Reply #26: Yeah, it's a joke, sort of.

[sofa king]

"Indian Country Tomorrow" was the April Fools Day edition of Indian Country Today, once the most reputable American Indian news publication. However, it is somewhat predictive, as many spoofs are.

Richard Blumenthal, mentioned in the article, is the Attorney General of the state of Connecticut. He has been at the forefront of the fight against the federal recognition of several Indian tribes which have held reservations in Connecticut since that place was a British colony. Just a few months ago, after the Department of the Interior had studied the issue for years and recommended in favor of two tribes, the Schaghticoke and the Eastern Pequot, Mr. Blumenthal's office met with the lobbyists of Haley Barbour, and voila, the decisions in favor of those tribes were reversed, effectively terminating both tribes. Very soon, Connecticut will steal their small reservations and attempt to destroy those tribes for all time.

One of the inside jokes within the article is the fact that Blumenthal is a white guy and an Indian hater (and, sadly, a Democrat, though hardly worthy of the distinction). As I discuss in more detail in the post below, the position of Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs is vacant. Those duties are being performed by non-Indians, which is against the spirit of the law if not the letter.