this situation we are in now is the result of decades of poor service from the government, state and federal. i grew up in bethel. the school curriculum for the entire area has always been watered down so kids were not getting the education they needed and being prepared for secondary school. i know this because i came to anchorage for high school and the difference is clear. i had to work harder for good grades. on top of this is the tragedies that are being handed down from generation to generation. we were forced to assimilate but never accepted as part of this country. i, personally, do not consider myself as 'american'. we natives were doing just fine for thousands and thousands of years by taking care of each other before white people showed up and destroyed our way of life. and we can survive by doing just that.