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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1998)
April 15, 1998 Opinion 3 To Bruce Thomas and Tribal Council, As a parent of a Faulconer Grade School student and an employee of Spirit Mountain Casino, I would like to take this time to personally "thank you" and everyone involved in the generous do nation you presented to the school in the aftermath of the devastating fire that destroyed the school we were all so proud of. I am very "proud" to be employed by and asso ciated with such a warm, caring, and giving estab-. lishment. Spirit Mountain Casino never hesitates to give so freely of donations for so many differ ent purposes that are so beneficial to all who re ceive them. Until it "hits home" and we really need help, we never fully recognize or realize just how important you are to the surrounding com munities and how dedicated you are to providing for those communities, whether it be in good times or bad! I know I speak for parents of the children af fected by this devastation and I would like to con vey our deepest gratitude to you from all of us who are involved at Faulconer Grade School. Thanks so much, Sharon Hall SMC Employee Badge 2817 Letter to the Editor, I would like to thank the Tribal Council, Bryan Langley and the Housing Department staff for the home I now own. I have been able to purchase a 4 bedroom home in Willamina with all this room what will my sons do! It is such a tremendous strain on my budget as a single parent to save the money needed to purchase a home. It would not have been possible without the down payment as sistance grant. I am thankful to the Council for the wonderful programs they so generously pro vide for us ALL. Once again thank you all!! Valorie Sheker, Roll 2236 Gary Guzman, Roll 2214 Eric Sabin, Roll 3607 Anthony Sabin, Roll 3606 To the Editor: I read every issue of Smoke Signals and am at times dismayed with the dissatisfaction of many who feel members are not being treated equally and fairly. RE: Saddle Drive, Bend, Oregon Feb. 15, 1998 "Members are not happy with your decisions as Tribal Council." This is truly a blanket statement. I do not take it lightly when my unsolicited opinion is used in this manner. I for one feel that our Council Members are work ing in our best interests within the constraints of what is legally and ethically possible. Tribal gaming today is a political football passed from one reining administration to the next. If we think we can count on revenues from these earn ings forever or from one year to the next, we are certainly burying our heads in the sand. It's necessary to understand that to insure any kind of financial future for all members we must diversify our economic base into areas of high eco nomic and population growth. If we blindly con tinue to only count on timber and gaming revenues to support tribal programs we are unrealistically placing faith into sources of income that at best will not always be there for us. Granted, timber is a renewable resource, but if gaming is lost, more likely than not we will never get it back. If this should happen we certainly will not see the ben efits we are currently receiving. I believe it's human nature to want more and to better our station in life, but whatever happened to the idea of working for it and not just expecting a handout? We should take stock of what benefits are available to us at no cost. I'm sure many of us will be amazed. ; We are certainly receiving more today than five years ago, and yes, less today than we will be receiving in the next five years. We should be thankful for what we are receiving, not whining about what we are not. I urge each member to attend Council meetings, if only to see how "they" are conducting our busi ness and look at the limitations and constraints the Council faces. I feel we are fortunate to have Council members with foresight enough to under stand that building a strong foundation comes first and the courage to take a stand against the adver sity of the ever growing "ME NOW" attitude that is voicing unfounded accusations. I feel that for one to have an opinion, one must first be informed. All opinions are welcome at Council meetings, attend and voice yours. I live out of state, but not for one minute do I feel I'm oaf, in no man's land without the support from my tribe. I am exceptionally fortunate to be re ceiving all the benefits which are available to me. J. Abbott Roll 66 Letter to the Editor: Month after month, the General Council meet ing is consumed with complaints. Complaints about Spirit Mountain complaints about tribal pro grams. I for one am tired of it! I think the Tribe has made great strides. I am thankful to the leadership both at the tribal level and Spirit Mountain. Just once I would like to go to a General Council meet ing and hear from people who are happy with their tribe. For instance, my medical insurance is paid. I get a member benefit check every year. There's a new clinic. There's going to be a beautiful addi tion of a hotel. As for a job, I keep checking with Spirit Mountain for openings and they stay in touch with me. (To Camille Mercier, who was publicly chastised at the April 5 General Council meeting, I think you do a great job! You and Sarah Harvey, my daughter, work very hard for the people. That fact does not go unnoticed by many of the tribal members.) What does this letter really mean? Are there positive tribal members out there? Are there other tribal people who feel like I do? People who know we have a long way to go, but also know we have come a long way? Come to a General Council meeting and say so. Write a letter to Smoke Sig nals and say so. I'm going to say it! Thank you Tribal Council and thank you Spirit Mountain! I really appreciate everything you are doing! Sincerely, Sanda (Langley) Henny Tribal Enrollment 409 Dear Tribal Members; Before I say anything else, I would like to con gratulate the people appointed to the Election Board. I hope the election this year goes well. I also want to personally thank everyone for the support we received last year. Many people called to let us know that our efforts to solve the problems were appreciated. I am hurt by the Council's decision not to reap point me to the Board, but I will not allow their actions to turn me into a bitter, resentful person. I live my life by four traditional principles: Com passion, Wisdom, Truth and Respect. I will not sacrifice these principles for anyone or anything. There are a lot of tribal members out there that would have believed inaccurate information and outright lies if I had not had the opportunity to speak with them. I am glad that I had the chance to in form people of what was really happening rather than see people act on and believe all the ugly ru mors that were being spread. I am also glad that I was here and took the time to listen - even if that was all I could do - when tribal members called with concerns or to ask questions. Lastly, to those of you who asked me to fight back - I thank you for showing me that people really do care. I want the People to know that I tried to do my best to help solve the problems last year. I told the truth and in return have been treated with disrespect. For your support, for your kindness, for your compassion - I am grateful. You will be in my prayers always. Sincerely, Dakota Rae Sangretta-Whitecloud Roll 1587 SMOKE SIGNALS 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Or 97347 Internet e-mail addresses: tracynewsmacnet.com kimnewsmacnet.com Editor: TRACY DUGAN (503) 879-2254 Graphics & News Coordinator: KIM MUELLER (503) 879-2264 1-800-422-0232 FAX: (503) 879-2263 Members of the Native American Journalist Association and the Associated Press. SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR READERS: SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confeder ated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Or egon, Is publised twice a month. We have established an Editorial Policy to encourage Input from readers about stories printed in SMOKE SIGNALS, as well as other tribal Issues. However, all letters must be received at the newspaper office with author's signa ture, address, and phone number in order to be con sidered for publication. SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of a letter that may contain libelous statements or personal attacks. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do not necessarily re flect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, tribal em ployees, or Tribal Council. UPCOMING DEADLINES: Monday, April 20, 1998 Tuesday, May 5, 1998 Printed on recycled paper.
