Apr. 27, 2006 - 23:00 MDT

IN THE WASH

What little comes out often can be put together with other "littles" and some remarkable conclusions be made. A very short article buried mid-paper today in the Rocky Mountain News. In the World Briefing section. In full it is quoted here:

$2 BILLION SETTLEMENT FOR ABUSED INDIANS

TORONTO -- "Negotiators have reached a $2 billion agreement to compensate 80,000 Canadian Indians who attended a government financed school system where many suffered physical and sexual abuse."

"The widespread incidence of alcoholism, family violence and incest in many Canadian Indian communities has long been linked to the experiences of generations who attended the so-called residential schools, which were dedicated to forced assimilation and operated for more than a century, until the 1980s."

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There must be a lot of truth to the linkage seeing that the Canadian government is pushing $2 billion dollars into alleviating the problem.

Whether that money will do any good in changing the ways of those who were abused and their families might be a bit problematic, but at least it indicates the Canadian government acknowledges the abuses in the past.

Wondering if any action has een taken against those who perpetuated the abuse.

Thinking a bit about the "Orphan Trains," that went from our east coast areas to the west. Many of the kids on them entered a life of abuse and slavery too.

I know a Quaker (Society Of Friends) gentleman who told me a story which seems to be pretty close to fact (at least it seems so to me) that our government was considering applying a "final solution" to our American Indian population until the Quakers started up some of the schools devoted to Anglicizing the native young folk. Grim it was for the kids to be forbidden to speak their own language, unable to wear the clothes they were used to and in other ways forced to give up customs and lines of thought taught them by their elders.

So very often we tend to pat ourselves on the back as "enlightened and charitible" people here in North America. We do tend to overlook our mistreatment of helpless people including the young folks.

Little by little, though -- through the years many of our failings all come out IN THE WASH . . . . . . . . . . .