Open Letter to Pine Ridge on Legalizing Liquor Sales

It's in your ball park now.  The voting booth's will be open soon.   Whiteclay liquor sales can be a distant memory.   They won't have a dog in the fight.  Blame anyone but Whiteclay but remember, capitalism will rear it's head if you vote in Tribal beer sales.   Competition can run very high at the retail level of beer sales.   You think Whiteclay businesses will not cut prices on beer and make it tough for the Tribe to turn a profit? 

Just watch.

Ever since the late 1960's when I went to high school at Oglala Community High School in Pine Ridge, Whiteclay has been a great resource for the alcoholics of the Pine Ridge reservation.   I once walked in the ditch between Whiteclay and Pine Ridge, a distance of near two miles, and was able to take nearly every step on top of an empty beer can.  The litter was astounding.   My Dad who worked for the BIA in Law Enforcement in Pine Ridge as Chief of Police and then as a Special Agent when he was "detailed" to work the Wounded Knee fiasco had some wild stories about Whitclay.   Probably the best stories ever told about Whiteclay could come from the Theis family or the Coombs family.  Randy and Donna Theis ran a successful grocery business in Whiteclay  for many years.   They treated customers fairly and understood how to do business with Pine Ridge residents.    

I hope Pine Ridge can help itself.  I hope Pine Ridge can get back to two-parent households.  I hope addiction treatment centers work for many.    I hope the healing can come.  The Oglala warriors are up against a powerful enemy, alcohol.  

I can only pray.  Here is the Lord's Prayer in the language of the Oglala Lakota.

Ate unyapi Mahpiya ekta nanke cin, Nicaje wakanlapi nunwe. Nitokiconze u nunwe. Mahpiay ekta nitawacin econpi kin, he iyecel maka akanl econpi nunwe. Anpetu ihohi aguyapi kin, anpetu kin le unqu piye. Na tona ecinsniyan ecaunkicinpi wicaunkicicajujupi kin, he iyecel waunhtanipi kin unkiciajujupiye. Na taku wawiyutanye cin ekta unkayapi sni piye; Tka taku sice etanhan eunklaku piye; Wokiconse kin, na wowasake kin, na wowitan kin hena ohinniyan naohinniyan nitawa heon. Amen.