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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2003

"I was in Portland attending the Winter Conference of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (an organization that includes Montana's Blackfeet, Chippewa-Cree, and Flathead tribes), because, in short, I heard that they were serving lunch.

And during said lunch, the actual governor of Oregon actually addressed a room full of hungry Indians. This in itself -- a governor attending a large Native gathering by invitation -- was hard enough to imagine anyway.

I wish I could present his whole speech right here for you.

Through the miracle of modern technology, however, there just ain't enough space here to present his entire lunch-time address.

But here are some choice cuts, for your reading pleasure. Dressed in a fine blue ribbon shirt he had received as a gift from the Umatilla Tribe, he began:

"You were here before Lewis and Clark ..."

At last! Someone acknowledges this! Rewrite the history books!

"You are sovereign nations, recognized by law. In Oregon, government-to-government relations is not a slogan, it's a mandate."

He has my attention. The meatloaf can wait a minute, I guess."

Get the Story:
John Potter: Tribal talk: Governor unbelievably uplifting (The Billings Gazette 2/22)

More John Potter:
John Potter: The State of the Whatever (02/10)
John Potter: Who me, grovel? No way! (01/27)
John Potter: A multi-tasker at heart (01/13)
John Potter: What I want for Christmas (12/16)
John Potter: Flying to Nashville (12/02)
John Potter: No more snowmobiles (11/18)
John Potter: I do NOT hate white people (11/4)
John Potter: Mad about Yellowstone bison (10/21)
John Potter: My ode to Autumn (10/07)
John Potter: Snot noses at art show (9/23)
John Potter: Mad about Kennewick Man (9/9)
John Potter: My wild car chase (8/26)
John Potter: My search for donuts (8/12)
John Potter: I'm a Survivor (7/29)
John Potter: My Wedding Anniversary (7/15)
John Potter: Yet another move (7/1)
John Potter: Leave me alone (6/17)
John Potter: They really like me (6/3)
John Potter: Cutting back (5/20)
John Potter: Mother's Day (5/13)
John Potter: Hope springs eternal (5/6)
John Potter: Create Indian holiday (4/29)
John Potter: A history lesson (4/22)
John Potter: I am the Tax Man (4/15)
John Potter: Rudeness (4/8)
John Potter: Hail Fighting Whities (4/1)
John Potter: I was, I am (3/25)
John Potter: His Mail Bag (3/18)
John Potter: Moving to Utah (3/11)
John Potter: Friend of the Wolf (3/4)
John Potter: Desert camping (2/25)
John Potter: Fry Bread Gold (2/19)
John Potter: Get on the bus (2/11)
John Potter: Overcoming prejudice (2/4)
John Potter: The 'Real' Indians (1/28)
John Potter: A nobody at Sundance (1/21)
John Potter: The expanding waistline (1/14)
John Potter: Sacred toenail clippers (1/7)
John Potter: Running into Robert Redford (1/2)