Although I believe that all wild steelhead should be released, I am not nearly as educated on the political aspects of this issue as the rest of you. Your posts are incredibly thought out and informative.

That said, I'd like to go back to the original post in the tread:

Who can we call? Who can we write letters to? Should we contact our legislators? etc.?

Could someone set up a form letter that we can pass around and have everyone sign?

I'd like to take some kind of action on this but really don't know where to start.

SF

Do they?

Oh, I know you are right on in your analysis of the current situation Eddie..... I am not for getting RID of the treaties at all. That would probably be impossible in todays legal arena. But I do feel they could be amended as they were (or interpreted) and that when the treaties were written the population was nill and the resources were seemingly endless....
Just as the tribes have embraced modernisms into their culture such as cars, electricity, TV, fiberglass hulls and outboards, so they also must realize that with time change come custom changes. I dont think ANYONE has a problem with tribal members going out and fishing for religeous purposes or even for true subsistance (ya know, kill to eat). But taking and taking for nothing more than $$ is not what the treaty signers ever had in mind.... It was to preserve a way of life, not create a new one.
Take the Geoduck harvest as just one example... How many tribes back when the treaty was written ever dove for geoducks? Possibly found a rare one on low tides, but it was not a customary part of their "subsistance". Now they are taking $350,000,000.00 a year in Geoduck and paying no license fee, no taxes on sales, etc? Can anyone justify that and not see that practices such as that were not what the treaty had in mind?? I just think a big stink needs to be created, people need to be educated, and then the whole package needs to be looked at...... Hell, look at the casinos... Did not have them when the treaties were written, but now we let them have them and that is "a change"...... Time for other "changes" I think.....

MC

MC - Even an amendment to the treaties would require the agreement of both parties. Using a different analogy - The 1st Amendment to the Constitution could not have foreseen radio, television, or the Internet. The 2nd Amendment certainly did not envision automatic weapons. Times change and the treaties and amendments are meant to cover the changing times.

MC - Even an amendment to the treaties would require the agreement of both parties. Using a different analogy - The 1st Amendment to the Constitution could not have foreseen radio, television, or the Internet. The 2nd Amendment certainly did not envision automatic weapons. Times change and the treaties and amendments are meant to cover the changing times.

Eddie my son...we don't need to try to get rid of the treaties we just need to be more diligent in enforcing fish and wildlife laws that can and do apply to the tribes. We just seem to give up more and more every year. The geoduck example is a good one. The words "In Kind" come to mind in the Boldt decision. That never was intended to mean anything more than equal access in my opinion and yet we have given up way more than equal access. Not to mention the equal but sovereign bs...we (indians) are a sovereign nation when we want to hide behind that status but we are one of you (US citizens) when it suits us. Having it both ways is what most people really disapprove of I think. There are things that can be done. One of them is to try to work with the tribes for the greater good. Atleast try. The state has been doing that but at the end of the day it is a sham. We work together until something comes along that the tribes don't like and they just get their own way. Look at the proliferation of casinoes. What's up with that? A $7 billion dollar industry for the tribes in California with no taxes thanks to compacts done by Gray Davis in exchange for a $12 million campaign contribution for his failed attempt to stay in office or get Cruz Bustamante in. Hopefully Arnold will set an example and tax the tribes but Gray signed deals that last for the next 17 years.....And the tribes are pushing for huge expansions at their existing casinoes with new ones on the way all of the state...Same here in Washington...So why do they care about fish? Because they want to perpetuate their treaty rights and gain as much political power as possible. The tribes are winning the war this time around.

Thank You!!!

And to add to G'pa's post, why cannot the Fed's do with the tribes like they do with the states..... "You do as we suggest or we take away funding"....??
Works like a charm with the states when they envision $millions$ being held back unless they play ball.... Nothing in the treaties talks of monthly support, free health care, free college, free housing, etc.... So that COULD be their leverage to get more cooperation..... But sadly it will not happen due to the liberal thinkers that believe we owe the tribes forever for wrongs commited by others decades and centuries ago. Look at California. They voted a majority that illegals no longer recieve state funded education or welfare/medical, then the liberal crowd of teachers/health care workers filed a suit calling it "unconstitutional" and it was reversed...... It can be done, but is there anyone in power that has big enough balls to get it going? NO...... It would take massive political pressure, and without organization that kind of pressure will not be felt. There are plenty enough sportsmen to inflict that kind of pressure, but all you have to do is read these posts and see that there is not enough agreement that would be needed to launch a successful/organized protest.... We are starting to get things done though, as G'pa and AuntyM's petition work shows.... *fingers crossed*

MC

MC - Now, you're talking!! The Feds could do this and like Grandpa mentioned earlier, the State could require more complete compliance with regulations already in place. It would take some ba*lls - the Indians are becoming a major political force with all the casino money they can spend on political races. Now all we need is a candidate or slate of candidates that will go forward with this. How about you guys, MC and Grandpa - Political Activism for the 21st Century???

As long as politicians can be bought off the tribes will be buyin...

Again, politicians are a large part of the problem but an even bigger force to deal with is the huge group of people in the "PC" arena that believe the tribes are still living in teepees with no running water or electricity.
You would not believe how many of them there are. Just spoke to a nurse last night that "heard" from a friend of hers that tribes in Arizona and New Mexico do not have running water or sewer systems on the reservations and many are without electricity..... She believed it. Where does that type of info come form? Do the tribes themselves promote these ideas? Anyhow, the point being that not only do people need to organize and pressure, we also need to educate. If the plight is real, then proactive support of those in plight is the right thing to do..... If the plight is imagined or concocted for sympathy and political gain, that is a different story.....

OMG I am beginning to sound like a record with a bad skip in it...... Thanks for everyones patience with my rants.....

MC