Political Quotes

“before us is a very simple responsibility. It is a power that has been exercised exclusively by Congress since the very first Congress in 1789, when in the Indian Nonintercourse Act of that year, only Congress may extinguish Indian land claims. That has been the law ever since. So before us is simply the question of whether we're going to accept or deny a settlement agreed upon by the tribes and by the State of Michigan to resolve a serious problem in the Upper Peninsula, in the district of our good friend and colleague, Mr. Stupak. Having said that, what is going to happen is this legislation will permit us to resolve those questions, to enable Indians to resolve the land claims concerns that they have, and to allow the State of Michigan to resolve its concerns and to allow its citizens to remove clouds over the title on the lands which they own up there, and which will enable the Indians to begin to live a more orderly and proper life. This legislation was opposed by my friend, Mr. Jack Abramoff, who left a rather spectacular and smelly legacy. And it is a chance for us now to undo some of the nastiness that he sought to do by preventing the resolution of these questions. I urge my colleagues to support the rule. I urge my colleagues to support the settlement of these rights which were agreed upon between two Governors of the State of Michigan--Governor Engler, a Republican, and Governor Granholm, a Democrat.”