"At least one Eastern Washington newspaper has been asked to run a group of political cartoons in support of Initiative 892 that use offensive stereotypes to depict Indians. Most tribes oppose the measure. The cartoons were done by artist Larry Knighton of Boise, Idaho, but were commissioned by Seattle restaurateur Gerald Kingen.

The cartoons depict Indians in loincloths, headbands and feathers and include the phrases "keep 'um cigarette tax, keep 'um sales tax, keep 'um gas tax, too," apparently trying to make the common I-892 proponents' argument that tribal casinos have an unfair competitive advantage over non-tribal gambling businesses. That's a strange argument when tribes pour their profits into economic development and social services -- a sort of self-tax.

The cartoons were accompanied by "Yes on I-892" fliers and an unsigned letter urging newspapers to "use these cartoons if you have the courage to do so." The letter claims, "Everyday (sic) 125,000 tribal members are scalping our state's other 6.2 million citizens.""

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Editorial: Native slurs (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10/29)