I understand it quite well. The resources on this planet belong to everyone on the planet, the indians never 'owned' them nor does any governmnent or corporation, end of discussion on that.
Is that what you think? Here is something that you need to understand, might makes right. I don't profess that that is just or right or anything, but that's the truth. If someone can simply take what's you have and you have no ability to stop them in any way, then what does it matter how you feel about it? It's no less gone.
I have never done anything bad to anyone, I haven't stolen anything, I haven't raped or beaten anyone, I have worked an honest job since I was 16 and payed every penny of my share of taxes since I was 18.
A commendable life I should say. No one in the US owns a slave anymore. But that doesn't change what happened to those who were slaves. Maybe I can change to a different point of view to explain my position.
If you bought a home and spent 30 years adding to it, building it into a beautiful place to live, and someone just came along and by force, kicked you out. When you called the police, you find out that the police are the brothers of the guys that kicked you out and took your home away from you. Having your life up rooted like that takes a toll on your family and you're kids have some anger issues because, instead of the happy life you had going, you have to start over, far away from the things that were familiar to you, and let slide some things in life because you're now too busy trying to get something back together for you and your family. I'll add this, that when those people kicked you our of your place, they also killed on of your sons who put up a fight. So in all of this, you have to deal with that loss if you can.
Now you're kids have grown up in this, period having witnessed that loss and suffered through it too, and they tell their children to watch out for these dirty buggers who come and steal away a life time of happiness and all the belongings to that. Unfortunately those same dirty buggers get wind of what your kids are teaching their kids and know that this will form resentment in the children. So they take those kids away from your kids, again by force, killing a few people here and there that try to stop them, and they put those kids in special schools where they can be raised and taught what they need to know away from all that resentment.
Now, another issue crops up, those who the dirty buggers hired to raise these kids of your kids have some issues of their own. Within their ranks are more than a few really bad people. They are going to molest those grand kids of yours, they are going to beat the daylights out of them and when those kids get too old to control easily, they are going to turn the violent ones over to the prison system so that they can be safe from these violent young adults.
Some of these kids suffer all that, and rather than lashing out, they buy in to the system. They take whats dished out to them, rise above all that, and manage to find the few people in that system who can help them through it. They get educated to the ways of that system, never causing a problem and become knowledgeable enough to see where some of the injustice, isn't at all condoned by the majority of the people. As they find the right people to relate this whole story to, that started with you getting kicked out of your home so long ago, the people see the injustice of it. Some even use the power they have to put a stop to the abuse of the kids put into those schools and try to weed out the sick buggers who used that to prey on the children there.
Mean while it comes to light that you weren't the only one kicked out of that nice home you had so long ago. Nor were your kids the only ones killed and hurt when that happened and as it turns out, there were a lot of their kids that had been taken away and put into these schools and further harmed. Those left behind in the aftermath of all of this, well some didn't take it all that well. Some turned to booze to dull the pain they couldn't deal with. Others couldn't hold on to a steady job because they were all wrapped up in it. They, like most people still had more kids, but as you might guess, not all of them were model parents. Some of those kids turned wild and just took it out on everyone themselves included.
Now when those dirty buggers grew old, they felt that they would leave some of what they accumulated in their lifetime, even what they took from others by force, to their children and grandchildren through inheritance. Your nice old house was sold and the money that came from that, which was not a small sum by the way, went to each of their kids who invested, bought themselves homes, rolled that money into a larger amount and in turn, became really wealthy from it. They built hospitals, roads, brought power to the towns that were growing. Built markets, schools and newspapers. Really good things that help alot of people. But none of that changes the fact that someone took your home that you worked hard to make for you and your family. Even though, your great great grandchildren use those same hospitals, work at those business and make a good living too. There is still that injustice that was done to you, and to your kids, and their kids after them.
There is no going back to right the wrong that was done to you. But an injustice has been done and as a result people have suffered, not just you but, your kids, their kids, all have suffered to some extent. Some more than others, but everyone has missed out on something. To address that, everyone got together and talked about it. As you can imagine, that wasn't easy. Not everyone wants to hear about how some of the great people who built a hospital, or made a great city out of a small town, had a darker side or whose father who left them such great wealth that made so much possible was a terrible person who stole so much from others. Not an easy conversation to have at all.
So in light of all of that, we all reached a deal on some of the issues. That would lay to rest some of the injustice by acknowledging that it happened and making a deal to in a symbolic way, make everyone even steven again.
There are still some issues that haven't been resolved partly because some people just aren't ready to deal with them yet, and the whole truth of the matter hasn't been agreed to yet.
But the deal we did agree to, now isn't being lived up to. Not they way it was intended when we agreed to the deal.
So we have things like reservations without clean drinking water. It's not that one side or the other is to blame, there are still dirty buggers on both sides stealing what isn't theirs and getting away with it. The fact remains, that there isn't clean drinking water. As an example you understand. We both need to sort out these dirty buggers, but they aren't an excuse not to make sure there is clean drinking water on reservations.
That we owe. Everyone, you me our kids kids ten generations down the line from us. We owe that. That was the deal. We agreed. A deal is a deal. We don't get to break the deal just because we aren't the ones at the table making the deal. Part of the deal was that it remains forever. Forever doesn't mean until it's inconvenient. Forever means forever.
The indians are asking me and my children and grandchildren to pay for things done to their ancestors by other people than those alive today. Don't try to pass it off to the governmnent, every person in this country is the government, the few in Ottawa are just representitives.
That was the deal. Someone made an agreement on your behalf. Your kids are bound to it, as are those who come after them. The only way you get to back out of this deal is to leave the country. Anyone who comes to live in this country today, agrees to that deal. If you want to live here, you have to agree to that deal as that is part of the deal. No one says you have to stay here. You can leave the country for good and that is the end of you and that deal. You're free from it as are your kids. Unless they move back here to live and then they are again part of that deal.
As for corporations raping resources, do you have a car, appliances, a computer and phone, we all use the resources and so do the indians, get a grip on the reality of the actual situation.
Ever hear the saying about not inflicting the sins of the father on the child? Well that is what is being done to every Canadian with this.
Blame the guys who made the deal. But how you feel doesn't change it at all. Imagine someone coming into your store and buying something, then a month later sending you a letter saying they don't like that price anymore and want to stop paying for the stuff they bought. Just how far do you think they would be allowed to carry on with that idea? Do you think a court would enforce that motion, or do you figure they would be laughed out of court?
FYI - I hate starbucks, don't go near the place and went to disneyland once as a child.
Some people just don't like good coffee. When I can't have my own, I go to Starbucks.
Never been to Disneyland. Not much for crowds anyway.
First Nations people need to grow and move on with life like the rest of us. Everyone here owes them some help to do that. We need to honour our deal. Doing so helps them but it also helps us to move on too.