There's a new country inside the USA!

[RocketFoot]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317548,00.html

~Snip

WASHINGTON — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.

"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.

A delegation of Lakota leaders has delivered a message to the State Department, and said they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the U.S., some of them more than 150 years old.

The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies, and would continue on their diplomatic mission and take it overseas in the coming weeks and months.

Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free - provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship, Mr Means said.

The treaties signed with the U.S. were merely "worthless words on worthless paper," the Lakota freedom activists said.

Click link above for more...

Just WOW! Get ready to send in every gov't agency looking for a fight!

[LittleRedToyota]

i'm surprised it has taken this long for a native american group to do something like this...

of course, it ain't gonna work, but, frankly, i can't say i wouldn't do the same if i were in their shoes.

[WhiteFeather]

How are they going to be on gun rights, might be worth buying some property next to that nation on their border.

"worthless words on worthless paper,"

[knight0334]

More power to them...

Now.. time to get PA, WV, OH, VA to secede too.

[Punisher]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317548,00.html





WASHINGTON — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States.

"We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,'' long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means said.

A delegation of Lakota leaders has delivered a message to the State Department, and said they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the U.S., some of them more than 150 years old.

The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies, and would continue on their diplomatic mission and take it overseas in the coming weeks and months.

Lakota country includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

The new country would issue its own passports and driving licences, and living there would be tax-free - provided residents renounce their U.S. citizenship, Mr Means said.

The treaties signed with the U.S. were merely "worthless words on worthless paper," the Lakota freedom activists said.

Withdrawing from the treaties was entirely legal, Means said.

"This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution,'' which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land, he said.

"It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent,'' said Means.

The Lakota relaunched their journey to freedom in 1974, when they drafted a declaration of continuing independence — an overt play on the title of the United States' Declaration of Independence from England.

Thirty-three years have elapsed since then because "it takes critical mass to combat colonialism and we wanted to make sure that all our ducks were in a row,'' Means said.

One duck moved into place in September, when the United Nations adopted a non-binding declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples — despite opposition from the United States, which said it clashed with its own laws.

"We have 33 treaties with the United States that they have not lived by. They continue to take our land, our water, our children,'' Phyllis Young, who helped organize the first international conference on indigenous rights in Geneva in 1977, told the news conference.

The U.S. "annexation'' of native American land has resulted in once proud tribes such as the Lakota becoming mere "facsimiles of white people,'' said Means.

Oppression at the hands of the U.S. government has taken its toll on the Lakota, whose men have one of the shortest life expectancies - less than 44 years - in the world.

Lakota teen suicides are 150 per cent above the norm for the U.S.; infant mortality is five times higher than the U.S. average; and unemployment is rife, according to the Lakota freedom movement's website.

[lexington86]

Yeah, I saw this on Digg. It will be very interesting to see how the US Government responds.



BTW: my favorite comment on the Digg story was something like, "Didn't Family Guy try this already?"

[OneLungMcClung]

Good catch Punisher. I saw this too. I think we are not likely to see much come from this. Probably some gunfights and skirmishes, maybe a Wounded Knee Incident Part II. They declared today that they would begin to issue Lakota Passports and DL's. The real issue is what they will do when push comes to shove? The Lakota have not benefited hugely from their casinos, from what I have read. Are they ready to fight? I doubt they have much beyond small arms.... will the FBI and other Feds be able to handle them?

Part of the problem the Gubbmint faces is that they (Lakota) have bad poverty and nothing to lose. I have no doubt that they can summon a decent force of men and women who will make great insurgents.

The fallout from this could be interesting.

As for getting their own land:

We solved that issue (splitting the Union) back in 1865.

The article brought some things to my attention:

The group also visited the Bolivian, Chilean, South African and Venezuelan embassies,

LMAO @ this prattle MONEY TALKS $$$$$ Chile has trade agreements with us, as does SA. I doubt they will do anything too disruptive to those. As for Bolivia and Venezuela, I can see why they would make friends with these groups: Bolivia's Morales has sworn he will "never negotiate free trade agreements with us". And Venezuela?.... what a great excuse to have Chavez whacked.

I wonder where the Lakota Nation's money and goods would come from if they actually did win their separation? They are landlocked...and you can bet we're not going to grant overflight to too many groups.

Quite a few groups (such as Amnesty International) consider Indian Prisoners, like Leonard Peltier, as Political Prisoners. They view the American Indian as an oppressed people. Quite often, you'll notice a similar line of support fior the Palestinians. With the world wide anger towards USG's actions (warranted or not), I wonder if perhaps support for the Lakota will be given purely out of spite. Many people who are not cognizant of the fallout from it would wish the destruction of the US. They are usually ignorant and angry, but as we've seenm, those folks quite often make up the majority and the educated, understanding folks are booed and shushed.

"We have 33 treaties with the United States that they have not lived by."

I can't argue with that. US Government has been a total bastard to the American Indian.

"They continue to take our land,"

I'm sorry to be crass, but We won the war.

"our water,"

Indeed. All the States do this to every other state out there. States squabble over water rights like kindergardeners squabble over who's got what in the sandbox. You're not alone, Lady. California is the biggest offender.

"our children,''

Huh??

Ah, the Pièce de résistance:

One duck moved into place in September, when the United Nations adopted a non-binding declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples — despite opposition from the United States, which said it clashed with its own laws.

WE do NOT answer to the the U.N.!









`

[Joe Smith]

Personally, I'm rooting for them!

They lost the war, but to be honest we shouldn't have taken the land in the first place. I'm not giving it back, and sure it turned out okay but it was their land.


I like the Lakota. I've met quite a few, participated in a few inipi (sweat lodge) ceremonies, pipe ceremonies, and have a great deal of respect for their traditions. They have been getting their collective asses kicked for years and I say good for them if they want to become independent. No matter what happens it should be fun to watch.


Mitakuye Oyasin

[fultonCoShooter]

they waited awhile before they got fed up

[P-11 shooter]

Mitaluye Oyasin to you my friend.