LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
I have been following the Tristen
John matter and Liz John's letter moved
me to throw in my two-cents worth of
opinion.
You knew me as Bobby Oden. My
mother, Caroline, was a Metcalf. I was
her adopted son. I knew that I had been
adopted from a Catholic orphanage when
I was a baby. I was told this by the time
I entered the first grade.
I knew even at that young age that
“adopted" meant that I was not “blood."
This was underscored when I could not
be enrolled as a tribal member.
When I was 12 years old, I pro
tected my mother. Caroline, from an
intoxicated man. I knocked him out
with my Little League baseball bat.
When I was 15 years old. I and a
few of my “cousins" broke a lot of
windows in Toledo. I was the only one
caught. The judge said that if 1 told on
whomever else was with me that night,
he would be real lenient with me. I
respectfully refused to tell on my
cousins and spent almost two years at
Woodburn.
I was only adopted, but I was loyal
to my adopted mother and to my
adopted cousins.
Tristen John sounds loyal to your
tribe. Many in your tribe with blood
quantum provable beyond any
possible doubt have demonstrated their
gross lack of loyalty, over and over
again, being loyal only to their own
self-interests.
DNA may be able to establish blood
relation, or lack of it, but what test do
you have that can establish loyalty?
You have greatly shamed Tristen
John, yet he still claims you. I have
more confidence in Tristen’s loyalty to
your collection of minor tribes than in
the tribe's loyalty to those who would
very likely give their lives for the
common good.
Beware of whom you disen
franchise. for you may be getting rid
of the cream of the crop and be left
with only the self-righteous, self
interested. self-appointed guardians of
a tribe full of dis-spirited people.
Bobby Oden
To the editor:
We would like to thank Siletz News
for printing the schedules of local
Narcotics Anonymous meetings. The
community may not be aware of your
commitment to help create a safer,
healthier place for us all.
Narcotics Anonymous remains a
free, effective resource for recovery.
Should even one person find their way
to a better way of life through your
efforts, you will have performed an
invaluable service to our community.
Sincerely, L.B.L. Area Narcotics
Anonymous
To the editor:
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone -
friends, family, and the curious - for
your prayers, goodness, and sharing
during the sorrowful passing of our
dear sister, mother, grandmother, friend
Marie Klamath (Spratt).
A special “thank you” to those who
worked so hard preparing the splendid
dinner and for the beautiful flowers and
cards. Thank you, Trish!
Also, for those who prepared
Mom’s final resting place on this Earth,
you will always be remembered in our
prayers; Creator smiles! Thank you.
The family of Marie Klamath
To the editor:
As an out-of-stater, I often travel
to the Lincoln City area for General
Council meetings, to visit relatives,
and just to enjoy the area. As one of
the many tourists who come to the
coast, I’ve watched our little tent-like
casino blossom into an impressive
casino and convention center.
I've also watched it decline over the
years. The carpets became worn, the
quality of the food has noticeably
slipped, the lights on the building
remained burned out for months
without repair, the slot machines
malfunction and have become out
dated. and the 40-year-old hotel rooms
we recently purchased are overpriced
and not up to the standards of our
competition.
The tribal government justifies the
transfer of profits from the casino into
new ventures, telling us we shouldn't
pul all our eggs in one basket and that
we need to branch out into different
business arenas.
While diversification in invest
ments is, as a rule, a good thing, we
shouldn't let our one profitable
enterprise go begging in order to siphon
revenue away from it into unsuccessful
business plans like River Reclamation
Group and now, I predict, Siletz
Aeroteam. (See www.siletz.net for
information on the RRG shutdown.) It's
better to put most of our eggs in the
casino's basket than to throw them on
the ground, as we do when we indulge
in investments for a never-ending
procession of failed businesses.
It’s time to make the much-needed
improvements and repairs to our
casino. We have good employees at the
casino. We should listen to them.
Jesse Kirk was correct at the May
General Council meeting when he
said the casino needs to replace the
outdated slots. They should be replaced
immediately, not gradually. Chairman
Pigsley has estimated that new
machines would be at least 25 percent
more profitable, so why haven't they
been replaced yet?
The old machines are costing us
millions in lost revenue. Those old
machines have cost us, by Chairman
Pigsley's own figures, over $ I.()()(),()()()
in revenue since she made that
statement two months ago. Instead of
upgrading the machines and getting a
certain high return on our investments,
we’ve squandered money on bad
investments.
We would have the money to
upgrade and properly maintain our
casino if we made optimization of our
one successful business our central
focus.
Lynette Warren
Siletz News Letters Policy
Send letters to:
Siletz News, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is
published once a month. Our editorial policy encourages input from readers about
stories printed in Siletz News and other tribal issues.
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Siletz News
P.O. Box 549
Siletz. OR 97380-0549
Please note; The general manager
of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-in-chief
of Siletz News.
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•
Siletz News
•
July 2007
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
Assistant: Laurel Johnson
541-444-8291 or
1-800-922-1399. ext. 1291
Fax:541-444-2307
E-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us
Deadline for the August issue is
July 10. Submission of articles and
photos is encouraged. Please read the
Passages Policy on page 20 when
submitting items for Passages.
Member of the Native American
Journalists Association
To the editor:
My name is Danise Barker and 1
want to say a huge thank you for my
co-workers for helping me through the
difficult time with Robert’s passing in
April. I know this is late in coming, but
thanks so much for everything.
A huge thank you to Selene Rilatos
for coming over as much as you did
and for going to Portland and getting
Robert’s son at the airport.
And a huge thank you to Nick
Sixkiller for officiating the service and
giving me a beautiful drum. And to
Bobby Bayya for giving me the plaque
that you guys won in the truck races.
Again, thank you for everything
that you did for me. It was very much
appreciated, it won't be forgotten.
Cordially,
Danise Barker
*
To all tribal members:
My name is Sar Richards; my
grandfather is Edward Collins. I am
increasingly being asked if I really will
run again in 2008 for Tribal Council.
Please accept this as my announcement
of candidacy for the Tribal Council
elections in 2008.
As with last year. 1 want to hear from
all of you about your questions and
concerns, not only with my running but.
more importantly, concerns you have
as a tribal member.
I will be putting out more infor
mation in the coming weeks and
months, but here is a brief rundown of
who I am. I have a business degree
from Oregon State University. In
August of this year, I will have worked
for the tribe or one of its entities for 10
years. I have been a director at Chinook
Winds since 2000.
To contact me, my cell phone is
541-992-5627;
my
e-mail
is
happy_otter@hotmail.com. I will also
check Siletz.net and respond to
postings as I am able.
Thank you.
Sar
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