Blackbear

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This Message Is Reprinted Under The Fair Use
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_http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html_
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FROM: THE SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD NEWSPAPER WEBSITE - AP WIRE STATE NEWSFLASH
SECTION
_http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1120233164
307700.xml&storylist=ny_
(http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/re...l&storylist=ny)
Tribe Says N.Y. Senate Leader Should Apologize Or Quit Over Remark
7/1/2005, 12:12 p.m. ET

The Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The tribe that blames state Senate Majority Leader Joseph
Bruno for blocking its casino bid and costing them $100 million says the
Republican should apologize or quit for saying some tribal leaders make
decisions "around the campfire."
Bruno had no comment Friday after the criticism was published in the Albany
Times Union. According to the newspaper account, Bruno said in a Wednesday
press conference that the leadership of the Cayugas split, making a deal at this
time unwise. Republican Gov. George Pataki had sought the agreement.
The Cayuga "chief and some of the others who sit around the campfire or
whatever they do, split. OK? So they are not unified. If they're not unified,
we're not going to move for them. And I don't say that disparagingly. That's
what we do in government now. We don't sit around the fire, we sit around a
table with the lights and the daylight doing on-time budgets."
Joseph Health, a lawyer for the Onondaga Nation and traditional Cayugas, said
Bruno should apologize or resign.
Bruno's son, Kenneth Bruno, is a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Oneida tribe,
which is competing with the Cayugas for a casino in New York, state records
show.

__________________
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear... just sing, sing a song.

Blackbear

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This Message Is Reprinted Under The Fair Use
Doctrine Of International Copyright Law:
_http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html_
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FROM: THE ALBANY TIMES-UNION NEWSPAPER

_http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=375789&category=CAPITOL&BC
Code=HOME&newsdate=7/2/2005_
(http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...sdate=7/2/2005)

Tribes: Bruno's Apology Lacking

Senate majority leader reaches out, but Indians say it's not far enough
By _JAMES M. ODATO_ (mailto:jodato@timesunion.com) , Capitol bureau
First published: Saturday, July 2, 2005
ALBANY -- Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno issued an apology for his
remarks about Native American leaders doing business beside campfires, but his
statement didn't go far enough for some Indian officials.
"As far as the comments I made earlier this week regarding the
decision-making process of tribal leaders, perhaps my attempts at humor were
misinterpreted and unfortunate," Bruno stated Friday.
Equally unfortunate, he said, were responses by Indian representatives who
said Bruno's offenses included both his remarks and actions, such as killing a
bill that would have allowed a land claim settlement for the St. Regis
Mohawk Tribe because his son, Kenneth Bruno, is lobbying for a Wisconsin tribe's
casino project. Bruno, R-Brunswick, said such responses were meant "to distort
my position on casinos and to personally attack me and my family."
Bruno continued: "If any of my words were offensive, I apologize. I noted at
the time that my comments were not meant to be disparaging, and the tribal
leaders that I have worked closely with for many years in honestly trying to
negotiate the gaming compact and land claims know my position and my respect
for their position, culture and traditions."
"That is not a statement to start any kind of healing," said Joseph Heath, a
longtime lawyer for the Onondaga Nation who also represents traditional
Cayugas. He did not pull back from criticisms of Bruno's remarks, including
alleging Ken Bruno influenced Bruno's stand against the Mohawk deal. "The facts
that I stated the other day are facts. I'm not making ethnic, offensive
comments. We didn't resort to that. If he doesn't like the facts, don't do it,"
Heath said.
"It's certainly encouraging that at least he realizes he's created a
problem. There are certain things that one cannot joke about," Heath said.
He said Onondaga leaders learned about Bruno's comments on Syracuse radio
and were appalled. Officials at other tribes declined to speak publicly but
gasped when told of the remarks Bruno uttered Wednesday at a news conference.
The senator made his observations about Cayuga leaders deciding things
around the campfire while talking about why the tribe couldn't resolve its land
claim with Gov. George Pataki.
Bruno said he hopes Pataki will negotiate gaming compacts with three tribes
for Catskills casinos, which he said will bring the state money for education
and new jobs.
Pataki's aides say the governor is rethinking the strategy of casino
expansion now that a judgment against the state in the Cayuga land claim case was
dismissed by a federal appeals court. Pataki had been using state-granted
casino compacts as a bargaining chip to resolve claims.
James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at
jodato@timesunion.com.

__________________
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear... just sing, sing a song.