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In The Hoop
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2002

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

Now That's Service
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has just enlisted the lobbying services of Jack Abramoff, a Republican with close ties to the House GOP leadership, The Washington Post reports today.

The cost of this exciting new venture?

$150,000 a month.

According to the Post, Abramoff will lobby on tribal sovereignty and other issues for the Agua Caliente. He gets good reviews from other tribal clients, including the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

"I call Jack Abramoff, and I get results," vice chairman William Worfel told The New York Times earlier this year. "You get everything you pay for."

What did the Coushattas get? Remember that Jena Choctaw casino compact that Neal McCaleb rejected? Abramoff helped kill it.

I'm Just an Idiot
Remember when Secretary of Interior Gale Norton testified at her contempt trial earlier this year and said "I'm not an accountant, I'm just a layperson," when asked about an historical accounting owed to American Indians?

Well it appears her ignorance is catching. During a press call with reporters yesterday about the massive fish kill in the Klamath River, Norton's deputy chief of staff ran into some trouble dealing with a topic she is supposed to be in charge of.

The Los Angeles Times: "Asked repeatedly by reporters whether the extra water that went to farmers this year had put the fish in jeopardy, Wooldridge suggested that she did not understand the question."

Eventually, she broke down and responded to the $64,000 question. Her response was classic.

The New York Times: "The Catch-22 is if someone is calling for some water out of the Upper Klamath Lake for salmon downstream, we will be in violation of the biological opinion in the lake," Ms. Wooldridge said. "That is not possible."

It's also not possible to conduct a statistical sampling of the Individual Indian Money (IIM) trust but that's exactly what Wooldridge approved back in February 2001. Who would have thought????

Free Historic Assets!
Speaking of Norton, she's looking for volunteers to help the National Park Service take care of historic national resources. Federal, state, local and tribal governments are encouraged to sign up to manage historic lighthouses like this one in Washington state.

So if you think you have the abilities, sign up today! You might get one of 20 lighthouses nationwide.

In Your Hoop
Is Gale Norton going to give away tribal assets next? Email In the Hoop and let us know.

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