LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
Where do I start? Sounds like poor
management, and not just at the casino
either. I just found out today the tribe
has no more money for Contract Health
and I can no longer receive the physical
therapy that I need, or any tribal member.
This is not right! Who manages the
money? The money comes from the
government, why can’t money come
from the casino? From the sounds of it,
the casino is doing well enough to make
two multi-million dollar purchases. By
the way, is the casino paid for in full yet?
Here it is July and nobody can
see a doctor outside the clinic. OHP
(Oregon Health Plan) is not taking
anybody unless they are under 18 or
pregnant. Granted, some people have
insurance from their jobs, but what
about those who don’t have insurance?
What ddthey do if they are injured and
placed in the hospital?
How can a tribe tell their people,
“Sony, we are broke”? From the sounds
of it, Grand Ronde is doing something
right. What are we doing wrong?
It’s not just the casino or the clinic,
it’s everything that is going under. The
casino has a habit of hiring the wrong
people to either manage a department
or the whole building. I am not the only
one to see this either. Members from
other tribes work at the casino and see
the CTSI as whiners.
Tribal members who work at the
casino use the fact that they are tribal
To the editor:
Each biennium, The Legislative
Commission on Indian Services
updates its Oregon Directory of
American Indian Resources. This
publication is available on-line at http://
www.leg.state.or.us/cis and is used
globally by tribal and state govern
ments, in addition to the public, to
access information on Oregon’s nine
federally recognized tribes and state
tribal government-to-government
relations, as well as basic resource
information related to programs and
services for Indians in Oregon.
CIS solicits and selects artwork
from Oregon’s tribes for use in each
directory. We suggest submissions of
artwork be in the media of photography,
4
□
Siletz News
□
over everybody’s head to get what they
want and council approves some of this
too. If the casino is going to advertise
“Equal Opportunity Employer,” that
needs to be done, which it is not. Yeah,
equal if you are tribal.
I just wish other people would speak
their minds, but they don’t because they
are afraid if they do, they will be fired.
I understand that the casino was built
to help the tribe and open up oppor
tunities for the tribal members. But it’s
the tribe and its members who are going
to sink the casino. It all boils down to
poor management skills and practices.
More details will be spoken at the
next General Council meeting.
George Blacketer
__________________
To the editor:
Members, it has come to my atten
tion that the council has chosen not to
provide funding this year for the dental
care of out-of-area tribal members. This
doesn’t make sense.
Dental care is a need of all tribal
members, regardless of where we live.
If funds are limited, then they should
be distributed evenly. We all have teeth,
hopefully, and we all have the right to
vote in tribal elections.
Frank B. Fisher, MD
Toothless in California
drawing, or computer design. Artists
will be informed if their work will be
used, and work will be returned at the
request of the artist.
The deadline for submissions is
rolling, but the cutoff will occur
sometime in the fall. Submissions can
be mailed to Jeana Harrington,
Legislative Commission on Indian
Services, State Capitol Room 167,900
Court St. NE, Salem, OR, 97301.
Please feel free to contact me at
503-986-1067 or jeana.harrington
©state.or.us if you have questions
regarding submissions.
Sincerely,
Jeana Harrington
Commission Assistant
August 2004
TLC Attitudes of Gratitude
There’s an old saying, “Make hay
while the sun is shining.” Besides its
literal meaning, it also refers to taking
advantage of a situation when it
presents itself or the opportunity will
be lost.
TLC took quick action when an
opportunity arose to “adopt” three
mature rhododendron shrubs, which
fit right into our A&D grounds
beautification project. These shrubs,
almost tree size, look as though they
have been on site for a long time.
We are very grateful to David and
Nadine Stillwell of Newport for sharing
these prize plants instead of cutting
them down to make way for a new
fence. We are appreciative too, to Marci
Taylor for use of her pick-up to move
the 1,000-pound giant, and to the JOBS
crew - Sammy Hall, Dell Hall, and Joe
Luledjian - for digging it out with help
from David Stillwell. We’ll all enjoy the
flowering beauties next spring!
Also thanks to the young men
mentioned above and additions to the
crew - Kyle Towner, Mike Justice, and
Mark Tom - for planting additional
shrubs and sprucing up the grounds
with a weed eater and lawn mower, plus
watering all those plants to get them
established and keep them alive.
We appreciate Public Works for
temporary use of shovels and Arlen and
Lenny for helping unload the giant
rhodie. Also, thank you to the Bob
Jones family of Camp 12 for loaning
two tow chains to move that big bush
into place. What a project!
We received support from several
entities in the community and some
from out of our immediate area.
John Spence brought frozen
steelhead filets and roast on one of his
journeys; Bonnie Crawford and Joanne
Miller donated a bunch of sheets,
pillowcases, and towels; and Michele
Rowan supplied a number of personal
care items.
Delores Waggner of Oregon Coast
Quilters Guild brought another lovely
patchwork quilt; Lynn Whitlow donated
food items and a box of kindling; Siletz
Valley Partnership supplied food items;
and Laura Henderson donated covered
bowls, a thermal jug, books, and other
miscellaneous items.
We’re very appreciative of a dona
tion brought into the Logsden Store by
a community member. Carol was busy
in the store and didn’t see who left five
boxes of soaps, cotton balls, Q-tips,
playing cards, lip balms, sunscreen, and
a variety of other items. Also food items
were left from other community mem
bers. We are blessed! Thanks also to the
A&D staff for continued support of
TLC activities.
And a thank you to those folks
whom we cannot do service without:
our volunteers! Much appreciation to
Alice McCain, Lisa Brown, Joan
Hartung, Brycann Mickey, Linda
Tough, and Jackie Ashley.
TLC needs dedicated women to
interact with residents and be emotional
security force sleep-over volunteers.
The work is not hard but your presence
is so important to the residents.
Please call Lynn at 541-444-8238
or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238, if you
are interested in volunteering, donating
items, or would like more information.
TLC Says Goodbye to Volunteer
Linda Tough has been a regular
overnight volunteer at the Women’s
Transitional Living Center for about
two years. She covered many Sunday
nights in that time.
Because of her increased business
(Kustom Kleaning) demands and
family responsibilities, she cut back her
volunteer hours to every other Sunday
night. At the end of June, she regretfully
resigned from her volunteer position
because, “I’m grateful to have been of
service for a while, but my life is just
way too busy!”
Linda’s service has been much
appreciated and her absence will leave
a void that needs to be filled. Linda has
referred a couple of women to train as
volunteers. New volunteers were
trained in late July, but there is always
a need for additional women to fill in.
Call Lynn at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238,
or 541-444-8238 if you are interested
in being of service.
Best wishes to you, Linda.
Thank you. You will be missed!