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They are not a sovereign nation.
Um….yes they are.
-J.
I am just a messenger. What I heard was they technically are not a sovereign nation based on the reply below yours. Sovereign? Possibly, but a sovereign nation would not have to adhere to and be governed by our criminal justice system. They do have their own civil courts, however.
I did a quick Google and grab the first applicable link. It appears that it may be on a tribe by tribe basis.
They taught me in school that they respect the land and it’s creature, took only what they needed and wasted no part of the animal.
I wonder what it is like eating fish every day.
I’d like to get the total number of people in a tribe and the total they harvest and see how many pounds a day they eat.
Their ancestors did not use gil nets or high powered glass boats…anymore than they used dynamite…. where do you draw a line, is it their right… especially the blond haired “Indians” from Wisconsin… they don’t care, they come in for 3 weeks, lose nets under the ice, pizz everybody off, then leave the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to deal with the aftermath for the coming year…. ???
Yeah kind of like the “fishermen” who left all the trash out on ML ice to wash up on shore because they were too lazy or just didn’t care. http://www.startribune.com/local/121359439.html
Bad apples in every bunch.
An exchange of money is a great idea, because when you get right down and dirty on this issue it’s about money. Plain and simple.
In exchange for equal fishing rights (everyone follows the same laws) we give the tribes x amount of dollars.
Not only is money the root of all evils, it’s sometimes a solution.
OK … would you stand by and watch all this trash being thrown/left out deliberately ??? Hardly a comparison… that is done by lazy/slob people, white/native/other…. not a comparison at all.
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where do you draw a line, is it their right… especially the blond haired “Indians” from Wisconsin..
It’s a $hitty deal all around. If someone wants to fish in a traditional way; they should be able to. It shouldn’t be just natives. Anybody should be able to fish using traditional methods.
These methods need to be regulated.
1. There should be bag limits.
2. There should be an open and closed season that makes sense (ie no pre-spawn fishing)
3. Size allotments for the nets used, or no gill nets at all
4. No pneumatic spear guns
Is there something like gill nets that the Natives used traditionally, or is it something they picked up post treaty?
-Mike
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Is there something like gill nets that the Natives used traditionally, or is it something they picked up post treaty?
-Mike
Introduced by the white man. Before that, Indians hurled rocks at the water.
I am sure all of us agree that there should be some sort or managed harvest allowed (post spawn)for the Natives. Hook and line, spear, not gill nets. The Mille Lacs band is not the main problem, it is the oversight of the netting and the bands who come from Wisconny who hold no stewardship for the resource. The Wisc. Tribes did a number to the lakes in their territory and they saw a loop-hole to jump in with the Mille Lacs tribes and come over here because our forefathers lumped them together when these treaties were designed. If MN legalized these race track casinos it would impact the MN tribes the most and may not solve the problem. What is the fee charged to the natives for a license? Who has actually been charged/fined for loss of nets? What is the economic impact the netting bring to the area? I know some of us know these answers. What really is the salt in the wound it is our tax dollars supporting all of this crap.
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OK … would you stand by and watch all this trash being thrown/left out deliberately ??? Hardly a comparison… that is done by lazy/slob people, white/native/other…. not a comparison at all.
I’m just saying there are Natives out there respecting the resource and those disrespeting it. Just like Average Joe angler. Read the CO reports there is no shortage of game and fish “raping” going on.
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OK … would you stand by and watch all this trash being thrown/left out deliberately ??? Hardly a comparison… that is done by lazy/slob people, white/native/other…. not a comparison at all.
I’m just saying there are Natives out there respecting the resource and those disrespeting it. Just like Average Joe angler. Read the CO reports there is no shortage of game and fish “raping” going on.
I agree there is raping of the resource on all sides. We will read where 100’s of Walleye or Perch were poached by whites, Asians, Hispanics and all others. One of the biggest complaints seems to be there is no punishment being dealt out by the tribes on the issue. If we are to believe our DNR can’t enforce fishing regulations then it’s up to the bands to self enforce, which they seem reluctant to do.
Anybody want to wager there is 150+ plus sportsman’s pick up’s in the Mille Lacs Casino this weekend?
We are just dumb white eyes talking out of both sides of our mouths again. 
I believe at one time we offered the tribes $9mm to forego these “Rights” and Bud Grant and his band said “No way, we will go to court!”….And lost!
Steve is going about it the right way. As I had said before, didn’t Martin Luther King teach us anything?
I did the math a few years back and to the best of my ability counted the “Treaty Eligible” Natives who could benefit from the fish, and the number came to about 800 pounds of fish per person, per year! So…my solution is… “NO CLOSED SEASON FOR HOOK AND LINE ANGLING FOR NATIVES.” Then let’s see how long it is popular to come to Mille Lacs to “Feed their families.” This would ensure they would not be able to absolutely rape this resource at a very vulnerable time. I defy any of you who regularly fish the East and West side of Mille Lacs to say the early season rock fishing hasn’t suffered because of this practice? I gotta believe that 6 semi loads of walleye taken out of the lake by gill netting does no harm.
Donating on Steve’s (And ultimately on our)behalf is easy and secure. Let’s see how far we can go! Steve is putting his neck on the line, the least we can do is support him…
Wasting your money…
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Wasting your money…
Doing what’s right and what one believes in is NEVER a waste of money.
Totally agree James.
One has to speak up or forever go along with whatever others choose for you.
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Wasting your money…
Waste of my time reading your drivel…. 
and wasted more even responding to you…. just sit back and let others take charge 
some people are happy to ride in the back all their life…. 
I guess if it makes you feel good then go for it, but nothing is going to change and I think you all know that.
Tribal netting isn’t anywhere close to the top of the list of things I like, but I wouldn’t give Fellegy one plug nickel even if he figured out how to buy world peace.
I go back to somehting I learned a long time ago…. doing nothing will get you that…nothing. Doing something will at a minimum, give you knowledge of what may or may not work You don’t have to agree with everything a guy does or says, but I definitely feel the same way he does about equal rights 
I want to be on the team that stands against gill netting during/after spawn.
Ya, Bud and his bunch went to court and lost, but anyone remember the support they had back then?
I do, and it wasn’t just a few.
Don’t blame them, they at least tried versus the ones who scream about it and do nothing.
Al
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I go back to somehting I learned a long time ago…. doing nothing will get you that…nothing. Doing something will at a minimum, give you knowledge of what may or may not work
You can put me on that team as well.
I do believe, back when Bud/PERM was fighting it in court…along with the $$$ that was being seeked… a line was to be drawn, across the lake…basically making a line through the open water….making about the bottom 1/3 (southern end) part of the lake would be for the Natives to do as they please with.(basically net year round and empty the lake and make it Red Lake #2)…. That I know was a deal breaker on any payoff/settlement back then.
Bud’s group was more than a few years back and my mind isn’t what it used to be. But wasn’t the result of Bud’s groups efforts worse than what was being offered on the negotiating table at the time?
I seem to re-call that by forcing the issue into court, their group was taking an all or nothing approach,……and got nothing.??
Do I remember that right? I don’t have time to research this, but if I’m not delirious, is anyone concerned that this could again get worse?
ET
For sure the proposed deal that the DNR was onboard with was going to allow for netting on just a small portion of the lake. If memory serve me right it was an area on the west side with about 5 percent of the Ponds water included.
Easy to 2nd guess that after the fact. You can hardly blame them for going for the home-run and what they believed to be the right thing from a common sense and legal standpoint.
I just wanted to add that the DNR along with us the angler and the tribes have made this work about as good as could possibly be expected in a very unique situation.
I agree that it is wrong to second guess and it’s better to stand up for what you believe in than say nothing.
I’m no legal expert but I’m doubtful that Mr. Fellegy’s current effort is going to do anything more than stir up additional hatred for the native Americans.
Judges don’t make laws. My gut tells me he’s going to plead “not guilty”, the judge will ask, “do you deny taking a walleye out of season.” The answer will be no, the judge will bang the gavel, say “guilty, please pay the fine”, and move on to the next case.
I also believe it is wrong to criticize without offering an alternative solution. My feeling is the momentum Mr. Fellegy is building would be better served in lobbying politicians who can enact new legislation or put political pressure on the people in DC who can rule on the old treaty.
I wish them the best because I firmly believe this netting practice needs to end. In fact, I believe we should do away with reservations and sovereign nations. It’s been almost two centuries now, this all needs to be done away with IMO.
Eric
I dug this info up on the net and according this source I was a bit off in my recollection of the proposed settlement…..
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“1. The settlement was ONLY with the Mille Lacs Band. 24K lbs. per year to start with.
2. 8 other bands needed to settle also–so do the math!
3. 6000 acres of Mille Lacs was to be exclusive to the Mille Lacs band only(around the Indian Point/Vineland area) This was like a Red Lake setting. NO OTHERS ALLOWED ON OR IN THAT WATER for any reason or use. The other bands were in line for the same amount of water??….so now we have 40,000 or more acres off limits potentially? No way was the netting going to limited to a small portion of the lake via this settlement!! Losing access to a large portion of the lake was very possible!
5. potential of deer hunting allowed on private land within the ceded territory–year around???
6. all of that and yes…millions of $$ to boot
There are many more parts of this as well that I didn’t list…this was just some big aspects of the “settlement” that got voted down. In the end, it would have been much worse than what we have now!! Get real!!
Voting down the “settlement” protected all the naysayers here– NOT letting them down!! The mistakes were made by lawyers in the court room…..NOT by the people that were against the settlement!!!!!!”
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Judges don’t make laws. My gut tells me he’s going to plead “not guilty”, the judge will ask, “do you deny taking a walleye out of season.” The answer will be no, the judge will bang the gavel, say “guilty, please pay the fine”, and move on to the next case.
Not what happened at the first court hearing. Not what will happen at the second one either.
Edited to Add Steve Fellegy blog on the Strib Website. I’d add a link if it were possible. But this was an archived article.
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Equal Protection
Posted by: Steve Fellegy Updated: November 17, 2010 – 5:53 PM 17 comments print Tweet shareEmail share
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+ add a comment add a commentMany might recall this space being titled ” Court’s In Session” last spring. For those that missed that piece, it is archived within by looking back through the “older” link on the bottom of this space. A read of that piece will clarify the following. Now the latest…..
Almost 6 months later to the day, that one 19.5 ” Lake Mille Lacs walleye became party to a “closed” season fishing violation the DNR issued me, the case finally went to court this week.
In a nutshell, what I’m sure the prosecution thought was a simple game and fish case, quickly moved, potentially, in a far different direction.
Instead of allowing testimony by the CO’s that made the arrest, I suggested, in a sense, we cut to the chase. After reading the following statement, the court recognized that this is most likely an “equal protection” case and ended the “trial” abruptly, ordering both sides to offer written intentions by the first of next year. That walleye’s legacy lives on……
My statement, on the record:
“I do not dispute the facts presented by the state.
My sole and exclusive defense of this charge is based on the fact that during this same time frame, Minnesota and Wisconsin citizens harvested approximately 65 tons of walleyes from the same lake. In the end, solely based on skin color and ethnic origin, this charge discriminates against me and should be dismissed. If not dismissed, I should be found not guilty, based on the protection of such discrimination I am awarded as a United States citizen. In the end, if the lake was open to other U.S. citizens, it surely had to be open to me as well–thus not “closed”, as the charge contends.”
That is where things stand. More to come in the next few weeks……
contact Steve Fellegy at 651-270-3383 or sf1954@embarqmail.com
-J.
OK I am curious reading on some of this netting issue. my biggest question is:
what happens to the ones who violate the netting so called “rules” and it goes to “tribal” council instead of the state?
because I know in companies you complain to a supervisor who turns it into HR and then poof disappears with no results/respones/answers to issues.
just curious if the “tribal” cases are made public? or kept for privacy within the “reservastino, which in that case how do we even know they were charged/fines or anything.
for all we know they say. “ok dummy do a better job next time and don’t get caught” 
and I never ever ever ever stir the pot. 
I posted this on another site–relative to a poll on the netting issue that was taken a few weeks before Openng Day on that site. It’s been suggested I post it here as well. THANKS for reading it and THANKS for all your ongoing support. All of you will be the key to our success of ending the netting as stated below. Taken here, the poll results would have, most likely, been the same. The support results from here, I would hope, will differ.
First, l say a big thank you to those that have helped with my effort to end the Tribal netting at Lake Mille Lacs and anywhere else it will take place in the future.
But that said–446 people here on LSF voted on the poll recently that they would like the netting etc. go away. But according to the Trustees at CASSToday.com, more than 400 don’t think it is worth a penny, let alone $20 to help make that happen–2 weeks into having the website online.
This is not about me. It is all about you. It’s all about YOUR lake and walleyes. I sincerely hope you take charge of your own destiny relative to future netting at Lake Mille Lacs and else where around the state.
Be it via PayPal or the mail, it needs to happen and happen now. Attorney’s need to be retained before the fact, not after.
In conclusion, I will tell you all, that I surely would have never stuck my neck out on this if I had any idea this wasn’t at least worth a $20 bill to all who are against the netting. I did this for all of you…not me. So, simply, I ask for your support.
Thanks….help me.
Steve Fellegy
651-270-3383
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