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Char-Koosta News, April 21, 1987, Page 3, Image 3
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Char-Koosta News (Pablo, Mont.), 21 April 1987, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn87001367/1987-04-21/ed-1/seq-3/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
The Letters Pase ____________ BIA employee supports ousting Swimmer Fellow Tribal Members: I am proud of our Council and all of the other Northwest Tribal leaders who refused to be intimidated and/or fooled by Swimmer's so-called " consultation process" . Swimmer, the headman of the BIA. has taken it upon himself to be a dictator of Indian Country and will not recognize Tribal governments as sovereign entities. When Swimmer was appointed as the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, he assumed control over an agency which had an unenviable record of mismanagement, a lack of internal financial/ administrative controls, and executive direction pro­ vided by " k n e e -jerk reactions" and guided by day-to-day, memorandum policy. Swimmer, as a professional manager, should have immediately put into effect policies which would have mandated BIA compliance with existing federal and departmental procedures. Such action would have corrected our internal-control problems, updated obsolete BIA manuals and provided a firm policy direction which could have justified the BLA's continuing existence and also have been of mutual benefit to Indian Country. Instead, Swimmer took the path of least resistance. He admitted that under his management, the BIA was incapable of providing proper services and therefore he would propose initiatives which would contract BIA programs and trust services out to private, non-Indian firms. Swimmer has a background in banking and should have som e knowledge of economics, but apparently he is ignorant in this area of management, also. The BIA presently spends about $2 million dollars to provide internal trust fund investment services. Swimmer's cure-all was to contract this function out for a total cost of $10 million dollars, plus the BIA would still be required to provide most of the same services and costs. The cost-effectiveness of such a proposal is nil. The increased cost will c om e out of money previously provided Tribal governments. Swimmer, either through ignorance or because of his apparent contempt for Indians, is doing what the \Indian Termination Act ' could not do: He is killing tribes by economic strangulation. Swimmer has made his distrust of Indians very apparent. He continues to ignore the BLA's Indian-preference policy in hiring; instead, he appoints non-Indians to fill critical, policy-making Central Office positions. If Swimmer is not stopped, he will not only effectively contract the BIA out of business, he will also be directly responsible for the death of many small tribes. His contracting out initiatives relating to education, Indian housing and trust-fund administration programs will adversely affect all Indians and their children, now and into the future. If 1 had been a German in Hitler's army. I would not have supported Hitler's policy of genocide against the Jews. As both an Indian and em p loyee of the BLA, I cannot and will not support Swimmer's position, which 1 consider one of genocide against the Indian. Swimmer's only major achievement has been that through his actions, he has unified all tribes in an effort to rem ove him (Swim m er) from office. I support my Council in this action and urge all of my fellow Tribal members to do the same. Arthur G. Barber Montesano. VVA CKN LETTERS POLICY Letters of opinion should concern topics of general interest to the Tribal membership. They should be held to 300 words or less and be non-libelous. All letters must be signed and include the author's current address. (Names may be withheld by request.) Please, no more than one letter per person in any 30-day period. All letters will be subject to minor editing to correct any errors in spelling and grammar. Lengthy letters may be edited to fit space limitations. Summer Youth employment opportunities announced The Summer Youth Employment Program of the Tribes is currently accepting applications for summer employment. The Summer Youth Program is an employment program for all Native American youth between the ages of 14 and 21 who meet JTPA income criteria. Applications and instructions are available at all area high schools and also can be picked up at the .lob Training Office, located in the Family Assistance Division building in Ronan. All interested youth are encouraged to return the completed applications to the Job Training Office by the DEADLINE DATE OF MAY 15, 1987. Workshops for the Summer Youth Employment Program will be con­ ducted at various locations to explain the operation of the program, selec­ tion procedures, how to secure a job. perform on the job. and keep a job. These workshops are a requirement for placement with the program. The workshop schedule will be announced at a later date. Direct questions to 675-3500. More work for Indian artists ******* SCHOLARSHIP NEWS ******* Rural scholarships available Rural Employment Opportunities inc., a private, non-profit organization which assists seasonal farm and ranch workers, is awarding a scholarship to assist low- income Montanans who want to pursue postsecondary education. Applications are available by contacting the REO office, 901 S. Higgins Ave., Missoula, or by calling 728-0885. The ap­ plication deadline is May 1. Any individual willing to contribute to this endowm e n t trust fund also may contact the above address. Two national outfits are recruiting Indian artists' work: The U.S. Census Bureau wants to commission Indian artists to design posters for use on reservations prior to Census Day on April 1, 1990. Contact Michael Freeman at 301/763-4358 (or c/o Census -- DPLD Outreach, FOB 3, Wash­ ington, D C. 20233) for details. The National Congress of Amer­ ican Indians (NCAI) has put out the call for "written and visual concep­ tions of an Indian Bill of Rights, depicting either the modern time or the time of the signing of the U S Constitution 200 years ago\ notes a news release. Details (and you should write them soon, in case there's a deadline we didn't notice): Bill of Rights Art Committee, c/o NCAI, 804 " D" Street N.E.. Washing­ ton, D C. 20002 (202/546-9404). April 21, 1987....................................................CSKT's Char-Koosta News, Pablo, MT Page 3