Editorial: 'Grandstanding' on Indian apology

Friday, March 7, 2008  

"We hesitate to rail against any bill designed to promote goodwill and better relations. However, this issue is nothing new to those of us in South Dakota who remember the Year of Reconciliation.

Gov. George Mickelson declared 1990 a year in which South Dakotans would work to better the relations between whites and Indians, who live and work together within this state’s borders. It was a noble experiment, but also one that netted few, if any, lasting results.

In a recent column in this newspaper, Tim Giago, an American Indian columnist who as a newspaper publisher had suggested the Year of Reconciliation to Mickelson, said a congressional apology with strings attached — no monetary commitment from the government — doesn’t do much for Indians nationwide.

We agree, and further chalk up the effort being made by Boren and others in Congress to grandstanding."

Get the Story:
Our View: Apology to American Indians would do no good today (The Mitchell Daily Republic 3/7)
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Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments:
S.1200 | H.R.1328

Apology Resolution:
S.J.Res.4 | H.J.Res.3

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