Tribal Council and Marketing & Promotions Undermine Free Press Act

Far be it for me to chastise Marketing & Promotions, my former employer within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, but this is one instance in which the division and its leadership truly deserves it.
Tribal Council passed legislation introduced by Mary Jane Ferguson, Director of Marketing & Promotions, which oversees the tribally owned "newspaper" The Cherokee One Feather. She introduced an amendment to the the tribe's Free Press Act, and now any hope of independence for the tribe's "newspaper" is now flushed down the drain.
Her amendment removes the requirement to appoint and enact an editorial board to oversee the operations and editor of the One Feather, among those being that one of the board members must have journalism credentials. Her amendment makes the staff of the One Feather and the director of Marketing & Promotions the editorial board. In other words no professional supervision will exist over the staff of the One Feather.
Aside from the fact that Ferguson has no journalism credentials whatsoever, she removed any potential for independence, placing the One Feather under the direct influence of the principal chief, something she never viewed as a problem. Ferguson is one step away from being directly supervised by the chief. Her boss is Charles Penick, the deputy of Budget and Finance. Don't hold your breath waiting for the One Feather to publish a story about his arrest for assault.
The problem with the One Feather is the problem that has always existed for the One Feather. No one higher than the editor has ever had a background in journalism. No one other than an editor ever advocated for its independence or journalistic integrity in the past five years. The one person who expressed concern about the conflict of interest raised by having the One Feather under the supervisory scope of a program whose goal is clearly public relations was me, and I eventually lost my job.
Working under Ferguson was absolute hell. Even before she was hired for her position, she had told me that she didn't like the negativity in the paper, something that happens when an editor practices journalism. After getting the position, she had a meeting with me to tell me that we had a progressive leader in Michell Hicks, and I needed to do my part on the team to accentuate the positive. She then chose to chastise me over a front page story that was an interview with Tosh Welch, the Cherokee Police officer behind the Miss North Carolina Rebekah Revels scandal. Associated Press picked the story up, and my colleagues were praising me. At home, I got raked over the coals because of it. I got lectures about loyalty after publishing a cartoon lampooning Chief Hicks as a hypocrite with misplaced priorities. I was ordered to "explain" an editorial decision as to why the first chief's report wasn't placed on the front page while I placed a photo of him donating a check from Harrah's to Western Carolina Unveristy at a time when students couldn't get their tuition paid because a terrible ordinance introduced by Chief Hicks redirected tribal levy funds from education to Travel and Promotions. Ferguson wanted front page stories about new grass being planted at the Fair Grounds and wanted murder and child molester stories buried insignificantly in middle. She once told me that she considered the town of Cherokee, which we all know has its problems like any community, Utopia.
Niether Ferguson nor Chief Hicks have what's in the best interest of the official tribal "newspaper" at heart, and while Tribal Council and the chief both demonstrated that the Free Press Act is meaningless, Ferguson's achievement has now driven the stake into the heart of the law.
Tribal Council should do one of two things. It can rescind the Free Press Act, which it showed no intention of enforcing in October 2007, or it can amend the legislation that defines the One Feather as the official "newspaper" of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to read official "newsletter" of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Without any kind of independence, that's exactly what it is. The worst thing tribal government can do is to present a publication clearly being used to advance a political agenda as a newspaper. Tribal Council, Chief Hicks, for once, be honest with your constituents about what they're getting.

Tribal Government Mixing Church and State

It comes as no surprise that Principal Chief Michell Hicks has sided with the religious right in Cherokee. It's too easy an alliance to form, one bathed in self-righteousness, one that tends to deflect attention from issues like ethical questions over the Hicks Administration's leadership and the utter failures of his policies, like housing, drug elimination, economic development and increasing tourism to Cherokee. It also was no surprise from the chief who had family members proclaim that "Michell Hicks was ordained by God" to be chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The big fracas has been over the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprises desire to sell alcohol in the casino and its push to hold a referendum for registered voters to make that determination. Tribal Council passed the proposal by a narrow margin, and the chief vetoed it. The debate when this issue hit the floor included a proclamation from Pastor Denny Crowe of Old Antioch Baptist Church that if the decision went in favor of alcohol, that our children would burn in hell. 

Church and state are separate for a reason, a good reason. Look at Afghanistan under the Taliban, look at Saudi Arabia, Iran. These are countries led by religious-based fascism, and the citizens of those countries suffer for it, especially if their beliefs don't conform.

God gave man free will. Some times man may make decisions that may displease God, but that's how He set it up. It's the reason we have wars, murder. God doesn't bear the responsibility for these atrocities, man does. Holding a referendum is not an affront to God.

Many of those opposing allowing alcohol on a Biblical basis cite the need to protect the Cherokee people, but many of those same opponents condemn Cherokee tradition, even participating in Pow Wows. They're the ones proclaiming that Cherokee people can't handle alcohol, although some research would likely show that ethnicity doesn't have as much to do with alcoholism as does socioeconomic status. Alcoholism, along with drug addiction, tend to be higher in groups where there's a high level of poverty. 

Furthermore, it'd be nice to see those so set on condemning any attempt at legalizing alcohol to stop turning a blind eye to other problems in Cherokee, like Teen pregnancy, domestic violence and corruption in tribal government. In fact Richie Sneed, was the only preacher to address corruption in tribal government. The others remain silent.

To sum it up, the tribe needs to be allowed to vote on whether to allow alcohol sales in the casino, and the religious right, Chief Hicks and the council members who sided with this special interest need to step back and let the people make  up their own minds.

Please Pray for the Blanton Family

Last Friday marked the tragic end to Tye Blanton's short life. Two weeks after his premature birth, his father Shawn Blanton, a North Carolina State Trooper, was gunned down during a traffic stop. 

I've always admired the strength of Michaela Blanton. After the senseless and cruel murder of her husband, she's found the strength to continue to keep the public updated about the status of her son. Strangers poured out support for her and Tye. They raised funds to help with medical expenses. 

I now can't even imagine what she's going through, or the Blanton family for that matter. Please pray for the Blantons so they may find peace in what has to have been the cruelest of hard times for them. Western North Carolina grieves with them.

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