Kurt Luger, the executive director of the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association, responds to a Republican former member of Congress on tribal casino lobbying:
Former Congressman Ernest Istook says that the “New Indian Wars are Fought at the Casino." Why would Istook try to start new “Indian Wars?” After 200 years of genocide by the United States, enough is enough! After 90 years of treaty-making and more than 370 Indian treaties, the 14th Amendment repeats the Constitution’s original recognition of “Indians not taxed” and acknowledges the “jurisdiction” of Indian nations over tribal citizens. When American Indians became citizens, our chiefs and tribal leaders sought to preserve our Indian nations and tribal citizenships and the United States did so. We have a right to self-government in our own Indian homelands. We are people of equal dignity with other Americans, and the United States has no right to impose on our right to self-government in Indian country without our consent. Former Congressman Istook’s claims otherwise are shameful and dishonorable. After 240 years, it’s time for the Indian Wars to end. It’s time for America to honor our Indian treaties and to respect Native Americans as people of equal dignity in our own lands.Get the Story: