Tribe suing beer companies for alcohol problems

foxnews.com ^ | 2/9/12 | AP

[ColdOne]

LINCOLN, Neb. – An American Indian tribe sued some of the world's largest beer makers Thursday, claiming they knowingly contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota said it is demanding $500 million in damages for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation, which encompasses some of the nation's most impoverished counties.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nebraska also targets four beer stores in Whiteclay, a Nebraska town near the reservation's border that, despite having only about a dozen residents, sold nearly 5 million cans of beer in 2010.

Tribal leaders and activists blame the Whiteclay businesses for chronic alcohol abuse and bootlegging on the Pine Ridge reservation, where all alcohol is banned. They say most of the stores' customers come from the reservation, which spans southwest South Dakota and dips into Nebraska.

"You cannot sell 4.9 million 12-ounce cans of beer and wash your hands like Pontius Pilate, and say we've got nothing to do with it being smuggled," said Tom White, the tribe's Omaha-based attorney.

[muawiyah]

Yeah, well ~ whatever floats your boat.

No, you'd know the problem if you had it. You don't know it. You don't have it. Again, you make a mistake in thinking it's about QUANTITY. It's not. It's about DURATION.

I'm finding it difficult to believe that we have so few Freepers who've ever known a chronic drunken Indian. Don't you guys get out?

[POWERSBOOTHEFAN]

LOL! That’s really funny.

[muawiyah]

Right, Souf' Dakota ~ all same thing. Flat, dusty, wheat, stuff ~ you can start getting an idea about it in Minnesota.

I've flown over that area for what seemed hours and hours and hours and there's nothing there.

There's this trail still eteched across Nebraska that goes on for an infinite time and then you come to this big rock ~ Scott's Bluff or something. Only rock for hundreds of miles.

Why those guys gotta' have a beer store at White Clay is a good question ~ there are hundreds of thousands of square miles where they could put it and nobody would be bothered (that's a joke BTW).

[old school]

Any Judge worth his salt would smack that sound block with his gavel and pronounce this case dismissed! Are you
sh——n’ me?

[ought-six]

I want to sue the government for giving me a headache.

[ScreamingFist]

I'm finding it difficult to believe that we have so few Freepers who've ever known a chronic drunken Indian. Don't you guys get out?

Well. We have chronic drunken Indians that have spent their entire life living on welfare, driving new trucks and sitting on the porch and going to the casino....allllll day. And we we have Indians that work. Apparently the Indians that work don't have time to drink....allll day.

[EEGator]

That must have been a rough couple of days.

[Osage Orange]

Well you might know that...as I do also.

But my cousins were Muscogee..and Bodéwadmi...and I am Bodéwadmi also.....or Anishinaabe as they called themselves.

I happen to live on a Rez....that is not my own. But in Oklahoma, yes.

[cripplecreek]

When I lived in northern Michigan I knew lots of indians who didn’t drink at all.

Honestly I can’t help but wonder why the north American indians ended up so primitive compared to the rest of the world.

[reg45]

And what would have happened if this liquor/beer store refused to sell alcohol to any Indian who requested it?

Racial profiling.

[Gabz]

Is it too hard to not drink? Blame the beer companies is as about as stupid as I have ever heard.

Where have you been? They perfected this tactic suing the tobacco companies. They have now been going after fast food outfits, this was just an expected progression.

I can't wait for the price of beer to skyrocket, just like the price of tobacco products did. And I'm a beer drinker.

[Osage Orange]

You sound like my cousin!! Ha!!

[coldbluesteel]

If the British hadn’t of been such a-holes, my ancestors could have avoided that whole revolution, constitution thing. Just think, we could all be British subjects now with free healthcare, free dental, good food and lots of friendly muslim neighbors.

Sue the British!

[Dagnabitt]

The Indians suing beer companies are basically declaring themselves to be permanent children, incapable of taking care of themselves.

So, if they are awarded damages, on the basis of such incompetence, then they must also be declared incompetent for all aspects of adult life. No more casinos, drivers licenses, voting rights, real property, firearms, direct welfare money, etc etc.

[svcw]

I have an idea - don’t drink it. Problem solved.

[Navy Patriot]

So the hops growers are going to be scalped?

[Osage Orange]

Honestly I can’t help but wonder why the north American indians ended up so primitive compared to the rest of the world.

Ask the other folks on the Government dole from the 50's..........................................

[FlingWingFlyer]

A lot of Indians I know drink hair spray. They mix it with distilled water and call it “ocean” because of the color. This “lawsuit” is gonna be good. Especially when they decide to Sioux the hairspray companies too.

[GeronL]

lol

[prairiebreeze]

The Oglala Sioux have a widespread problem that can be solved if and only if someone gives them new livers with some new genes

The widespread problem could be arrested if not solved, by placing the disease process in remission. And that is done by drying out and followed by complete abstinence. It's a choice they could make. Or not.