The Yakima Herald-Republic reports tribal plaintiff Marlene White is suing for enforcement of an 1855 treaty and federal liquor laws, to uphold an alcohol ban approved by the Yakima Nation six years ago. Forty-plus businesses on the rez still sell alcohol, plus a few more in non-Native towns within. White argues Natives can't help themselves, so government must.
...White says alcohol has caused only harm to tribal members since being brought here more than 150 years ago. "We don't want to infringe on anyone's rights," she said. "It has infringed on our rights."
Admittedly, alcohol abuse takes a serious toll in America, on and off reservations. But alcohol itself does not infringe on anyone's rights; the problems stem from those who choose to abuse it.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 16, 2007 11:05 AM | Email ThisLet's ban them, too.
Posted by: Rey Smith on January 16, 2007 10:50 AMI'm not sure whether the Yakimas' lawsuit has any merit. Probably not. But at least the tribal leaders there are trying to solve the problem by proclaiming zero tolerance for alcohol. This seems somewhat more likely to help than, say, simply telling the tribe members it's all their fault.
Posted by: DJ on January 16, 2007 12:46 PMWho cares if people want to enjoy gambling? It's a form of entertainment, just like sporting events or the opera. Whatever happened to personal responsibility in this country?
This is another example of nanny-statism. Government needs to stop protecting us from ourselves. Jaywalking tickets, online gambling bans, lap dance arrests, etc, etc. I feel more like a libertarian every day with the morality police around here.
Posted by: Palouse on January 16, 2007 12:47 PMseems it;s easier to sue today than work, change one's habits & choices or accept personal responsibility. true for gambling, booze and homelessness. or any behavior. sounds cold, i know. why candy-coat it?
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on January 16, 2007 01:42 PMLegalize marijuana!!
Posted by: swatter on January 16, 2007 02:03 PMOther thought: Amusing comments and deep thoughts about genetics and liberty aside, the more critical issue is the status of a tribe.
Sovereign nation not subject to the Constitution?
OR
Element of state citizenry with some policy protections not enjoyed by the rest of the population?
We may disagree about which is true, but we should not continue to permit tribes to pick and choose based upon whether it suits them in each instance.
Sovereign nation with regard to being governed by environmental law.
State citizen with regard to entitlement programs.
Sovereign nation with regard to tax obligations of tribal entities.
State citizen with regard to the state's duty to build infrastructure.
The list of examples goes on and on.
Posted by: anon on January 16, 2007 05:11 PM"Alcoholic beverages were used in some parts of North America before European contact. The Tohono O'Odham of the Southwest fermented syrup of the saguaro (a type of cactus) into wine for their four-day saguaro wine feast, a ritual intended to bring the summer monsoons. By saturating themselves with saguaro wine, they prayed that life-giving rain would likewise saturate the parched earth of the Sonoran Desert.
Many tribes used hallucinogenic plants--plants or plant derivatives that produce hallucinations when ingested--to enhance their religious rites and bring them into closer contact with the Great Spirit. The most common hallucinogen was peyote, a spineless cactus whose mushroom-shaped caps, or buttons, were dried and chewed or brewed into tea. First used in Mexico and along the Rio Grande, peyote use later spread onto the Great Plains and into Canada. In the late 1800s the Kiowa and Comanche were among the first tribes to adopt the Peyote religion, or Peyotism. In 1918 the Peyote religion was formally incorporated as the Native American Church, which regards peyote as sacred and uses it in religious ceremonies and rituals. Church doctrine stresses brotherly love, family responsibility, self-reliance, and abstinence from alcohol."
Maybe they can't really blame exposure to alcohol ENTIRELY on European/American settler influence.