Washington GOP Declares War on the Reservations
In June the Washington State Republican Party adopted a resolution calling for the federal government to take whatever steps are necessary to terminate tribal government on Indian reservations.
The author of the resolution is John Fleming, who lives on the Swinomish Reservation in Skagit County, Washington. Fleming said the resolution asserts the Republican Party does not view Indians as sovereign nations. What if the tribes disagree? "We think it can be done peacefully," Fleming said. But if not, he said "the U.S. Army and the Air Force and the Marines and the National Guard are going to have to battle back."
Fleming said he would like to see the resolution adopted by the national Republican Party. It didn't happen. National and Washington state GOP leaders denounced the resolution, including a letter by Republican National Committee Chairman Tim Nicholson to tribal leaders.
Even anti-Indian U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA) said he didn't agree with the resolution. However, he did say he doesn't think tribal government should have any power over non-Indian living on the reservation.