(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daines can put Indians on helmets, but not on the bench • Daily Montanan [1] ['Darrell Ehrlick', 'George Ochenski', 'David Darby', 'Peter D. Fox', 'More From Author', 'May', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline'] Date: 2024-05-30 This is the simplest, most direct way to say it: Sen. Steve Daines cares more about cartoon Indians than real Native Americans. The man who is single-handedly holding up an entire National Football League team in the nation’s capital over a name that no longer exists because it is so derogatory wants that same logo forever memorialized while he blocks the woman who could be the first Native American to ever ascend to the federal bench in the state he represents. And, it literally is all his fault. I’d like to tell you that Daines has some long-held, deep personal problems with Danna Jackson’s legal positions. But the answer is much more simple than that: Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Daines is a Republican. That is all Daines is about: Republicans first and Republicans only. And because it’s getting close to elections, the Republicans have pulled out the time-honored political shenanigan of stopping nominees in the hopes that stalling the process will last just long enough for another Republican president or Republican Senate. Jackson may be Daines’ sacrificial lamb in the power vacuum created by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s retirement from leadership, which has created plenty of intrigue about who will emerge as their next leader. Daines has already slithered up next to Trump, and putting the kibosh on a female, Native American judge in his home state certainly tells others how far he’s willing to go to transform partisan fever dreams into reality. But none of this should be surprising for followers of Daines, the same man who fist-bumped fellow Sen. Ted Cruz on the floor the Senate after voting to kill legislation that would have helped veterans suffering from the aftermath of toxic burn pits. And he was the same Senator who muzzled Sen. Elizabeth Warren, gaveling her down on that same floor, when she dared to speak the truth about former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ own questionable record on civil rights in the Deep South. Disturbing, but truly not surprising. Daines told multiple outlets, including States Newsroom and the Daily Montanan, that his reasons for blocking Jackson is that he wasn’t consulted by the White House on her. But darn, if the White House didn’t respond that Jackson had met with Daines’ staff more than six months ago, but Daines refused to meet with her. That makes this feel like a well-orchestrated snub, meant to hurt Biden. Really, it winds up hurting Montana and making us look bad. Native Americans, who comprise 7% of the state’s population, represent less than 0.4% of judges on the federal bench. If Daines really cared about Native American communities, as one state senator recently said, he would do more for the Indigenous communities. But the federal government cannot even fully and fairly fund healthcare or law enforcement on tribal nations, and you don’t have to look much farther than the Public Law 280 to know it. When Lake County Commissioners tried to legally turn over law enforcement jurisdiction on the Flathead Indian Reservation to the feds, they said they couldn’t afford to send more resources there, and would do only the barest minimum, like prosecute murderers. Meanwhile, Daines touts that he’s been fighting to force the NFL’s Washington Commanders to forever memorialize the “Redskins” mascot, for which a Native American Montana artist advocated. And, this demonstrates just how out-of-touch Daines is: He wants to memorialize that a multi-billion dollar industry, run by mostly old, rich men, used the face of a Montana Indian chief to merchandize a blatantly racist logo and franchise name, the Redskins. But, profiting off an archaic, outdated mascot is a bad look, and someone representing Montana should be among the first to welcome the end of monetizing a stereotype that continues to perpetuate the notion that our Native residents are curious cultural relics. If we want to uplift and change that narrative, then I can think of no better way to do it than uplifting and supporting the leadership of truly talented Native residents who should be given their rightful place in government and the courts. That should start with Jackson, but it shouldn’t end there. Daines is clinging to the Redskins logo like the South holds fast to its Dixie flag, both parts of history that shouldn’t be banned, but knocked off pedestals. Both are symbols to be understood, and that means they both don’t tell the entire story. They both represent a caricature to white culture, but oppression and stereotypes that reinforce the worst, not the best of our fellow citizens. There are reasons beyond the logo that caused the Washington football team to distance itself from the logo and name of the past. And yet maybe fittingly, Daines still is pressing that past, which includes crowds chanting this song football games: Hail to the Redskins! Hail Victory! Braves on the Warpath! Fight for old Dixie! Run or pass and score — we want a lot more! Scalp ’em, swamp ’em -—We will take ’em big score Read ’em, weep ’em, touchdown — we want heap more Fight on, Fight on — ‘Till you have won Sons of Wash-ing-ton. Rah!, Rah!, Rah! I think I get it now: Daines is fine with putting Natives on football helmets, but not on the bench. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/05/30/daines-can-put-indians-on-helmets-but-not-on-the-bench/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/