Jan. 19, 2003 - 18:42 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

A FEW

I guess it is because of the Hayman forest fire near Denver last year that my heart goes out to the folks of Canberra, Australia and the fire that threatens their existence. Seeing trees, yet green, exploding into violent flame because of the heated air of the fire gave me an idea of the catastrophe a fire like that can be.

It is summer down there, high temperatures and high westerly winds add to the inferno. When reported yesterday or today there have been 388 homes destroyed, I expect there will be many more.

I'm thinking about the holocausts caused by drought, dried vegetation, California Santa Anna winds and a wee spark from somewhere. Here in Colorado although some smoke and ashes fell in town, no city homes were lost in the Hayman. I don't think there was a vast number of homes lost in the hills of the Hayman area either.

Canberra, the capitol, burning. What a tragedy. People homeless, people whose businesses are no more, people who will not be able to dig out of the consequences in their lifetime.

In another article in the paper today, the headline reads, "U.S. Judge refuses to leave Indian trust case." Seems as if people like former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit, and several other current and former government officials petitioned U. S. Judge Royce Lamberth to step down, accusing him and two lawyers who have helped him of bias. I think the next step that will be taken will be an attempt to discredit him in one way or another.

He has rejected motions by a number of officials facing possible contempt citations to disquallify the two lawyers he has named as special masters in the case.

This case is about the demand that the government account for funds of American Indians dating from 1887 to date. The lawsuit filed by the Colorado-based Native Amerian Right Fund and former Denver lawyer Dennis Gingold, alleges that the government may have cheated Indians out of as much as $137 billion because of missing records and sloppy bookkeeping.

In 1999 Judge Lamberth held Babbitt, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin an Assistant Interior Secretary Kevin Gover in civil contempt. Last September 17, he issued contempt findings against Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Neal McCaleb, who secceeded Gover as head of Indian affairs at Interior.

Seems to me that there has been much financial flim-flam with Indian funds probably going back to 1887. It also seems to me that the government administrations through the years have resisted to the utmost to clear the matter up. May be a bit of paranoia on my part, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit that if down through the years Indian money stuck to government officials hands.

There is smoke and mirrors, has been for years. In this present day, Judge Lamberth is an official for whom I have great respect. A man who refuses to cowed by the foot dragging brass. A man who is standing up for what is fair, right and proper. Our country needs scads of people like him in places where they could do the most good. We have in my eyes, but A Few . . . . . . . .

Blog