will find another issue to parade about to stoke that BDS. One of the sign of manic depressive is the need to esculate or create a crisis otherwise they go into to tailspin of depression.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. dscott's corollary: The line between malice and stupidity is called depraved indifference.
Chingachcook
December 21, 2007 - 18:18 ET by MikeHuRussell Means? You mean Chingachcook of "Last of the Mohicans?"
http://www.imdb.com/...
He should stick with "acting."
"Great Spirit, Maker of All Life. A warrior goes to you swift and
straight as an arrow shot into the sun. Welcome him and let him take
his place at the council fire of my people. He is Uncas, my son. Tell
them to be patient and ask death for speed; for they are all there but
one - I, Chingachgook - Last of the Mohicans.
"
Lakota Souix
December 21, 2007 - 18:22 ET by bassndudeIf I remember correctly, history will tell us that the Souix resided largely resided in much of southern Canada and the north most reaches of the US. Cant figure what his problem is.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
There used to be a movement
December 21, 2007 - 18:22 ET by Gary P JacksonThere used to be a movement here in Texas: "Texans for Secession", that was actually egged on by the sale of t-shirts and bumper stickers by Texas Monthly magazine! It stemmed from the story that Texas, upon re-entry to the Union, after the war, never signed the agreement giving up it's right to secceed. It was ridiculous too!
To me, this story is more about showing one more group that "hates America". It's all about "see, George Bush has even pissed the Indians off"
It's a shame that the press has gotten so lazy, and so predictable, that all you need to see is the headline, or a nano second worth of a TV report, to go ahead and tell the story to yourself!
On the other hand, thanks to NB, and good old common sense, more and more folks are wising up, and slowly but surely, the old media is dying!
A little Lakota Education
December 21, 2007 - 19:51 ET by Lame CherryI grew up with the Sioux and my best friend was a Standing Rock full blood Lakota. The only reason they are called Lakota is the Dakota dialect has 3 branches and the western tribes were called Lakota, the southern tribes of Yanktonai were Nakota and the Eastern tribes of Sisseton were Dakota.
In ALL cases the Sioux came from Canada, were in Minnesota and Iowa before trying to commit genocide on the Ree, Mandans, Pawnee and since no mound builders survived probably murdering all of them.
The sign for the Sioux is "cut throat" as that is what they did.
There are 2 branches of Sioux in the "wait around the fort Indians and the bucks who are as wild as the day Crazy Horse was leading his people to destruction.
Lewis and Clarke called them the "pirates of the prairie" and that is exactly what they were.
They were the toughest people I have ever been around and it is no surprise Jim Thorpe was born of them the greatest athlete to ever live.
The Sioux ran out every tribe they came into contact with. They stole the Black Hills and all the greater Dakota area from other tribes........mooring rock indications also show the Vikings settled this entire area before the Sioux.
Dennis Banks and Russell Means are Minnesota Indians. They were the hell raisers who started AIM, the American Indian Terrorist group who murdered FBI agents. They also used to cruise around the area in convoys followed by Feds. AIM would fill up gas tanks from gas stations with bogus checks and the Feds did nothing to stop them.......just like when they had their "camp" in the Black Hills and were slaughtering endangered elk, deer and buffalo. They don't give a rip about anything but feeding their ego accounts.
I well remember AIM when it came rolling into the Dakota tribes of the east raising hell saying all they were going to do. They were unpolitely told to leave the Dakota bands or the Dakota bands would kill them. Russell Means has been either hiding in California or in the Lakota reservations ever since.
It is good Newsbusters actually alerted people to who these jerks are as they represent not even the ground they stand on. They are the Jesse Jacksons of the defunct black movement.
Means and his band of trash are simply trying to make the Rez system a PLO system of legal terrorism. I can promise though that if the Sioux do not stop them from starting a new slaughter of federal agents that the people of the Dakotas and Nebraska will. The last time this outfit started raising hell they knew enough not to spill it over to the white people, because the white people out there will stop it with bullets. That is the bluff Means can run in Washington and with liberals.........he knows as all these rogues know that if he pushes the white people out there they will slam the door shut.
I once had an interesting story told me about Russell or Dennis.....I forget which one as they are both the same tweedle dee bums in a semi driver saw him stranded along the road and they were so scared of being caught out there that they ran for their lives. The driver wouldn't have hurt a flea, but seeing this big shot hiding like a coward is pretty much what they are all about.
Lots of stories from my youth of the Sioux which would open a great number of eyes as the Dakotas were a wild time then and still are now as every once in awhile the Indians raise too much hell and drag some white kid behind a pick up.
This story will not even make news out there as people just laugh at Russell Means and his dolts. If they wanted to do anything, it would be to stop the meth fiasco going on the rez now for all Indians.
Of course somebody is making a fortune on that just like selling whiskey did in Custer's day.
Salute.
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Press release journalism
December 21, 2007 - 20:42 ET by nkviking75I wonder if the "reporter" (a term used loosely here) looked at any sources besides the press release. Given the state of journalism today, it might be easier to give us all fax machines so we can receive the press releases directly.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
WTH, May I suggest you
December 21, 2007 - 20:59 ET by alamojbWTH,
May I suggest you update your article and add this link. It is from a fairly well known Commanche Indian named David Yeagley. He blames much of this on white leftists. See link below.
http://www.badeagle.com/
Says it all, doesn't it.
December 21, 2007 - 21:11 ET by Gary P JacksonSays it all, doesn't it.
quoting Ralphie from The
December 22, 2007 - 11:41 ET by jwm45quoting Ralphie from The Soprano's: "this guy Russell Means is a total fugazy..."
Sins of the Fathers
December 22, 2007 - 12:36 ET by iveseenitallWell. I for one am ashamed about what I did to the native Americans. I am also ashamed about having had slaves. My father and grandfather, and great grandfather, and great, great grandfather are also ashamed for having done these things. As Milton Berle used to tell me on Tuesday nights, "Look ashamed". But be careful, collective guilt can be contagious and cost you a lot of money. Witness Algore...he says that You are causing Global Warming!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
I can't resist.
December 22, 2007 - 13:27 ET by RackieA boy named Sioux.
Effect on casino business
December 22, 2007 - 20:21 ET by nkviking75If the Indians a/k/a Native Americans declare total independence, just think of all the casinos that would have to hire people to do currency conversions.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.