Posted on 02/10/2012 6:07:31 PM PST by chessplayer
LINCOLN, Neb. -- An American Indian tribe says it will sue some of the world's largest beer makers for knowingly contributing to alcohol-related problems on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota announced Thursday it will demand $500 million from five international beer manufacturers for the cost of health care, social services and child rehabilitation caused by chronic alcoholism on the reservation. “The Oglala Sioux Tribe seeks compensation for all of the damages the Lakota people have suffered as a result of illegal alcohol sales,” said attorney Tom White, of White and Jorgensen Law Offices in Omaha.
(Excerpt) Read more at ketv.com ...
As I sip a Blue Moon, “Uh, yeah! Me too! I’m so drinking this because somebody sold it to me!”
I'm an ignorant Anglo, but if I was a member of a tribe known for being warriors, I would have an iota of pride.
There’s an odd thing about this legal episode....they pick only beer makers, not Jack Daniels or any maker of whiskey or rum. They also only picked five major brewers. I hate to suggest it....but this almost looks scripted.
I think General Custer’s descendants might consider a suit of their own.
Unless there’s been some conspiracy going on for decades where beer men are holding Indians down and pouring beer down their throats against their will, I think there’s no real case here.
All the alcohol I have ever had, I’ve bought and paid for, voluntarily.
If the Indians sue beer companies for alcoholism, it’s only fair we can sue them for gambling addictions and the financial problems this has caused.
Well, I guess the argument is, there was a very small number of off reservation residents living near the only liquor store in town. But the beer makers flooded this store with beer in amounts that the local inhabitants couldn’t come close to consuming. Hence, the real target were the Indians on the reservation where buying and drinking alcohol was illegal. I don’t know enough about the intricacies of the law to understand if this is actionable.
The Pine Ridge Reservation is dry and no alcohol is allowed to be sold there. Native Americans travel to White Clay Nebraska to buy mostly beer. I find it hard to have much of a case against the beer manufacturers as they are not bootlegging their products on the reservation and those wishing to drink have to make a 20 mile trip to get their beer.
“I don’t know enough about the intricacies of the law to understand if this is actionable.”
Economics calls it “Supply & Demand”.
May I coin a term: “Reverse Natural Selection”? Any indian with enough genes to get off the reservation, does so.
I hope they’re studying the phenomenon.
Not to mention zoning violations. It seems they tend to get considerations and variances that are not available to the general public when it comes to land use and environmental considerations.
NOw they all got their income tax checks, every penny going for booze too. I have a couple friends that I have to go out and take all their booze & money from them, then give it back later after they sober up after drinking a gallon of vodka a day for a week. THey all thank me later, but I usually have to knock them down when they try stopping me from leaving with their booze. It's sad but ya know, having lived around Indians for many years, I learned they have all kinds of good things going on in their villages; things us Whites have lost. So I don't look down on them at all, good bunch actually; except with handling booze.
Bootlegging is a time honored tradition in every village I've ever been in. You'd be surprised to see who the bootleggers are too; often not the people that you would ever expect.
If the Indians sue beer companies for alcoholism, it’s only fair we can sue them for gambling addictions and the financial problems this has caused.
and they gave us tobacco so let’s sue them for that.
As always, the Plaintiffs will get coupons, and the Lawyers will get Millions in cash.
the whole concept of “Indian Nations” is asinine. If you are a citizen of South Dakota, then that’s your state!!! Get a job, get off indian welfare, and make something of yourself. If inv ividuals cannot resist demon rum, that is their oown fault. To sue the manufaturer of a product (legal) because you abuse it is nonsense. Don’t sue Ford because you drove your Thunderbird into a tree. We have become such a nanny state and have lost all self respect. I don’t want to pay a penny for your lack of self control.
All Indians ARE Alcoholics.
I can say this because I am part Seminole.
If you KNOW you can’t genetically handle it, then do not drink it.
It is not the fault of the beer makers, it’s called personal responsibility....LEARN SOME
The road between White Clay Nebraska and Pine Ridge South Dakota is one mile long. That one mile road was considered the deadliest highway in the US for a time.
The feds stepped in and widened the road and put up lights for better visibility.
On weekends the ambulances out of pine ridge would always be running to Rapid City
I have relatives in SD and lived there briefly myself...
Did you know it’s illegal to pick up empty beer cans along the side of the road in SD? They’re considered Indian artifacts.
What do you call a white man surrounded by 5 Indians in SD? Bartender.
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