Pres. Kindle invited to resign
Todd County Tribune 2003 - Open Forum Letters
We all know the ex-chairman of Grass Mountain Community is one of the biggest hypocrites here on the reservation. Why waste time on two columns trying to convince the public that your spots are now stripes? The people of Grass Mountain/Upper Cut Meat now have accountability, a true voice on the tribal council and a say over how community funds are spent. I applaud the tribal council for helping their oppressed tribal members to get out from under these tyrants' thumbs. The people have the courage and the strength to say, "We have had enough."
Yes, Tez is my brother, and people don't say "thank you" enough. I want to say "thank you" personally and "your family is proud of your accomplishments." Uncle, do you honestly believe the community would go back to an oppressed way of life now that they are beginning to heal?
By the tribal administration protecting these individuals and others like them, they are giving their seal of approval to commit crimes against the Sicangu people. Pres. Kindle, I have several questions the people want answered. Why is your administration protecting criminals who work within the tribal government/programs from prosecution in federal and tribal courts? I believe you chose not to follow a directive given by the tribal council to not take any action concerning the tribal ranch when you went ahead and sold cattle, hay and other inventory from the tribal ranch and took out an $18,000-plus loan for the tribal ranch. The tribal ranch account shows no reflection of these funds being deposited.
In December 2002, the tribal council made a second motion to audit the tribal ranch through RST Property & Supply. Where is the audit? Also in December, the tribal council made a motion for your office to issue a directive to all tribal program directors that they had ten working days to bring their financial records into compliance. This is now February, and only four tribal programs are now in compliance. When people speak out against your administration, they are fired, blacklisted, threatened and risk being charged with a crime in federal court.
Why is the director of REDCO (who is not a tribal member) making $73,000 per year from our Rosebud Casino revenue? We, the people, are funding REDCO in the sum of $190,000 for the current fiscal year and have funded this chargered organization since June 1999.
Another $1 million is earmarked for economic development from the loan the tribe is pursuing through Wells Fargo Bank. The only profit I ever read about was $700 from the sale of Lakota Water. You do the math.
Is the TLE Board planning to buy $17,000 worth of poison to exterminate the prairie dog population on the reservation? Can the TLE Board do this without a public hearing? The bald and Golden ealges that watch over our reservation are central figures in our Lakota culture. Eagles hunt prairie dogs for food. Are we going to kill the eagles along with the prairie dogs by distributing this poison? When we exterminate a central figure in our culture, will the Sicangu Lakota people also disappear?
Why did you authorize your administration to take us back into the red in the sum of $750,000 without tribal council knowledge or approval? The people are owed over $250,000 in back taxes. Your statement before the tribal council was, "Should we write those off, too?" How long have you been denyiing tribal members revenue owed?
Are you in collusion with the federal government to keep your Lakota people oppressed? Or are you just oppressing your own people by choice? We are worse off than many Third World countries because of a long history of oppression of the Lakota people. The people are tired of being oppressed and ask that you resign as tribal president immediately for gross misconduct, violation of civil/constitutional rights and neglect of duty.
If you choose not to resign from your position, the people will initiate the process to remove you from office as outlined in the RST Constitution and RST Ordinance 87-05. We, the Sicangu Lakota people, cannot move forward under the current adminstration. Under the US Constitution, we have the right to pursue happiness. There is no happiness in oppression. As long as the Lakota people are oppressed, we will never realize true happiness.
Obstruction of justice is a crime. We are asking all tribal members who have documentation or know of criminal activity that this administration has covered up to attend the public forum Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Veteran's Building immediately following the march on the IHS Hospital.
I end with a quote from Nietzsche. He stated, "I can forgie you, but how can you forgive yourself?"
TODD FAST HORSE, ROSEBUD SD
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