The "Indian" argument

[RCA]

How do we respond to the "Indian" argument when someone claims if we truly believe in property rights that we should hand our land back over to the original owners we took it from, the Indians?

 

[constituent]

you do like most other "advocates" of the free-market and private property, and you chant the following over and over again:

do as i say, not as i do
do as i say, not as i do

 

[lynnf]

peace pipe?

How do we respond to the "Indian" argument when someone claims if we truly believe in property rights that we should hand our land back over to the original owners we took it from, the Indians?

could refer to the old argument that if the Native Americans had really wanted the land that they would have created a system of property deeds so that they could keep track of it


seriously, it wasn't all taken in a criminal fashion - there were treaties, which, of course, weren't all kept by the "white" side but it was a trade nonetheless.

lynn

 

[Minlawc]

How do we respond to the "Indian" argument when someone claims if we truly believe in property rights that we should hand our land back over to the original owners we took it from, the Indians?

I actually wouldn't mind that. We could give the individual tribe power to form there own states, run by there own form of government, within the united states. The majority of the white, black, and latino population would have to learn the state's official language to go into office, and in public schools.

Of course I live in Ohio, I don't think any tribe has an official connection to it. I could be wrong...

 

[FunkBuddha]

How do we respond to the "Indian" argument when someone claims if we truly believe in property rights that we should hand our land back over to the original owners we took it from, the Indians?

I say let em have it. They'd probably take better care of it anyways.

 

[Jeremy]

It's history. How do you expect us to be responsible for something some Europeans did a long time ago? It's like saying if you live in a house that was owned by a murderer hundreds of years ago, you should go to jail.

Also, how do you know what tribes owned what land? Did they even consider land something that could be owned?

Even so, original owners? The original owners died ages ago...

 

[Aratus]

How do we respond to the "Indian" argument when
someone claims if we truly believe in property rights that we should hand
our land back over to the original owners we took it from, the Indians?

dude, spanish land deeds are sometimes almost 500 years old, and the 1880s
and 1890s is when the last few indian tribes here were sent into the reservation
system. you now might say our newer legal writs are 110 or 120 years of age...

other than legal usage, and a continuity of titles, the given fact is that the original
transfers had levels of dubiousness and perhaps could be voided when the agreed
to terms are not met. this is actually a lingering question concerning the patchwork
quilt that is our legal titles and deeds. its the central question where there is no quick
glib answer that is pat and ipso facto... the debate on this is more way complicated.

 

[forsmant]

The Earth belongs to the Living! Those Indians are dead and have no claim to the land anymore.

 

[lodge939]

Darwinism in action.

 

[LibertyEagle]

Was restitution not enough?

By the way, some of the land was actually paid for, not stolen, as revisionist history likes to proclaim.

 

[klamath]

This is an issue that will never be solved trying to cite civilization's laws and customs. Only one law applies here. The law of force. What was done to the indians can never be explained away or rationalized by our DOI or constitution. It was wrong and totally wrong by those standards.
Were the Indians totally innocent? No. they were in almost constant warfare with each other for hunting grounds, women and loot for thousands of years. How many times did hunting grounds change between tribes in those thousands of years?
Once again it was power from Washington that caused the most harm. Many local military commanders put their honor on line to make peice treaties with the indians only to have Washington break the deals.

 

[danberkeley]

If the "Indians" did not believe in private ownership of land, how was it that the "white man" stole their land? How can someone steal something that is not ownable? How can Person A steal a land from Person B, if Person B does not nor cannot own the land?

 

[jbuttell]

I say let em have it. They'd probably take better care of it anyways.

I'm afriad that anyone who may have been an 'owner' is long dead.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

The "native" Americans of the past were pushed out by massive immigration.

Question: Are you pro-immigration? Anti-immigration? Other?

 

[redearth76]

The Earth belongs to the Living! Those Indians are dead and have no claim to the land anymore.

WE ARE NOT DEAD!! we are busy trying to protect our lands we do have left!! To keep them from being exlpoited!! and most tribes did not get reparations we did want our land instead so we got neither. So if you wanna help the American Indians help us stand up protect our sovereignty to say no to coal, natural gas uranium mining. oil drilling. and other attacks on our right to do what we want with our land. Like leave to be. we like it just the way it is! So if you really wanna be informed of our fight I'd recommend watching this documentry

Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action
it's on PBS check your local listings for times
here's a link to the website there are some video clips on there
http://www.katahdin.org/films/homeland/intro.html#

 

[M House]

Whatever Indian's can probably pull off a decent nation just look at the Cherokee. Should we give an supposed "descendants" their land back...um probably not. We treated them garbage and the land little better. As for not using the natural resources we have get real if you use any piece of technology toss it now and just get off the computer. Personally I feel they should have fully recognized nations with states and representation if they choose though. Washington DC gets one and it's not even a fucking state. Greatest industrial misconception is that we need to strip mine and clear the entire area just to dig a hole in the ground or grind some rock. Whatever I don't control companies on this issue but given any authority on this would just make them deal. Wah wah environmental regulations, be glad some pseudo environmental protection nazi isn't suing just to make you take your nasty ass over seas to tear up someone elses.

 

[SeanEdwards]

You can't put toothpaste back in the tube.

 

[tonesforjonesbones]

I agree with Liberty Eagle. There are deeds of sale preserved in museums...where the pilgrims purchased the land from that tribe. Problem was. indians didn't understand private property rights and kept coming on the land to do what ever they wanted. lol. Much of this history is preserved...stop believing revisionist history.. and yes, as more europeans migrated it pushed the indians around. I'm quite sure this has happened to every civilization that ever existed at some point in time. I guess they call it progress. tones

 

[M House]

Progress isn't wiping another civilization out.

 

[SeanEdwards]

Progress isn't wiping another civilization out.

Yes it is.

That is the fundamental truth of evolution. The cultures, and immune systems of the native Americans were not up to the challenge posed by European invaders, and so they got extinctified as a distinct entity. Bummer for them, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Not even a Jurassic Park could resurrect the destroyed nations of the native America tribes.