Screw The Indians: Again Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2006 16:19:11 -0800 Subject: [Rainbow_Feet_on_the_Mountains] Fw: [nv-wa-do-hi-ya-dv] Fwd: Screw The Indians: Again -------Original Message------- From: Patsy Harper Date: 02/05/06 11:07:41 To: Peace list Subject: [nv-wa-do-hi-ya-dv] Fwd: Screw The Indians: Again Pass this one on, will ya Robert? PH >Subject: Screw The Indians: Again > >To paraphrase a line from a Beatles' song: "What they need's a damn good >scalping!" > >http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/ > > >Casino Jack Screws the Indians -- Yet Again > > >I've said it before and will no doubt say it again, the best writing in >the blogosphere on Jack Abramoff is being done by Mary Beth Williams of >Wampum. She has another amazing story up (this time at Kos) about how >Casino Jack ran a slush fund to pay off Republicans who provided cover for >Gayle Norton and her attempts to keep the government from settling a case >in which the Indian lands had been ripped off to the tune of $150 billion >by oil, gas, mining and forestry industries: >Colorado native Norton is of the James Watt school of pillage the >environment (she entered the Reagan Administration to work for him) and >her entire career has been to forward the interests of oil and gas, mining >and forestry industries. And in the West, that means easy access to cheap >federal land leases, hundreds of millions of acres of land rich with >natural resources. > >A large chunk of those federal lands are Indian Trust Fund lands, taken >into trust in the late 1800s via the Dawes Act, and leased out to >industries, ranchers and farmers at cut-rate prices. The money was then to >be managed by Interior and paid out to native landowners. Of course, that >didn't happen - hence Cobell v. Norton. > >The courts have ordered a full accounting of the Trust. Problem is, many >of the documents were destroyed, including a slew of them under Norton. So >the plaintiffs decided a few years back that the only way to get a real >accounting is to audit the industries' books. That's what makes everyone >so nervous, as plaintiff experts, having done some sampling, estimate >we're talking over $150 billion in underpayments and fraud, along with >interest, of course. Yes, $150 BILLION. And the pressure would be huge for >Congress to force a repayment by the guilty. If not, then it comes out of >the taxpayers' pockets, as the courts have already ordered the accounts be >properly audited and brought up to date. Hence, the concern of the >oil/gas, mining, ranching, forestry and agriculture interests which >use/abuse the land lease process. > >So Norton did what she could to subvert the case, but as the heat was >turned up, and the Administration losing appeal after appeal, she started >pushing for Congressional Republicans to take the case and force a >settlement. A settlement for a fraction of the potential amount, but one >which would prevent an audit of industry accounts. Who is the chief >supporter of a Congressional settlement? None other than the puppet of the >oil, gas and mining industry, Richard Pombo. Twice Pombo has written >legislation ordering a settlement (both times with no settlement figures, >of course), but Delay intervened. Not because he likes Indians, but >because he figures that it's safer to stall than to provide even the >smallest chance the industry books will be audited. (Delay and most oilmen >Congressmen voted against the original Indian Trust Accountability Act >back in 1994 - only 36 Reps did.) So from 2002 to 2005, Delay ordered, >despite a court order, that no accounting of the trust fund occur (or at >least there'd be no funding for it, which, of course, means it doesn't happen.) > >This is where Abramoff comes in. He was the slush fund operator. Indians >thought they were paying Pombo and others on House Resources and Senate >Indian Affairs, et al., for help with gaming issues, and Abramoff was in >fact padding coffers necessary to protect the industry from auditing. > >Think this is all too far-fetched? Just last week, the NYTimes posted an >article on three months' of research into federal land leases (including >Indian trust lands) and found rampant fraud and underpayment. In addition, >numerous whistleblowers were fired, including Norton and Griles trustee >for the BIA, who refused to testify before Congress that the Trust was >fine. Accountants and fund managers were fired for doing a good job and >finding fraud. > >McCain and Pombo are once again pushing for a settlement, and in the >increasingly hostile environment for Indians due to success in portraying >Abramoff's tribal clients as villains, not victims, they'll most likely >get it, at rock-bottom prices. And the industry books will remain safely >closed. > >And yet the Washington Post spends no small amount of effort trying to >drag Democrats into the scandal, while this goes unreported. Norton has >fired whistleblowers, and thanks to the efforts of the WaPo and others to >smear the Indians: >McCain and Pombo are once again pushing for a settlement, and in the >increasingly hostile environment for Indians due to success in portraying >Abramoff's tribal clients as villains, not victims, they'll most likely >get it, at rock-bottom prices. And the industry books will remain safely >closed. > >I have to say that when the whole Deborah Howell mess went down, the >"Abramoff gave money to Democrats too" thing was actually the lesser >target of my rage. The major portion was reserved for the shoddy, >condescending, dismissive and downright racist way with which Steno Sue >and others at the WaPo continue to characterize the Indian tribes and >their involvement in this mess, and the result is stuff like this. > >Mary Beth has compiled links to her research here. > >(graphic by Dark Black) > >posted by Jane Hamsher @ 8:15 PM > > ----------