She fought at Little Big Horn.
Ostensibly exploring the practice of law before the internet. Heck, before good highways for that matter.
Monday, January 22, 2024
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Today In Wyoming's History: Wyoming Tribal License Plates
Wyoming Tribal License Plates
These are neat:
UW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
UW LICENSE PLATES
Tribal License Plates to Fund Native American Student Scholarships at UW
But a question, and I ask it seriously.
Would putting these on a vehicle, assuming that you are not enrolled in either Tribe, be regarded as cultural appropriation?
I think I saw one of these recently, and had simply assumed that the vehicle belonged to an enrolled tribal member, which is partially why I'm asking, the other part being that I think it would matter how this would be viewed by those who are enrolled in either tribe.
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Monday, October 9, 1922. Permission granted and rehearing sought.
Friday, September 9, 2022
Friday, July 1, 2022
The 2022 Election Part IX. And they're officially out of the gate.
The Candidates, that is.
Registration to run closed yesterday, May 27, at 5:00. So who is running?
Let's take a look
- House of Representatives
Republicans for the House:
This race will likely decide who will occupy this seat, with it going pretty obviously to either Cheney or Hageman.
Liz Cheney. The embattled incumbent.
Harrient Hageman. Hageman, former Cheney supporter and Trump opponent who has switched on both in what Cheney has proclaimed as "tragic opportunism". By and large Hageman's and Cheney's politics, to the extent that we can tell what Hageman's are, are identical, but for loyalty to Trump.
Robyn Belinsky: Belinsky is a businesswoman from Sheridan who is billing herself as Wyoming's Marjorie Taylor Greene. Why she's still running at this point is really a mystery as she has no chance whatsoever and what few hard right populist diehards who won't adopt Hageman are left will vote for Bouchard.
Anthony Bouchard: Bouchard is a member of the legislature from Goshen County who has been in a lot of local political spats and who is a far right firebrand in the legislature and who is still running in spite of having no hope of getting past the primary. He will still draw some votes, however, from those who are very much in this camp and have been his acolytes all along.
Bryan Eugene Keller: He's a resident of Laramie County who has registered, but I don't know anything else about him.
Denton Knapp: Knapp is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a current Brig. Gen. in the California National Guard who is still, surprisingly, running. His campaign at this point borders on being delusional. He must be hoping that Hageman and Cheney will destroy each other, and then the electorate in the GOP will go for a moderate. In other words, this campaign is delusional.
I can't predict this race anymore. At one time I thought for certain that it would go to Cheney, but to my surprise the Trump loyalty thing matters to a lot more people than I would have guessed for reasons that tend to escape me, save for a fair number of people have really bought into hard corp populist thought. The ironic thing is that Cheney's top opponent isn't a populist, something that must be driving Bouchard nuts.
Democrats for the House:
At long last, perhaps waiting for the Republicans to destroy each other before registering, some Democratic contenders have appeared. They are:
Lynette GreyBull: GreyBull was the Democratic contender last time and, in spite of her defeat, did better against Cheney that probably would have been expected. If Hageman is the contender, she'll do even better yet.
GreyBull, depending on who the Republicans choose in their primary, and how much they destroy themselves in the process, may actually have a chance.
Meghan R. Jensen: Jensen is a young candidate from Rock Springs. So far that's about all that I can say about her.
Steve Helling: Helling is a long time lawyer in Casper and who also practiced in Colorado. He's well known as a lawyer.
My prediction in this race is that GreyBull will win the Democratic primary again, to face off against whomever the Republicans chose.
Independent
Casey Hardison. This is a gadfly campaign as it is based on drug legalization. Indeed, he has a case on appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court right now for felony marijuana delivery.
It seems like we get these campaigns every election now.
- Governor's Race.
This seat is now safe for Gordon, although former President D. Trump took a verbal swing at him the other day when being interviewed by KTWO radio.
Republicans for the Governor's Office.
Mark Gordon: Gordon is the incumbent. He's going to get the nomination, and he's going to win the General Election.
Harold Bjork. Who Bjork isn't really clear, but he's started a Facebook and internet campaign for Governor.
Brent Bien:
Rex Rammell: Rammell is a perennial and unelectable candidate who ran last time and will again. His views can be characterized as being on the fringe right/libertarian side.
Democrats for the Governor's Office.
Rex Wilde: Wilde previously ran for the Senate as a Democrat and has no chance.
Theresa Livingston: Livingston previously ran for the State Senate and stands no chance.
- Secretary of State
This race took an unexpected late turn when the current Secretary of State Buchanan, who had announced he was running, pulled out after putting in, for a second time, for an open seat on the bench. Since his withdrawal, a host of Republicans have now filed for the office.
Republicans for Secretary of State.
As noted, Buchanan's withdrawal has opened up the contest for Secretary of State.
Dan Dockstader. He's a longstanding member of the Legislature who stands a good chance due to that service.
Tara Nethercott: Also a member of the Legislature. Nethercott has not been in the legislature long, but she was the subject of misogynistic attacks last session, which she weathered well. She also stands a good chance.
Chuck Gray: Also a member of the legislature who has been frequently in the news due to his far right populist positions. Gray clearly has his sights set on higher office and probably views this as a stepping stone. His earlier attempt to replace Cheney drew little support.
Mark Armstrong: Former candidate for the U.S. Senate. His run for Senate drew very little support and his run for Secretary of State will fail.
Democrats for Secretary of State
Pathetically, none.
State Auditor
Kriti Racines. She's the incumbent and the only one running. She's effectively won the race at this point, absent something bizarre occuring.
- Superintendent of Public Instruction
This race is also newsworthy as the incumbent, Brian Schroeder, is generally regarded as the least bad of the three names that were submitted to Governor Gordon when the prior occupant stood down.
Brian Schroeder. Schroeder is the presumptive nominee.
Megan Degenfelder. She has an education background but who has been working in the petroleum industry, announced for Superintendent of Public Education.
She was once employed as the department's Chief Policy Officer.
Thomas Kelly: Kelly was one of the three finalists who was not chosen for this office by Governor Gordon.
Jennifer Zerba: Zerba announced late. She's from Casper and is an education professional, which is all I know about her.
Robert J. White. White is from Rock Springs, which is all I know about him.
Democrats for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Sergio Maldonado: Maldonado is a longtime figure in Fremont County politics and is, I believe, also an enrolled member of one of the Wind River tribes.
- Other interesting races
- House District 57
- Natrona County Assessor
Hageman spoke and according to press retirements gave a speech about Wyomingites being "fed up" with various things. Paradoxically, one of those things was high gas prices, which Wyoming's energy sector depends on. Consumers are tired of that, but oddly people in the state seem to feel that they should have a vibrant oil and gas economy and low prices simultaneously, which is impossible.
High fertilizer prices for farmers was another thing that Wyomingites were reportedly fed up with, according to Hageman, but most Wyomingites know nothing about that whatsoever. That would in part be due to a lack of regulation in agricultural land ownership contrary to some states like Iowa, which would require a distributist economic platform in this area that neither the Republicans or the Democrats are likely to endorse.
Hageman had a gaff in her speech which might symbolize the Freudian slip:
I am that person who will represent you, your fallacies
What this is really about, in some ways, was ironically summarized by Trump, when he said:
The entire Republican Party is united behind Harriet, she is endorsed by practically everyone, and most importantly, perhaps, she’s endorsed by me.
Trump's endorsement more important than the party's?
No doubt, to many, that's true.
Of interest, contrary to expectations and fears, the event was hardly noticed in Casper outside of the Ford Center itself.
June 3, 2022
The Cheney campaign released its first television commercial.
A resolution of the Natrona County Republican Party State Central Committee calling for the immediate resignation of Frank Eathorne as Chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party.
Whereas it is the stated goal of the Wyoming Republican Party to represent the values and vision of Republicans all over the State and to support Republican candidates to win and retain political office in Wyoming,
Whereas the current Chairman, Frank Eathorne has consistently failed to represent the values of the vast majority of Wyomingites and during his tenure has divided the Party and failed in his duty to support all elected Republicans,
Whereas it has come to light that Frank Eathorne consistently violated the sacred vow of marriage, engaging in indiscretions while on the job and in his personal life,
Whereas Frank Eathorne, while intoxicated allegedly threatened a woman while her 2-year old daughter was in the adjoining room - later dismissing his behavior as “gentleman-like”. Eathorne then allowed the City of Worland to pay for the legal settlement even though he espouses personal responsibility and condemns government support of any kind,
Whereas Frank Eathorne later accepted over $100,000.00 in Government subsidies for his ranching operation and untold Federal mineral royalties and trespass fees while denouncing anyone else that may need support from the government,
Whereas Frank Eathorne has openly advocated for Wyoming to secede from the Union,
Whereas Frank Eathorne is a member of the “Oath Keepers” – an openly extremist group calling for a revolutionary war in the United States and partially responsible for the January 6th riot,
Whereas Frank Eathorne, during his tenure, has overseen the divide of the Party, the elimination of Natrona County delegates and the last minute unseating of Laramie County delegates while turning a blind eye to the transgressions of other Counties.
Whereas Frank Eathorne has repeatedly lied to the people of Wyoming as well as members of this Central Committee. When asked about his involvement in the January 6th, 2021 insurrection, he repeatedly said that he went to the rally, walked down the street and retired to his hotel before any violence or destruction of property started. Not only was he a member of the “mob”, he has done nothing to condemn the insurrection – an attempt to overthrow the election.
For these reasons, we, the members of the Natrona County Republican Party call for the immediate resignation of Frank Eathorne as Chairman of the Wyoming Republican Party and his replacement by the normal action of the bylaws of the State Central Committee.
If the election wasn't stolen, and it wasn't, and if Trump acted seditiously, which it appears he did, Hageman actually has nothing to run on. Her views don't vary from Cheney's at all on anything else.
Friday, February 5, 2021
Monday, November 30, 2020
Thursday, July 30, 2020
July 30, 1920 Outdoors
Also on this day, Lord Baden-Powell was declared to be the Chief Scout of the World.
Scouting, of course, was founded by Baden Powell as his Boer War experience lead him to conclude that British youth were lacking outdoor skills. On this same day one of the Casper papers informed the public that an outdoor activity, agriculture, was being taken up by returned Great War veterans. Over 90% of new homestead entrants reported having been in the military during the war. I know of two such instances myself.
Indeed, not only was there an increase in veteran homesteading following World War One, there was an effort to "open" up lands to them, which in the case of Wyoming actually meant shrinking the boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation and opening them to homesteaders for farming. The view was that the lands weren't being "used", which of course was incorrect and otherwise immoral, but it was done.
In contrast, a limited reopening of the homestead provisions following World War Two brought very few homesteaders. Something had changed between the wars, with one of those things being that farmers had ceased to have economic parity with those employed in town occupations.
Friday, December 6, 2019
The Eastern Shoshone consider cannabis
Well, perhaps their argument should have been to have the Irish just sit on their hands and see how things go in the United States. Not that the Irish would have done it. Ireland right now is one of the Anthony Kennedy's of nations, busy trying to be hip and cool and in the process coming across as just one more oldster who doesn't look hip and cool. So they're going down this path no matter what. If they did look, so far the results in the US don't look too good. I've written about that in the past in regard to Colorado. Rather than repeat it all here, I'll simply link in what I wrote before:
On that occasion, the person who made the biggest impression was a girl sitting on the corner, back to traffic. She was probably about 20, and had once been fairly pretty. Now she was dirty in that funky way that only the really ills, or the really stoned, get. Not that honest sort of dirty that oilfield workers, for example, have. No, dirty in a diseased way, probably something we note because in an earlier era our natures told us to watch out when we encountered it.
I don't think so.
And what is going on, on a large level, that we seem to need to be numbed so much?
Alcohol, as noted, has been with us forever. Marijuana has not doubt been around for some time, but not as long as an intoxicant, and certainly not in such a widespread manner. But it isn't just these. We have made real progress in tamping down some really dangerous drugs that were getting widespread circulation, but at the same time we seem to be in a full scale effort to numb ourselves as much as possible. We still have booze (but not anywhere near at the consumption rate it was once at, in spite of what some may think). But we are also numbing ourselves in all sorts of other ways.
Indeed, the pharmaceutical level of mind alternation is at an all time high. Thousands of people have to take medication just to make it through their day, mentally. And news came this past week of a new psychological ailment based on an addiction to computerized technology. That is, people so deeply into the fantasy world provided by the Internet that they cannot escape it.
I know that this isn't convincing to weed's fans. Indeed, the post above is one of the rare ones here that not only drew a fair amount of attention at the time I put it up, it drew some really negative attention from Colorado marijuana fans. But that's the way such things work. I still recall hearing from smokers as late as the 1990s how smoking wasn't really bad for a person. And there are plenty of heavy drinkers who deny that they're being hurt in any fashion.
That's going to be the history of marijuana. We'll find out that it was hugely destructive, and at some point in the future we'll look back at this and be horrified and amused by how dense we were in this era on this topic, and a host of others that seem to be floating about in the confused era we've really slipped into. But for the time being, we're charging ahead into marijuana like there's no tomorrow.
And now comes news that the growing of marijuana may be coming to the state, but without the state as the regulator. The Eastern Arapaho are considering legalizing the growing of it on the Wind River Reservation.
This gets into a complicated legal situation that I'll forgot getting into in depth, but the two tribes on the Wind River Reservation are sovereigns, as are all similarly situated Indian Tribes. Their situation is perhaps more unique in that the Wind River Reservation itself is shared by two sovereigns, which is not the norm and in fact may be unique to that reservation. The Reservation has its own Law & Order Code, but in recent years the two tribes have acted independently of each other to a fair degree. In September the Eastern Shoshone Tribe's General Council voted in favor of a resolution authorizing a group to study legalizing medical marijuana and allowing for hemp cultivation. One of the goals is financial, as a spokesman has noted. stating "We’re trying to transition hemp and medical cannabis into Wyoming so our tribe can get financially stable.”
The group is frank about its goal being to get cannabis onto the Reservation, which of course means getting it into the state. And their position in regard to hemp cultivation isn't any different from the state's itself, which has now legalized that and which is seeking to secure Federal approval for the same. Federal approval will come.
Hemp production definitely has legitimate uses, primarily for fiber production. I.e., it makes good rope, and there are reasons that a natural rope may be better than one made with synthetics. For one thing, it makes good hay twine as cattle can eat it, which isn't true of the orange synthetic twine that's currently used.
The overall problem, however, is that distinguishing between hemp and marijuana isn't really completely possible overall, as the difference between the two is somewhat like the difference between wolves and wolfy dogs. Is that a dog, or a wolf? It's hard to tell. In fact, there's really no difference between hemp grown for rope and hemp grown to smoke, other than the name and the fact that marijuana has generally been cultivated for its impact on humans, rather than its fiber. So they're two sides of the same coin. It is true, as has been noted by others, that smoking hemp won't achieve much in terms of a "high", according to people who have studied it, but that's because the cultivation hasn't emphasized that aspect of it. Like most plants used by humans in this "no GMO" world, almost all plants we use have been genetically altered through selective cultivation.
Where this really has caused a legal problem is in regard to transportation across state lines. People get arrested and their fates are uncertain, for doing something that seems to them completely legal at the time they engage in it. So, on this topic, both the state and the Tribes will have to authorize hemp, and Wyoming is in the process of doing that, lest there be a train wreck for somebody. There still could be, of course, for those trucking out of the state in any direction other than south.
Beyond that, and finally, the Shoshone aren't proposing to legalize growing marijuana and they definitely aren't proposing to authorize it for any use other than medical use. But keeping the lid on medical use alone has proven impossible nearly everywhere and the now commonly accepted concept that it actually has a medical use that isn't duplicated without negative effects by other pharmaceuticals is very far from proven. Indeed, so far about the only really established medical use is for glaucoma sufferers and maybe for Parkinson's sufferers.
What the negative impacts are, and there are definitely negative impacts, aren't known fully. They may be severe and they definitely aren't minor. Study on this topic in the US hasn't been done as the FDA doesn't study illegal non pharmaceutical products. Here, the study better start.
Legalizing marijuana is charging ahead everywhere it seems. But this should be kept in mind. At one time it was thought healthful to take a "bracer" of alcohol first hing in the morning. Now everyone knows all that does is dull your wits. You can find plenty of advertisements extolling what cigarettes physicians recommended, even after it was already known that they were killers. Everyday on television you can hear dozens of advertisements from lawyers who are suing drug companies for drugs once considered safe by the FDA but which proved not to be.
This is dangerous territory.
Addendum
Since this was first typed out, its been made clear that the Reservation in general is seeking to establish to legalize the growing of hemp, not just the Eastern Shoshone.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Blog Mirror: Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food
Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food
The article addressed this in the context of addressing health issue in the state's Shoshone population. The lesson, applied broadly, would apply of course to everyone. Processed foods aren't particularly good for you.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Blog Mirror: Growing Resilience
Growing Resilience
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
August 14, 1919. The Red Desert "exerting a depressing influence" on the personnel of the 1919 Motor Transport Convoy.
And they had a fair amount of trouble including a breakdown that required an Indian motorcycle to be loaded into the Militor.
You'd see a lot of motorcycles on the same stretch of lonely highway today. The highway itself is unyielding busy but the desert is still a long stretch in Wyoming. People either love it or find it dispiriting even now.
Oddly, Rock Springs hardly obtained mention in today's entry, even though it is now a larger city than nearby Green River, which is the county seat. But it is remarkable to note that the convoy was able to stop, grind a valve, and get back on the road, which is what they did, having the valve ground (or probably grinding it themselves, in Rock Springs.
Rawlins was the last substantial town that the convoy had passed through prior to this day, and its paper memorialized their stay in the and through the town with a series of photographs in the paper that was issued on this day.
The Casper paper mentioned another momentous event, the transfer of 14,000 acres from the Wind River Indian Reservation to be open for homesteading, a post World War One effort to find homesteads for returning soldiers.
That act was part of a series of similar ones that had chipped away at the size of the Reservation since its founding in the 1860s. While the Reservation remains large, it was once larger until events like this slowly reduced its overall extent.
14,000 acres is actually not that much acreage, but what this further indicates is an appreciation on the part of the government that the land around Riverton Wyoming was suitable for farming, as opposed to grazing. The various homestead acts remained fully in effect in 1919 and indeed 1919 was not surprisingly the peak year for homesteading in the United States, as well as the last year in American history in which farmers had economic parity with urban dwellers. But the land remaining in the West that was suitable for farming, as opposed to grazing, was now quite limited. Some of that land was opening up with irrigation projects, however.
None of this took into mind, really, what was just for the native residents of the Reservation and that lead to the protests in Chicago. Interestingly, those protests do not seem to have been undertaken by Arapaho and Shoshone tribal members, who indeed would have been a long way from home, but rather from Indians who were living in those areas, showing how the the efficient development of the spreading of news was impacting things.
Locally Judge Winters was stepping down as he felt that private practice would be more lucrative and he'd be better able to support his family Judge Winter was a legendary local judge and his son also entered the practice of law. While I may be mistaken, Judge Winter came back on the bench later, perhaps after his children were older. His son was a great University of Wyoming track and field athlete and graduated from the University of Wyoming's law school in the 1930s. Because of the Great Depression, he was unable to find work at first and therefore only took up practicing law after the Depression eased. He was still practicing, at nearly 100 years old, when I first was practicing law and he had an office in our building. He and his wife never had any children.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Today In Wyoming's History: The Bates Battle, July 4, 1874
The Bates Battle, July 4, 1874
Bates chose to attack down the slope of the hill he was on, described above, with thirty troopers and twenty Shoshones. At the same time, Lt. Young, meanwhile, attached down the valley from above it on the watercourse, in an apparent effort to cut the village off and achieve a flanking movement.
The fighting was fierce and the Arapaho were surprised. They put up a good account, however, and were even able to at least partially get mounted. Chief Black Coal was wounded in the fighting and lost several fingers when shot while mounted. The Arapaho defended the draw and the attack, quite frankly, rapidly lost the element of surprise and became a close quarters melee.
Bates then withdrew.
Bates' command suffered four dead and five or six wounded, including Lt. Young. His estimates for Arapaho losses were 25 Arapaho dead, but as he abandoned the field of battle, that can't be really verified. Estimates for total Arapaho casualties were 10 to 125. They definitely sustained some losses and, as noted, Chief Black Coal was wounded in the battle.
Bates was upset with the results of the engagement and placed the blame largely on the Shoshone, whom he felt were too noisy in the assault in the Indian fashion. He also felt that they had not carried out his flanking instructions properly, although it was noted that the Shoshone interpreter had a hard time translating Bates English as he spoke so rapidly. Adding to his problems, moreover, the soldiers fired nearly all 80 of their carried .45-70 rifle cartridges during the engagement and were not able to resupply during the battle as the mules were unable to bring ammunition up. This meant that even if they had not disengaged for other reasons, they were at the point where a lock of ammunition would have hampered any further efforts on their part in any event (and of course they would have been attacking uphill).
After the battle the Arapaho returned to the Red Cloud Agency. Seeing how things were going after Little Big Horn, they came onto the Wind River Reservation in 1877 for the winter on what was supposed to be a temporary basis, and they remain there today. They were hoping for their own reservation in Wyoming, but they never received it. Black Coal went on the reservation with him, and portraits of him show him missing two fingers on his right hand. His people soon served on the Reservation as its policemen. He himself lived until 1893.
Alfred E. Bates, who had entered the Army as a private at the start of the Civil War at age 20. Enlisting in the Michigan state forces, he soon attracted the attention of a politician who secured for him an enrollment at West Point, where he graduated in the Class of 1865. He missed service in the Civil War but soon went on to service on the plains. His name appears on two Wyoming geographic localities. He rose to the rank of Major General and became Paymaster of the Army, dying in 1909 of a stroke.