Rhodoman posted:
Contracts need to be clearly settled and all the people involved notified about their terms and agreements before people start driving around so that this doesn't happen. I would hope that the Lakota folks would have the smarts to figure out what they should charge these folks if indeed there is some value to having them drive across their land (as in, saving taxes).
Rho
If the grandmas are against this there is no way that they will profit off of it.
In Native cultures elders have a lot of respect... no one is going to go against the elders... no way you would be voted into office again. I'm not from the area but I am guessing the pipeline goes against their cultural beliefs - that no amount of money will allow them to accept it.
These are the same people who refused to collect money from the Black Hills after the U.S. broke a treaty and they won in court but were given compensation instead of the land... the money is just sitting in a bank account... I think it is worth over 1 billion dollars today with interest... makes it really interesting considering that this is literally the poorest community in the U.S.
To some people it is not money but principle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills
"On July 23, 1980, in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Black Hills were illegally taken and that remuneration of the initial offering price plus interest — nearly $106 million — be paid. The Lakota refused the settlement as they wanted the Black Hills returned to them. The money remains in an interest-bearing account, which now amounts to over $757 million, but the Lakota still refuse to take the money. They believe that accepting the settlement would allow the U.S. Government to justify taking ownership of the Black Hills."
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"Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other then we shall have no more wars. We shall be all alike — brothers of one father and mother, with one sky above us and one country around us and one government for all."
