International Falls Daily Journal - Why Is the Indian Ed director being fired? - Comments

How is Indian Education fair

miller_mourner — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:36:10 -0500

How is Indian Education fair to all involved? Think about it:

1. Why don't other minorities get special education?
2. Doesn't getting this special help make the minority look inferior?
3. Does this encourage unity and comity? How does seperating people do this?
4. Of course "Indians" have been wronged, but the past is the past and this country pays a lot for their mistake.
5. Ok, so it is to teach them about their culture? Why doesn't everyone else get culture education? There is a large number of Germans, Norweigans, Russians...?
6. Since when is it the public school system's job to teach a people their culture? This means everything from history to religion. Religious education has no place in a public school.

Please try not to lynch me.

I was born in America. I am

metro_mallard — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:59:31 -0500

I was born in America. I am just as much of a Native American as those that are Anishinaabeg. At some point, we all assimilate into this culture, or are left behind. Those that accept this are successful, those that don't doom themselves to fringe life at best, failure at worst.

Why does the school district

Agent 47 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:03:01 -0500

Why does the school district need to have special classes because someone is of a different color, race, heritage or anything else that falls along that category? This makes not any sense. Everyone has fought so hard to be equal over the last 200 years and yet they still want to be different and have all their own crap.

Well LA DEE FRICKEN DA.

If you don't like it, you could always be a writer. I can't see real good, is that Bill Shakespeare over there?

Can you spell OUTDATED?

shades of gray recording — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:53:23 -0500

Can you spell OUTDATED?

And nope, logically, you're not.

I won't go so far as to call

Thomas L. Johnson — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:51:52 -0500

I won't go so far as to call it racism, this time, roj. I will just call it blindness. Of course, there were students of native American descent at FHS in the 60's. We just didn't see them unless they fit the stereotype that comes up way too often in this column. The Homecoming queen of the class of 1965 has a father who is Indian; so did one of the hockey players on the undefeated teams of the mid-60's. Their parents were/are hard-working and the kids were eventually college grads and are having successful careers. Other friends and classmates from that time were adopted into white families and used that to screen them. They never spoke about that part of their being because there was very little to be gained and more to be lost. For the most part, those I am referring to gave up their cultural heritage in a way that was not required of us who were of European origin.
International Falls is not singular in this form of racism; Bemidji, for all of its pluses, has this as almost its strongest defining characteristic.

Can you spell 'treaties',

rporter218 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:40:10 -0500

Can you spell 'treaties', and what they mean?
Also, I am curious, to as how 'people' define a Native American. And what we stand for :D, sorry sweetie, but i dont think im on your level, Can i get a 'lol' please!~! :D

See what I mean? No logic

shades of gray recording — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:14:24 -0500

See what I mean? No logic whatsoever.

Now we are all gamblers as well as bigots.

Just keep stashing away that tax free money and blaming the world for all your woes.

oh gee hun, get a grip. now

rporter218 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:58:04 -0500

oh gee hun, get a grip. now you just have to mention CASINO. i started posting, as a way to support diane. Mind u, this woman is not a full blooded nish. What she is tho, is a woman that has worked hard, to see our native children get an education, and encourage them. I myself, have friends of many colors, i judge people by there actions. Yes, i made the comment, about the 'cheese', but did u see me say, what race i was referring too> no!~!. Another thing, I also remember many 'white people', living the same way, as u so nicely put it up there, ifalls85. There are many words to describe, 'caucasians', but i'm not here to do that. What i am and was trying to say, was that if there was someone in that school district, that cared as much as diane does now, i may have stayed there, and continued to bring my children up there. Judge me all u like, but it no longer bothers me, I learned a long time ago to move on with my life, and move on into a new direction. And that is, ~be native, be proud~. And take care of our nishnabe children, for they are our future. EACH GENERATION, GETS STRONGER~!~. Oh, and please by all means, stop by your closest casino, we're very happy to make your visit enjoyable:D

Hi, there IFalls85! Very

shades of gray recording — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:54:27 -0500

Hi, there IFalls85!

Very good points, I must say..... lotta commas, but good points in between them.

If I can still remember right, this all started with the dismissal of an educator, and someone blamed the town and the community and then that ugly old Race Card got thrown in by someone claiming they were discriminated in by this town, and how glad they were to be "gone" now.

Another complaint was made about the local TAXES they were paying going to the local school district, when they in fact were making the choice to send their children elsewhere to school.

Now it seems we have reached the point , where once again the so called Opressed Minority is pointing fingers at anyone trying to use logic in this discussion and calling them Racists and Bigots.

Truthfully , I am SOOOOOO tired of the average working class in this country being taxed to death and paying for things that happened in this country 250 years ago or more. Heck my family wasn't even here untill the late 1800's. Can I get a tax exemption for not being liable for the westward expansion of this nation? Is there a special form for that?

We clear thinkers will never get through to them with the voices of Logic, Truth or Reason....

Why you may ask? Because THEY feel ENTITLED to something.

Pity.

Hmmmm, let's see; 1) I put

roj2000 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:51:08 -0500

Hmmmm, let's see; 1) I put zee cheese in zee trap, 2) I set's zee trap, and "BANG", I catch a RACIST!! Now look who is using racist overtones!! Quote- "guvment cheese, now I think you're referring to another minority" end quote!! Now "somewhat" back to topic. Respect is not something you get by having the largest Casino on your Reservation!! No, YOU EARN IT!!!! And you don't earn respect by the color of your skin (unless it's 2008 and you are the "chosen one"), or by your race! YOU EARN IT. That concept is as old as the Ojibwe Tribe. Simple as that....

Wow what a loaded topic, but

IFalls85 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:40:40 -0500

Wow what a loaded topic, but then when some one screams racisim it usually is, in regards to the above named person being fired I will not speculate as I was not there, in respect to those that have come and gone from the Falls, I think for those of you that say you left because of racism and how unfairly you were treated and that the Native Americans were subject to some form of cruelity in Dis 361, Now I am not here to say it isn't so, what I am about to say is while you are sitting there pointing a finger at I Falls, remember how many point back at yourself, this street we call racism is not a one way, it is two way but yet it is the white guy who takes the fall and we are the only racist SOB in this country, well look around we are not, your quite racist yourself, I think you make choices and those choices have consquences and that is for each person to deal with, we live in a multi cultral country, I grew up with the Native Americans in the 80's you speak of, many were my friends, I also remember the ones that weren' t so nice that by the middle of each month there government check was all drank up, and it was our fault they suffered the rest of the month. again that is the consqunces of their actions not mine. rporter you sound like a person that has alot of hate, when I meet a peson, I don't judge them by there color, thats kind of like judging a book by its cover, and I don't like to miss out on the reading of a good book because I jumped to conculisions at sight. I cross my fingers you can let go of some of the negativity that flows thru in your remarks, it has a way of aging a person. The falls has its good points and its bad points just like any other small town America, like I said I don't know what happened to the lady that triggered this blog, but I'm sure she would not like the fact that it has turned into a blog about racism.

nice, teepee building & fire

rporter218 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:38:34 -0500

nice, teepee building & fire starting!~! ohhh my!~! First of all, i also have the ability to think 'clearly'. I'm thinking the first time i did that was when i moved away from 361. Can we all say 'apple'? :D
Now children, who 'discovered 'America'? And to whomever wrote that 'we' all should be called 'native americans', i don't think that's going to fly, sorry. I see that citizens of 361, still have their 'heads up'. 'guvmnt cheese', I think your referring to another minority. I don't have a 2 year degree, a 4 year degree, what i do have tho, is years of raising my children in an enviroment that has led them on to begin living their dreams, being respected as 'anishnabes', and learning the ojibwe culture, which is something that one can not learn in a textbook, or by 'just anyone else' *cough* *cough*. Diane Briggs rocks!~!

Indeed roj2000!! I am glad

shades of gray recording — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:00:52 -0500

Indeed roj2000!! I am glad that some of us "native Americans" can still think clearly years after our graduation. I'm honored to be in good company.

And by the way here's another small note. When I graduated from good old School District #361, and years later when my son did, we got the traditional handshake and sheepskin. Neither of us ever received a $25,000 check form "our tribe" for doing so. So much for equality... again.

In the last three postings

roj2000 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:02:57 -0500

In the last three postings on here, "shades of gray" took the words out of my mouth. It is nice that rporter's relatives taught them everything, but it would be wise to let us other "Native" Americans teach you something, besides Teepee building and basic fire starting techniques!! You hit it right on the head, you sat in the same classroom as all other "native Americans" and had the ability to learn just like everyone else. But, then in the 80's and 90's you found out that "Guvment Cheese" was available, and they gave you certain rights, that us common folks don't have, and you "STILL" have trouble assimilating into District 361. Six-shooter gave a great example of how this could be done. I also hope that person was successful!!

No, I think it was Amerigo

shades of gray recording — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:03:41 -0500

No, I think it was Amerigo Vespucci, spelling might be off there a bit. Columbus missed by a few hundred miles actually.

Today I would say a Native American is anyone BORN in America, but historically it refers to the indigenous people here when the Europeans arrived. Is that close "enuff" for ya?

Now someone has answered your question.

Why Is the Indian Ed director being fired?

Patrick — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:31:14 -0500

Oh gee whiz...As a fellow 91 graduate of Falls High School...I can't believe our school district is in such shambles. I'am ashamed of and am disbelief of...Why because finally somebody decides to walk the fine line? Is this America where people have the right to speak up and choice there opinion?