Medley

One of the most useful things I have done over the last two months is set up a Google account. Many people don't know this, but in setting up such an account you aren't necessarily starting a new email address. What you are doing is setting up an on-line version of some of the same services you rely upon with your desktop. For example, my Google account has a photo section, where I can create photo albums. Or Google Docs has become my default Microsoft Word, since it has many of the same features, which for my simple writing purposes isn't very much. Most importantly, I can access it anywhere the internet is accessible. The blog entry I am writing right here, before your eyes, is Google Docs, saved in my own private folder on the world wide web. I simple cut-and-paste from Google docs onto my blog. What can I say, technology is great.
Most of the time I write a blog entry, some idea has already struck me. Often I try to stay on one subject, viewing this blog as a space for columns. Tonight though I can't seem to stay focused on any single subject. We've got a lot going on at the Tribe right now, and as I've learned to read more about other tribes nationally, it continues to amaze me how often our problems and challenges mimic one another. I've followed a series of stories recently involving a tribe in the mid-West that went so far as to enact a "Slander Ordinance", potentially penalizing Tribal members known to have stated something unflattering and untrue. Given how often rumors seem to be effective at taking root here in Grand Ronde, I could see how some Tribal leader might tire of damaging gossip. But creating a law to ban it isn't necessarily the answer though, either. As expected, the "slander ordinance" didn't last long.
Over the last two months, exactly two tribal members who I speak to on a somewhat regular basis revealed to me that they were appalled at the lose system of communication and dissemination of information in the tribe. One told me that based on his observations and experiences, he has worked on numerous occasions with some Council members, he is convinced that at least one member of our Council has lied a number of times during business. The second told me that from what he can see, there are really two major political groups in the Tribe, and both of them have their version of what is going on in Grand Ronde. The constituents of both, he pointed out, can only decide who to trust and hope they are being told the truth.
As I've watched the presidential primaries, I have become more convinced one of the biggest flaws in our Tribal government is the lack of any sort of watchdog entity, notably a free and unrestricted press corps. Public officials in America have little margin for error, at least when it comes to what they say and do on public record. Candidates who contradict themselves will almost always get caught, as there is a large press group poring over every interview, blog entry, video, and really any form of communication. That is why staying consistent in message is so vital. You can't campaign against a war if you voted for it. Well, you can, but you will get dinged for it.
I say all this because I've noticed over the years the differences between what people said then and what they say now. When I say people I don't mean only fellow Council members, but the various Tribal members who choose to speak at our Council meetings. Now there is nothing illegal about people contradicting themselves, but I openly question how seriously to take somebody when they say one thing one day, only to uphold the exact opposite at a later point. But I guess people are free to change their minds. There have certainly been some occasions in which I've done that.
Still, I think that as politicians we have it pretty easy in Grand Ronde. Our screw-ups aren't front page news, at least not in Tribal publications. Our dirty laundry at worst gets brought up during "Other Business" of Wednesday night and General Council meetings. Even then, personal attacks don't last long.
There are drawbacks to this though. Mostly, there might be occasions when our screw-ups should be front page news, because if some mistake we make is big enough to affect every Tribal member then those same members need to know. Second, is it me or is there something implicitly dishonest about keeping the truth under wraps because it might be politically damaging? Lastly, most businesses have an obligation to inform their shareholders accurately of what is going on, in fact to not do so these days can land a person in jail.
Of course, we are a government, with a large business that funds us, and our shareholders, the membership. And that may be where the ultimate answer lies. Are we a government, a business, or both? And how does that effect the manner in which we inform our constituents? I wish I knew the answers, because there are models of practice for both, and we seem ever reluctant to choose one...