Thanksgiving From the Native American's Point of View

President Obama Honors His Campaign Promise to Black Farmers and Native Americans

I'm a straight-up city boy. I think that the only time I've been on a working farm was to take my youngest daughter on a field trip. The only other time was to take my son to his Pee-Wee football game that was played on a football field rented out by a local farmer. Neither of those farms were Black-owned.

As such, I haven't been as close to the situation with the decades-old claims of discrimination by African American farmers and Native Americans that the government mistreated and swindled them out of billions of dollars. However, I am glad the federal government is finally going to do right by these farmers and original Americans ... and that the settlement process will be starting soon.


My understanding is that President Obama is going to sign the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 authorizing payment of $4.6 billion to settle claims that arose in class-action lawsuits. This is another example of President Obama working with Congress to honor one of his campaign promises.

The package would award some $3.4 billion to American Indians for royalties for resources like oil, gas and timber. Another $1.2 billion would go to African American farmers who claim they were unfairly denied federal loans and other assistance.

Well done President Obama!

Urban League Calls on Talk Radio Network to Fire Dr. Laura for Her Racist Rant

I see that it didn't take much time for the National Urban League to hop on the Dr. Laura controversy.

It should be noted that the Urban League didn't have to have as much energy in the fight for economic rights of Black Freedmen and Black Indians which were mandated in the 1866 Treaties. The Harvest Institute has been fighting this issue for a decade in the courts and on Capital Hill. The Urban League chose not to get involved. The Cherokee Nation has used the 1866 Treaties to collect billion of dollars in benefits while the US Government ignores its mandated obligation to the descendants of Black Freedmen and Black Indians.

I encourage villagers and the Urban League to research and take a stand on the issue of Black Freedmen and Black Indians.

Having said that, I do applaud the Urban League for calling on Talk Radio Network to drop the Dr. Laura show from syndication.

"The problem is not simply that Dr. Schlessinger used the 'n-word' repeatedly, though that is offensive enough," National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said. "Her comments to the caller showed a breathtaking insensitivity and ignorance about racial dynamics in the United States."

In responding to a caller who complained that her husband's friends and relatives use racial slurs and make racially demeaning comments, Schlessinger scoffed, "some people are hypersensitive." She noted that "Black guys" use the n-word "all the time," and repeated the word 11 times in the 5-minute exchange.

But Morial noted that her most revealing comment was, "I don't get it. if anybody without enough melanin says it, it's a horrible thing, but when Black people say it, it's affectionate. It's very confusing."

An audio file of the exchange is available on the Electronic Village blog.

"As she said, she doesn't get it, and she is very confused about what constitutes racism," Morial said. "It's beyond comprehension that Dr. Schlessinger would consider Jade 'hypersensitive' for being offended by the use of the n-word. We should be long past the point in this country where anyone should be advised to laugh off or ignore racist comments."

This blog joins with Morial in making request that Talk Radio Network drop the Dr. Laura show from syndication.

Talk Radio Network

P.O. Box 3755

Central Point, Oregon 97502

Phone: 541.664-8827

Fax: 541.664-6250

Enough is enough when it comes to spewing negative racial attitudes to wide audiences on the public airwaves.

It's time to shut her down!

Boo Boo the Fool Award: Michael Steele

I watched Michael Steele, Republican National Committee chair, on the weekend talk shows calling for the resignation of Sen. Harry Reid for his racially-insensitive remarks about Barack Obama.

Of course, Steele is intellectually dishonest and hypocritical. He made racial slur earlier this month on the Hannity Show when he used the term, "Honest Injun".

The Democratic National Committee put together the following video to demonstrate the tomfoolery of Michael Steele:




Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Steele wasn’t convinced that he said anything wrong, even though host Chris Wallace noted that “congressmen of both parties say that’s a racial slur.”

“Well, if it is, I apologize for it,” Steele replied, adding that he didn’t mean it in a racial way when he used it to describe the RNC’s political platform as the best in 25 years. “It’s not intended to be a racial slur. I wasn’t intending to say a racial slur at all.”

Intended or not, Steele enraged Native American lawmakers and organizations with his comments and slow response to them.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the only Native American serving in the House of Representatives. “And while I’m certain that Chairman Steele didn’t intend it that way, it’s an offensive phrase in the Native American community.”

Ronnie Washines, head of the Native American Journalists Association said he was

“Thoroughly outraged that the leader of the National Republican Party would use such repulsive language. Those of us in journalism have tirelessly worked to ensure that political leaders, newsrooms, and the public be respectful to all cultures when speaking publicly. Michael Steele’s scurrilous tongue does no service to his group and only undermines the positive work of those who sincerely seek to respect one another in all of our working relationships.”

Michael Steele earns the first-ever 'Boo Boo the Fool Award' from the Electronic Village. I suspect that Steele will not make it through the summer in his current position.

What say u?