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In The Hoop
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2002

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

I Didn't Do It
If you believe Secretary of Interior Gale Norton, the Clinton administration is to blame for everything that is wrong with Indian trust. TAAMS. HLIP. Dom Nessi.

But as she distances herself from those and other debacles -- "Secretary Norton . . . cannot properly be held in contempt for matters that occurred months and even years before she assumed office" -- she doesn't see anything wrong with taking credit for the good things that happened before she showed up. In a recent opinion piece published in Indian Country Today, she plays up a water rights settlement her administration had nothing to do with.

"The parties involved created a foundation for strong partnerships, representing a vision for the department that I call the Four C’s -- Communication, Consultation and Cooperation, all in the service of Conservation," she wrote on April 5.

Oink, Oink
That Ted Stevens. To show everyone he's concerned about real issues affecting real people, the Republican from Alaska isn't talking about a recent honor bestowed upon him.

In releasing its annual list of federal spending, Citizens Against Government Waste singled him out for a "Snow Job Award." The man known for sending millions of dollars into the coffers of Alaska Native corporations while questioning the status of Alaska Native tribal governments was responsible for Alaska's numerous "pork barrel projects," the group reported yesterday.

But that wasn't the best part. It was what The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported: "'My mind's on ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), not that crap,' Stevens told reporters who asked him about the Pig Book. He brushed away a microphone and briskly walked up the steps."

Some of the "crap" Stevens was cited for include $2 million to Sealaska Corp. for an ethanol project, $24 million for rural village sewers, $20 million for a health care commission he created and $600,000 for a health club.

WWW.BITEEM.COM
In case you hadn't noticed, the Bush administration's plan to reorganize Indian trust has been effectively killed by tribal leaders.

But we knew it was dead long ago as soon as Deputy Secretary Steven "Let My People Go" Griles unveiled his crappy Indian trust web site. "This site provides a one-stop clearinghouse for Indian trust management information," he wrote last December.

Since nothing on the site has changed since February, you can be assured that Griles is really in charge of trust reform.

In Your Hoop
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