Say Anything Blog

...according to Ryan Gustafson.

You can read his post on the subject here.  Ryan claims that both myself and Dakota Beacon editor Steve Cates have been banned from the Turtle Mountain Indian reservation and that Steve himself is going to be sued.  Also that we are going to be forced to retract a column I wrote.  This is apparently happening because, according to Gustafson and his source, I’m a racist and that column, called “The Appalling State Of Our Indian Reservations,” has been dubbed defamatory.

I’ve re-published that column in the extended entry of this post (you can read it below) for the sake of showing, once again, that my column was neither racist nor defamatory.

Ryan is operating on information received from an unnamed tipster who I am fairly certainly is none other than Andy Laverdure, the former director of the Turtle Mountain Housing authority who has been posting threats and other sorts of gibberish on this blog for some time now (prime examples in the comments here and here, with a post about his threats in particular here).  You’ll note that while Andy is apparently seeking to ban me from the reservation he lives on, I never once blocked any of his comments on this blog.  Because as much as I disagree with him, I value his free speech.

First, let me put this rumor to rest.  I have not been banned from the Turtle Mountain Indian reservation, nor is there any lawsuit in the works against myself, Steve Cates or the Dakota Beacon.  Steve, who I have spoken with tonight, talked with tribal leaders today who indicated that certain elements on the reservation want me to be banned and want a lawsuit filed.  Steve was informed by these tribal leaders that there is a process by which people can be banned from the reservation (it’s been used in the past to keep known criminal elements like drug dealers out of tribal communities) but the chances of it being used against someone like myself merely for criticizing the political and social status quo on the reservations is between slim and none.  A committee on the reservation is apparently “considering” the ban and the lawsuit, but he was told that this is mostly being done to placate certain rabble rousers and isn’t likely to go forward for a variety of reasons not the least of which is the fact that, like it or not, the constitution’s free speech protections do in fact stretch onto the Indian reservations.

The idea that a tribe can simply order a mandatory retraction of any article or opinion column they find inconvenient is patently absurd.

The lawsuit idea is particularly absurd.  After all, one cannot libel if one is telling the truth.  In order for any such lawsuit to be successful the plaintiffs would have to prove that I lied with malicious intent.  Anyone who a) is familiar with North Dakota’s Indian reservations and b) has read my column knows that I wasn’t lying.  Things are awful on the reservation, and I’m simply being persecuted for daring to speak out about it.

I’m a little surprised that things have gotten to this point (what with the personal threats and talk of bans and all), but I’m not at all surprised that people like Ryan Gustafson (a mover-and-shaker behind a myriad of far-left groups here in North Dakota like NDPeople.org) would be giddy at the idea of myself and Steve getting sued and/or banned simply for exercising free speech.  It’s about par for the course with people like him.  I’ll not say that Gustafson represents all leftists (I’ve met many who are staunch supporters of free speech), but he does represent a certain breed who would just as soon see their ideas and opinions advanced by silencing those that disagree with them.  As an example, see that Andy Laverdure has been posting the same information he sent Ryan Gustafson in liberal talk radio host (and North Dakota native) Ed Schultz’s online forum to the cheering and fawning of Ed’s shallow audience who apparently have no appreciation for free speech.

I can understand why liberals, in particular, would be upset with my column and would be cheering on the folks like Andy who are looking to persecute me for it.  For one, I’ve been a rather outspoken conservative in North Dakota for a few years now and I’m starting to get some attention and notoriety for it.  For another, the Indian reservations are a model showing exactly why big-government and social entitlements don’t work.  Criticizing the welfare state of the Indian reservations means criticizing the very soul of liberal thinking.  Namely, that the state exists to take care of us all and that all problems can be solved simply by spending a few more tax dollars.

But whatever.  Personally, I’m not much worried about this.  If by some off chance I am banned from the reservation and/or sued by the tribe the folks behind it are simply going to make themselves look foolish.  Because whether you agree with my column or not there is nothing illegal about it.  I told the truth, and that’s that.  If I’m to be banned from an Indian reservation for telling the truth, so be it.

It’s not going to shut me up.

And in the name of free speech, I invite all of my critics (and all of my supporters) to start up a reader blog here on Say Anything.  Just click here for instructions.  The comments sections of my post are always wide-open for dissent and criticism, but if you want to provide a counterpoint to my commentary here on this blog what better way to do it than on this blog?  Post as much as you want whenever you want and be as critical of me as you want to be.  Within certain reasonable limits (and by that I mean don’t plagiarize, libel or do anything else illegal) you won’t be censored.

I’m throwing down the gauntlet.  Hate what I have to say?  Disagree with me?  Think I’m full of it?  Here’s your chance to call me out on my own blog in front of my own audience.  I’m challenging all of you to meet me in the arena of ideas.

Because that’s so much more productive than trying to silence me with lawsuits and bans, especially if you feel your arguments are superior to mine.

Update:  According to this blogger the resolution banning me from the Turtle Mountain reservation was passed by the TM Chippewa.

Here’s the text from the link:

“WHEREAS, there has been no effort made on the part of the Dakota Beacon to retract the article, amidst numerous complaints by tribal members; and

WHEREAS, Rob Port, author of the article and webmaster of SayanythingBlog.com has made no effort to either retract or apologize to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that, Rob Port, author of the aforementioned article and webmaster of SayAnythingBlog.com, be excluded and removed from all land on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in the State of North Dakota and from such other lands as may be acquired on behalf of said Tribe and be added thereto under the laws of the United States and pursuant to Title 39 of the Turtle Mountain Tribal Code, in order that the peace, health, political integrity, economic security and general welfare of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa be secured; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, Steve Cates, publisher of the Dakota Beacon, and Dakota Beacon, Inc. publicly retract the January 2007 article “The Appalling State of North Dakota Indian Reservations” by issuing a letter to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, with said letter placed by the tribe for publication in regional news outlets and issuance to each of the other tribes in the State of North Dakota; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be transmitted to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, North Dakota Congressional Delegation Members, the Governor of the State of North Dakota and the North Dakota State Indian Affairs Commission for follow-through, oversight and information.”

At this point I’m not sure if this resolution has been passed or if this is simply what’s being considered.  Steve spoke with the tribal officials today, not me, so maybe there’s some confusion here.

Regardless, the idea that banning me for the sake of the “peace, health, political integrity, economic security and general welfare of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa” is…humorous given that I’m rarely on the reservations, and the crime, poverty, substance abuse and decrepit living conditions that exist on the reservation have developed, and will continue, whether I’m allowed on the reservation or not.

Update: I emailed the blogger at the link above and she’s taken down her post until she can verify whether or not this resolution has passed.

Update: Brenda Norrell, the blogger linked above, just emailed to say that she received the text of the resolution in the form of a press release apparently sent out by the tribe with “you can request a copy from Jolene Peltier, Tribal Secretary, Turtle Mountain Tribe” at the end of it.

I’ll be contacting the tribe to see whether or not this passed as soon as possible.

Update: Brenda has emailed again indicating that she has read the comment threads on this blog and notes that the email she got was from an individual and not a tribe.  Which means that someone on this blog is sending out fake press releases.

Naughty, naughty.

The Original Column:

Yesterday I had occasion to spend about 15 hours visiting people on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in northern North Dakota, and I’ve got to say that I was pretty shocked by what I saw.

I’ve spent a lot of time on North Dakota’s Indian reservations.  I’ve worked there, visited businesses and restaurants and driven throughout them.  I’ve even been up to a lot of people’s houses to deliver things or obtain information, so I’ve been aware of the poor conditions on the reservations for some time, but never before yesterday have I had the opportunity to have such an intimate look at life on the reservation.  I was not impressed with what I saw.

The first thing I noticed was that while I was going around neighborhoods and knocking on doors was that nearly everyone seemed to be at home.  Just about every knock received an answer.  In a non-reservation community when I go through residential neighborhoods during the day it’s hard to find people at home.  Everyone is out and busy.  Why isn’t it like this on the reservation?  Probably because in most of North Dakota the unemployment rate is around 3%, while on the Indian reservations it’s about 65%.

Which is a sad commentary in and of itself, but rampant unemployment aside the simple reality of the conditions these people are living in is even more amazing.  I saw kids playing outside, on a day when the temperature was just below freezing, in shorts and bare feet (though they were wearing parkas).  I met people living in homes with broken out windows and nothing but a piece of plywood or some plastic stretched over them to keep out the cold.  I saw homes with dozens of abandoned vehicles around them, and took in smells emitting from some of the doors that were opened to me that brought tears to my eyes.  Inside the homes I saw mountains of unwashed dishes, mounds of unwashed clothes, overflowing trash cans, walls literally dripping with nicotine from the constant smoking and throughout it all children playing in the reek.

And the people living in these homes were as disappointing as the homes themselves.  I met people who were drunk (or high or something) at noon, even as their children played in the road and on the twisted, sharp metal of abandoned cars.  I saw a visibly pregnant mother smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer.  I met a woman who was 29 years old and already a grandmother (to no fewer than three grandchildren) thanks to both her and her daughter’s young pregnancies.  I met men and women, fathers and mothers, who had spent more of their lives in prison then out of prison.  I met entire families whose only source of income seemed to be from stealing or selling drugs plus whatever they got from the government in terms of assistance.

I have heard tales from the notorious slums in places like Los Angeles and New York, but I’m not sure those slums can beat North Dakota’s Indian reservations in terms of pure filth and abhorrent living conditions.

So how is this happening in North Dakota?  A state that is thriving economically right now?  A state where the unemployment rate is so low that employers are practically screaming for workers?  I know why it’s happening, but not a lot of people are going to want to hear it.

It’s happening because of the total failure of the idea embraced by some that the government exists to take care of us.  The government has been taking care of North Dakota’s Indians, but it’s harming them more than it’s helping.

I know, I know.  The Indians have gotten a raw deal in this country’s history, but “history” is exactly what that is.  We’re in a new era now.  Our government spends billions of dollars on creating education and employment opportunities for Indians, not to mention the billions spent on personal assistance for the Indians themselves in the form of housing money, food money, welfare money, etc.  But none of this is working.  Most of the Indians on these reservations eat up all of that assistance and still don’t manage to lift themselves out of the ghettos they’re living in.  Why?  I think it’s because they live without consequences.

Most of us would probably consider living in a squalid apartment in a nasty housing complex a pretty serious consequence for not getting ahead in life, but it seems to me as though most of these Indians are perfectly content to live there.  Probably because they don’t know any better.  They were likely raised in housing projects by their parents, who in turn were probably raised in housing projects themselves.  The “welfare mentality” has become so ingrained in these people that most of them don’t have any drive to reach for something better.  It’s not that they’re incapable of education and holding down a steady job, it’s just that they don’t have to do those things to eek by in life.  Like their parents before them, they leave selfish lives full of self-gratification and little achievement while the government subsidizes them.

We can give these people all the opportunities in the world, but it isn’t going to make a lick of difference until there are some real consequences for cashing in on those opportunities.  The safety net needs to be taken out from under the Indians.  The reservation system needs to end.  The cradle-to-grave entitlements need to end.  The time of tough love needs to begin.  Because that’s the only way things are going to get better on these reservations.

Our government has tried to take care of the Indians for decades now, and all it has resulted in is rampant crime, rampant unemployment, rampant substance abuse and poverty.  It is cruel to perpetuate the current system simply because the idea of removing assistance from these people seems cruel.  What is cruel is putting them in a situation where there is no impetus to succeed.  Now is the time to shift the responsibility for making it in the world to the Indians themselves.  Not only to help them, but also to end the mean charade of the status quo.