this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2024
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US President Joe Biden traveled to Arizona on Friday where he spoke with members of the Gila River Indian Community, offering a historical apology to Native peoples who suffered a century-and-a-half of unjust federal policies.

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[–] Varyk 60 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

that's great to hear.

finally, an official admission of federal culpability.

Yes, it's late, and yes it doesn't change the past, but he's acknowledging the past more than any other president has.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago

Literally. Literally more than ANY president ever has.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Next up is the return of federal land to tribes. Hopefully it doesn't take over a century this time.

[–] Varyk 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Return of federal lands has been going on for a while, do you mean one thing in particular or a huge ramping up in returning ancestral lands?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I think federal parks should be returned, as well as a massive ramp up in return. I also think the federal government should provide land tax reparations to remove the tribes out of poverty. I know that's more than what I implied, but this is really the only way the federal government can do tribes justice for their treatment.

[–] Varyk 6 points 2 weeks ago

which federal parks?

do you mean all national parks?

i completely agree about land tax reparations, and also think some kind of healthcare recompense needs to be made for all of the toxic chemicals dumped into tribal lands up until today, directly causing way higher rates of cancer and other diseases then the rest of the country.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We did this in Australia a few years ago. It really is just a political stunt. The apology did nothing for me and my family and no one talks about it now.

[–] Varyk 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

sorry to hear that, that sucks.

in the states they have been returning land for decades, but are very careful about federal admissions of responsibility and have never admitted direct culpability for the mistreatment of native Americans at this level, so this is kind of a big deal here and could easily presage further policy.

I don't see it as a stunt, especially considering how many other progressive policies Biden has already materially and legally advanced.

since he's provided legal funding for minorities to protect their rights, invested a couple trillion dollars in green technology and infrastructure and climate change, plus actually taxed billionaires, he's likely serious about this apology, though that's not as important as the legal and political ramifications that this enables for tribes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Varyk 1 points 2 weeks ago

https://apnews.com/article/indigenous-boarding-schools-biden-apology-reaction-666f5d55496a36bd0dc40a357714273e

looks like the department of the interior is already working with tribes to return the bodies of abused native school children to their tribes, and Biden has pledged school support services and cultural revitalization projects.

they have an apology, The government is starting to do work for the tribes, now the tribes need reparations and legal infrastructure to protect their cultures.

I'm pretty excited to see where this goes, I hope that the department of the interior working with the tribes will influence and encourage other government departments to work with tribes concerning other issues they've been campaigning about for decades, even up to a century and a half.

it's such a relief to see the first step, finally.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

"Sorry for the genocide" while funding another...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Noting the downvotes on this I understand their view, don't be down on a positive gesture. The issue is it's an incredibly close analogy. He is apologizing for showing up, finding a population living in a region, and deciding that they needed to go. Through violence, lies, and genocide that population was driven from their homes and those lands were colonized. It's exactly the same as Palestine. Precisely the same. While I applaud this statement, the support of exactly this crime, the willingness to plunge America into a wider war just to support Israel and it's right to colonize Palestine shows the statement has no moral weight. It's just words before an election.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

You get it. I'm not saying what was said was in any way wrong, just deeply hollow and hypocritical... Actions speak louder than words.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

OK, now do one for being against single payer healthcare when 77% of the US wants it,

  • Do one to Anita Hill for shafting her so you could install Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, shafting a generation of Americans
  • Do one for all your racist comments over the years,
  • Do one for being "against" elimiating the filibuster.
  • Do one for an entire career being against abortion claiming your catholicisnm forbids it, while conveniently jettisonning catholicism in evey other decision. And then being asleep at the wheel during Roe, how convenient.
  • One for being 'against' expanding the supreme court.
  • And a huge one for backing a far right wing genocide which will cost the democrats the election.
  • And one for trying to cut social security 3 times.
  • One for scoring against his own side with this: https://theintercept.com/2023/05/23/biden-debt-ceiling-harry-reid-mitch-mcconnell/
  • And one for creating civil asset forfeiture,
  • And one for increasing police funding in response to the defund and reallocate movement

We'll have to settle for denying him ice cream in the old folks home, and we really only have ourselves to blame. He's been a peice of shit for his entire career and no one bothered to call him on it.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 2 weeks ago