It appears there is a tramway planned into the heart of the Grand Canyon at the confluence with the Little Colorado River.

Words cannot begin to describe what an awesome place this is. A tourist trap down there would be awful.

http://www.change.org/petitions/the-president-of-the-united-states-stop-plans-to-develop-the-grand-canyon

I think it is a great idea... well other than the part about destroying an amazing park. Here is my official take on it.

People don't seem to care when natives violate all sorts of normal civil statutes, when they don't participate in the portions of society that are required of everyone else. Oh yea I know they are so oppressed, I know they were just incredibly dealt terrible injustice and now the whole world should forever pay for it.

Don't be surprised by these things, and quite honestly I am all for it. Don't want them to pay taxes, don't stop them from destroying fisheries, don't mind when the decimate forests, love that casino down the street, well don't complain about the F'n Tram over the Grand Canyon either because if you think the Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Tulalip, Puyallup and others should have all these rights apart from Federal, State or City Intervention then get off the Navajo's back. They got screwed WAY more than the tribes up here, so maybe ya'll should just give the whole dang Canyon to them.

I am done, thanks for that.

James is right. The Navajo are no different from any other tribe. They are broken into political factions based on various families struggling for power. Some of them support the project and others do not. Some of those who do not will switch sides when they are offered a bigger piece of the pie.

Who knows if it will ever happen, but I wouldn't bet on the tribes being involved if it does,

Kyle

Yo B! I don't mind the -1, I know people don't like most my opinions and that one I worded specifically to rile folks up. Toss a little fuel on the fire. ya know.

Now for the rant, since you brought it up.

You can go change facecrook it if you would like, it is in the admin area under bad word filters. I do however find it funny that facecrook works with the Feds to work around your civil rights, then they work with Goldman Sacs to Fraudulently Steal your money (in one of the worlds largest IPO scandals to date) and then they turn around and use your private information in ways they state they won't, but they do and openly admit it. Everyone knows all this, but they all keep using them because it is a rolling mass, as you say Brian, great content there because regardless of what people believe is right it is easier to go along with what is popular. Childish Bitch about the site, not childish at all, I believe that the level of fraud that took place with the IPO is worthy of shutting the whole site down forever, I believe that the violation of private information in the way that has been done with the government and ad resalers is horrid, nothing childish about it. What scares me the most is that everyone keeps using it and calling matters of this magnitude childish.

Who do you think will finance stuff like the Grand Canyon Project? They are doing underhanded things, oh my? Who cares lets all facecrook about it, then we can be the difference we want to see...

hahaha hope you can see a tid bit of the humor in this web woven for your pleasure, ride the tram down to the bottom of the Canyon so you can post a facecrook update, and maybe at the same time you can look up inflation figures on the Rial and then the Dollar....

Public to those with FB accounts... 

James,
I have to disagree with you original post. Indians have been oppressed and continue to be oppressed this very day. I think it is incredibly insulting to think that the oppresion of native americans is something that happened a long time ago that they should just "get over."  I know you didn't say those words explicitly, but that is feeling I got from the tone of your post. By and large tribes don't destroy fisheries or clearcut forests. It was Euro Americans that unsustainably used our natural resources and continue to do so today. In the PNW particularly, tribes are on the forefront of restoring salmon populations, taking out dams, etc.  The Elwah Tribe was instrumental in having the Elwah dam removed, and if the dams on the Klamath in Nor Cal come out it will be because of the tribes within the basin.

I hate casinos and would hate to see this project happen in the Grand Canyon, but along with being "natives" these people are also citizens in a society of capitalism. Should we expect them to go on living subsistence lifestyles after their cultures have been decimated and the resources they relied upon destroyed. Most indian reservations are located on the least productive or useful land in the country, not exactly hot beds of commercial opportunities.

Again, I don't want this to be built in the grand canyon, but generally tribes do a lot for the restoration and protection of rivers.

Aaron

Dirty, yea that is not exactly what I was getting at you are right. But the fact is that Natives came here just like us at some point in time, and over time fought over turf just like we did, we just had a bit better technology. Not only that but take a look through history or modern time for a group of individuals that has been Conquered and then protected with sovereign rights and then subsidized at the cost of the conquering group. Look I am not saying people should go around the world taking other peoples stuff by force, but I am trying to point out that what we have here is amazingly unique in terms of history. You say Euro Americans, you are not talking about the natives that walked the land bridge are you because those were Eurasians and even today they are literally being stomped out by China, Mongolia and Russia. Check out the Buryats.

Next what do you consider a large tribe? My favorite story, one day I am down at the mouth of a river (large river) and 2 separate tribes with Netting rights have the nets set up. Now technically since they are not on Tribal land at this area they are not allowed to cover more than 70% of the width. So instead they set up reverse Z's that don't cover 70% but easily prevent any fish from moving up or down stream once past the first net. Keep in mind only these 2 tribes are allowed to net at all on this river which is closed to fishing for many species to "Euro Americans"??? So any ways I walk down there and watch for a while as they are running the nets, bringing them in and I see something that blows my mind. Here we are in the heat of Silver Season and they are pulling all the females out of the nets and keeping them while tossing the males back in the river. Now understand a gill net pretty much ensures death to a fish once it is all tangled up so down river you can watch as hundreds of fish are floating belly up, all males mostly except for the females that are too colored up.

So finally this one boat comes over (from a big tribe mind you) and here is the conversation that takes place:
Me: hey guys why are you throwing all those fish back?
The first dude: because they don't have eggs.
Me: but why are you keeping all the females?
The first dude: because we sell them for bait to fishermen and companies that cure them for bait
Me: But if you keep all the females how do the fish re-produce and keep surviving in this river?
The first dude: That's not our problem, that is the states job with the hatcheries.
Me: Why don't you sell the eggs to the hatcheries?
The second dude: First of all they don't pay us nearly as much as bait fishermen do and second why do you care what we are doing?
Me: Well I see hundreds of bucks floating downstream that you could have kept and they are all going to die, and your trashing a fishery and you don't seem to care.
Second Guy: If you are not from DFW get lost dude.

I left shortly after. I have observed this same action on more rivers in this state than you want to know over 12.

Why do people think that Native Americans are different then Eurasians, were all the same. The stories about peaceful tribes that had no such thing as possesions and turf that frolicked in fields together in tranquility is BS. Read your history not some disney movie. Read about wars that took place right here between tribes in BC and Washington state. They are no different then you or, I. Tribes don't do crap for the restoration and protection of rivers, they get involved when it is time for the restoration and protection of their unique rights and or expansion of income. Do they try to reach deep into the roots and dig out a canoe here and there of course. What do you think the boy scouts do, but what you are not going to see is a tribe donate a bucket of cash to help a river that does not affect them. That is your job, to make sure everyone that ever oppressed anyone "has white skin" and not on government assistance is forced to pay.

Good job, I think I will go pay the government to give me back my right to fish, then I will drive down to flaming geyser and pay for a pass to gain back my right to enter that state park, and then I will catch and release all the fish that I am not allowed to retain because they are endangered although they are obliterated every year by the Muckleshoot and Duwamish. At least they put on a slide show honoring the mighty Chinook.

Anyone want to go Bear Hunting, I know a great place, on of the last ones where you can Bait a Bear, Let your dogs attack it and then bust a cap in it's head while it is stuck in a trap? Guess where?