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Clinton Says No to Indian Country
Candidate Refuses to Meet with the First Americans
May 30, 2007

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton today became the first and only candidate to refuse an invitation to speak at a first-ever candidate forum in Indian Country. The forum, called Prez on the Rez by its organizers, the INDN's List Education Fund (ILEF), will be August 23, on the reservation of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, Calif. Senator Clinton was invited to Prez on the Rez more than six months ago.

Kalyn Free, president of the Tulsa-based ILEF, said, "Hillary Clinton's willingness to ignore Indian voters on the campaign trail has made it clear that she lacks the courage to change lives in Indian Country."

"I'm both disappointed and astonished that Senator Clinton has turned her back on American Indians. By refusing to participate in this historic event, she lost an opportunity to inspire an entire generation of American Indians to engage in the d emocratic process. Sadly, that reflects the hollowness of her rhetoric and the narrowness of her vision," said Free. "Just as tribes are gaining recognition for building political power in key states throughout the country, Senator Clinton is ignoring the needs - large and small - of Indian People. We demand a president who truly cares about who we are, who has the courage to change the shameful state of life in Indian Country and throughout America, and who has the vision to build a society all Americans can be proud of. I'm disheartened to say that Senator Clinton has proven she is not that leader."

Free said Senator Clinton made "starting a conversation" about strengthening the middle class, making healthcare more affordable, and bolstering the lives of children and families, the centerpieces of her campaign. On each of these counts, reflected in a staggering array of statistics, Indian Country falls far behind the rest of the nation, yet her proposals - detailed over th e past two weeks - reflect the priorities of her campaign: they ignore Indian Country entirely.

On Memorial Day, Senator Clinton declared expanded healthcare coverage "a moral imperative," and proposed a solution involving investments in modernizing medicine and eliminating waste in the industry. While these improvements may cut costs for the majority of Americans who already have access to adequate healthcare, it will do nothing for the 30 percent of Indians who lack health coverage and the millions more whose reservations lie far from the modern medical facilities Senator Clinton hopes to improve. The waiting list for new "priority" healthcare facilities in Indian Country is nearly 60 years. Tribal citizens need champions that are not afraid to increase funding for tribal health programs. The need for this health funding is staggering: life expectancy of Native Americans is nearly six years less than any other race or ethnic group in America and 13% of Native deaths occur in citizens under 25, a rate three times higher than the average U.S. population.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported in 2003 that "American Indian youths are twice as likely to commit suicide. Native Americans are 630 percent more likely to die from alcoholism, 650 percent more likely to die from tuberculosis, 318 percent more likely to die from diabetes, and 204 percent more likely to suffer accidental death compared with other groups. "In a plan Senator Clinton outlined the following day, the Democrat proposed strengthening the middle class by protecting workers, reining in federal spending, punishing corporations that move jobs overseas, and supporting higher education. Yet outsourced jobs can hardly account for the 46 percent unemployment rate in Indian Country, where one in four live in poverty.

Clinton's indifference to Indian Country extends to the women and families that comprise its future. Free argues that Clinton should take a look at the lifel ong disparities that face American Indians as they age, both on and off the reservation. A recent publication issued by Amnesty International reported one in three American Indian women will be raped at some point in their lives, a rate that is more than double that for non-Indian women. "The crisis of children and families in Indian Country continues to limit the opportunities for American Indians to build a better future, while Senator Clinton's willingness to ignore the state of Indians ensures the continuation of a terrible status quo," Free said.

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Once upon a time
Everything was fine
You were beside me- you were mine
Why did you have to walk out my door?
Now you want me back again
I am sorry
You're just an old song I don't sing anymore
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