Things do not bode well for Chad Smith...
I just skimmed the article (which was posted just minutes ago), and will go back for a more indepth reading, but this is pretty big:
Appeals court hears Cherokee Freedmen dispute
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Filed Under: LawA federal appeals court on Tuesday pressed the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to explain why the tribe hasn't lost the right to determine its own membership.
In March 2007, tribal voters amended their constitution to deny citizenship to the Freedmen, who are the descendants of former African slaves. At least two judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said the move appeared to violate an 1866 treaty.
"It's not totally up to the tribe to determine its membership, isn't that right?" observed Judge Merrick B. Garland, a Clinton nominee.
An attorney for the tribe had a hard time refuting that assertion. "That's correct," responded Garret G. Rasmussen, a Washington, D.C., attorney.
Comments
I'd say this doesn't bode well for ANY tribe.
Posted by: Adam | May 8, 2008 10:20 AM
Well, that's Chad's position. That doesn't make it true, and if it is true, its Chad's choice that "we're here".
I'm in a country that hasn't gotten into a war or had an instable government in over a hundred years. Its a rich, peaceful country. Chad's choice was for conflict, and it has consequences. Winner and loser alike are almost always greatly impoverished, directly and indirectly.
Posted by: ebw | May 8, 2008 05:45 PM