Native Americans

My daughter sent me this after reading my last posting. I've seen it before and had forgotten about it. Years have passed since then, but I don't think much has really changed. The numbers may be wrong today, but the truth hasn't.

Hello Papa, I was thinking you should post this on your blog.. very fitting for the topic you are on right now.
Love ya forever, Kelly


"A SOVEREIGN NATION IS ONLY AS STRONG AS IT'S PEOPLE WHO MUST STRIVE FOR GOOD GOVERENCE,ENVISIONED LEADERS AND SOLID ECONOMIES." Charles Blackwell,
Address to the NCAI. Spokane Washington 1976

Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...

That 1 in every 13 people living in the US today is a Native American?
That while our national Native American population is small (2,416,410)
...we have the highest population of any race enlisted in the Armed
Forces?

That the words "Miami", "Chicago", "Cuba", & "Potomac" are all derived
from Native American words?

That the names of over half the states in the US came from Native
American languges? For example, "Oklahoma" is from the Choctaw language
meaning "home of the red people". "Utah" is what the Ute people named
themselves.
"Kentucky" is from the Iroquois language meaning "planted field".


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That 75% of the Native American workforce earn less than $7,000 per
year?

That 45% of Native American's live below poverty line? 38% of those
living below the poverty line are aged 6 to 11 years old.

That the national average of umemployment for Native American's is 45%?

That the unemployment rate on some reservations is as high as 90 %?

That 45% of Native American mothers have their first child under the age of
20? This is more than double the rate of any other ethnic group.


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That 46% of our Native American people have NO electricity?

That 54% of our Native American people have NO indoor plumbing?

That 82% of our Native American people DO NOT have a phone?


Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That ONLY 52% of our Native American children graduate highschool?

That ONLY 17% of our Native American kids attend college?

That ONLY 4% of our Native American youth GRADUATE college?

That ONLY 2% of our Native American youth attend graduate school?



Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...


That alcohol mortality is 627% greater than ALL other races combined?

That the alcoholism death rate for Native American's ages 15-24 years
old is more than 17 times the comparable rate of other American's?

That Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is 33 times higher in Native
American's than ALL other races combined?

That Turberculosis is 533% greater than ALL other races combined?

That Diabetes is 6.8 times greater in Native American's than ALL other
races combined?

That Pneumonia and Influenza is 61% greater in Native American's than
ALL other races combined?

That there are 962 Native American men and women who have HIV?

That there are 2,537 Native American men and women living with AIDS?

That one in six Native American adolescents has attempted suicide.
That's four times the national average.

That homicide is 63% greater in Native American's? Homicide is the
second leading cause of death among Native's 14 years old and YOUNGER and
the
third leading cause of death for Native's 15-24 years old.

That Native American's die younger than any other race? 13% of Native
American deaths are under the age of 25 compared to only 4% of the national
average.

Did you beautiful, intelligent and amazing Native American people
know...

Native American's are the only ethnic group mentioned in the US
Constitution?

That there have been more treaties, agreements, federal legislation, and
executive orders written concerning Native American's than any other
single group in the history of this country?

"The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards Indians; their
lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent."
Congress, 1789

"No wrong will ever be done to you by our nation." Thomas Jefferson,
1804

Now..are these shocking to you? Do you find these statistics disturbing?
Or do they not even bother you?
My beautiful, intelligent and amazing brother's and sister's...WHAT ARE
YOU DOING TO NOT ONLY BETTER YOUR LIFE, BUT THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE?

Think about it...

Food for thought.

Count your blessings.