Mike Graham

To the editor:Founder www.UnitedNativeAmerica.comTom McLaughlin a school teacher at Molly Ockett Middle School wrote a letter to this newspaper asking questions as to why should Indians have casinos, just for money? He went on to ask why only Indians can open a casino outside Nevada and New Jersey. Mclaughlin went on to say "Indians have the highest rates of alcoholism and suicide in the country. They receive public assistance yet they're sovereign nations, should we consider this foreign aid? Are they simultaneously citizens of their nations and the United States? What's up with this?"McLaughlin also stated, "would we let citizens of any other foreign nation open casinos in the United States that would be illegal for ordinary Americans to open?" Mclaughtlin stated he would vote no on Indians having a casino until he got answers to his questions.Well, Mclaughtlin, get ready for a real short history lesson. You did a lot more than just ask questions about the Indian casino issue, you went on in your report to just trash Indians and put them down any way you could. Indian nations are sovereign, this is covered in the United States Constitution. They have sovereign rights as any nation to conduct business as any sovereign nation on earth, that means if they want to open a casino they have the right to do so. If you do not like it, then change the U.S. Constitution. Indian nations do not need your vote of approval.Indian nations work with states through compacts, this is done because the Indian nations want to help the state with its debt problems and public assistance programs, like schools, roads and state welfare, this support from the state Indian nations runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars each year McLaughlin. Indians working within a state pay taxes as all Americans do everyday McLaughlin, all of their tax dollars go to the state not their tribal nation.The federal government made all American Indians citizens of the United States, that did not take away their citizenship of their own Indian Nation here in America, therefore they're not foreigners in their true homeland. Any state government can open a casino if it wants to, this is not done because most states rely on other businesses within the state to bring in tax dollars for them, when that is not enough the state then sets up a lottery under state laws, it does not ask the Indian nations for their approval, nor is any of the state lottery money given to Indian Nations under a state compact made with any Indian nations, why is this Tom? Indian people have the highest rate of unemployment in this country, not of their doing, Indian nations have to set up businesses to bring in money to operate their nation's programs for their people just as the state government. Indian people receiving assistance from their nation cannot receive assistance from the state, that's how it works McLaughlin.As to your comments about Indians having the highest rate of alcoholism, that is a myth, you should read new studies out on this issue, you should look at your own race problems with alcoholism McLaughlin. You're right about Indians having the highest rate of suicide in America, look at what all the federal and state governments have forced them to undergo through the years. The manner in how America came about as to the Indian people did not have to happen, nor should it ever again in man's history.America today is dealing with Sept. 11, 2001, Indian people of the Americas have been fighting terrorism from the time of Columbus landing on their land. American Indians helped bring about the America and the government we have today. The U.S. Senate states that federalism, separation of governmental powers and freedom of speech came from the American Indian's form of government. It sure did not come from Europe, Africa, Asia or the Middle East McLaughlin.Man's history from the beginning is one of war and hate of others, you McLaughlin refer to Indians as savages killing their own before your people came to this land of America. You say your people taking over the Americas in the way they did was the result of the fittest. You make it a point not to call your own people savages for the way they did it, why is this McLaughlin?Indian nations quit fighting between each other hundreds of years ago Tom. This is not true with governments from your true homeland and its people. Because of countries in Europe, American Indians had to fight in two world wars plus other parts of the world over past years, here you are McLaughlin in the year 2003 complaining Indians want to open a casino to make money, how Un-American can you get?McLaughlin, you have the right to say what you want, but understand there are a lot of Americans out here that see where you're coming from, Hitler had freedom of speech as well. You're a teacher of our children, you really need to think about your thoughts or if by some chance I have misunderstood your words, you really need to go to a library and do some serious reading on true American history as to the American Indians and the country of America. Treaties made with America Indian nations are the supreme law of this land Tom. As founder of UnitedNativeAmerica.com I, Mike Graham, stand for truth in education in our nation's schools.