Alaska to Chavez: You Can Keep Your Oil

I have to admit: in general, I don't hold many of my state's natives in the highest regard. There's this stereotype about them being drunken good-for-nothings. Unfortunately, you see way too many examples that confirm the stereotype.

In many ways, the handouts we give to natives just for being native furthers this problem.

There are exceptions, though. I've worked with at least one, who really knew her stuff when it came to janitorial. And she used the system the way it was intended to be used...working towards being independent from it.

What many of our native villages did recently also disproves the prevailing stereotypes--turning down Chavez's offer of free heating oil.

"As a citizen of this country, you can have your own opinion of our president and our country. But I don't want a foreigner coming in here and bashing us," said Justine Gunderson, administrator for the tribal council in the Aleut village of Nelson Lagoon. "Even though we're in economically dire straits, it was the right choice to make."

Makes me proud to be an Alaskan.

Hugo, you can kindly go take a petroleum enema.