Rebellion In Indian Country
Last night I noted that Don King is supporting President Bush; another unlikely Republican is Indian activist Russell Means. I missed David Yeagley's article on Means when it appeared in yesterday's FrontPage Magazine, but was led to it by Jon Lauck's Daschle v. Thune. Here are excerpts:
There has been little improvement in Indian country under the Democrats. Conditions in South Dakota reservations certainly haven’t improved under Daschle. What’s an Indian to do politically? "I'm going to work with Sen. Thune's staff," says Means, "and the state Republican Party, and that will open doors to work with the National Republican Party to completely change Indian policy in America."For some years, in fact, Means has recognized the impotence of the Democratic Party’s approach to Indian problems. He joined the Libertarian Party in 1987, and ran as the Libertarian candidate for governor of New Mexico in 2002. "What is an American? I believe an American loves to be free. You are free to be responsible. That's the only rule you should understand," Means says.
That American freedom does not exist on the great Indian reservations. In fact, tyrannical communism reigns on the reservations. Means explains, "This [America] is the only place where communism is successfully practiced in the world. Communism is alive and well on Indian reservations run by the United States government."
The Republican ticket may offer Indians an alternative, says Thune, and he has more than just Russell Means behind him.
Bruce Whalen, also an Oglala Sioux of Pine Ridge, is committee chairman of the Republican Party in Shannon County. Whalen says, "I know there's a lot of Republicans out there on Pine Ridge. They just don't know it yet."
Whalen believes the Republican Party more closely mirrors his traditional Lakota values than the Democratic Party. Those values are respect for life, limited government, sovereignty and local control.
Whalen believes government-funded programs and tribal politics that dole out the money are the root of the reservation's poverty. Alcoholism and other abuses follow suit.
"I see how the social programs are devastating the people around here,” he said. “The Democrats are hurting us."
To add to Daschle's problems, Tim Giago, publisher of the Lakota Journal, has said that he will challenge Daschle in the Democratic primary.
Russell Means is an interesting guy. He became famous in the late 60's and early 70's as a leader of the American Indian Movement, which was a garden-variety leftist organization of that era. But Means is an original, and his thinking has moved on over the years. He has enjoyed considerable success in Hollywood, most notably as Chingachgook in the excellent Last of the Mohicans:
I haven't been optimistic about Thune's chances; the race will no doubt be close, but if Thune couldn't quite pull out his race against the less-formidable Tim Johnson, I've been skeptical that he can beat Daschle, notwithstanding Daschle's demotion to Minority Leader. But if Thune makes significant inroads into the Indian vote--small, but usually reliably Democratic--he could pull off the upset.
