"Why should the Indian people, Congress and the public believe Interior now?
Interior deserves to have its point of view on Trust reform acknowledged by the media. The press has reported on it, but not to the exclusion of the positions of the Cobell plaintiffs
As Interior�s spokesman on the Cobell v. Interior saga, Ross Swimmer surely knows that no press representatives are going to be as one-sided in their coverage as Interior may prefer. Still, Interior may be dismayed with editorial boards that have addressed the case, most of whom have called upon Interior to pay up and clean up.
The editorials have largely focused on the poverty in Indian Country. Although Mr. Swimmer has suggested elsewhere that poverty is the result of socio-economic factors beyond Interior�s control, squandering valuable Indian land assets cannot be overlooked as a cause. From my perspective, even Indians in the top 1% deserve a full Trust Accounting, which is not what Interior is providing.
My earlier article, which Mr. Swimmer responded to, was aimed at giving the media more information than has been provided by Interior and the Cobell plaintiffs. Getting �underneath� the litigation is key to evaluating whether Interior�s efforts are adequate or misdirected. It also aids evaluation of the judicial response and the effectiveness of the lawsuit as a means of providing full reparations for Interior�s neglect.
A string of sound bites should be met with skepticism by journalists. Parsing requires putting them in fuller context. It means, in short, taking a trip down the rabbit hole to Blunderland."
Get the Story:
Lee Helfrich: DC lawyer again blasts Interior over handling of Indian trust
(Neiman Watchdog 1/25)
Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell
v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Related Stories:
Opinion: Indians want $12B of 'YOUR' money
(01/10)
Cobell: Appeals court
ruling a favorable one (12/21)
Cobell
team awarded fees for lengthy court fight (12/21)
Ross Swimmer: No 'lump sum' settlement for Cobell
(12/19)
Attorney: Interior still not
living up to trust duties (12/19)
Report: Cason says termination of trust on the
table (12/16)
Still no agreement on
settlement to Cobell (12/9)
Audio: House
Resources hearing on Cobell (12/8)
House
Resources to hold hearing on Cobell (12/5)
Elouise Cobell: Lamberth frustrated with DOI
(11/28)
Judge Lamberth, the cowboy,
sides with Indians (11/28)
Editorial:
Settle Cobell trust fund lawsuit (11/25)
Cobell to press Interior on accounting mess
(11/22)
Cobell says government not off
the hook on trust fund (11/21)
Broad
accounting of Indian trust fund blocked (11/16)
Battle over Cobell trust fund case heats up
(10/24)
Interior ordered to protect
Indian trust fund systems(10/21)
Lamberth
issues new IT shutdown injunction (10/20)
Interior warned of computer security risks
again (09/30)
Bush calls for new judge
in Cobell v. Norton case (08/16)
BLM CIO
threatened with demotion in Cobell case (08/02)
Appeals court stays Lamberth order on notices
(7/29)
DOI mum on settlement figure for
Cobell v. Norton (7/27)
Indian leaders
to pledge support on trust reform (7/26)
Listening Lounge: Senate hearing on Cobell
(7/26)
Cobell calls trust reform bill a
win for Interior (7/22)
McCain and
Dorgan introduce trust reform legislation (7/22)
Opinion: Keep open mind on Cobell settlement
(7/19)
McCain plans hearing on Cobell
settlement, reform (7/14)
Judge blasts
Interior on handling of trust (7/13)
Elouise Cobell: Principles put trust back into
trust fund (07/07)
Cobell and Cason to
appear on C-SPAN program (7/6)
Cobell
calls for settlement of trust fund lawsuit (7/5)
Editorial: Resolution of trust fund debacle needed
(7/5)
Editorial: Abramoff scandal can't
compare to trust (6/30)
Opinion:
Downfall of Indians traced to Army, BIA (6/28)
Pombo supports settlement of Cobell trust fund case
(6/27)
Harjo: Tribes lobby to fleece
their own people (6/24)
Editorial:
Congress should settle trust fund (6/24)
Editorial: Trust fund a 'national embarassment'
(6/22)
Indian Country united on trust
reform solutions (6/21)
Trust workgroup
to outline Cobell settlement goals (6/17)
Trust reform costs put at $3B, thanks to Bush
(6/13)
Echohawk optimistic on settlement of
Cobell case (06/03)
Final trust reform
meeting held in North Dakota (6/3)
UTTC
hosts meeting on trust reform legislation (6/1)
House panel acts to restore Bush budget cuts
(05/05)
NCAI and ITMA hold second trust
reform meeting (05/04)
Bush
administration won't give up fight on Cobell (03/18)
McCain weighs GAO probe of Indian trust debacle
(03/10)
McCain lays out Indian agenda for
109th Congress (3/7)
Norton won't testify
on trust fund retaliation (2/28)
Bush
official won't accept claims of trust mismanagement (02/17)
Appeals court won't hold back Lamberth on trust
reform (12/13)
Appeals court supports
Lamberth's authority on IT (12/06)
Lamberth critical of Norton's 'bad faith' on trust
fund (10/25)
Interior denies attempt to
halt trust fund payments (10/05)
Bush
administration challenges trust fund ruling (09/16)
Appeals court takes on Cobell trust fund case
(9/15)
Lamberth exchanges harsh words
with Cobell critic (08/02)
Bush
administration calls for end to Cobell case (04/09)
Cobell trust fund suit mediators announced
(4/6)
DOI's Internet connection shut
down for third time (03/16)
Lamberth
defends special master against attack (03/16)
Anderson praises Cobell suit in NCAI speech
(2/25)
Tribes still frustrated on
trust reform (11/20)
Bush officials
blasted by tribal leaders (11/19)
Cobell plaintiffs disputing trust fund rider
(11/17)
Daschle criticizes
'shameful' rider in DOI budget bill (11/04)
Norton welcomes time-out in Cobell trust fund
case (11/4)
Bush official
balks at large settlement for Cobell (7/10)
Trust
Commentary: Swimmer still not telling the truth on trust
Thursday, January 26, 2006
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