Photos by Rich Loudenback: Elaine Willman was recently invited to speak to the Bonner County Republican Women in Ponderay, Idaho. Elaine spoke on federal Tribal issues, un-regulated voting, on reservations, Avista/Hydro One, the silicone smelter and more. This in-depth video of that speech is riveting and a is must watch for patriots concerned with our […]
How is it possible — from the standpoint of legality and/or (at the very least) fairness — for Indian reservation residents (both tribal members and lessees) to publicly vote on local property tax issues that, because of 100% property tax exemption by statute, they experience virtually no tax liability for payment given successful levy election […]
It’s all about who will control the water and subsequently the land. After over one hundred years of settling the west, the water wars of yesteryear are once again alive and well. What has changed is who and how the water fight is being played out 100 years later and what the end goals are […]
It is astonishing to learn that at least 46 Senators and 188 Congressional Representatives (all Democrats) are either unaware or completely indifferent to the reality that tribal governments have no legal duty whatsoever to the American voter. The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017 (S. 1419 and H.R. 2978) provide supplemental polling places for tribal […]
It’s eighty-three years late in coming, but at long last the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (IRA) is finally getting its first-ever review, and hopefully serious reform.IRA (48 stat. 984) forms the backbone of federal Indian policy across the country and has been extended, expanded and abused far beyond the original intent of Congress. IRA […]
How Federal Self-Determination Payments to Tribes Deprive Citizens and County and State Governments of their Own Self-Determination This is a guide for federal, state and county government decision-makers charged with allocating taxpayer funds for essential governmental services to citizens in geographical locations where Indian Reservations are found within county or state borders. County budgets are […]
— Published with Permission from Herald and News — In April 2014, ranchers and the Tribes signed the Upper Basin Comprehensive Agreement. The ranchers agreed to retire 18,000 acres of land or 30,000 acre feet of water and do riparian repair work on the rivers in exchange for an allotment of water each year… At […]
Tribal Sovereignty: There are three sovereignties identified in order, in the U.S. Constitution: 1) Popular (citizen) sovereignty; 2) State sovereignty; 3) Federal sovereignty. Tribal sovereignty is not contained within the U.S. Constitution and is not superior to the sovereignties contained in the U.S. Constitution. Tribal (jurisdictional/governing) sovereignty is a delegation of federal sovereignty through the […]
“We in America do not have government by the majority—we have government by the majority who participate…All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” —Thomas Jefferson How often do we hear that “Treaties are the supreme law of the land,” or that American Indian Tribes are “First Nations?” […]
During the Vietnam War years, I owned a lovely home on Stonybrook Drive in Anaheim, California. My children’s learning, memories, family traditions, and life-experiences were forged in that home. My children were native to that soil. Although we had to move away and have been gone for many years, it was the homeland of our […]
The ten proposed Resolutions below would be a significant start to healing divisiveness that has intentionally pitted one American against another in the recent decade. In fact, taking such actions as suggested below could restore a pride and luster to the very term, “American.” As citizens of our beloved country, we have all taken quite […]
As President of the Mission Valley Republican Women’s Club (MVRWC, Ronan, Montana), I write on behalf of our organization regarding conflicting concerns about the appointment of Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke as Secretary of Interior. As strong Republicans, we surely want to support this appointment. However, as described in the information we offer below, and the […]