Lakota Nation declares independence

[solarbird]

It's only in the Weird News sections right now, but the Lakota seem to be declaring de facto independence by renouncing the treaties with the US government which have long been ignored by the US government anyway. They've been meeting with various embassy staffs in DC, looking for recognition. This link is to zarq's livejournal entry on it, which contains links to a number of of stories and articles.

Comments

[archanglrobriel.livejournal.com]

Uh oh...
The AIM and the Lakota are already on the government's s-list, this isn't going to help matters. I'm betting that the AIM gets itself declared a terrorist organization now. On the other hand, if they succeed, I may just go back to the national homeland. Where did I put my CDIB card again?

[solarbird]

Yeah, seriously. I didn't think about terrorist organisation declaration. That'd let mass detentions without legal recourse get started.

This'll stay Weird News pages unless somebody recognises 'em. Then things'll be different (and not good) real fast.

[dogemperor.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I can't imagine that the US is going to take this lying down--because if the Lakota succeed at this, that opens the door for a lot of other nations (notably the Dine'/Navajo, the Miccosukee/Seminole, and possibly even the Cherokee Nations) to secede in like manner. (The Cherokee Nation even has a Supreme Court precedent backing up its claim of independence.)

Yeah, I expect things to get ugly REAL quick if other nations recognise them as a legitimate nation...

All in all, though, I'm not terribly surprised it was the Lakota. Of all the various nations in "Indian Country", the Lakota have been probably the most dominant in noting that they *are* technically a sovereign nation, and they have *not* let the US government forget this (which is why the government has been very pissy re AIM, etc.).

[rmd.livejournal.com]

LAKOTA LIBERTOPIA, BAYBEE.

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

emma (11:21:49 PM): http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22954249-1702,00.html
emma (11:22:55 PM): the lakota are ... seceding? kind of?
wrog (11:27:30 PM): I'm sort of thinking this is going to last about 10 minutes in the current political climate
emma (11:28:06 PM): well, yes
wrog (11:28:36 PM): relying on the UN seems an especially bad idea seeing as SECURITY COUNCIL VETO
wrog (11:29:03 PM): (same reason UN doesn't do shit about Tibet, but anyway)
emma (11:29:12 PM): yeah
wrog (11:29:14 PM): (or Chechynya)
wrog (11:29:36 PM): but yay we have a breakaway republic of our own now
emma (11:29:48 PM): huzzah!
emma (11:30:18 PM): maybe we can turn it into our own quebec
wrog (11:30:22 PM): heh
wrog (11:30:30 PM): won't Iowa love that
emma (11:30:36 PM): and then everything will have to be printed in english and lakota!

[avram]

Maybe. Here's Mikel LeFort, editor of the Rapid City Journal, blogging about why they didn't put the story on the front page:

On the other hand, there were no tribal presidents in the group which made the announcement, no one from the top ranks of any of the Lakota Sioux tribes. The timing with the LNI was curious. Russell Means has been known to stage public events to get his message out, and there are some Lakotas who don’t feel Means speaks for them.