Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Members / More Than Slightly Jaded

Sault Ste. Marie, Mi...Members of the Sault Tribe want to feel good about their government. They would like to support them and brag about them a little and hold them up as an example to other tribe's across the nation.

This is hard however given the kinds of facts that they have to deal with. The tribe after all has lost thirty some businesses. The only businesses it retains are those wherein they have a complete monopoly as in the casinos, or in those wherein they have tax or other advantages as in the Midjims and the janitorial service company, Chippewa Cleaning and Supply.

Not a very inspiring picture...

Add to that picture the personnel and political problems which the tribe has been beset with. Wherein one of our former board members, a man who distinguished himself in college and subsequently in law school, and, who later qualified himself to practice before U.S. Supreme Court, a Mr. Todd Gravelle, stated clearly and unequivocally how Sault Tribe's government is broken...and there is lots of reason for tribal citizens to be disenchanted with their government.

And now, the tribe can't seem to stay out of court. With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in lawsuits against it, with its former chairman and police chief in court up against serious charges, and its current chairman and vice chairman allegedly rumping about the country gratuitously on the members dime, how are members to feel...

...except for those who blindly follow their leaders, the answer is simple, sometime more than slightly jaded.

Thank you, Charles Forgrave

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Our right to make changes through referendum is the one voice we have left....use it.