Ann Coulter and Indian Politics

I just came across an Ann Coulter interview on the subject of Indian affairs and politics.

First a disclaimer - I am not bewitched by this woman (like many otherwise conservative folks), sure she photographs well but I find her attitude too abrasive and aggressive to properly fit gentile behavior. Beyond that she is an ideologue and straight party-line sort of girl. She simply cannot see beyond the two party system and her loyalty to her party.

I have selected a few quotes from her.

Ann -"Indians are a great warrior people, like Southerners. Their courage is admired by all real Americans."

Well so long as these "warriors" stay on the reservation, enlist in the military in disproportionate numbers and follow the rules (up to the point that the Federal government changes the rules and then the warriors better adapt).

The British Empire was built upon the bones of the Scots - Southerners have filled this role as have the American Indian. Once conquered both of these people served and continue to serve the nation that conquered them.

Ann - "The Apaches and Iroquois were brutal mothers -- not only to the White Man, but to other Indians."

Brutal by what standard? Who set this standard? What is brutality when a people are invaded by a technological and numerically superior force?

The Apaches are the epitome of a people determined to retain their freedom -their's is a story all people wishing to remain free ought to tell around "campfires".

Ann - "Republicans have a good record on Indians because we admire fighters."

How paternalistic and hypocritical. She attempts to make the point in the paragraphs proceeding that the only administration to really abuse Indians what Andrew Jackson's and she points out twice that he was a Democrat. (yes Jackson's treatment of the Cherokee was horrible)

She forgets that it was Republican administrations, seven of them, that conducted the great Plains Indian Wars from 1865 to 1890. In fact it was Union (Republican) generals that conducted these wars at the direction of Republican presidents. Come on Ann, don't feed anyone this nonsense that Republicans have been good to Indians.

Ann - "It was Democrats like Andrew Jackson who were vicious racists toward the Indians. All true right-wingers are big Indian fans."

The thing about ideologues is that they cannot see the truth for their bias. Jackson was bad in his treatment of the Cherokee but the tyranny (the killing part of the tyranny) visited upon the Indian nations by Republicans began in 1862 (when five nations joined the Confederacy) and did not end until 1890. Both parties have something to be ashamed of.

Ann (when asked about the reservation system) - "Yes, the White Man was happy with reservation system when they couldn't imagine why anyone would want to live on them, but as soon as oil was discovered some White Men -- we call them "Democrats" -- reneged on the deal. Add this to your list of reasons why a Democrat should never sit in the Oval Office.

I like the idea of Indian reservations as tax-free zones and support the preservation of Indian reservations as a salute to a brave culture. But ridiculous court rulings have made reservations havens for gambling, which is a real sickness. I'm against that."

Here again she shows her deficiencies in real knowledge of history. Most of the treaties broken occurred between 1865-1890 (not a Democrat issue). This is a straw-man argument - Democrats do not deserve the Oval office for many reasons but neither do the Republicans.

What a silly statement in the second part of her response. The Indian nations that signed treaties with the US government retained sovereignty over internal affairs. I do not like the idea of casinos either but that is an Indian issue, it is for each nation to decide - not the federal courts or Ann Coulter and company.