Wampum

For a number of years, it appeared as if Arizona Senator and current Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee was honestly concerned about basic issues such as Indian sovereignty. More recently, however, it's become increasingly clear that to many who jokingly refer to McCain as The Great White Father, McCain's political ambitions trump all else. Thus, when the public mood recently turned sharply against Indian tribes, particularly those with Class II and III gaming operations, McCain saw an opportunity to add yet another feather to his "Reformer" bonnet: McCain submitted S. 2078, a bill to overhaul the Indian Gaming Reglatory Act (IGRA).

Many Americans operate under the assumption that Indian gaming, due to tribal sovereignty, is completely unregulated. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Fact is, Indian gaming under the IGRA is significantly more regulated than non-Indian casino operations in the US. And despite the many millions fraudulently extracted from a few wealthy tribes by Jack Abramoff and his goon squad, most tribal gaming operations around the country barely pay for basic services on their reservations, let alone provide the kind of excess cash that lined the pockets of Republican lobbyists.

None of this of course matters to John McCain; facts won't stand in the way of a good old fashion "reform" crusade, whether needed or not. The meme of the week in Republican anti-gaming circles is "reservation shopping", and, dammit, the Great White Father is going to be first to circle the wagons against Indians daring to look beyond rez borders for more lucrative populous, pastures for establishing new gaming operations. Of course, one is left to believe this is huge problem if McCain feels so compelled to destroy his reputation with most tribes to take up the cause. However, only three (3) tribes have successfully persuaded the Interior Department into taking non-contiguous land into trust for the purposes of developing gaming operations away from their current reservations. Less than thirty other newly recognized tribes, most without reservation lands, have also had land taken into trust for them. Let me reiterate that: Less than 30 tribes, out of "562 tribal entities recognized and eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs by virtue of their status as Indian tribes" have utlized the land-in-trust options provided by under the IGRA, and yet Chairman John McCain has deemed this an issue more critical than the massive budget cuts to the BIA instituted by the Bush Administration.

One of the Senate Indian Affairs hearings I missed while away were the March 8th panels on McCain's proposed bill. While most tribal witnesses were somewhat critical of the legislation, none came close to the openly hostility expressed by newly elected chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux, Ron His Horse Is Thunder.

[Left in drafts, published April 3rd, 2007. ebw]