2 SEPTEMBER 1,2008
Smoke Signals
GTOTOC
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NOTICE Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings
DATE TIME
Wednesday, Sept. 10 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 24 ,' 5 p.m.
Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Call Dakota
Whitecloud, Tribal Council Relations Coordinator, at 503-879-1309 to confirm.
I fterrere I
Dear Tribal Members,
In reading what different people have had to say about the legendary
Leno letter that kicked off our campaign season this year, I would like to
offer my own two cents on the matter, if anybody is interested.
To start, I happen to know some, but not all, of the people named in the
letter. They are qualified to do their jobs, and would have probably gotten
the positions regardless of whether or not there was some sort of political
influence being thrown around. I am pretty certain of that. Admittedly, had
a similar letter come out against me and my family, I would be upset as
well. But conversely, I would respond to the heart of the allegations without
hesitation. Unfortunately, being on Council what I had to witness was less
a willingness to address the accusations, which I think one should do, and
more a fixation on rooting out the responsible party and for lack of a better
phrase, making them pay. That in itself is disturbing. When a simple yes-or-no
question, as was asked July 2, is answered with a search-and-destroy
mission towards the person whose actions raised the issue in the first place, I
would say there are some serious, and larger, problems afoot. It is no wonder
the person who wrote the letter chose to do so anonymously.
If there is any good to come of the letter I think it lies in the opportunity
for Tribal members, especially those who like to be vocal and active po
litically, to reassess what they would like to see in their political process.
Because quite honestly, the Leno letter is a product of our political envi
ronment, as cliched as that may sound. This kind of crap has been going
on for years now. The most vocal people who have cried foul in response
to the letter have been responsible for some of the most mean-spirited
mudslinging, much of it public, that I've ever seen in Tribal politics. Like
I said July 2 at the Council meeting, some of you who expressed outrage
have sat and applauded (or even took part in) attacks when they were
launched at me, or Angie Blackwell, or Kathleen Tom, or Buddy West, or
Wink Soderberg. Come to think of it, going back five years, has any mem
ber of the Council ever endured what Ed Pearsall did his last two years? I
really doubt that. For those of you like me who keep every political letter
and frequent the multiple Tribal Web sites and message boards, does any
recent year compare with 2005 for sheer nastiness? If you can think of a
worse year, please let me know and bring proof.
The point I am trying to make is that this kind of stuff will continue until
all of us say "We're not gonna tolerate this, period. We don't care who it
happens to!" It is far too easy to let these kinds of tactics slide when they
are lobbed at those who we oppose and dare I say despise politically. But
that kind of action only feeds the mentality that spawns letters in the first
place. There is no doubt in my mind that the person who wrote that letter
probably convinced themselves what they were doing was OK because it
happened all the time.
I have watched both the Obama and McCain campaigns this year publicly
denounce actions and comments which were supposedly on their behalf.
Although both have allowed their respective sides to lapse somewhat in
terms of avoiding attacks and negativity, they have at least made efforts
to let their supporters know when the line has been crossed. I dream some
day of when we will start to see that kind of leadership and responsibility
exercised not only in the Tribal political efforts, but among the Council
themselves. Far too often I have witnessed accusations made toward indi
vidual Council that were baseless. Far too often I've known that everybody
on Council knew the accusations were baseless, but said nothing, not even
just to let people know the truth. I stuck up for our vice chair on July 2, even
though for the duration of my time on Council we have been continually
nt different ends of the political battleground. 1 did that because regard
less of our differences, these kinds a tactics like the Leno letter are hard
to defend. When the next line of BS attacks comes my way, maybe he or
one of his political allies on or off the Council will Btick up for me. If that
ever happens, you will know we as a Tribe are undoubtedly headed in the
right direction. When Council really is that united and professional, stuff
like the Ix-no letter will be a distant memory, if even remembered at all.
Sincerely,
Christopher G. Mercler
Roll 1821
See pnge 1 1 for more letters.
General Council meeting
Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008 11 a.m.
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2008 Tribal Council
1-800-422-0232 councilgrandronde.org
D Cheryl A. Kennedy
Tribal Chairwoman
- ext. 2352
cheryk.kennedygrandrorKk.org
D Reyn Leno
Tribal Vice Chair
- ext. 2399
reyn. rfrgrar.(lronde.org
Jack GlfTen Jr.
Tribal Secretary
- ext. 2306
(xk.glfTengrarKlronde.org
D Steve Bobb Sr.
-ext. 2353
steve.bobbgrandronde.org
Chris Mercler
ext. 2305
chrts.rrrerckrgrandronde.org
Wink Soderberg
ext. 1444
wlnk.soderberggraiulronde.org
Kathleen Tom
ext. 1777
kauSreen.tomgrandronde.org
June Sell-Sherer
ext. 2300
une jherergrandronde.org
Valorle Sheker
-ext. 2355
val.shekergrandronde.org