At last, a true American has stepped up to confront and challenge the Black Caucus regarding their ambition to force the Cherokee Nation to accept all freedmen who have no Cherokee blood quantum as citizens.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., reacted and called the plan “legislative blackmail” in reply to statements made by the chairman of the House Finance Committee, Barney Franks. Franks told a Washington newspaper he would not take the bill to the House floor again without the provisions that require the Cherokee Nation’s acceptance of all freedmen, with or without blood quantum.

At issue is language added to the House bill last September, that in essence, states that unless the nation accepts all freedmen as citizens, the Cherokees would be denied federal funding in all areas.

Can our government make us something we ain’t?

There are blacks with Cherokee blood that are now citizens along with Irish, Scotch, German, Mexicans and other tribes that make up the Cherokee Nation. I have strong suspicions that the freedmen leadership promised a large block of votes to certain Cherokee candidates in the last election.

The freedmen should remember that their Confederate freedmen received freedom. The Cherokees and their sister tribes agreed to give large tracts of land to their ex-slaves and they were also included in the money claims. Just because the Black Caucus can outshout their colleagues in Congress and intimidate the news media, businesses and corporations with threats of boycott, or of having individuals fired for uttering words they themselves invented and used, is blackmail.

This form of bullying has to stop. Our Chickasaw friend has fired the first shot. All Indian nations and their state representatives should get very serious about the matter. If the congresswoman from California is successful in her pursuit and cuts off funding to Indian tribes, we all will be without federal monies to spend in our respective states. Each of us should contact our elected representatives and voice our opinion just as loudly.

John A. Ketcher

Tahlequah