Interior asks Congress for power to take Indian lands

[donsu]

http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/009350.asp


The Bush administration is once again asking Congress for authority to take "unclaimed" Indian lands and to eliminate its trust responsibility to tens of thousands of individual Indians.

In a letter to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the Interior Department urged Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) to add provisions to a bill that is already on the Senate floor. Although the proposed changes were described as "technical," they would give the federal government powers that haven't been the subject of a hearing or prior public debate.

Matt Eames, Interior's director of Congressional affairs, said the department needs the ability to take lands that are owned by individual Indians who can't currently be located. Nearly 49,000 Indian beneficiaries, who are owed an estimated $73.9 million, would be affected.

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hey, kick those Indians some more

no Indians, no problems

(shouldn't the tribes be fighting back? when is enough, enough?)

[quaoar]

1. Ridiculous

the department needs the ability to take lands that are owned by individual Indians who can't currently be located.

Why? Is the government trying to build a new interstate highway?

Or is it perhaps because mining and timber companies want the land? Nah, couldn't be anything as sleazy as that.

[doodadem]

2. I'm sure this is tied to the current court case

where the tribes are going after the $billions that are owed individual members. It made history recently for being the largest lawsuit ever filed in the U.S. They probably want to eliminate the trust responsibility because they claim no one can figure out the accounting for the past hundred years. Apparently all this money has gone into these "trust funds", and has actually been counted as an asset in the federal budget to help try to balance it. While at the same time, the people owed the money are living in poverty. It's disgraceful.