April 1, 2004
Page 5
Letters to the editor Cascade Locks is best solution for casino
Spilyqy Tyrooo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Since the loss
Hello friends and relatives.
It has been a very difficult
time for my household since the
loss of my granddaughter.
Even though we have lost
her, her love fills the voids. There
is not a minute that goes by we
don't think of her. As the real
ity of our loss hits us, we hold
our breath and pray for help and
comfort. Every morning we re
mind ourselves to get up and get
on with a new day. We remind
ourselves to breath and go on
with life as hard as it may be.
We pray that someday we
won't have to remind ourselves
to breath, take a shower, or
make a meal. That the pain will
ease enough that we can do it
without reminding ourselves.
There are so many people
who have helped along the way,
I can't possibly name them all.
We really do appreciate you
all for the help in these trying
times. May God bless you for
all you have done. Thank you
sincerely. Sarah Ike, Shanda
Culps, and Curtis Stacona.
A poem
Time for a change; a cry for
our people:
Niiy-you-way People, brave
and true, What has really hap
pened to you.
Money has come and made
you blind, to your fellow man,
who's left behind.
Mother Earth cries, her laws
forgotten, sitting alone, becom
ing rotten.
This land made a promise or
so it's been said, My heart grows
hungary nad wants to be fed.
A piece of pie called the
American Dream, But there's
too many rules, you just want
to scream.
Sody- Ya Poo ways we've
learned to embrance.
Our elders would say, "What
a disgrace."
They fought for this land
so we could live, to help
those less fortunate, we must
always give.
Nii Yow Way People, brave
and true, what are you going to
do?
Ask yourself what has been
done these past few years.
The people unheard, for
gotten, make you heart shed
tears.
John Beevis, Pendleton,
"in-law," supporting Tony "Big
Rat" Suppah, Simnasho Coun
cil candidate.
Apologies
I would like to take this time
to apologize to the Warm
Springs community for my
wrong-doings on or about Feb.
27, for driving under the influ
ence of alcohol. Once again I
apologize. It will never happen
again. Sincerely,
Lydell Adams.
Dear Warm Springs, I just
want to apologize for my actions
on one those days, and in the
future it won't happen again.
And I'm trying to get my life
together again and I'm looking
for a job. Ralph Aguilar Jr.
I am writing this letter to
apologize to the community of
Warm Springs for driving un
der the influence. I would also
like to say I'm sorry to Tyrone
and Tony. Thank you for your
time. H.B.
Haskell without Internet
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -Students
at Haskell Indian Na
tions University and tens of
thousands of other students at
American Indian schools have
found themselves scrambling
after a court ruling shut down
their Internet access.
U.S. District Judge Royce
Lamberth last week ordered the
Interior Department to pull the
plug on most of its Internet
connections, finding that the
department still hasn't fixed
computer security problems that
could jeopardize millions of
dollars in royalties for American
Indians.;.
Lamberth 's order cut off ac
cess for about 900 Haskell stu
dents, as well as students at
Southwest Indian Polytechnic
Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.
Also losing access were most of
the 50,000 students who attend
elementary, secondary and
boarding schools either directly
operated by the BIA or funded
by the BIA and tribally operated.
Those 184 schools are located
on 63 reservations in 23 states,
said Dan DuBray, an Interior
Department spokesman.
Affected schools get their
Internet services through the
Educational Native American
Network, which is directed by
the Department of the Interior's
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Besides being unable to send
and receive e-mail and conduct
Internet research, Web sites for
Haskell and other institutions
connected to the Department
of Interior also are down.
In Lawrence, Haskell stu
dents have been advised to go
to the city or University of Kan
sas libraries to conduct Internet
research until the service is re
stored. "We've not been told
when we'll be back up," said
David Fire, Haskell's director of
computer services. "I doubt that
itll be anvtime soon."
University spokeswoman
Lori Tapahonso said many stu
dents had finished their midterm
research projects before
Internet access was shut down.
But those who are still working,
as well students and faculty do
ing long-term research, are en
countering difficulties.
"It doesn't sound like a big
deal to just go to K.U. or the
public library (for Internet and
research)," Kerrie Blevins, a
Cherokee sophomore from Bro
ken Arrow, Okla. told the
Lawrence Journal-World. "But
if you go to K.U., you have to
pay $15 for an ID, and a lot of
students don't have that kind of
money. And they don't have
cars, so it's asking a lot for them
to walk all the way to the library
downtown." The ruling is related
to a 1996 lawsuit, Cobell v.
Norton, that was filed on behalf
of American Indian landowners
who allege the Department of
Interior mishandled tens of bil
lions of dollars in oil, gas, tim
ber and grazing royalties.
By Vic Atiyeh
Former Governor Of Oregon
I read with great interest of
Hood River County Commis
sioner Carol York's encouraging
a new tribal casino within the
City of Cascade Locks.
For over seven years the Con
federated Tribes of Warm
Springs have worked patiently
with the people of the Colum
bia River Gorge to forge a com
mon vision for the transition to
a new tourist economy. Now is
the right time to make this vi
sion a reality.
Oregon needs clean, job pro
ducing economic development
which is both consistent with our
economic needs and our envi
ronmental values.
A compromise, proposed by
Commissioner York, has all the
ingredients of a classic Oregon
solution to the complex issue of
where to site the casino the
Warm Springs Tribe is entitled
under federal law to build.
The people in Hood River,
understandably, do not want the
Casino on tribal trust lands east
of Hood River. That location is
outside the I Iood River city lim
its in the Columbia Gorge Sce
nic Area and straddles the Mark
(). Hatfield State Trail.
Under the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act of 19S8, the
Tribes have had every legal right
to build there now. But they have
not - out of respect for the
people of the Columbia River
communities who think it is a
flawed site.
Thankfully, the federal stat
ute, the Indian Gaming Regula
tor)' Act, allows the Secretary of
the Interior to take certain lands
into trust for gaming purposes.
The Secretary must deter
mine - after consultation with
appropriate State and local of
ficials - that a gaming establish
ment on newly acquired lands
would be in the best interest of
the Indian tribe and its members,
and would not be detrimental to
the surrounding community.
The governor of the state
must "concur" in this determi
nation, in order for this decision
to stand.
This legal right opens the
possibility for commissioner
York's compromise to become
a reality.
The people of economically
depressed Cascade Locks want
the Warm Springs casino at a
little used industrial site, within
their city limits. Building a gam
ing facility at this compromise
site would mean nearly 1.8 mil
lion hours of work for building
and construction workers - a
payroll of about $50 million.
Once opened, a casino in this
former mill town would provide
1,000 much needed full-time
jobs and an invigorated tax base.
Our Columbia River Scenic
Act and Oregon land use law en- .
courages economic develop
ment within the city limits of
towns in the Scenic Area.
I understand that is why sev
eral Columbia Gorge Commis
sion members have expressed
support for this project.
Leaders in Cascade Locks
have wisely sought the Warm
Springs casino to give their com
munity the economic boost that
these clean tourism jobs provide
and they so badly need. An ad
ditional environment benefit of
this balanced approach would be
the chance to preserve and pro
tect those scenic, sensitive lands
east of I lood River.
We all are greatly concerned
about the harsh economic and
social realities on Oregon's larg
est Indian reservation - over 50
percent of the tribal members
are unemployed.
The economic recovery of
the Warm Springs Tribe is ben
eficial to all Oregonians, and
lessens the tribes' dependence
on any taxpayer programs in
these budget-constrained times.
A Casino at Cascade Locks
will generate the funds to pay
for basic health, housing and
education services - assuring
tribal members hope for a bet
ter tomorrow.
As a former Oregon gover
nor, I sincerely urge Gov.
Kulongoski to meet with the
leaders of the Warm Springs
tribe and take advantage of this
historic opportunity and bring so
many benefits to so many Or
egonians. The need is great and
the time is right.
Root Feast Jackpot
Rodeo April 24-25
The Warm Springs Rodeo
Grounds will be the scene this
month of the Root Feast Jack
pot Rodeo. The event is on Sat
urday and Sunday, April 24-25,
starting at 1 p.m. daily.
The event is sponsored by
the Warm Springs Rodeo Asso
ciation. The association invites all vis
iting royalty to participate in the
Grand Entry.
Events include saddle bronc,
bareback, calf roping,
breakaway roping, senior bar
rels,' wirdlioiise'ce, junior'' bal'-'i
it)'. I, -)CI til )j;!IJ ';'
rels, calf riding (7-10 year olds),
junior bulls (1 1 to 16 year olds),
bull riding, limit of 30 riders,
and team roping.
Rodeo entry information:
books open Monday, April 19,
and Tuesday, April 20. Office
hours are 6 to 9 p.m.
Call backs, Thursday, April
22. There are no "day of ro
deo" entries. Call (541) 553-1342
for information. $10 contestant
fee. $30 contestant fee wild horse
race teams. No fee for youth
-U l.f mil' (! 'n. !'. ''
Early Bird Eaotor
Troacuro Hunt
Where? The Museum at Warm
Springs.
When? Saturday, April 1 1 from
11 a.m. till 2 p.m.
How? Bring your own con
tainer and hunt for treasures
hidden in the west field of the
museum grounds.
Seek to the heart's content.
A,
)
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