Wampum

BIA Regional Director Jeanette Hanna wrote to Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith that the Region "... has recommended approval of the vote on removal of Secretarial oversight."

For those not watching closely, this means Regional Director Hanna does not see any Federal issue in an election for Principal Chief, under the Principal Chiefs Act of 1970, which did not contain a substantive issue until after the absentee ballots had been sent via US Mail to a substantial number of actual voters (more than one third of the actual votes cast were absentee), necessitating a second ballot precipitously close to the date of the election, in the larger context of a substantial number of voters having been unconstitutionally (Cherokee Constitutions of 1839 and 1975), and illegally (Principal Chiefs Act of 1970) having been disenfranchised, then reenfranchised, and some number of them only allowed to vote by polling-place challange and disenfranchised in fact (mandatory absentee ballot requirements).

This election is the "hanging chad" of Federal/RNC/Abramoff/gaming elections in Indian Country, and each time the Administration fails to exercise the oversight authority, Congressional action on the RNC/Abramoff/gaming corruption becomes less and less avoidable.

Chad Smith may think he's going to go down in Indian History as the Chief who ended Plenary Powers, but I don't know of anyone who really shares his vision and is willing to put their tribal interests (other than Chad's faction on the CNO Tribal Council) in front of Congress.

The Congressional Black Caucus is not as good as many would like it to be, but its likely to be good enough to hang Chad.