A Douglas County, Oregon, commissioner is coming under fire for comparing the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians to Nazi Germany.

Dan Van Slyke is opposing the tribe's trust land bid, saying it is unfair. When asked on a radio program whether the tribe has done anything good, he said "even the Nazi regime did good things," The Roseburg News-Review reported.

At a meeting on Wednesday, Van Slyke apologized for what he said were "poorly chosen words on my part." But Wayne Shammel,, an attorney for the tribe, criticized him and Marilyn Kittelman, another commissioner, for trying to inflame public sentiment.

Chuck Spindel, a supporter of the tribe who resigned this week as mayor of Canyonville, yelled at Van Slyke and said he was offended by the comments. "As a Jewish person, I resent that," he was quoted as saying before he stormed out of the room.

"I�m saying it was bad. You could look back and say just because they created a job didn�t make them good. No, they were bad in their entirety," Van Slyke said in response, the paper reported. �Where it was bad, though, was to try and compare it to this relationship with the tribe."

Get the Story:
Tribe strikes back (The Roseburg News-Review 8/25)

Relevant Links:
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians - http://www.ctclusi.org

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