Proposed Legislation to grant rights to Native American tribes in Michigan

A couple days ago I read an article in the press about an agreement that's being discussed here in Michigan to grant certain rights to American Indian tribes in the state. They would gain legal access to and a certain amount of regulatory authority over several million acres of land here in the Great Lakes State. Members of the tribes would apparently have special hunting and fishing rights, longer seasons, and higher bag limits under this agreement. A treaty signed in 1836, according to the article, was responsible for the Indians losing ownership rights over the land, and to Michigan becoming a state.

Obviously some people are going to have a problem with this. Opponents of programs such as affirmative action and other government programs based on ideas of so-called 'social justice' will see this as granting special privilege to groups of people based on their race or ethnic background. While I'm not here to get into an argument about affirmative action, I have one thing to say to people who will complain about Native Americans getting special land rights: Get over it. It's about time the native people of this country started getting compensation for the atrocities committed against them throughout our country's history.

Now, I realize there's probably some people out there who still believe in manifest destiny, and certainly I think it's clear that the USA wouldn't be the country it is today if not for the westward expansion. However, woven into the fabric of that story is the dark shameful past of the exploitation and cultural murder of so many groups of native peoples. We can't un-write history, most of us probably wouldn't want to anyway, but to ignore or deny the damage done is just irresponsible.

In fact, if you ask me, programs and legislation like this proposed agreement is just a case of too little too late. The damage has already been done, and in most places the native culture is falling apart, or barely eking out an existence. As with so many subcultures in our country, as our younger generations grow up with universalized media and pop culture, it gets harder and harder to preserve traditions and ideas from the past. This proposed legislation would be a good step, and a noble gesture, but in reality there's no way to completely repay the suffering that American Indians have had to go through.

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis