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About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1990)
PAGE 2 - SILETZ, OREGON December 1990 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR D ear E d ito r Members; & T rib a l I 'The Hatfields and the McCoys;' that is what the General Council Meeting of 11-30-90 reminded me of. Feuding, bickering., power struggling, controlling and none of you really know why. It's no w onder I hear 3 comments such as; ” l'm Siletz Indian, but I'm n o t proud of it, " or "I'm going to relinquish my position as a Siletz Tribal Member, as nothing gets done the way we want, so why bother?" Leave your personal grievances at home. The childish-petty behavior that was displayed Saturday (11- 03-90), does not belong at a General Council Meeting. This meeting provides you an opportunity to air Tribal concerns, (as a whole). It is not the time to be vengeful and s p ite fu l o r § fo r personality conflicts. If any of you need lessons on how to conduct yourselves in public,. < s ta r t by o b s e r v in g yourselves in public, start by observing a person that has earned the name of IRON LADY-Delores Pigsley. She always conducts herself in a very professional and lady like manner; always a smile, always composed. IRON LADY- you betl Her position requires iron. I've seen her 'put up' with situations that would break most people. (My hat is o ff to you, Delores. I may not always agree with your decisions, but you are one fine lady and one to be greatly admired.) Tribal Members, you are so fortunate and have come so far-BE THANKFUL. You have POWER-YOU ARE THE POWER-USE IT!! STAND UP-STICK TOGETHER-BE HEARD. You, as the General Council, are the BOSS over your General Manager and Tribal Council. No one can fire you or change your position as a Tribal Member. Use your power-BE THE BOSS. Get those changes made, get the candidate gf your, choice on Tribal Council- VOTEIII Get rid of the people that are hindering you, go to the Council Meetings. (Just rem em ber to leave the garbage at home!) TO BE Q U IE T MEANS MO VO ICE-N O CHANGES MEANS YOU DON’T CARE. SO STAND UP, STICK TOGETHER, BE HEARD, SHOW ’EM YOU DO CARE. D on't be like the Hatfields and McCoys. Sincerely, Susanne Flanary Wife & Mother of Siletz Tribal Members Dear Editor; For a year now, I have been following the Andy Viles saga and have increasingly become disgusted by the whole thing. I am also very concerned that this matter is serving to disrupt Tribal ' harm ony, som ething the Siletz have worked hard toward. Since Restoration, 13 years ago, our Tribe has a c c o m p lis h e d m any wonderful things, including the building on Government Hill, housing and education for our people, food for the needy, and now a new Health Clinic; Our Pow Wow is regarded as one of the best and is getting bigger every year. However, since Andy's f ir in g , a lm o s t e v e ry newsletter has contained an a rtic le w ritten by Andy, about Andy. This is getting old, folks! I would be very interested about finding, in a dollar amount, how much of our Tribal funds have gone tow ard attorneys fe e s , C ouncil expenses, office expenses, etc., in justifying Andy’s firin g . I have a fe e lin g the am ount is staggering, judging by how many tim e s -A n d y 's name appears in the paper in the C ouncil Meeting m inutes. Would it be possible to have these sums to ta le d and published? I think everyone has the right to know how their Tribal funds are being "wasted". Andy now has his own newsletter, Siletz News II. In this newsletter, (which I have neither solicited nor paid a dime for, yet still re c e iv e o n e )/ A n d y 's negativism comes through in e v e ry article he writes. I find it very maddening and g e n e r a lly th ro w h is n e w s le tte r away before g e ttin g th ro u g h it a ll. » The feeling I get from this whole m atter is that Andy wants the Tribe to pay him, although he was fired justifiably. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to work and have the Tribe pay you? However, in this world, that is not the way it works. I have to work to pay my bills; so should Aiidy. 'If anyone feels the same as I do, please write tb the newsletter. Perhaps if we show strength, Andy will find some and give up this nonsense. Finally, Andy, do not send me your newsletter. There are enough negative re p o rts in my d a ily newspaper. I don’t need more from you. Sincerely, Amos B. Arden Dear Tribal Members: I agree with Royce Strong that Tribal Members deserve to know what's gone on, (and is qoina on) at STEDCO. There have been two investigations of STEDCO. The Tri.be and STEDCO have kept the results of both private. What became of the stolen computer? How much fish was missing? How many dollars were lost or stolen? Could any of this happen again? Is it happening again? These are all questions that need to be answered. Fast. . ! wish I could answer them. But in terms of the recent past of STEDCO, I'm in an inform ation black-out. Despite numerous assurances from STEDCO officials, I still haven't received one shred of the documents I've requested. When I showed up at STEDCO with the purpose of going through the file s, more important business made the Executive Director put my appointment on the "back burner." I le ft w ithout seeing a single-file. I did however, contact people involved in STEDCO last year. When I talked to Royce Strong, he refused to be a source of information. ~ - L_ v j n OÍAUC.. a rig h t'to privacy. If . Royce didn't want to talk, that was his decision. But he shouldn't blame me for bis "silence. did the best job I could covering the STEDCO crisis last year. invite Royce:Strong (and anyone else) to send information they might have in the direction of the Siletz Free press, Inc. 1541 Taft. Eugene, OR 97402. Or call me at 688-7116. The editors at Siletz Free Press believe that it's better to go to ja il than reveal a source. W e a ls o believe that letters need to be printed, uncensored,- eVen if they áre more than 350 words. t h is is a related point: I read in the T.C. m in u te s th a t " it was suggested" and Tribal Council approved a 350 word limit on letters to the editor. This is a lousy rule, an obvious abuse of g o ve rn m en ta l authority. What's the problem? Let Tribal Members' write letters. Let Tribal Members read letters. Keep your censors scissors to yourself. Who’s afraid o f a free and open public forum ? That's a good question for the upcoming elections. Sincerely, Andy Vilés To the Editor: I w o u ld like to Congratulate my son Shawn Thomas, he was chosen for Super Kid of the Month at Lyle Elementary in October
