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Younghusband
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Younghusband

Date

May 31st, 2007

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The Great Spirit wants his cut

The CBC reports that the First Nations of Manitoba want compensation for every cellphone signal that passes through their airspace:

Ovide Mercredi of the Grand Rapids First Nations says “When it comes to using airspace, it’s like using our water and simply because there’s no precedent doesn’t mean that it’s not the right thing to do.” This move may inspire First Nations in other provinces to follow suit.

The “right” thing to do? That has got to be the weakest argument ever…

Via Slashdot

Comments to this entry

Dan tdaxp
May 31, 2007
8:31 pm
"First Nations" is a humorous term, especially considering that the more northern the Indian population of the Americas, the more recently their ancestors displaced earlier settlers from the Old World.
snow
June 1, 2007
7:42 am
Better to ignore such spurious claims. I wouldn't put much stock in the leadership of most of these Native organizations as they are the equivalent of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson in the US. Always ready to milk a situation for their own agenda, which often does not coincide with the best interests of their constituents. Many Indian leaders make non-stop claims for cash and other support, yet have next to no accountability over the finances that they oversee. In a local band in my home province, the chief and the band council members paid themselves more than the prime minister in yearly salary, yet continued to complain that the government was not doing enough to fix housing on the reserves. Where was all the money going? Anybody who questioned the unaccountability was called a racist.
Curzon
June 1, 2007
8:03 am
Policies to provide equitable aid to native peoples living on land from which resources are acquired is a real issue. But _airwaves_? Gimme a break.
snow
June 1, 2007
9:15 am
Yes, absolutely, Curzon. I'm all for settling as many land claims as possible, and doing it now, but this is ridiculous.