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Sota Iya Ye Yapi
Sota Iya Ye Yapi Staff
C.D. Floro .....................................Managing Editor
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If you are writing an opinion letter, please note that it
must be signed and the author’s name will appear
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and it should be brief, ideally 500 words or less, in
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Views expressed are those of the authors and do not
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Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe of the Lake
Traverse Reservation. Editorials by the staff do not
necessarily reflect the official opinion of the Tribe.
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the
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Official newspaper of the
Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe
Of the Lake Traverse Reservation
Since 1968
On September 24, 2018 – The Sisseton-Wahpeton
Oyate Tribe received a notice of award for a grant
from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service
Administration (SAMHSA) last Tuesday, September
24th.
A Tribal Opioid Response grant has been funded
in the amount of $406,188 ($203,094 per year) for two
years.
SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services that leads
public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of
the nation.
SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact
of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s
communities.
TOR aims to respond to the national opioid
abuse and overdose crisis and build SWO’s public
health capacity to address the Tribal Council’s declared
behavioral health crisis, enacted Controlled Substance
Act of 2017, and SWO Health Plan 2016-2020 priority
initiatives.
The goal is to develop and implement collaborative
prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for
Tribal citizens diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder.
The project will engage 50 participants during the
two-year period from the following subpopulations of
focus:
1) criminal justice clientele.
2) substance use disorder treatment programs
clients with diagnosed Opioid Use Disorder.
3) patients diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder
receiving medication-assisted therapy but no
psychosocial services.
3) pregnant women using/abusing opioids.
4) persons with suicidal behavior.
5) those at risk for overdose.
The Tribe intends for Project TOR to be integrated
within its current TAP (2016-2020) implementation
efforts, rater tha as a freestanding plan on its own,
independent of Tribal Health.
Project TOR staff are expected to join the active
stakeholders’ work group, participate in regularly
scheduled meetings, study the TAP, prepare an annex
to the implementation plan for Priority #6, coordinate
efforts with other stakeholders, and report as part of the
TAP at the end of 2019 and 2020.
The TOR proposal was authorized by Tribal
Resolution No. 18-08 on July 18, 2018.
SWO Health Plan (2016-2020) grant writer
consultant Lise Erdrich completed the grant application
with input and support from a project development
team comprised of representatives from SWO programs:
Health Administration, Dakotah Pride Center,
Mayuteca Day Treatment Program, Community Health
Education, and the offices of the Tribal Secretary and
Tribal Chairman.
Valuable input was also provided by Aliive Roberts
County, the Human Services Agency, and Indian Health
Service Pharmacists.
TOR will start during October and, after a three-
month development period, services will begin by
February 1, 2019.
The grant will employ a Nurse Care Connector
and part-time Project Coordinator/Data Specialist.
The project promotes implementation of evidence-
based practices for treatment of opioid use disorder, not
yet available to Lake Traverse Reservation citizens, in a
safe and efficient manner.
An objective is to create awareness through
community education about available services and how
to access them.
TOR will also network with outside agencies and
coalitions to mobilize resources and foster changes to
reduce unmet treatment need and opioid overdose
related deaths and combat the opioid crisis for American
Indian citizens of the Lake Traverse Reservation.
Sota guest editorials –
Lindsey Graham’s meltdown gives away the
GOP game on Kavanaugh
By Greg Sargent
Washington Post editorial – Sept. 27, 2018 – Christine Blasey Ford has finished testifying, and judging by
Twitter and cable, the widespread consensus among neutral observers and even some Republicans has been that she
was entirely credible. Ford was endearingly convincing in declaring that her only true motive in coming forward
was to help the assembled senators — and the country — by informing them of what she personally experienced at
the hands of Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Ford erred on the side of caution when navigating the perils of memory, and struck an oddly compelling
balance by airing her own emotions while explaining them in the clinical language of a psychology professor.
As many have pointed out, Rachel Mitchell — the prosecutor who questioned Ford so GOP senators didn’t
have to — seemed to burn up her time on meaningless trivialities, asking Ford questions about her fear of flying,
making opaque points about the layout of the neighborhood and floating impenetrable arguments about who paid
for Ford’s polygraph test.
Why did Mitchell do this? Did she just screw up?
I think the answer lies in the meltdown that Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) just displayed to reporters
moments ago. Referring to Democrats, Graham said:
“I’m really upset that they knew about this in August and never told anybody. … All I can say is that we’re 40
days away from the election, and their goal — not Ms. Ford’s goal — is to lay this past the midterms so they can
win the Senate and never allow Trump to fill this seat…I don’t know who paid for her polygraph but somebody did.
… I feel ambushed.”
“As the majority, we’re going to hear from Judge Kavanaugh. … When it comes to where it happened, I still
don’t know. I don’t know when it happened. She said she’s 100 percent certain it did happen. I bet you Judge
Kavanaugh will say ‘I’m 100 percent sure I didn’t do it.’ … She can’t tell us how she got home and how she got
there. That’s the facts I’m left with. A nice lady who has come forward to tell a hard story … if this is enough, God
help anybody else that gets nominated.”
My guess is that the Republican game going into this was for Mitchell to make as few waves as possible,
because they expect that Kavanaugh will be able to deny the allegations with sufficient conviction to allow the
handful of wavering GOP senators to decide they have just enough cover to confirm him, on the idea that at its
core, this is fundamentally unresolvable. Given that expectation, it was fine for Mitchell not to go hard at Ford to
undermine her credibility, because at the end of the day, all that matters to keep those undecideds in the fold is for
them to be able to say they have no grounds for saying that Kavanaugh was less credible than Ford was.
In other words, Republicans went into this counting on it to be a wash. That’s what Graham basically tried to
say when he framed this as a “nice lady who has come forward to tell a hard story,” while adding that she couldn’t
provide sufficient chronological and geographical details to furnish grounds for disbelieving Kavanaugh when he
says “I’m 100 percent sure I didn’t do it.”
At the same time, as Graham’s tirade shows (note his reference to the mystery of who paid for the polygraph),
the specifics of Mitchell’s questioning did appear designed to feed right-wing media material to run with all sorts of
weird conspiracy theorizing about how this is all a Democratic plot. As Jeet Heer put it:
“One problem with Mitchell’s questioning is that it only made sense if you are fluent in wingnut and only
27% of America speaks wingnut. To everyone else, it’s gibberish.” – Jeet Heer tweet
Right-wing media can tell the base that the proceedings were a secret success, even as Republicans avoided
going hard at Ford in a way that might have alienated millions of suburban and college-educated white women who
will decide the midterms.
But what they did not count on was that Ford’s performance might have a force all its own, independent of
whatever Republicans did or did not do to frame the day’s events. In this sense, Graham — and Republicans —
really were ambushed. No wonder Graham is so ticked off.
I don’t know if the force of Ford’s performance will be enough to get two Republicans to oppose Kavanaugh’s
confirmation, so in this sense, the Republican gamble going in could still pay off. But after Ford’s showing, it seems
even clearer today that Republicans will indeed pay a big political price if they do confirm him.
(Editor’s note: If we pay attention to our Oyate, to our Indigenous women relatives, we see exposed the elite
white patriarchy that runs things in this country – a patriarchal system which, unfortunately, has its parallel in our
Indian communities.)
We hope for a good turnout at the District centers
this Tuesday, where Tribal members are making their
selections in the primary races.
The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
in all seven Districts.
Tribal Council will call a meeting afterwards in the
admin building rotunda, where the Reservation Election
Board will count ballots.
See next week’s Sota for official results.
*****
Watch for a report from Veterans Service Officer
Geri Opsal, and photographer John Heminger, on
the Tribe’s observance of POW/MIA Day on Friday,
September 21st.
We hope to share that report next week in the Sota.
*****
The Tribal Elderly Board hosted an Executive
candidates forum last week, on Wednesday evening,
September 26th.
We believed that the event was to be broadcast live
by KXSW and available over the internet live, and for
watching later.
But on Wednesday Tom informed us that there still
is no wifi signal available at Agency Village.
It’s nearly unbelievable that the Tribe cannot access
bandwidth for live news coverage.
Also, videotaped content could be taken and made
available later, on demand, by Oyate with internet
access. That would be especially good for those who are
working when the live event is happening.
We should assist our Tribal radio station in getting
the access required.
*****
The KXSW live broadcast from the North Dakota
field where the industrial hemp demonstration project is
underway, worked out very well.
Anyone with internet access can watch it on
Facebook; just check out the radio station or Tom
Wilson.
Please see our coverage of hemp day in this issue.
Our thanks to Tom Wilson and photographer John
Heminger for coverage of the event.
*****
Our thanks to SWO Tribal Health Coordinator
Sara DeCoteau for sharing information about the TOR
grant awarded to the Tribe from SAMHSA.
Please read about the grant, and what it will mean
to have the TOR project become integrated with other
programs aimed at bringing healing to Oyate struggling
with addictions.
*****
We invite all candidates for SWO office in this
year’s elections, to submit an open letter.
Please write down, up to 500 words, your reasons
for running and reasons why the Oyate should vote for
you.
We also offer discounted rates for political
advertising. This discount is to encourage you to use the
Sota to advertise your campaign.
These discounted ads, however, must be paid for in
advance.
Please read the notice in our legal section.
*****
Elder’s Meditation:
“Love is something that you can leave behind you
when you die. It’s that powerful.”
–John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA
The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love
doesn’t go away nor can love be divided. Once you
commit an act of love, you’ll find it continues. Love is
like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once
you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one
which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act
or love thought has an affect on each person as well as
touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with
love, the results will affect your friends, relatives, and
other people, even after you go to the other side. So…
Love.
*****
Words to consider (or, perhaps not!):
Everyone’s a hero in their own way, in their own
not that heroic way. - Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon,
Maurissa Tancharoen, and Jed Whedon, Dr. Horrible’s
Sing Along Blog, 2008
In democracy it’s your vote that counts; In
feudalism it’s your count that votes. - Mogens Jallberg
There art two cardinal sins from which all others
spring: Impatience and Laziness. - Franz Kafka (1883 -
1924)
When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a
hidden truth. - George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist
to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It
keeps him young. - Konrad Lorenz (1903 - 1989)
There will always be a part, and always a very
large part of every community, that have no care but
for themselves, and whose care for themselves reaches
little further than impatience of immediate pain, and
eagerness for the nearest good. - Samuel Johnson (1709
- 1784), Taxation No Tyranny
*****
The Sota is always looking for news of the Oyate.
If you have information and/or photos of
newsworthy happenings in your family or community,
please consider sharing with your Sota staff.
For submission deadlines and other information,
see below:
Except for holidays copy to be considered for
publication – news, advertising, editorial opinion letters,
etc. – is to be submitted to: Sota, P.O. Box 5, Wilmot,
SD 57279 by 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. FAX and e-mail
submissions will be accepted until 12:00 noon on
Friday (with the exception of letters to the editor/open
letters to the Oyate, or “opinion” letters, which must be
received by 10:00 a.m. Thursday).
If you are writing an opinion letter, please note
that it must be signed and the author’s name will appear
in print. Letters must not contain libel and must be
brief, ideally 500 words or less. Letters may be edited
for content. Omissions will be identified with periods
. . . editor’s explanations will be provided in [brackets].
Readers who want access to unedited versions will need
to contact the authors.
Earlier receipt of copy is always appreciated. So,
if you are aware of a date or message that needs to be
publicized or advertised, please let us know about it in
advance of the weekly deadline.
The preferred way to submit typed articles and ads,
art and photos, is by e-mail.
The editor can be reached at the following e-mail
address:
earthskyweb@cs.com
For more information, leave a message on the Sota
production office voicemail (605) 938-4452, or send a
fax to the 24-hour dedicated line (605) 938-4676.
CDF