Slashdot Mirror
Native American Wireless ISP Launched
babynerd writes "On Tuesday June 1st the Coeur dAlene tribe unveiled the Turbocharged Broadband Geek Project. The scheme, organized by project head Valerie Fast Horse and funded by a $2.8 million dollar grant from the USDA Rural Utilities Service and a 15% in kind match from the tribe itself, will help build a community technology center (CTC) with 40 computers, and a wireless broadband ISP that will provide high-speed wireless access to anyone living on and near the reservation at a price comparable to that of any other DSL or Cable Internet providers - there's currently no broadband Internet access of any kind available."
Severly lag? You need to check some facts. According to wikipedia the US and EU have basically the same GDP. How is that "lag"?
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
How convenient of you to take that attitude when you are not paying.
How convenient of you to reap the benefits of your ancestors' suffering when you have not suffered at all.
How convenient of you to refer to this as my ancestors mistakes. My ancestors are just as at fault as yours - (hint: they're not).
I care not to argue the legality of the issue - because likely you are technically right. I am arguing the common sense side (i.e. should we imprison Jeffery Dahmer's family? See, he killed a bunch of people, and didn't serve his full 900-year sentence because he was murdered. Using your logic (broken treaties and such) his family should be held accountable for those remaining 900 years - what about the victims!)
How convenient for you to tell me to get out of a country that affords you the opportunity to live effortlessly, and one that I fought for your right to do so.
How convenient for you to despise me because I don't want to give *you* another unearned dime.
Don't misunderstand my disdain for paying for your school and what not as a jab at Native Americans in general. I live in Phoenix and have a handful of Navajo friends - close enough to include me in a couple of sweats. And also close enough to discuss this very issue candidly. They know they are getting a free ride and know to exploit it - because it is available to them. You, sir, are making arguments to justify your sponge like behavior. I pay taxes, because I have a job. I have a job to support my family. You sir, sit over where you are, riding on the suffering of your ancestors. You are sad, pathetic and a disgrace to your proud people.
ymmv
I have to be one of the most non politically correct persons you would ever want to meet. Do I use the "N" word, no.......but all this hyphenated BS is about the end. I am a NATIVE AMERICAN....why? Because I was BORN in this country! All this xxxxxxx-american crap is about spliting this country. Handouts promote laziness, period. If you want to see how well a swift kick in the butt works, look at the success of the welfare to work program. Those that are able bodied, and are willing to WORK, succeed! Those that want to just lay on thier fat a**, fail. Nobody ever gave me a dime, nor would I want them to. I want to make it on my own, spend my own money the way I want to. If you are beholding to a government handout, all they do is give you jusssssttttt enough to squeak by, theyby keeping you beholding to them (and voting for the ones that keep giving you the money), which, is just what they want. Socialism......does NOT work, because every human on this planet, has a yearning to be free!
Come on, if we follow your crazy ideas we'll end up like the Europeans. Universal healthcare, free higher education, low violent crime rates--if it were up to you all we'd do all day is hang out at cafes and have sex! Is that what you want? HUH? IS IT?!
It is not that I don't understand the accountability of the government(s), it's that I don't want to pay for their transgressions. I wouldn't mind if there was an end in sight, but how long will WE pay for their sins? Shit Dahmer only got 900 years - when is OUR sentence up? As far as holding the governments "accountable", when does the accounting balance out? Is there a way to quantify the transgressions of America's forefathers? If not, what balance are they paying off? When will it be time for the unsuffering "victims" to quit their bitching and get to work? You explain the end game, and I will then understand. I don't beleive you can explain that to me because noone knows, it's a course we're on indefinitely, that is the problem I have.
ymmv
Are Enron's employees responsible for the actions of the executives? Once they prosecute the executives, will the company continue to pay fines indefinitly? Will they take money from their employees paychecks to pay said fine? I know, they lost their jobs and their retirement - but it is over for them.
When will it be over us? When will this generation of Native Americans have to go get a job instead of living off of the blood of their ancestors? Since you know so much white guy, when is *our* debt paid? The African Americans were enslaved for over 400 years - They were treated (in my opinion) far worse than Native Americans ever were - where is their monthly paycheck? Where is their casino? Where are their reservations? Where is the many African nations and the American government's responsibility there? Since we're on this slippery slope, what about the Mexicans? *We* took their land and killed a bunch of them as well. Why aren't the Germans paying the Jews? That was way more fucked up than anything that ever happened to the Native Americans. Why are the Native Americans any different? Government responsibility and all that is bullshit and an excuse for a free ride. Sure, let us make sure to never repeat these attrocities , but lets do it by having some sort of national day of rememberance - hell, a month would by great. Encouraging sloth by distributing unearned income is a deservice to everyone. AND it is unearned, their ancestors spilled their blood, not the shiftless people I see living in filth on reservations.
ymmv
Dammit. Once again I wish for a +1 Satire mod. Funny just doesn't quite fit, and I can't mod Funny AND Insightful on the same post.
Are Enron's employees responsible for the actions of the executives?
This is a terrible analogy, which probably explains why you're so confused, so here's a better one.
If your company was to lose a patent infringement case and the judgement was to pay 25% royalties indefinitely, your company may be forced to reduce your salary by 25%.
Are employees responsible for the wrong doing of thier company's? NO.
Can employees suffer from the wrong doing of their company. YES.
It's sad, but that's the way things have to be or corporate thieves would always be hiding behind their employees to escape prosecution.
When will it be over for us?
In many cases it is. A lot of treaty and land claim settlements ended up as a one-time payouts that were put into funds, while other settlements were payed out indefinitely. For example my wife (there, I let my bias slip out) gets a whopping $2 a year that she can use to help her pay her student loans, and she's 100% blood quantum Native American.
The African Americans were enslaved for over 400 years - They were treated (in my opinion) far worse than Native Americans ever were - where is their monthly paycheck?
Look, I agree with you. If it was about giving people money for their ancestor's sufferings then I would put African Americans and Holicaust Victims at the top of the list. BUT IT ISN'T, AND THAT'S WHY AFRICAN AMERICANS AREN'T WINNING SETTLEMENTS FOR LAND CLAIMS AND BROKEN TREATIES.
Secondly, I DO think that African Americans deserve something for their 400 year enslavement. How about giving them an incentive to get an education, or providing some after school activity funds to get kids off the street. (You'd be amazed how much crime drops between the hours of a youth basketball game, and you'd be even more surprised how CHEAP of a solution it is...)
LASTLY, You should note that the Native Americans who ARE living off the government do it through the WELFARE SYSTEM. That's the same welfare system that poor white trash and poor black trash live off. So why are you singling them out as people who have a special priveledge to live off the government?
If you're so jealous, you can knock up your girlfriend a couple times, find a trailer park somewhere and live off the system too!
HERE'S MY POINT: You don't know half of what's going on and you're desperately trying to reduce everything to this simplistic notion of "Why should I pay for my grandpappy's mistake?" when it isn't about that.
I'm not going to pretend I know half of what's going on, but giving how you've continually demonstrated you have a hard time grasping basic concepts of common law, I know better than to listen to you.