Water claims are unconstitutional, theft
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Editor,
In reference to article: “Water Compact Talks to Continue,” how about an article entitled, “Federal Government and State of Montana finally release the quantification for the Flathead Indian Reservation’s federal reserved water right?” Wouldn’t that be a novel article?
Why are we constantly bombarded with the negotiation and ‘quantification’ of the non-reservation water rights? Quantify this federally reserved lands water rights for the land that is still federally reserved. That’s what the Winters Decision of 1908 was all about and that is how narrowly this Montana State General Stream Adjudication was, and should have been, focused upon for this last Federal Reserve.
When do you figure this outrageously out-of-control train “jumped the track” and went screaming through everyone’s bedroom? When will the populace of Montana truly wake up and see this state and federal unconstitutional taking for what it is – theft. When will the rest of the 310 million people within the external borders of the United States of America see all of this pandering here in Lake County for what it is: precedent-setting theft that will soon migrate to every state in the union.
When do you think someone will actually understand that this local, ethnic controlled, “sovereign” Indian tribal government has no rights or claims to any land, air or water outside the “external boundaries” of this federally established and controlled reservation. Remember, the Hellgate Treaty says the 3 tribes “ceded, relinquished and conveyed” all their land to the US government. Period. There is no “subsistence land.” There is no “aboriginal land.” There is only the reservation; a reservation that was granted for the “use and occupancy” of said tribes; a reservation that was eventually opened for homesteading to encourage the expansion of farming and ranching.
Quantify the federal reserved water rights and let the rest go to the state water court for adjudication, as prescribed by state law. Simple. We don’t need to meet at the KwaTaqNuk to entertain any terms or conditions the “tribal government” wants to play with, just quantify the federal reserved water rights and let’s move forward.
Michael Gale
Ronan
