They Were Here First

Have you seen the presidents budget proposal for next year? He will increase defense spending by 1.5 TRILLION dollars. And where will it come from? He will rob programs that fulfill the treaties to tribal nations across our country. Most specifically Tribal colleges and universities. Without the funding, those schools will close within a year.

This isn’t the first time this man has ignored and trampled over agreements made to Indigenous Peoples. This is another blatant attempt to dehumanize those who have been disrespected and put down over and over again.

We have stolen their land, polluted it, ignored their knowledge of working with fragility of nature and destroyed their sacred places of worship.

It wasn’t enough, apparently to steal their children, torture and murder them in an effort to make them “Christian.” Then we herded them to the most barren lands and forced them to live there. We promised sovereignty in their worship and customs when they stayed on the reservations. And then we broke those promises, too.

The Universities being targeted now are the Institute for American Indian Arts, Haskell Indian Nation University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. It doesn’t stop there. Housing, business, and infrastructure grants will also go away. The tribes are already living in poverty with poor medical care, schools, and substandard housing.

Our President needs to spend a week living on a reservation in a home filled with mold, with the wind blowing through cracks in the walls. He needs to know what it is like to only eat one meal a day, to be afraid to stand up for himself lest the corrupt police come to his door. I would like him to have to wait for hours to be seen by a physician, then be given a Tylenol and told not to worry.

Mr President, you are the immigrant. Stop trying to bully most of our population. Those descent, hardworking less than Lilly white human beings were never a threat to you. They have no desire to become like you in any way. They pity you. Other cultures are raised with concept of community. They know that only by working together, honoring each person’s unique strengths, and supporting each other can we thrive.

You are destroying the fabric of our nation. You are busy tearing apart what made us stronger, resilient, and malleable. You are focused on squashing creativity and independence when that is what has allowed us to weather disease, to negotiate peace, and to advance our place in the world.

You, sir, are cutting off your nose to spite your face. Your selfishness, arrogance, and dementia will not ever make America great. If you are not careful, you will instead cause the end of the world. You can not win a nuclear war.