U.S. Apology to Indians Considered

I, for one, will be watching this piece of legislation very closely. We'll see how far along this gets in the process. In my opinion, we need to be talking about some reparations (BTW: what ever happened to the promised "40 acres and a mule"?).

--ryan


U.S. apology to Indians considered

Bill 'acknowledges years of official depredations'

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

By ANDREW MOLLISON
COX NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON -- An official apology for the way the United States and its citizens have mistreated American Indians and the country's other indigenous people is starting to move through Congress.

"I know there's potential for this being controversial," said the apology's author, Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. He recalled the barrage of vitriolic phone calls a few years ago that blocked a similar attempt by former Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, to obtain an official apology to the descendants of former slaves.

"But the circumstances are different," he said. "With the maturity of the sovereign tribes being acknowledged, the opening this fall (on Washington's Mall) of the museum recognizing the contribution of Native Americans, this is a moment that could be used, not to heal all old wounds, but to start building a new relationship..."