Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 20, 2007 13:46:00 GMT -5
Winifred lawmaker apologizes for remarks about American Indians By
Jennifer McKee of The Standard State Bureau - 01/06/2007
www.mtstandard.com/articles/2007/01/06/state/hjjcjijdjjgehd.txt
<http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2007/01/06/state/hjjcjijdjjgehd.txt>
Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, listens quietly as Rep. Margarett Campbell,
D-Poplar, talks about how it is to be singled out because of her race.
Rep. Butcher apologized to the members of the House for his
inappropriate remarks to Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, during
the House Agricultural Committee meeting on Thursday. George Lane /
Helena Independent Record. HELENA � Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, was
made to apologize Friday on the House floor after referring to an
American Indian lawmaker as ``chief'' and asking the lawmaker
if a committee chairman's gavel wielded by Butcher constituted a
``war club.''
``It was meant as a compliment,'' Butcher said to his
``chief'' comment in an apology before the 100-member House of
Representatives.
Butcher made the comments Thursday afternoon at a meeting of the House
Agriculture Committee, which he chairs. He promised fellow lawmakers he
would conduct future meetings ``in a way that upholds the dignity
of the House.''
Butcher said House Republican leaders summoned him to their offices
after Democrats objected, and that he was told to apologize on the House
floor on Friday.
Butcher said in an interview afterward that he made the comments before
the committee meeting had formally convened.
People were milling about the room at the Capitol and making small talk,
he said. Butcher said he has an extra-large gavel and turned to Rep.
Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Rocky Boy, a member of the committee, and asked
him if the gavel could be a ``war club.''
Then, shortly before the meeting was to start, but while Windy Boy was
not present, Butcher said the meeting couldn't begin because he was
waiting on ``Chief Windy Boy.''
``There sure as hell wasn't anything negative about (the
comment)'' Butcher said, adding that he'd always considered
Windy Boy one of the ``sharpest'' American Indian lawmakers in
the House.
Butcher said if he intended to say something disparaging about American
Indians, ``I would have come up with something (worse) than
that.''
``He's a tribal leader,'' Butcher said, referring to Windy
Boy, who is a Chippewa-Cree Tribal Council member. ``I always
thought the chief was the main man.''
Windy Boy was not in the House Friday, because he was in Rocky Boy
attending a tribal council meeting.
Butcher's comments brought sharp rebukes Friday, both from American
Indian lawmakers and Republican and Democratic leaders of the House.
House Majority Leader Mike Lange, R-Billings, called the comments
``inappropriate'' when announcing Butcher's apology.
Rep. Margarett Campbell, D-Poplar, an American Indian lawmaker whose
district includes Assiniboine and Sioux tribal members on the Fort Peck
Reservation, said in a brief speech that she didn't believe
``the good people of Montana (wanted) the indigenous people of this
state to be used as the butt of bad jokes and inappropriate
comments.''
Campbell said in an interview afterward she thought Butcher's
comments were careless, but not necessarily malicious. She said she
didn't want to ``pick a fight'' with Butcher, but felt
compelled to address racism when it presented itself.
``My guess is the 9,000 people he represents would not like to have
these comments spoken on their behalf,'' Campbell said.
Rep. Shannon Augare, D-Browning, and a member of the Blackfeet Tribe,
said in an interview that he didn't think Butcher's use of
``chief'' was complimentary.
``I'm disappointed that in this body people still say things
like that,'' said Augare, a freshman lawmaker serving his third day
in the Legislature on Friday.
Augare said he was pleased that both Democratic and Republican leaders
viewed Butcher's remarks as inappropriate.
House Minority Leader John Parker, D-Great Falls, said as soon as he
found out about the comments Thursday, he talked to Republican House
leaders, who also found Butcher's words unacceptable.
Butcher said he thought the incident may have been overblown and said
one of his own children is an enrolled member of Windy Boy's
reservation tribes, a girl whom Butcher adopted as an infant.
``It makes this whole thing ironic,'' he said.
During the last Legislature, Butcher apologized after referring to
severely developmentally disabled students as ``vegetables''
at an education meeting.
Jennifer McKee of The Standard State Bureau - 01/06/2007
www.mtstandard.com/articles/2007/01/06/state/hjjcjijdjjgehd.txt
<http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2007/01/06/state/hjjcjijdjjgehd.txt>
Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, listens quietly as Rep. Margarett Campbell,
D-Poplar, talks about how it is to be singled out because of her race.
Rep. Butcher apologized to the members of the House for his
inappropriate remarks to Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, during
the House Agricultural Committee meeting on Thursday. George Lane /
Helena Independent Record. HELENA � Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, was
made to apologize Friday on the House floor after referring to an
American Indian lawmaker as ``chief'' and asking the lawmaker
if a committee chairman's gavel wielded by Butcher constituted a
``war club.''
``It was meant as a compliment,'' Butcher said to his
``chief'' comment in an apology before the 100-member House of
Representatives.
Butcher made the comments Thursday afternoon at a meeting of the House
Agriculture Committee, which he chairs. He promised fellow lawmakers he
would conduct future meetings ``in a way that upholds the dignity
of the House.''
Butcher said House Republican leaders summoned him to their offices
after Democrats objected, and that he was told to apologize on the House
floor on Friday.
Butcher said in an interview afterward that he made the comments before
the committee meeting had formally convened.
People were milling about the room at the Capitol and making small talk,
he said. Butcher said he has an extra-large gavel and turned to Rep.
Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Rocky Boy, a member of the committee, and asked
him if the gavel could be a ``war club.''
Then, shortly before the meeting was to start, but while Windy Boy was
not present, Butcher said the meeting couldn't begin because he was
waiting on ``Chief Windy Boy.''
``There sure as hell wasn't anything negative about (the
comment)'' Butcher said, adding that he'd always considered
Windy Boy one of the ``sharpest'' American Indian lawmakers in
the House.
Butcher said if he intended to say something disparaging about American
Indians, ``I would have come up with something (worse) than
that.''
``He's a tribal leader,'' Butcher said, referring to Windy
Boy, who is a Chippewa-Cree Tribal Council member. ``I always
thought the chief was the main man.''
Windy Boy was not in the House Friday, because he was in Rocky Boy
attending a tribal council meeting.
Butcher's comments brought sharp rebukes Friday, both from American
Indian lawmakers and Republican and Democratic leaders of the House.
House Majority Leader Mike Lange, R-Billings, called the comments
``inappropriate'' when announcing Butcher's apology.
Rep. Margarett Campbell, D-Poplar, an American Indian lawmaker whose
district includes Assiniboine and Sioux tribal members on the Fort Peck
Reservation, said in a brief speech that she didn't believe
``the good people of Montana (wanted) the indigenous people of this
state to be used as the butt of bad jokes and inappropriate
comments.''
Campbell said in an interview afterward she thought Butcher's
comments were careless, but not necessarily malicious. She said she
didn't want to ``pick a fight'' with Butcher, but felt
compelled to address racism when it presented itself.
``My guess is the 9,000 people he represents would not like to have
these comments spoken on their behalf,'' Campbell said.
Rep. Shannon Augare, D-Browning, and a member of the Blackfeet Tribe,
said in an interview that he didn't think Butcher's use of
``chief'' was complimentary.
``I'm disappointed that in this body people still say things
like that,'' said Augare, a freshman lawmaker serving his third day
in the Legislature on Friday.
Augare said he was pleased that both Democratic and Republican leaders
viewed Butcher's remarks as inappropriate.
House Minority Leader John Parker, D-Great Falls, said as soon as he
found out about the comments Thursday, he talked to Republican House
leaders, who also found Butcher's words unacceptable.
Butcher said he thought the incident may have been overblown and said
one of his own children is an enrolled member of Windy Boy's
reservation tribes, a girl whom Butcher adopted as an infant.
``It makes this whole thing ironic,'' he said.
During the last Legislature, Butcher apologized after referring to
severely developmentally disabled students as ``vegetables''
at an education meeting.