American Indians
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow a logging road to be built through Indian burial sites is yet another slap in the face to a people for whom the term “American Indian” can seem nothing more than an oxymoron (Part I, April 20).
The court has blatantly shown its duplicitous nature by protecting the rights of some groups (notably, the Amish’s free exercise of religion in rejecting compulsory schooling for their children) while continuing to ignore those of a people who live under a state of virtual subjection.
Ironically, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote for the court: “However much we might wish it were otherwise, government simply could not operate if it were required to satisfy every citizen’s religious needs and desires.”
Obviously, the court recognizes that Native Americans still are not considered “citizens.”
LUTHER C. JACKSON IV
Torrance
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