Apologies: Better late than never

[kandrathe]

My point is that while Germany might never persecute Jews again and the USA might never slaughter Native Americans again, I can conceive situations where mobs in Europe (including Germany) are lynching Muslims while their American cousins are doing the same to Latinos.

The US Federal government still has an agency which acts as overseer of Indian affairs. How would we feel if that were other Hypenated-Americans? If the statistics showed that the BIA actually advanced the interests of Native Americans, but, statistics actually show the opposite. The agency exists to secure government interests. Demographics for Native Americans are dismal across the board, (such as degree's awarded by race).

At least Sen. Inouye, Sen. McCain, and Rep. Udall pressed forward with the Indian Gaming Act, and Reagan signed it giving them a somewhat exclusive monopoly on gambling, which allows some tribes (by virtue of location) to raise enough money to rise up out of their reservation slums, and perhaps buy back some of their former holdings. The ironic part is that the $200 billion dollar Indian Gaming Industry began here in Minnesota, where one Indian family challenged why they had to pay the State $147.95 in property taxes for their trailer home on Indian land and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. I haven't seen yet where this has done much to bring Native Americans out of poverty.

Meanwhile, the BIA is emerging from a century of mismanaging Indian owned natural resources.

In 2007, four nations voted against the UN “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples", they were the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Interestingly, the 4 were all former colonies of the British Empire. 143 voted for it, and 11 nations abstained. (text)

In April, 2009, Australia endorsed it, then Canada's governor general spoke last March, saying they would be endorsing it. New Zealand endorsed the UN declaration last April. The US also stated in April 2010, that they will also review their position regarding the Declaration.

I think the US is a far cry away from reconciling with the Native People, and while I tend to agree generally with your view on not slaughtering American Indians, it's mostly due to the fact that there aren't many left (~1% of the population).