Today's Opinions

Canada’s endorsement of the UN Declaration must be consistent with human rights

Indigenous peoples and human rights and faith based organizations welcome the announcement in the Speech from the Throne that the Canadian government is taking steps to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We urge the government to embrace this vital human rights instrument without conditions or limitations. Read more »

Native Currents

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, nearly 3,500 American Indians/Alaska Natives have been diagnosed with the disease and approximately half of our brothers and sisters have passed on from it. We have the third highest rate of new HIV infections in the country after African Americans and Latinos. Sadly, we have the shortest survival rate. Read more »

Cook: Walking with their spirits

About 15 years ago, brain tissue from 33 infants who succumbed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome were taken from Northern Plains tribes, including Pine Ridge, Standing Rock and Cheyenne River, as part of the Aberdeen Indian Health Service Infant Mortality Study. It is never an easy decision to let the remains of our dead be studied, even more so when they belong to our infants, our most vulnerable, and I still want to hope, our most treasured relations. Read more »

Marketplace insights

Part 2 of 2

In part one of the series we looked at the issues and responsibilities of firing and getting fired from the employer position. That column covered the thought process that goes into or should go into any termination situation for companies. In this column we will look at how the employees handle the situation. Read more »

Indian country ahead of the times

Washington, D.C. seems to be taking an interest in grassroots Native economic development lately. Last week, Oweesta staff testified at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives and participated in a discussion hosted by the Obama administration at the White House. In both cases, Oweesta was able to serve as the voice for Native people and advocate for policies favorable to building assets in our villages and communities. I think the federal government may be realizing that our holistic and integrated approach to community development really works to create permanent change. Considering the current state of the economy, our model for economic development might be just what the rest of the nation needs. Read more »

Craven: Why the proposed Cobell settlement is wrong for Indian country

In spite of the almost 14 years of litigation, more than $100 million spent by the government, the unresolved nature of the relief sought by the Cobell plaintiffs, the continuing dispute over the size of the class, and the great turmoil over this case, Congress is now being asked to rush to judgment on a settlement that vastly expands the original lawsuit. Read more »

Trahant: Health care reform vote should be a litmus test

Depending on where you live, you might be seeing TV commercials every few hours warning about the dangers of health care reform. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending millions to stop this legislation. Most people live in districts where the members have already decided. If they’re Republicans, their vote is an automatic “no.” And, most Democrats are solid on the “aye” side, so the debate boils down to a few dozen Democrats who could vote either way. Read more »

Taliman: Stop the racist attacks on our children

Just as we think we’re making progress, another hate crime rears its ugly head. And this time, it’s against our children. Read more »

It’s all good

A few years back my company was growing leaps and bounds, the pace was hectic and I was falling down trying to keep up. I gained customers and I lost a few on this bumpy road. Read more »

Getting a ‘yes’ when you need it

Are you constantly tracking down your executives and managers to get approval for your marketing projects? Do you spend more time getting the “yes” than it took you to put your programs together? Effective, efficient and productive marketing requires group consensus. Even the most experienced, organized marketing executive needs participation and input from the executive team, all marketing staff, other department managers, frontline employees and yes, even customers. Not only is involvement and buy-in necessary and critical, but before any program can be implemented, a series of approvals must be obtained. Successfully circumnavigating the maze that is the approval process is often a marketing professional’s personal albatross. Read more »

Columnists Bios

  • Columnists Bios
    Steven Newcomb
    Steven Newcomb, Shawnee/Lenape, is indigenous law research coordinator in the education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation in San Diego County, co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous Law Institute, and author of ''Pagans in the Promise Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery'' (Fulcrum Publishing, 2008). He lives in San Diego and can be reached at snewcomb@sycuan.org.


     

    Steve Russell
    Steve Russell, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is a Texas trial court judge by assignment and an associate professor of criminal justice at Indiana University. He is a columnist for Indian Country Today. He lives in Bloomington and can be reached at swrussel@indiana.edu.




    Valerie Taliman
    Valerie Taliman, Navajo, is president of Three Sisters Media, which offers publishing, social media and public relations services. She is also an award-winning journalist specializing in environmental, social justice and human rights issues. She is based in Albuquerque, N.M. Contact her at valerietaliman@gmail.com.

     

    Charles Trimble
    Charles E. Trimble, Oglala Lakota, was principal founder of the American Indian Press Association in 1970, and was executive director of the National Congress of American Indians from 1972-1978. He is retired and resides in Omaha with his wife. He can be reached at cchuktrim@aol.com.

     
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