Whatever one thinks of the Shinnecock Nation's plans for a casino, the New York tribe deserves an answer on its federal recognition petition, Newsday says in an editorial.

The paper calls the casino in the Hamptons "a bad idea." But the paper says the tribe has waited long enough -- nearly 30 years -- for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make a decision.

"Our history shows that Washington acted quickly enough to strip tribes of their lands," the paper says. "So the bureaucracy owes it to tribes to make this process more expeditious."

The Shinnecock Nation has been recognized since Colonial times and has a reservation on Long Island.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Speed U.S. action on Shinnecocks (Newsday 4/2)

Relevant Links:
Shinnecock Nation - http://www.shinnecocknation.com

Related Stories:
House panel sympathetic to tribes on recognition (04/01)
Hearing used to air complaints about tribal recognition (04/01)
Federal recognition process subject of two hearings (03/31)
Judge to have 'final word' on Shinnecock recognition (01/28)
Shinnecock Nation case tests legal waters (1/26)
Shinnecock leaders compare opposition to genocide (1/22)
BIA wants Shinnecocks to wait a decade for status (12/18)
N.Y. opinion affirmed Shinnecock Nation sovereignty (09/19)
Decision awaited in Shinnecock casino case (08/06)