“We look to leverage the buying power throughout Indian country,” said Richard Sebastian, a Mashantucket tribal council member. “It’s pulling together what our needs are collectively and being able to drive the cost to procure those needs down.
“If other tribes have resources that we could purchase from them, we’d like very much for that to happen as well.”
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteSomeone at this time should inquire exactly which Presidential hopeful that the 'Pequots' support. Betcha two dollars to a donut that it's Barack Obama! And then such an inquiry should justify WHY...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Translation for new readers: The Pequots are part black so Russ is prejudiced against them. He thinks their "black blood" somehow dominates or diffuses their "Indian blood."
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Pequots have endorsed a candidate yet. But what if they did? Many Indians have come out for Obama and many have come out for Clinton. I'm not sure what that tells us except they're both good candidates.
Most Indians are Democrats and prefer any Democrat to a Republican like McCain. They'll gladly vote for Obama because, as the polls have said, he may do better against McCain than Clinton could. Obama looks and feels like a winner and everyone wants a winner.
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeleteHow gracious, how wonderful, how -- Native! The 'Pequots' have deigned to spend their casino largesse on commodities available from 'other, poorer American Indian tribes.' Hokey Lamokey! They want to buy Pawnee jewelry, Kiowa shawls, Navajo rugs, Hopi pottery, Seminole dugouts, Lakota rickrack, Klamath scrimshaw, and maybe even Coquille cranberries and Oryzeaen wild rice. The only problem is, these items sell fairly well from the above tribes' economic survival strategies, without the 'Pequots' suddenly becoming a NEW ancillary market. But hey, no one's going to turn them down, as tourists are tourists...
AllBest
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
ReplyDeletePOSTSCRIPTUM -- And, Rob, what you don't realize is, that if you have to explain a joke, it means you didn't GET the joke!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I think the Pequots are talking about buying goods they can use in their properties. You know, signs, furnishings, food and beverages, toiletries, etc. And not about artistic or cultural products.
ReplyDeleteWhat you don't get is that if you tell a "joke" repeatedly and no one responds, it means they aren't interested in your feeble attempts at humor. In that case, your best bet is to change the subject and move on. Try it sometime and see if it works.