[PEN-L:9692] FW: Illegal State Counties within Indian Nations

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Press Release:

Presentation to Blackfeet Tribal Business Council

At Browning, Montana USA

By Long Standing Bear Chief
July 1, 1999

Illegal Glacier and Pondera Counties by State of Montana
in the Indian Nations.



Dear Members of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, and, fellow Blackfoot
Nation members. I introduce myself to you by my real Indian name as a way of
demonstrating to you the truthfulness and sincerity of what I have to say to
you today. My name is Long Standing Bear Chief.

        My research and that of others prove beyond a doubt that these two
counties, Glacier and Pondera, are not legal as they have been established
within our nations boundaries. Therefore they have no right to exist, and,
must be removed.

        In my research I have found other counties to be illegally set up by
the state of Montana prior to 1924. All tolled there are no less than 16
more illegal counties within the boundaries of the nations of the Crow,
Salish, Kootenai, Sioux, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Cheyenne, Cree, and
Chippewa.

        My appearance before the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council today
(July 1, 1999) is to let you know what I know, as well as many others who
have explored the question of the counties origin, within the boundaries of
"Indian reservations".  It is also to inform you of a solution to our white
problem.

        I have made preliminary investigation into the same question,
illegal county governments, in Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota
and in other places and the pattern is the same. This pattern of law
breaking is the one whereby States created counties within the boundaries of
Indian nations without a vote of the Indian people.  I am now in the process
of informing the Indian nations in those areas and in Canada what has
happened to all of us.

        The first act toward freedom: I am going to personally file a Writ
of Mandamus with the State of Montana and The United States Supreme Courts
directing them to enforce their own laws against the State of Montana's
further attempts to exert jurisdiction over us via state arms of government,
in this instance the counties of Glacier and Pondera.

        As you gentleman well know, the United States Constitution under the
"Commerce Clause" and the Constitution of Montana in 1889 strictly prohibits
Montana from exerting jurisdiction over Indians or Indian land. This same
law was retained by the state when it revised its constitution in 1972. I
know because many others and myself lobbied the Constitutional Convention in
1971 to retain the provision as outlined in Article 1.

The Solution:

        The solution to many problems is at hand by the removal of these
illegal state entities called Glacier and Pondera County, which are slowly
stealing our land base. Problems such as jurisdiction, taxation, inheritance
law, voting rights, discrimination in education, and a host of other issues
will disappear as they are currently being enforced by State, and Federal
law that promotes these genocide actions against us in the name of justice.
The whiteman's justice is a farce, because it promotes the loss our rightful
identity and our demise as an identifiable people.

        The Whiteman Relocation Act of the Year 2000.

        The second step to be requested is the relocation of all whites that
do not wish to come under the jurisdiction of the Blackfoot People within
the boundaries of our nation. You gentleman will also recall, because you
may have participated in it, and that there is a precedent example to be
found in the Indian Relocation Act.  Thousands of Indian people were sent to
such places as Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and a long list of
other places, all designed to relocate the Indian people to places where
they wanted our people to stay and never return to that homeland.

        Since the State of Montana created this white man problem it is now
its duty to remedy the excruciating pain it has cause us by virtue of their
peoples continued attempts at genocide. This last word, genocide, is a harsh
word because it represents the death of a people by many different means.
But if you will read how the United Nations in its international laws
defines it you will come to agree with me that the use of the word is
correct. I am here to tell you, I am an expert in the use of Whiteman's
words, having studied the English language and these white people all my
life.  I was required to in order to get "professional" recognition as a
teacher, etc..

        There is much to do. I am not here to demand your support but to
advise you and to let you know what some of the nation members are going to
be doing over the next few months. I do, however, ask those of you present
to take a roll call vote as a way of telling us where you personally stand
on this issue.  I ask you to vote on a motion one of you might be willing to
introduce at this time.

        The motion: The motion is made that all councilman vote yes or no on
the proposition of your personal desire to remove Glacier and Pondera
Counties from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, also known as the Blackfoot
Nation, and return all land within our nations boundaries to the Blackfoot
people as soon as possible, by encouraging the filing of a Writ of Mandamus
by Long Standing Bear Chief, directing the State of Montana to remove its
county forms of government from among our midst.

        A YES vote means you are in favor of the removal of Glacier and
Pondera County.

        A NO vote means you favor Keeping State of Montana jurisdiction over
us as Blackfoot people by keeping Glacier and Pondera County in place.

        Thank you for your action today.

                I am, a loyal and faithful member of the Blackfoot Nation,

                                Long Standing Bear Chief

For further information: write blkfoot4@xxxxxxxxxxx or call 406-338-2882