A moment in history nearly slipped us all by, and I have to wonder how this happened? Why would such a MONUMENTAL resolution passed by Congress NOT reach the front pages of newspapers across the continent? Why wasn’t this action commented on in the nightly television news? Not even a peep in hot topics, late night talk shows..
NOTHING!
That says a lot to me. I know in my heart that when something as potentially important as this comes out and little is said about it, the news doesn’t pick up on it, and you KNOW if the Government’s top representatives say nothing about it..there’s GOT to be something wrong. You’d have to read the whole thing to spot it..but I assure you that you undoubtedly will if you do read it. Follow the link below.. just scroll all the way to the bottom and then up a bit.
While I will be among the first to stand up and congratulate Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. for promoting this resolution, my ability to accept this as a TRUE apology was greatly diminished by the “disclaimer” that Congress had to add at the end of the Resolution. It’s like a teenager saying OOPS! Sorry!! (NOT)
What Congress is afraid of (of course) is that they might actually be called upon to make AMENDS!
THAT’S the real issue here folks.
I mean like HEY! Some businesses might lose their “rights” to pillage that native soil, they might have to pay access fees and make reparations for what they’ve already taken. Some businesses might actually have to relocate!
And what about all the cities that have been built on stolen land. What about the sacred places that have become golf courses?
How can we ever atone for the slaughter of whole villages? Who is there to file a claim for those families..even whole races of people..wiped out in the genocide?
And what about the thousands of lives affected by the deaths of relatives, the damage of forced removal from their homes to boarding schools where abuse ran rampant, and the blatant prejudice? This is ALL recent history folks.. Those people are still alive and can file a valid claims of wrongdoing, and that’s what Congress is afraid of. They can’t REALLY apologise, because then they might have to actually atone for their actions and the actions of past governments.
But you know what?? It’s the only way.
It’s not an apology unless it’s real and you’re ready to do whatever it takes to make amends.
Until then it’s just an apology that wasn’t.
2 responses so far ↓
1 website builder » Blog Archive » The Apology that Wasn’t - Sec.301 Resolution of Apology to Native … // Mar 19, 2008 at 4:51 pm
[...] Newsvine - Get Smarter Here wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptA moment in history nearly slipped us all by, and I have to wonder how this happened? Why would such a MONUMENTAL resolution passed by Congress NOT reach the front pages of newspapers across the continent? … [...]
2 Sarah Pritchard // Mar 29, 2008 at 11:49 am
Well, how can it be called an “Acknowledgment and Apology” with that disclaimer at the end.
If what was being acknowledged and apologized for, was not so “sad” then it would be laughable.
I’m not an American and am hundreds of miles away, but spiritually we are all connected, on Mother Earth, and therefore, all affected in some way, if not physically, then spiritually.
The apology (that was not) should have been big news. Who is it that can make it big news?
Lastly, I will say that I find the disclaimer an insult. It makes the apology and the acknowledgement worthless and that is sickening and weighs heavy on my mind.
Angel cuddles,
Sarah
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