Alaskan Politics (statewide and nationwide) (Metlakatla, Venetie: unemployment rate, income, taxation)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Siouxcia

There may be many illegals in the Southwest but not all whose first language is Spanish are illegals. I'm a fourth generation American of Mexican descent (born and raised in Chicago) but my ancesters had lived in Southern Texas for several generations before it became the United States of America. Because Mexican-Americans choose to speak Spanish doesn't make them illegals.

Because of the 'melting pot' of American, I don't look like any specific nationality except, I don't look Caucasian. Years ago when I was a student and working as a nurse's aide, a patient with a strong accent, asked me 'What are you?'. I knew what he meant but answered, 'I'm a woman.' He said, 'No! What are you.' I told him I was Mexican-American. He told me "You talk real good for a Mexican.' I asked what he was and he said Norwegian. I told him he spoke very well for a Norwegian. He was insulted.

I agree we should all speak a common language. What bothers me, is the assumption that because some of us aren't Caucasian and some of us have a first language that isn't English, we're considered 'illegals'. I have ancesters who helped the first Europeans off their boats but I'm considered more un-American than a second generation European.

Hmmm, go figure!

I think you are lumping too many of us together. We do not think everyone with an accent is an illegal. We spent many years in NM, believe me, those of Spanish decent and many were Spanish as well as many Mexican, here legally disliked the influx of illegals more than some caucasions. Like you, the families had been in America as many or more years than some of our families.

that being said, I will always maintain, anyone living in America should speak English. BTW whoever said English is not our officail language, you are right. It was voted on 2 years ago, needed to pass by 2/3 majority and 33 voted not to make it the official language. I also will always feel if you are an American citizen you should speak English and ballots should be printed in English only. My view and I will stick with it. I really am not sure there is too much more to say on the subject. The rest of you can continue..

Nita

[Siouxcia]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I think you are lumping too many of us together.My view and I will spick with it.

Nita

Re-read my post and show me where I lumped anyone together and read where I agree there should be a common language. You've posted a few statements that are have been proven wrong. In addition to perhaps paying a bit more attention to what others have posted, as I posted before after one of your posts, Google is your friend.

Oh, and is your 'spick' a mis-spelling or a Freudian slip?

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I will always maintain, anyone living in America should speak English.

I know a number of people who've researched this fairly well, and they believe the error was that the Wampanoag people did not deport all English speakers who could not learn Algonquin within a two year period of arrival.

Why didn't the Pilgrims learn to speak Algonquin.

Actually, I heard that some people at the University of New Mexico School of Indian Law (the top ranked Indian Law school in the country) may have considered a retroactive lawsuit against the Wampanoag, insisting that the immediately begin action to correct for the original error.

I also will always feel if you are an American citizen you should speak English and ballots should be printed in English only.

The language you speak is necessarily the right one. And you would make it difficult for people Native to this area to vote because they do not learn your choice of foreign languages?

[Glitch]

Immigrants who enter the US legally and wish to become US citizens are required to learn English within 5 years.

Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who on the date of filing:

• have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 15 years or more and are over 55 years of age;
• have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 20 years or more and are over 50 years of age; or
• have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn English.

If they don't want to be US citizens or assimulate into the American culture, then they certainly don't need to learn English. Since only US citizens vote, language shouldn't be an issue since English is a requirement. All the ballots should be printed in English only.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Immigrants who enter the US legally and wish to become US citizens are required to learn English within 5 years.



If they don't want to be US citizens or assimulate into the American culture, then they certainly don't need to learn English. Since only US citizens vote, language shouldn't be an issue since English is a requirement. All the ballots should be printed in English only.

None of that applies to the natives, who were born here.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

None of that applies to the natives, who were born here.

Actually, it does. English is required for all US citizens, born or naturalized, with the only exceptions listed in my previous post. If the natives don't want to be US citizens, that is certainly their choice and they wouldn't be required to learn English. They also wouldn't be able to get a job in the US either, or vote, or anything else that is tied to being a US citizen, but that is their choice.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Immigrants who enter the US legally and wish to become US citizens are required to learn English within 5 years.

We are not talking about immigrants. (English is an immigrant language, BTW.)

Since only US citizens vote, language shouldn't be an issue since English is a requirement. All the ballots should be printed in English only.

Nonsense.

Why can't ballots be all written in Na Dene, a language that has been here for perhaps 6000 years? Or in Yup'ik and Inupiat, which have been here for nearly as long?

Or for that matter, in Spanish which was here before English too.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

We are not talking about immigrants. (English is an immigrant language, BTW.)

Nonsense.

Why can't ballots be all written in Na Dene, a language that has been here for perhaps 6000 years? Or in Yup'ik and Inupiat, which have been here for nearly as long?

Or for that matter, in Spanish which was here before English too.

And if that were done, the ballots would be no sense to the English speaking, as if they would now anyway Shut eyes and pick one

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Governor Palin's suit against the federal government is for violating the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution. The federal government has absolutely no business dictating how Alaska manages its fish and game resources, particularly when they deliberately violate our state constitution.

Your opinion is interesting, but mostly only in how the courts disagree with you.

There is only one native tribe that is on a federal reservation in Alaska - the Metlakatla Indian Community on Annette Island. All the other native tribes in Alaska are Alaskan and United States citizens. According to the the Alaska Land Act of 1972, and the US Supreme Court, they are not sovereign, and they never have been.

Nonsense from the first word on.

The Department of the Interior recognizes a total of 562 sovereign tribes within the United States:

Bureau of Indian Affairs

And the 229 of those in Alaska are recognized by the State of Alaska:

Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs

Because you refuse to print ballots in dozens of different languages besides English, is not an attack on any of those other languages. It is no different that refusing to print ballots or other government forms in Spanish or German or any other language. Those languages are not being attacked, English is merely being preferred.

So the votes of those who speak English are preferred to the votes of those who speak Yup'ik??? Nonsense.

Before posting this kind of pure BS, you should consider the source.

You should consider the accuracy of what you say.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by starlite9

Yes, but some were from appeals from the prevous governor or even earlier. Palin being the Gov. is going to be the one named in all State affairs good and bad, as will the next Gov. after her.

That is not true.

They were ALL legal actions that Palin had signed off on and ordered herself.

Barkingowl's original post did not identify the actual source of the quoted document, which was unfortunate. It was written by Lloyd Miller and Heather Kendall-Miller, who are both well known Alaskan attorneys who specialize in Indian Law.

Lloyd Miller has been with Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry since 1979. His list of accomplishments is far too long to reproduce here. See

Sonosky: Lloyd Benton Miller profile

Heather Kendall-Miller, senior staff attorney in Anchorage for the Native American Rights Fund, is practically an Alaskan Indian Law institution all by herself. For example, she argued the Venetie case before the US Supreme Court. She was the attorney who won the famous Katie John case. See

Native American Rights Fund, Attorneys, Heather Kendall-Miller

Her profile doesn't mention it, but immediately after she received her law degree from Harvard in 1991 she clerked for then Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court Jay Rabinowitz.

Let me put this mildly... if you want to argue the facts of that document, you haven't got enough legs to stand on.

Here is another article by the same lawyers, released a week
after the previous one:

Miller: Sarah Palin’s hostile record on Alaska Native subsistence | Indian Country Today | Politics (broken link)