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Opinion: The Jamestown invasion and genocide
Monday, May 14, 2007
Filed Under: Politics

"The weirdest thing about the recent stop in Virginia by the World's Biggest Freeloader was how the local Indians reacted.

Her Majesty, the begloved Queen Elizabeth II, was on hand to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent British settlement in North America -- an early outpost for what was to become a full-scale invasion with genocidal consequences.

Fully feathered and deferential, representatives from eight indigenous Virginia Indian tribes, or at least what's left of them, performed a welcoming dance for the queen.

Virginia General Assembly, Elizabeth II pontificated on the importance of Jamestown: "Three great civilizations came together for the first time -- Western European, native American and African."

That's like saying Seung-Hui Cho "came together" with the professors and students at Virginia Tech.

At Jamestown and onward, Europeans got the land, Africans got long-lasting chains, their offspring born into a lifetime of slavery, and Indians got virtually eradicated. Still, declared Her Majesty, we're good here in the colonies at doing the "melting pot."

Perhaps -- assuming that blacks wanted to work for nothing for two centuries and Indians didn't mind trading a culture for a shot at a casino."

Get the Story:
Ralph R. Reiland: The 'discovery' racket (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 5/14)

Statements:
Rep. Jim Moran: House Approves Federal Recognition for VA Tribes (May 8, 2007) | WOLF STATEMENT ON FEDERAL RECOGNITION OF VIRGINIA INDIAN TRIBES (May 8, 2007)

Roll Call:
Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1294, Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act (May 8, 2007)

Committee Hearings:
Full Committee Markup (April 25, 2007) | Full Committee Legislative Hearing: H.R. 1294 and H.R. 65 (April 18, 2007)

Recognition Bill:
Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act (H.R.1294)

Relevant Links:
Virginia Indians Tribal Alliance For Life - http://www.vitalva.org
House Resources Committee - http://resourcescommittee.house.gov

Related Stories:
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Editorial: Take up Virginia recognition in Senate (5/10)
Virginia tribes clear hurdle in House (5/9)
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Pat Buchanan: Indians had the land and we took it (5/8)
Virginia tribes hope 2007 is year for recognition (5/7)
Editorial: A step forward for Virginia's tribes (5/7)
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GOP Editorial: Say no to Virginia's tribes (05/19)
BIA opposes Va. recognition bill (09/27)
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