Joe Fellegy weighs in on a Q & A interview with himself. In this excerpt, he clarifies a common misperception that gets in the way of transparency and accountability.
Fellegy takes on relevant questions from … Fellegy
Joe Fellegy Rocking the Boat Outdoor News February 12, 2021
Q: We’ve entered a new year and a new decade. Some lookbacks?
A: Hmm. Too many outdoor issues to discuss here. Talk fishing, hunting, or other outdoor topics with almost anybody these days, and the chat often turns to our broader political climate, which some call messy, distracting, etc.
In my view, giant scams, shams, and outright lies promote the various “treaty rights” causes. And too often, state and federal officials dodge truth and fail to defend state and citizen interests.
Q. Giant scams? Outright lies? Get specific, eh?
A: Culture evolves! An honest, bottom-line fact is that modern tribal enrollees in Minnesota are not a “subsistence culture” dependent on fishing, hunting, and gathering to survive. And modern tribal governments often are the richest and most powerful corporate-political-legal forces in their regions.
It’s not anti-Indian to discuss, debate, and question tribal government policies every day, because they impact policy, law, community interests, and the public purse.
Is there a principle in politics, government, academics, and journalism that exempts today’s tribal leaders, and the state and federal officials who work with them, from transparency and accountability?
No!
