Given the increased hostility towards "brown-skinned" people (as they have been termed on the front page of one of Canada's national dailies), and the extravagantly sloppy application of the term "terrorist" anytime three Natives carrying placards are to be found, it's not surprising that in this new round of heightened hysteria and paranoia that Native sovereignty should also come into question as a potential "security" risk.
In the article below, from The Buffalo News, the worry is that Aboriginal reservations spanning the US-Canada border might also provide conduits for those pesky "terrorists" of which there have been so many (?) since September 11, 2001. After all, as the article implies, these are already lawless zones of drug smuggling. Please read on:
Terrorists could easily enter U.S. at New York's northern border
By LOU MICHEL and PATRICK LAKAMP
News Staff Reporters
8/13/2006
ST. REGIS MOHAWK RESERVATION - There is a lot of anxiety along the U.S.-Canadian border here, where it's not always clear who is in control, but where officials say there is little doubt a terrorist could slip through.
This 12-mile stretch along the St. Lawrence River - with its islands, peninsulas and three other rivers - is where smugglers since Prohibition have established pipelines for cigarettes, cash, illegal aliens, drugs - you name it.
Beyond the 12-mile shoreline of the reservation, the northern border in Franklin County stretches 48 miles, mostly through forests.
And during a time of heightened concern over terrorism, this tangle of borders and Indian sovereignty presents challenges to homeland security.
A half dozen reservation roads cross into Canada without border checkpoints. Those driving off-road vehicles can wind their way through farmland and wilderness with little fear of being stopped.
Consequently, this Mohawk territory is considered one of the most vulnerable stretches along the 4,000-mile northern border of the United States.
See the complete article at: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/
20060813/1027153.asp
20060813/1027153.asp
No comments:
Post a Comment