Thank you Keith O. !

[dana_b]

Last week Keith O. brought the plight of the Cheyenne Sioux and other Sioux tribes during the snow and ice storms. A lot of money was raised for them as Countdown promoted a fund raiser ( http://www.razoo.com/story/Cheyenne-River-Sioux-Tribe-Storm-Relief-Emergency-Assistanceand fundraising ) and Keith mentioned in his "Worst Persons" that the Senate Committee on Indian affairs had done nothing to help these folks - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/35304569#35304569 .

Finally, yesterday, the Senate Committee headed by Byron Dorgan made a statement on the situation. Why did it take them so long to do their jobs? Why do they need prodding by the media to get off their butts? On the Senate website they say that:
“Throughout this emergency, the Committee has been very active. We have worked with federal agencies to do everything possible to help the citizens of Cheyenne River. The Committee has vigorously pursued its oversight responsibilities to ensure that federal agencies, which have the money and the authority to provide direct relief to those affected by the ice storm, are responding urgently and appropriately. We continue to do so."

http://indian.senate.gov/public/

However the tribes had another view of the situation on February 10th:
"If 8,000 telephone poles snapped in Potomac, Westchester, or Greenwich, crews would work 24/7 to restore power. Yet many in the Cheyenne Sioux Reservation have been without power or heat for more than five days. They daily brave temperatures and wind chills of -19◦.

“Many people have died, not only of exposure but of complications from sugar diabetes,” said Russell Means, Chairman of the Lakota Republic. “Diabetes is an epidemic on Indian Reservations,” he continued “and in rural areas of Sioux country the reservations are very isolated.”

http://www.republicoflakotah.com/2010/massive-sioux-indian-reservation-battles-snow-with-3-ploughs

Thank you again, Keith and Countdown!

[monmouth]

1. At the risk of sounding dramatic, Keith really has become a

national treasure in so many ways. Getting the facts out there at a tough hour when the "entertainment" shows begin and still having people discuss his show and content the next day. Kudos Keith with many thanks.

[Kurovski]

2. K&R. (nt)

[lunatica]

3. And the American people respond

We need to take note of how powerful regular people are. People just like us.

[niyad]

5. did you hear KO's voice the next night, as he announced how much had been donated? he was almost in

tears of gratitude, and saying something like "whenever I wonder, "what can we do?" I turn to you guys."

[niyad]

4. k and r--kudos to KO, as always. by the way, dorgan, if the damned committee was so involved,

WHY was there absolutely NOTHING on your website about it? NADA, ZERO, ZIP-- I call BS on just how active your committee was--we heard about this situation nearly two weeks ago here on DU--and zip from your committee until KO called you on it.

quite frankly, each and every damned member of that committee needs to be out there, rolling up their sleeves and working.

[dana_b]

6. complete B.S.

and I don't believe that they would have made any statement at all if it were not for K.O. calling them out.

[gateley]

9. Agree. nt

[lbrtbell]

7. Difference between KO and Beck-erhead

Beck does crap like the "9/12 Project", which only stirs up idiots and generates publicity for himself.

Keith promotes and encourages donations to charities like the Free Clinics program and now this.

That says it all.

[Hekate]

8. Keith and Racher --> KnR

:toast: :fistbump:


Hekate

[gateley]

10. And thanks to his viewers who brought it to his attention. nt

[niyad]

11. ...

[Garbo 2004]

12. Cheyenne River Sioux infrastructure needs: contact Congress, White House, etc.

As Keith O. also mentioned, there are long term infrastructure needs to be addressed. From sioux.org web site:

Thank you everyone so much for all of the contributions and donations. We are humbled and forever grateful. When the emergency subsides will be sharing a full accounting of how the resources have been utilized. We are now asking everyone's assistance in shifting focus to requests for federal disaster relief and the longer term task of fixing our damaged water infrastructure. Our battered water infrastructure, our water intake and water pipeline needs to be rebuilt to prevent these catastrophe in the future. Specifically we need:

(1) Please call your two Senators (Capitol Switchboard [phone])
(2) Ask for the staffer working on the Jobs Bill or their “water appropriations” staffer
(3) Ask them/Or leave a message asking for $90 million to the Army Corps for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe water infrastructure project
(4) Any additional calls to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Interior, or the White House are also helpful

To explain the need for water infrastructure, since the late 1950's our tribe was forced to move from our original Tribal Head Quarters, known as the Old Agency on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, which was located on the river bottom.. The Tribal leaders during this time, built schools, hospitals and our own police department with tribal dollars.. All is under water now.. The book "Dammed Indians" the Pick-Sloan Act and the forced move on our tribal people as well as other tribes, up and down the Missouri River. This was done to make way for the Dam built to make Hydro Power for the government, our precious resource of water is utilized to generate billions of dollars worth of electricity yearly, for the United States Government.

With out our water infrastructure, we cannot build new homes, cannot build on any new development, its keeping an impoverished nation, impoverished. With this support, I'm confident that the goal is achievable.. Mitakuya Oyasin..

Chairman Joseph Brings Plenty
http://www.sioux.org/

The above may be a bit confusing the way it is written. It refers to a book "Dammed Indians: The Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux, 1944-1980" by Michael L. Lawson. The book includes the impact of the Pick-Sloan water development program on the people, including involuntary relocation and flooding of their land. The author, who worked at the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the time the book was published, states this program "caused more damage to Indian land than any other public works project in America."

Google book view: http://books.google.com/books?id=uuPAasyix8EC&lpg=PR7&ots=7FbTH67N4R&dq=%22Dammed%20Indians%22&pg=PR7#v=onepage&q=&f=false

An updated version of the book was released last year: "Dammed Indians Revisited: The Continuing History of the Pick-Sloan Plan and the Missouri River Sioux"

Amazon page for the author: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-L.-Lawson/e/B001JSA5U2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1