An expansion on this comment yesterday: “This site [Mt. Rushmore] is sacred to the Oglala Sioux, at least it was prior to the creation of the monument; we broke our treaty with them.” The evening news today has been describing the dispute as with the Lakota Sioux. The Oglala Sioux are one of the tribes of the Lakota Sioux, and are at the forefront of the protest of Trump’s event: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oglala-sioux-donald-trump-mount-rushmore-fourth-of-july-event-a9601041.html . The Black Hills ownership is at the center of probably the longest-running legal dispute in American history. Pledged to the Sioux in the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868), after the Sioux crushed federal troops at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 Congress nullified the treaty. In an 1877 act known to the Sioux as the “Sell or Starve” rider, Congress denied the tribe rations until they sold the land. The case ultimately reached the Supreme Court in 1980, which ruled 8 to 1 in favor of the Sioux and awarded them $106 million; the Sioux refused the funds as they wanted the land returned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Sioux_Nation_of_Indians . The award has accumulated interest in the US Treasury and stands at $1.5 billion in 2020. Following the Obama administration’s endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a UN Special Rapporteur toured tribal lands and met with various tribes, the Obama administration and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and tentatively recommended the return of various lands to the tribes, including return of the Black Hills to the Sioux. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_land_claim . See also: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/travel/badlands-faded-hope-for-indian-tribal-park.html . Ironically, the lone Supreme Court dissenter was then Associate Justice William Rehnquist, who dissented alone so often (52 times) that he became known as “the Lone Ranger”.
So … Happy Independence Day!
News for July 4, 2020:
Interesting analysis of differential inflation: https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/low-income-american-households-suffer-inflation-shock-from-virus . Bloomberg Quint is a media company in India. I wouldn’t describe the difference between 1% and 1.5% over a 6 month period as “shock”, though.
Still remarkable that ignoring public health recommendations is somehow a political cause: https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/atlanta-herman-cain-hospitalized-with-covid/6VwiU1nAoQ1bqoLybzq25M/ . The White House continues to fail at protecting its inner circle: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/04/kimberly-guilfoyle-donald-trump-jrs-girlfriend-tests-positive-for-covid-19 . Doesn’t this say that no one is immune and you ignore the virus at your own (and others’) risk? Some people refuse to get the message.
Will the Republican convention in Jacksonville be cancelled?: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/07/02/coronavirus-cases-surge-in-florida-ahead-of-republican-convention-in-jacksonville/#4339676a4b85 . Very interesting that 58% of Duval County residents oppose holding the convention there, as cases surge. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/floridas-new-coronavirus-cases-break-record-nearly-tying-new-yorks-peak/ar-BB16kZFn?ocid=spartan-dhp-feeds . Whatever happens, there are financial issues in both Charlotte and Jacksonville: https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/07/14/tens-of-millions-raised-for-trumps-republican-convention-in-jacksonville-mayor-says/ ; https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/charlotte-to-lose-millions-republican-national-convention (Link replaced 7/19). Hoping for 15,000 in a 40,000 seat arena sounds like a real problem.