Chewey

Indian country works differently than white man society. AND, they were not asked by the NCAA or any party to participate in the process. That is a question for the NCAA and not the tribes. The tribes should have been signatories on surrender agreement, especially since the NCAA publicly acknowledged time and again that the namesake tribes basically "own" the native imagery.

It was a fun one to attend. I guess I don't share your perspective about the Court vis-a-vis AG but I could be wrong. The AG was asked some pointed and tough questions about why now, where's the harm, if the voters reject the measure where's the harm, SBoHE participated and lobbied in favor of another law that infringed upon its authority and it had no problem with that; (isn't the board being harmed by that), wouldn't there be a chance that we'd be here again estoppel etc.; Reed was ordered to be there as point person for the referral measure.

In person, they were not impressed with several of the AG positions. Far from a slam dunk for the AG.

With giving diplomas to ghost Chinese students and with NDSU Presidents going wild with taxpayer money, it sounds as if the SBoHE and the whole higher ed system needs some significant micromanaging.

The NCAA will have to be forced to change. It may change if SL beats SJ or it may soften. Perhaps you haven't been reading, friend. I've said it's the NCAA that's hurting UND's athletes and not the nickname and logo. Obviously, sanctions are hurtful but they are limited to what's spelled out in the surrender agreement. If Franklin is trying to make fans of UND not wear Sioux gear to the Final Five and sanctions UND if they do, well there's more fodder for litigation with anyone with testicular fortitude to do so. Loss of the nickname and logo and 80 years of tradition and the complete lack of respect for traditional ceremonies and the will of Native peoples and giving in to NCAA duplicty, contradictions ("we want the natives to have control over the imagery but we won't listen to them or give them a seat at the table concerning the surrender agreement) and arrogance (can't even spell names of UND officials correctly) are all wors. Instead of attacking the Sioux who are fighting the NCAA and its low-core aggressive dictates, there should be a clarion call (perhaps you'd be a good one to start it) to action against the NCAA by the WHOLE state - SBoHE, the 3 stooges in Congress, UND officials, including Kelley. The longer this goes out, the more national exposure it gets from ESPN, Fox News, etc. I care about UND - I went there and I'm from ND (Minot). 95% of my family lives in Minot, Wiliston, Tioga, Dickinson,etc. and pays taxes and alumni contributions supporting UND. I care about native americans and their traditions and I care about over 80 years of nickname history and the national exposure native americans get from the nickname and logo. I care about not acquiescing to a loud-mouth, hyper-sensitive, creatively impaired, synapse-dulled, low-core aggressive, fact misrepresenting, bored, thought-stifled super-minority and will not work to sell out UND's historic positives to them. Neither will anyone with any kind of moral or emotional integrity acquiesce to terroristic threats and abusive monopolistic arm-twisting by a so-called "national private organization" run by these same types of synapse-impaired dolts masquerading around as people who can actually think and be stimulated intellectually by fresh ideas. Do you think all of what the NCAA is doing and has done is representative of fresh ideas? I can name some very significant historical figures who have employed the same manner of fresh ideas. I'd say you're line of thinking is wholly pharisaic and simply expedient with respect to what's best for UND. If you put your energies and if the SBoHE and the UND Alumni Association put its energies into pressuring the three stooges, that would be productive energy well spent. Please stay out of any women's shelters, AA groups, etc. where real hope and advocacy are espoused.

That's because of your own definitions, friend. You presume that only neo-cons, so-called, are cyincal about where we are. I am not a neo-con and you'd probably see me at a few rallies that would surprise you. Whether you're liberal, conservative or whatever, it would take a complete Pollyanna to think that our governmental processes are not completely hosed. It should be obvious to any reasonable-minded and thoughtful individual. Corporations have free speech rights (i.e. donations)? Really? WTF? That's just one example of how that massive and systemic failure has flowed even into the highest realm of the judicial system. Remarkable. If you're position is that only so called neo-cons can have that perspective, you really need to rethink your terms and your own perspective, possibly.

No. Bull. And, what are you smoking? Where a representative government does not follow the will of the people who sent them there, that's problematic. If it's representative government, then put into action the wishes of the people you represent who are asking you to do what you said you'd do which is listen to them and represent their interests. Representative democracy, so-called, does not mean that someone gets elected and then disses the people who sent him or her there and simply says "I know better than you and, by the way, be sure to vote for me next time too." Why do you think there are constitutional amendments for this or that or why there had to be one in Minnesota to subsidize "nature" and the park system? Majority of Minnesotans wanted it but the legislature did not listen so guess what happens - a constitutional amendment. Don't even start about us paying people well to make tough decisions and about them having better information than the average plebescite. They listen to lobbyists, the people who make the highest donations and those who will give them the best press coverage. the reason why all of them come back to their constitutents every so often is to actually give their constituents a false and baseless sense of security that they're actually listening to what they have to say. That's the point of representative democracy: Listen to what your constituents need and want and go to Washington or wherever else and fight for those things. If those things so desired or if those positions are out of line, they fail and die. We do not have "representative democracy" here. Representative democracy is not "you elected me to represent you trust me and I'll go do my job and I will know better than you and you guys just shut up." Rather, people take positions that are important in their area to a bigger area to advocate for them. I'm a delegate here. You should see how those seeking higher office kiss all of our asses at these events and then practically ignore someone else who would be one of their constituents and who may have concerns to bring up. This little stunt by one of the guys was material in my electing to now support the other guy. I told the first guy that he would not be getting my support and I told him why.

There's no "what if" going on at all. It is a certainty right now - the retirement of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo (scrubbing/expunging, etc.). Do you really think that Shaft, Kelley would bring the nickname back in 2 or 3 years after "spending all that money" to retire it? Perhaps the legislation should have provided that the nickname and logo will be reinstated in addition to having the 3 year waiting period. Pretty simple stuff, really. Respect the wishes of the SL and those on SR who are being denied a vote. Your perspective of who's hurting UND is misplaced.

Answer is simple: In 2 or 3 years if, and it's a big if, SL wins the lawsuit, Shaft/Kelley/et al indicate that too much money was spent changing the name, we don't want to go back to dealing with that "controversial issue" (translation: we're too big of weenies to tolerate whining from a select few), etc. Note to Shaft, et al: Come out publicly in favor of retaining the nickname and logo should SL prevail. No one other than the NCAA is doing anything vis-a-vis UND athletics. Direct your question to the NCAA, if you please. Classic terroristic threats. Typical low-core aggressive tactics.

Kelley does deserve blame, some of the blame anyway. Even Shaft chided him last year for statements he made. In any event, blame is irrelevant at this point whether one thinks such assigned blame is with merit or not. We are where we are. Personally, I blame Conrad, Dorgan, Howeven, Pomeroy and Berg more than anyone. Thousands of signatures for the referral were obtained (13,500 or so), thousands more for the intitated measure have been obtained and more will be obtained (27,000 or so), 67% of Spirit Lake likes the nickname, super-majority of alumni/alumnae support (supported previously) the nickname and logo, the vast majority of Standing Rock wants the nickname and logo and they have sat on their hands. Conrad and Hoeven have lost any moral prerogative to sit on any Indian Affairs Committee, if they ever had one to begin with, given that they've just sat idly by while sacred tribal ceremonies are disrespected and besmirched. The only thing that would make this marginally worse is if Heidi "I've been on the public dole all of my professional life" Heitkamp gets elected. Somehow Democrats and Republicans confuse being perenially on the public teet and being ass-kissed by lobbyists night and day with "public service", "experience"; and "legislative creativity."

Wha? You've got to be engaging in some sort of purposefuly use of irony or misstatement or some other form of writing/rhetoric device. The Committee AND the Tribe itself are the ones leading the charge and the people on SR who want their sacred pipe ceremony respected and acknowledged. They gave the nickname and logo to UND. They've had 80 years of history with UND. There's an INMED and a few other programs at UND that cater to the native americans, including the 2 Sioux tribes. There's at least an informal push to recruit native american students to UND, etc. Their Sioux nickname, something that even the NCAA acknowledges is "theirs" was given to UND via their tribal ceremonies. Their word and their traditions and customs are under assault by the NCAA (and by UND/SBoHE by their acquiescence). Need I go on? If these things aren't indicia of a connection to UND, I don't know what is.

I and most of them have a direct connection as alums and as for many others, athletes and alums. There's nothing denigrating about stating the plain fact that those two have argued against the nickname and logo from virtually day one and they're stating the same thing that they've always stated, just a slightly different shade of the same colour. The native americans who are at the center of the dispute aren't as flippant about how expedible their traditions and ceremonies are.

How predictable. Two of the biggest malefactors concerning the nickname and logo appearing to be balanced. Truth is stranger than fiction.

That's being addressed. A follow up will probably be in the works quite soon.

Because a majority (slim majority) is disrespecting their own sacred traditions blinded by their own racism and "payback to the white man" mentality. Moralistically speaking, the Ten Commandments are "binding" but they are not followed and, many times, personal tragedy ensues. My understanding is that those who do not follow the traditions are bringing a curse upon themselves or some sort of bad karma and JTA's life -- particularly recent incidents -- would certain bear that out.

And, give even more ammunition to the initiated measure process? As inept as the SBoHE has been for the last several years, I don't think they would go that route. Of course, the SBoHE has had a penchant in this process for surprising with new levels of incompetence and disorganization.

It is permanent. So says even Leonard Peltier. SL and Archie Fool Bear are not arguing that simply for the sake of convenience. That's how it is. It's like the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. The Pope can't go against what's been established orthodoxy for centuries, even though there's the misinformation that the Pope is infallible (Infallibility has only been exercised probably less than 5 times in 2,000 years). Of course, the Pope could go against it but he would be in the wrong for doing so. JTA and the others who are disrespecting the pipe ceremony are essentially engaging in apostasy.

You'll see it on ESPN.online.

It can't hurt.

Massive tool.

Stay tuned.

Also, those participating in any postseason competition may not have any “hostile or abusive racial/ethnic/national original references” Of course, SL and those at Standing Rock would indicate that it's not "hostile or abusive". "It is the spirit of the NCAA's championship policy that the competing student-athletes (both North Dakota and its opponents) not be distracted or disrupted during the championship by debates about when and where your institution's Native American imagery or nickname may be displayed or worn," Franklin said in the letter. Oh sure, Bernard. Truly, the athletes are going to get in a tizzy about this and not play any hockey. This guy's the NCAA's "Chief Inclusion Officer" which really matters a lot, I guess, unless you're a member of Spirit Lake or one of the many who want to vote on Standing Rock. If the case is still standing, I bet that there will be some sort of injunctive relief sought. The NCAA needs to have its ears pinned back.

And responding to you is like putting something else where one's mouth is which is why I'm breathing with restraint right now and why I am loathe to do it.

Not yet but my understanding is that a response is forthcoming. I think Soderstrom said something in the Hurled about it but I forget when that was or what he said. Maybe I'm just wrong about that but I thought he indicated something to that effect.

Well, I don't think Faison's misstatements really helped to assuage that broadly held presumption. I don't know how else one could frame Grant Shaft's unsupported (except evidently for his own communications with Notre Dame, if they happened at all) comments concerning Notre Dame vis-a-vis the nickname. Maybe another overstatement or misstatement again? The NCAA has stated publicly that the tribes should be the final arbiters as to usage of native imagery. Native Americans of ND weren't even joined in the surrender agreement or consulted in good faith at all. Native Americans of ND want to have a say and have expressed a say in the nickname issue and have been denied a say by the very entity that said that they should have a say. Native Americans indicate that regardless of a surrender agreement this issue involves their sacred religious ceremonies and ancestral identity and adhering to the word given by their forefathers. Native Americans want the NCAA to acknowledge their heritage and their position and expect the NCAA to do so if it is to be consistent concerning its public statements thus: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Findiancountrynews.net%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D1797%26Itemid%3D115&ei=_845T5-MK4aCgAfgwo2ZCw&usg=AFQjCNETuqWOQIgMn5SReIEq0p2f04w-NQ&sig2=fP_AuRL9cM6o9DnvoHXcwA Yes. Quite delusional.