Re: [OT] The mass graves that never were?

In article<sa8p5j9mj0r18sb4ahs8m1uuglsv2vrilu@4ax.com>,
The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>  wrote:
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On Sat, 1 Jun 2024 12:05:17 -0400, Rhino
<no_offline_contact@example.com>  wrote:
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Obviously the groups that have benefitted have been the aboriginal
groups. A prime example are the "acknowledgements" you hear everywhere
which implicitly recognize aboriginal claims that are by no means
established much less valid.

>
I despise those land acknowledgements. I participated in an online
health seminar last year via Zoom, had serious difficulties getting
connected and finally arrived about two minutes late for the start of
the meeting - and had to sit through a land acknowledgement. It kept me
from missing any of the useful content of the meeting but it irked me
to have to listen to it especially given that WE WERE ONLINE, not
standing on anyone's "sacred ground".

>
Since retirement I have been 'attending' a lot of McMaster webinars
which they publicize via the alumni association. Which of course is
how I learned who their native neighbors were. (The difference of
course being that southern Ontario is covered by native treaties
whereas in most of southern BC - which is where 95% of the population
is - native groups (I refuse to call them 'nations' since to me the
idea of a 'nation' with under 10000 population being equal to Britain,
France the US etc is beyond ludicrous) get all kinds of benefits from
me and thee and have reserves but mostly no treaties) Obviously I know
who all the tribes are in the areas of Vancouver and Victoria since
you always hear them when there's a government announcement.

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About a month and a half a go, I went to a city council meeting for the
first time because I wanted to see what their plans were regarding some
adjustments to traffic flow in my neighborhood.
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The meeting started not with the Pledge of Allegiance to America, but
rather an "acknowledgment" that America is systemically racist and the
land our city is built on was stolen from the Gabrieleno Tongva tribe.
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(And how does a native American tribe end up with a hispanic name in the
first place? If that's what the original Spanish settlers called them,
isn't it perpetuating the racism or whatever to memorialize them with
the name their oppressors gave them?)
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When it came time for public comment, I got up and told them that (1)
you say it's "acknowledged" that America is systemically racist as if
that's a settled question of fact and not open for debate or challenge.
It is not. And (2) if you acknowledge the city and all its facilities
are stolen property, I'd like to know your timeline for giving it back
to its rightful owners. Because that's what you do with stolen property,
is it not? You give it back. If you're not planning on giving it back,
you're just a bunch of smug, insufferable leftist idiots who get off on
signaling your dubious virtue to everyone else.
>
About half the rest of the people in the room gave me applause, which
was far more than I ever expected in California. So maybe there's hope
for us yet.