All Apologies
Tuesday May 25, 2010 - In a bold display of Public Relations, the
Department Of Transportation met with the Bad River Nation this
past Monday and issued a formal apology for the barbaric
desecration and gross mishandling of our burial site located on
Highway 2, just west of our Casino. D.O.T. Secretary, Frank
Bussalacchi issued the formal apology, pledging to work with the Bad
River Nation and called for “the healing process to begin.”
Action and initiative speak louder than any spoken words. Our
people have been de-humanized and the remains of our loved ones
have been lost forever. With the upcoming major highway
reconstruction in the near future, one must question the timing of this
apology and the motivation behind it. Regardless of their words and
feel-good sentiments, the sins of the State are as concrete as their
highway that runs atop our Ancestors.
If the State’s apology is truly heartfelt and the Department Of
Transportation’s pledge to work with our Nation is genuine, perhaps
they can work with us to formulate a plausible eco-friendly solution to
divert traffic from our Ancestral Burial Grounds, no matter the
expense to the State. Perhaps we as a Tribe can take a more
proactive approach in this regard, seeing as a portion of our monies
from our Casino do in fact, go to the funding of State Highways.
Although no amount of money could ever reverse the inflictions
committed by our perpetrators, perhaps the State’s official
acknowledgement of their wrongdoing has opened the door for
possible litigation. Once the correction of these crimes have been
initiated and the wheels of justice are set to motion, then perhaps the
wounds of the past can truly begin to scab over.
Tuesday May 25, 2010 - In a bold display of Public Relations, the
Department Of Transportation met with the Bad River Nation this
past Monday and issued a formal apology for the barbaric
desecration and gross mishandling of our burial site located on
Highway 2, just west of our Casino. D.O.T. Secretary, Frank
Bussalacchi issued the formal apology, pledging to work with the Bad
River Nation and called for “the healing process to begin.”
Action and initiative speak louder than any spoken words. Our
people have been de-humanized and the remains of our loved ones
have been lost forever. With the upcoming major highway
reconstruction in the near future, one must question the timing of this
apology and the motivation behind it. Regardless of their words and
feel-good sentiments, the sins of the State are as concrete as their
highway that runs atop our Ancestors.
If the State’s apology is truly heartfelt and the Department Of
Transportation’s pledge to work with our Nation is genuine, perhaps
they can work with us to formulate a plausible eco-friendly solution to
divert traffic from our Ancestral Burial Grounds, no matter the
expense to the State. Perhaps we as a Tribe can take a more
proactive approach in this regard, seeing as a portion of our monies
from our Casino do in fact, go to the funding of State Highways.
Although no amount of money could ever reverse the inflictions
committed by our perpetrators, perhaps the State’s official
acknowledgement of their wrongdoing has opened the door for
possible litigation. Once the correction of these crimes have been
initiated and the wheels of justice are set to motion, then perhaps the
wounds of the past can truly begin to scab over.