ORIGINAL: mossyoakshootout
lol...I figured this would be a good convo.... Heres my two cents worth... I do feel the land was wrongly taken and the native population "bastardized" BUT...my family wasn't even here during that time period! So...I'm supposed to feel like I own the Native Americans just because I'm white? If you go back far enough every land has been taken over...I'm not sure at what point the past violence should be a non-factor.
Also, about applying for seperate citizenship...I'm not sure how you can qualify for benefits (however useless the benefits may be) unless you apply to be a member of the soverignty. And if you don't pay certain taxes then you should not be getting benefits like SSI...
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Indians have every right to freely become U.S. citizens (which many Latin Americans and others die for the chance to become) and live in a modern America. Isn't it a choice to remain the way they are?
imn my opinion, we owe more to the African americans, then we do to the Native americans. we put them through how much, before they finally got theire freedom. we not only took their land, but we also took them from their homeland, and brought them to a totally new country. i feel sorrier for them tahn i do for the native americans.
i also think that native americans should have to pay taxes and everything else like that if they want the benifits, like SSI, and all those other things.
if they really feel like they are being mistreated, then why dont they become U.S. citizens. wouldn't they have a better life then.
im not trying to say that the native americans dont deserve any respect or anything, im just saying i think they want people to feel sorry for them, way too much.