Bush signs Western Shoshone Bill

George Bush signed the "Western Shoshone Claims Distribution" bill into law this morning.

Excerpts from email announcement.

Stated Raymond Yowell, Western Shoshone National Council"I am utterly disappointed. It's unbelievable that the U.S. body that makes the laws has acted in this manner. The fight is not over. A fraud is a fraud - Individuals cannot sell out a nation and the bill, although a threat politically, does nothing to change our inherent rights or our Treaty rights. Congress and the President were informed of all the facts that touch upon this issue. We will use the Treaty of Ruby Valley to
stop Yucca Mountain and to protect our lands. Our title is still intact."

"The self-described, private group who pushed for this money are not members of any federally-recognized council and have no authority to speak on behalf of our Tribe or the Western Shoshone Nation.The Nevada legislators and the Bush Administration have been well-advised of this fact. The way this legislation was handled makes an absolute sham of the stated government to government relationship and responsibility of the U.S. government."Stated Hugh Stevens, Chairman of the Te-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Nation. "Senator Reid has made numerous public commitments regarding resolving land issues for our communities. We will be looking for him to stand by that commitment in an expeditious fashion. We demand that our land issues be resolved in good faith in the same fashion as the distribution." He added.

Mary Gibson,"It's not over, we still exist and we still have our
rights to our land. It makes me sad and angry that myths continue to cloud the Truth in this country. This struggle isn't a Shoshone v. Shoshone battle, the underlying issue here is the U.S. responsibility and accountability for a Treaty with the Western Shoshone Nation. As long as the people in the U.S. allow this to happen it will
continue to happen."

We will post more information as it becomes available