Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Yesterday, June 30th, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno visited Lame Deer, Mt and later attended the festivities at Northern Cheyenne 4th of July Pow-Wow.

Well the visit of Janet Reno to Lame Deer, MT proved out to be just another political "dog and pony show" under the guise of visiting the NCT Boys and Girls Club. There was also a "roundtable" discussion with including only tribal officials, democratic candidates for various state offices, and invited guests.

We were not among the invited guests or allowed into the "roundtable" discussion. We were shuffled of to the side to sit on the pavement in 90+ degree heat where we sat with a large poster of the children. Their father, their grandmother, their great grandmother, myself, 2 aunts and 3 three cousins. Diana and her mother were holding up the sign which Janet Reno obviously saw as she entered the tribal building for the "roundtable" discussion.

We waited outside in the heat for another half hour to 45 minutes before moving to the shade of the Boys and Girls Club entrance. Kathy Hines, FBI SA informed me that we were not supposed to be there (present). Funny, nobody told us that, guess they didn't want us spoiling their political grand standing.

In any case after the "roundtable" discussion, the "entourage" moved to the Boys and Girls Club for the second part of the "dog and pony show". In doing so, Janet Reno walked within 15 feet of us and again did not take the time to even acknowledge our presence, although the sign was staring her and the entourage in the face.

Word cannot describe how we felt. A simple gesture of compassion and acknowledgment would have gone a long way. Clearly, Janet Reno has more concern for cuban children than native american children despite the "photo-ops" in the Billings Gazette (see *related path). We would have appreciated having only 1/2 of the amount of money and man hours spent for this "political junket" spent on locating the children.

Janet Reno's priorities sure appear to be ass backwards in expending thousands of dollars and many man hours for valuable FBI/Secret Service resources and for such political junkets in campaigning for democratic office seekers, but she will not spend a dime or a minute of the federal government's resources to locate and recover two Northern Cheyenne Children whom she has a duty under law and treaty to protect. Worst of all, she demonstrated a total lack of compassion for the entire family of the missing children. Maybe all native americans should consider obtaining Cuban citizenship. Maybe then the Reno Department of Justice will provide justice to native americans in this country.

Robert McLean, Jr.
Lame Deer, MT