Obama Supports Tribal Sovereignty Over Freedman Objections

Old news, but people are so mislead. Many still believe Obama unequivocally supports the Congressional Black Caucus on the Cherokee/Freedman issue. Weak. Well, here's the entire statement as well as a link to an article that discusses it. Forward on peeps.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080511_1_a17_hthes26208

From the campaign:

Barack Obama has reiterated his support for tribal sovereignty. Senator Obama said, "Tribal sovereignty must mean that the place to resolve intertribal disputes is the tribe itself. Our nation has learned with tragic results that federal intervention in internal matters of Indian tribes is rarely productive - failed policies such as Allotment and Termination grew out of efforts to second-guess Native communities. That is not a legacy we want to continue."

With respect to the Cherokee Freedman issue, Senator Obama said that while he is opposed to unwarranted tribal disenrollment, congressional interference was not warranted at this point. "Discrimination anywhere is intolerable, but the Cherokee are dealing with this issue in both tribal and federal courts. As it stands, the rights of the Cherokee Freedmen are not being abrogated because there is an injunction in place that ensures the Freedman's rights to programs during the pendency of the litigation. I do not support efforts to undermine these legal processes and impose a congressional solution. Tribes have a right to be self governing and we need to respect that, even if we disagree, which I do in this case. We must have restraint in asserting federal power in such circumstances."

Obama also reiterated his support for fulfilling the treaty obligations to tribes. "The Cherokee Freedmen issue highlights the larger issue of the unfulfilled treaty promises made by the federal government to tribes. It is these promises that Barack is most concerned with as the future president. Barack understands that the federal government owes a legal and moral obligation to tribes to provide health care, education and other essential services to tribes. This is not a handout, but compensation for millions of acres of land relinquished by tribes."