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Donna Huswick's avatar

Racist is not a word that should be applied to a person who disagrees with the actions of someone different than themselves. No one has made accusations of racism because of Mr. Tozzer's attitude against a certain politician. To me, that seems a bigger issue. I applaud Mr. Tozzer's brave stance in this entire issue. The questions he asks should be a legitimate concern to everyone in Clallam County. We all have experienced racism, from "dumb " Norwegian jokes to Black, Chicano, Irish, Asian stereotyping. We laugh at many of these, but that doesn't make us racist. Hateful actions against people who are different than us makes us that. Harming them physically, bullying them, destroying their property, that is racism, people. Let's not throw that term around.

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Garry Blankenship's avatar

Earlier in life my passion for Steelhead trout led me to become a resource advocate. Going through the various chair positions I became the President of the Steelhead Trout Club of Washington in the late 70s. I understand it to be the oldest conservation club in the State. The Boldt Decision, giving treaty tribes 50% of the harvestable fish, became a very divisive issue and spawned racism. I was then a disliked defender and advocate for the tribes in light of historical abuse. That script has flipped. The abused and their abusers no longer live. I now see Aboriginal peoples exercising ancestral rights intended to maintain their ancestral way of life using modern technology that they had no part in creating. I see gaming rights that non-treaty citizens do not have. I see treaty benefactors harvesting fish and wildlife when non-treaty citizens cannot. I see tax benefits, grants and other financial advantages that non-treaty citizens do not have. This is the very definition of discrimination. Whatever the price of a national guilty conscience might be is now paid. Prior to European colonization British Columbia tribal war parties would visit murder and rape on Washington tribes. There were no reparations then. Whatever legal certification that might exist to verify sufficient Aboriginal ancestry to enjoy rights beyond others is destined to become extinct. Discrimination cannot be cured with discrimination.

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