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Archives for June 2016
Trahant Reports
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Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called states “the laboratories of democracy.” The idea was that experiments in governing would take place far from Washington and eventually become national policy. Well, it that’s true, then tribes, and intertribal organizations, might be democracy’s first test labs.
This is Trahant Reports.
If you are looking for innovation, efficiency, and ideas that should be borrowed by state governments, then explore some of the successes found in the Indian health system. Last week Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a bill that licenses dental therapy in Vermont. Therapists are midlevel providers who provide dental procedures such as fillings and simple extractions. Great idea. One that began more than a decade ago when the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium trained midlevel oral health providers because too few dentists were practicing in remote Alaska Native villages. Almost immediately this was an “aha!” moment as other communities saw this as a smart way to expand dental access. Dental therapy students were hired and trained right out of high school and then were put right to work. But the innovation was followed by a fight. The American Dental Association sued trying to stop this program, saying that the midlevel providers were practicing dentistry without a license. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium fought back and won, using the Indian Self-Determination Act and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to trump the state’s licensing regulations. The data today is clear. The program has been spectacularly successful providing routine dental care to some 40,000 patients every year. Across the country, both in Indian Country, and now in states, the idea of a midlevel dental practice is expanding. Last summer at the National Congress of American Indians, Brian Cladosby, Chairman of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and president of NCAI, said the tribe would expand dental health therapy using its own sovereign regulatory structure. In recent months tribes in Oregon began their own pilot program to train dental therapists. This innovation is the future. It expands dental care as well as opportunity for young people who want a career in dental health. It’s important to tell the story and its roots with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. I have some news about Trahant Reports today. Nearly two years ago we began this commentary on Native Voice One. We’re now beginning an expansion and as part of that we have a new underwriter. I’m pleased to say Trahant Reports will be brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI's expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
Thank you.
I am Mark Trahant
NAC June 27 – July 1
Monday, June 27, 2016 – The sex offender dilemma
Sex offenders pose a pervasive threat to our sense of security. There are hundreds of registered sex offenders in our Native communities. Many pose little risk and have lived in their communities for decades without incident. Others are considered high risks for reoffending. We’ll get a snapshot of the situation and learn what the options are for communities and individuals.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 – The soundtrack of our Native Nations
Whether it’s blues, country, rock, or traditional, music by Native Americans brings a unique and heartfelt groove to any given day. We celebrate some of the best bands and individual artists and hear what their words and melodies do for listeners.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016 – Tribal police departments: help wanted
Fewer than 3,000 police officers patrol more than 56 million acres in Indian Country. That’s the sobering statistic from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. What can be done to recruit and retain more cops?
Thursday, June 30, 2016 – The best approaches to treating opioid addiction
A “devastating epidemic” is the phrase used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell to describe opioid abuse. Treatment for addicts continues to evolve.
Which approach is the best for opioid addiction? Is it the same for everyone?
Friday, July 1, 2016 – Beyond pasta salad: Native delicacies
Some traditional foods can be hard to find and even hard to stomach for some of us. But they reflect the diversity of our tribal cultures and still occasionally make it to our plates. We celebrate unique delicacies and the efforts by some chefs to reintroduce them.
Creatures of the night
Trahant Reports
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What if the United States bought all of the coal reserves owned by American Indian tribes, Alaska Native village corporations, and individuals?
This is Trahant Reports.
What if? Two words that ought to be the every day language in politics. What if we imagined?
I have been thinking a lot of “what ifs?” when it comes to coal. Coal is a paradox for several Native American communities. The United Nations says that nearly 90 percent of proven coal reserves are “unburnable” and should be left in the ground.
But historically the industry has created good paying jobs and now it’s in sharp decline (Mostly because of market forces, the availability of inexpensive natural gas).
Yet stakeholders — workers and even a few tribes — blame the government for too many regulations. And, on the flip side, many of those working to change the energy paradigm demand that coal be left in the ground without thinking through the consequences to families who earn their living digging or shipping coal or even to the governments who rely on the revenue.
That’s where we begin the “what if?” thinking.
What if we could leave coal in the ground? What if we could still pay tribes for that resource and workers could benefit from the inevitable transition?
Turns out there is a solution that does both. Stephen Kass, a New York attorney who works on climate issues, suggested in the Washington Post last week that the United States buy the entire coal industry and shut it down. He said that solution would be cheaper than continued fights over coal regulation and the eventual costs associated with climate change.
This is the perfect time to buy the entire coal industry. Many coal companies are in bankruptcy; and across the board, prices are low.
Some thirty tribes have coal resources, totaling at least one third of Western coal, on lands from Arizona to Alaska. So the United States should pay the tribes with coal assets a significant sum to not mine their resource.
Montana’s Crow Tribe has a reserve of at least 9 billion tons of coal. And, in making the case for coal, Crow Tribal Chairman Darrin Old Coyote told InsideEnergy: “I don’t want to be dependent on the U.S. government. We have the resources … There’s no reason why we should be this poor.”
What if that resources were purchased? True, the cost of any buy-out would be enormous. Unless the accounting included the even more massive costs associated with climate change. Then the purchase of coal to not mine should be considered as an investment not a cost.
There is precedent for paying to take coal out of production. Farmers and ranchers are paid to not farm and ranch in order for the land to recover. This would be the same. Tribes (and individual landowners) would be compensated for their resource and the coal would stay in the ground.
The international goal of reducing greenhouse gasses requires significant changes in energy policy. We need to rethink the energy paradigm across the board from oil and gas production to what it will take to jump start more green energy sources. And all of the changes ahead will be tough politically. So what if we start that effort with a win-win-win? A win for coal owners, including tribes. A win for workers. And, a win for the environment. This is how we leave coal in the ground.
I am Mark Trahant reporting.
NAC June 20 – 24
Monday, June 20, 2016 – June Music Maker: Robert Mirabal & ETHEL
Grammy winning Taos Pueblo recording artist Robert Mirabal’s new album, “The River,” is full of a lot of movement. Many of the compositions have melodies tell a story with energy and a distinct musical setting. Mirabal is our June Music Maker along with collaborator Ralph Farris of the New York City string quartet ETHEL.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – From activist to radical
The term “radicalized” has become the way to describe how someone turns into violent action. Authorities use it to talk about the shooting attack on a nightclub in Orlando. But what really is radicalization? How do you know when someone becomes “radical”?
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 — Creatures of the night: tribal programs to help bats
Bats are mostly harmless. But you wouldn’t know it from the way people react to them. Bats hold a special place in Native culture. Right now some bat populations are threatened. We will talk to experts leading the preservation efforts on tribal lands.
Thursday, June 23, 2016 – Keeping our homes safe from fire
An average of seven people die each day from home fires, and Native Americans are high on the list. June is National Safety Month. It’s a good time to review to simple ways to be safer and to go over the basics of fire prevention and planning.
Friday, June 24, 2016 – June in the News
A victory for tribal court sovereignty, discussion over the “worst mass shooting in U.S. history,” and we refresh our view on Native candidates for office as we catch up on the news.
NAC June 13 – June 17
Monday, June 13, 2016 — What Happens After Rape?
More than half of all Native American and Alaska Native women have experienced sexual violence. That is one of the troubling statistics the emerged from a study released last month by the National Institutes of Justice. We will talk about what happens after rape, where to get support and how people move towards healing.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 — The outside listening in: Non-Natives learning Native languages
Some tribes don’t open up their language for outsiders to learn. But others have materials and classes readily available for anyone within or outside the tribe. Where do you stand on letting outsiders learn our Native tongues?
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 — Natural disasters in Native America
Many tribal governments have their own emergency management systems. Others piece together plans with city, county and federal agencies. Are you and your Native community prepared for tornadoes, floods and snow storms?
Thursday, June 16, 2016 – Native in the spotlight: Tito Ybarra
From “Gary the Guardian Eagle” to “Way too personal internet hand drum dude”, Peter “Tito” Ybarra has the lockdown on eccentric Native characters. In our occasional series Native in the Spotlight, we’ll speak with Tito about his comedy, characters and future gigs.
Friday, June 17, 2016 – Calling all the single daddies…
With Father’s Day just around the corner, we’ll single out single fathers. Men’s restrooms contain changing tables, and employers are offering fathers time off for their kids. But is society really set up to help single fathers?
Natural disasters in Native America
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Trahant Reports – Presence In Indian Country
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This election is already one for the books. Why? Because Bernie Sanders spent more time campaigning on Native American issues than any candidate before him.
This is Trahant Reports.
I have been writing about political campaigns for forty-plus years. I’ve seen an evolution in how presidential candidates reach out to American Indian and Alaska Native voters.
Early on the connection with Native people was mostly seen as a constituent service. Candidates visited. Showed their face. Even said, “vote for me.” Many published nifty policy papers written by folks who work every day on Native issues. But there was no real connection.
**My first experience with that was in 1976 at a press conference with the new President-elect Jimmy Carter asked him how reserved tribal water rights would fit into a Carter water policy? He looked at me and then said that was a question for the Interior Secretary. Next.
**That started to change when Jesse Jackson ran for president. I remember him walking into the Navajo Nation Council and he wasn’t just there. He was present. The response from the tribal delegates was just as real and emotional. There was a connection.
Barack Obama did Jackson one better when he campaigned on the Crow Nation in May of 2008. That connection paid off: Obama has had one of the most successful presidencies in history and that’s especially true when you measure what has occurred in the area of Native American policy.
Has it been a perfect eight years? Of course not. But compared to other administrations — even good ones — this has been a remarkable ride. Obama delivered on his promises. Period.
So with that history fresh in my mind, I think, Bernie Sanders raised the level of expectation to an even higher standard.
What made the Sanders’ campaign so remarkable is that it took what had been a special event — a visit to Crow, for example — and it made it routine. When a Sanders event was near Indian Country (or better within a tribal nation) everyone from the candidate to his staff knew what to do.
This is how campaigns should be run. It conveys a level of respect to the first people of this continent in a way that defies history.
How would this have translated into policy? That we will never know. Unless. Unless Secretary Clinton picks up the best elements of the Sanders campaign and then adds something more. This is entirely possible. She has history in Indian Country that goes back a long time, at least as far back as her legal services work. So with the right people to help her, she could reach that next level.
And on the Republican side, Donald Trump has expressed the beginning of his Native American policy, essentially aligning that policy with more development for oil, gas and coal. His campaign reached out to to the Navajo Nation Council asking for a meeting to explain.
So while this week marks the end of the presidential primary season — and a focus toward general election voters — perhaps there will also be continued conversation about issues important to Native Americans.
I am Mark Trahant reporting.
What makes a good foster parent?
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