What do you guys think about this?

[big "E"]

I think these guys are well within their rights but I wonder how far they will be allowed to go with this and to what lengths the US will go to keep it from happening. Also what about the people who live and own land in those areas that are not native american. No one can refute their claims that the treaties have been repeatedly broken over the years.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317548,00.html

[deathb4disco]

I don't know if they can legally do this or not. Anybody can renounce his citizenship, though. Still, I'm not sure how doing this helps the Indians.

[big "E"]

I don't know if they can legally do this or not. Anybody can renounce his citizenship, though. Still, I'm not sure how doing this helps the Indians.

This all stems from an attempt for the last several years for the Lakota to grow hemp to try and boost the economy. Apparently in America it is legal to use hemp to make clothes or other related items but it must all be imported because it is illegal to grow it here. They have grown sterile hemp crops to sell and each year the feds have swooped in a couple weeks before harvest and cut it all down calling it marijuana. Now I thought that sovereign nations such as the Lakota were allowed to do as they pleased on their territory. So came to pass the casinos and such , but these guys were trying to farm instead of destroying people's lives with gambling. I dont know that this is the main reason or not as there's obviously a long drawn out history, but this has been the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. I applaud them for sticking up for themselves, but I worry that they will come to the same end when they challenge the authority of the land. No one can argue that these guys haven't been given the shaft for a bunch of years. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for us to invade their new country and annex it back with tanks and such.

[deathb4disco]

Now I thought that sovereign nations such as the Lakota were allowed to do as they pleased on their territory.

I thought so, too.

This all stems from an attempt for the last several years for the Lakota to grow hemp to try and boost the economy.

Did not know that. Do they have some kind of history growing hemp? Why not just grow corn or wheat and not incur the wrath of the Feds?

[big "E"]

I thought so, too.




Did not know that. Do they have some kind of history growing hemp? Why not just grow corn or wheat and not incur the wrath of the Feds?

The Gov. is paying a lot of people not to grow corn and wheat right now. I dont know if they have a history of growing hemp so much as it is a more lucrative market right now and they have (supposedly) a unique opportunity to cash in on it. The average American farmer is bound by the laws not grow it, but the average American businessman is also bound by the law to not start a casino. I'm not native american and really have no stake in the arguement, I'm just curious as to how the government will react to this. It will surely be deemed a threat and that's aside from the obvious loss of revenue.