Letter to the Editor of the Glacier Reporter by Robert C. Juneau 12-28-14

To The Editor:  

There is a story writter by Hans Christian Anderson called The Emperor's New Clothes that goes,"The trumpets blew and the great procession started.  People had come from far and near to get a good view of the Emperor in his new clothes.  But how surprised they were when they saw him.  At last one of the crowd said timidly,"The Emperor's new clothes are beautiful!" Then everyone started talking at once." So fashionable!" "Very smart!" "Divine!" they said, each of them anxious not to seem more foolish than the rest.  But one small boy laughed out loud and shouted,"Look!  The Emperor has no clothes on!" It is plain for everyone to see that Blood Quantum does not exist and should not be used by the Blackfeet as a Enrollment Criteria.  Blood Quantum is Immoral, Impractical, and Unjust.  Immoral because it denies the Blackfeet Descendants the right to be Enrolled which the Blackfeet Descendants consider their birthright since they are Blackfeet landowners.  Impractical because it will cause the Blackfeet to go extinct by the year 2080 and to lose all of their landbase.  Unjust because it denies the Blackfeet Descendants the right to vote in Tribal Elections and to run for Tribal Political Office.  There is also a Turkish Proverb that says,"A Fish rots from the head down," meaning when a organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause.  Although I think Immoral or Unjust Law could be added to that which I believe Blood Quantum to be.  The remedy for this situation is to have a Secretarial Vote and if the Secretarial Vote should fail to change this Unjust Blackfeet Law the Descendants can seek Federal Recognition as the Blackfeet Band of Descendants.  They can do this because they are already Federally recognized Treaty Indians' and own Blackfeet Trust Land.  The Secretarial Vote has to come first though which is why I am asking all of the Enrolled Blackfeet to sign a copy of the B.E.A.R (Blackfeet Enrollment Amendment Reform) Petition.  You can get a copy by contacting the Blackfeet Descendants Group on Facebook or B.E.A.R or by calling Deena McDonald at (406) 450-3645.