On May 23, 2010, the Native American Times
carried an AP wire with the headline “Apology to
Tribes - US apologizes to American Indians for mistreatment”. What next?
Mexico? Spain?
Unfortunately for the Native Americans,
then-Senator Brownback, who had pushed for the resolution, said that that “the
resolution was not meant to authorize or support any claim against the U.S.
government or serve as a settlement of any claim.” Oh well, at least they have
their reservations and casinos.
That reminds of an old Superman cartoon
(you can actually
see it here!) that was still being seen on TV networks many years after it
was made in 1942. A Native American (Indian) scientist claims that Manhattan
Island still belongs to his “people” and attempts to blow it up when the Daily Planet (Perry White, joined by
Clark Kent and Lois Lane) refused to “publish the truth.” The Daily Planet headline near the end says it all: “Superman Saves
Manhattan Island”.
71 years later, the scientist is still
waiting. (Appropriately for the times, no one dies in the cartoon.) Perhaps the
Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly should pass a resolution demanding that New York
return Manhattan Island to Native Americans, say, for 24 dollars?*
* I’d actually remembered the
scientist saying this…which to my dismay did not happen when I just watched it
over my bowl of udon.
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