Letters to the Editor - May 15, 2012

Dear Smoke Signals:

Hello. I am an American living in Canada. I was born on the Tulalip reservation although I am Chinook. Five years ago I was treated for lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, and my cancer had been in remission. Then a few months ago, my doctor said the cancer had returned and that the only treatment that could save my life was a stem cell transplant from a donor.

Unfortunately, no match was found for me in the national/international stem cell bank of 17 million donors. The problem is I am one-eighth Chinook and American Indians are very underrepresented in the stem cell bank, and I am going to change that.

The doctor told me a part-Indian donor was needed, a person whose blood was a good match for mine. A person donating must be between 18 and 60. Anyone could determine if they are a match by having the inside of their mouth swabbed, simple as that. Then when a match is found, that person is asked to have some blood drawn, the same as giving blood. A person can get swabbed in a hospital or Red Cross venue or e-mail me and I will send a swab kit. A person swabs the inside of their cheek and mails the swab back - the address, etc., is provided in the kit.

I am hoping individuals on American reservations or affiliated with one will be willing to get swabbed to see if they are a match. Many forms of cancer and leukemia can be cured with a stem cell transplant.

My website is jimpetitneedsyourhelp.com.

Our goal is to have every American Indian between 18 and 60 years get swabbed. And even if you are not a match for me, your stem cell data will be in the bank and sometime in the future that could save the life of a child or adult who has American Indian blood.

Thank you so much for any help you can offer. I wish blessings for you and your people.

James Petit

petit77@earthlink.net

Montreal, Canada

Dear Tribal members:

Ballots for the upcoming Grand Ronde constitutional amendment election are scheduled to be mailed on May 18, 2012, to all Tribal members who registered for this special BIA-conducted vote.

There is only one question on the ballot. That question has to do with amending our Tribe's Constitution to add provisions for a primary Tribal Council election in the event more than 10 qualified candidates are nominated to run for Tribal Council during the annual nomination process. Currently, there is no provision for a primary Tribal Council election during the Tribal Council election process that is held each year.

I will be voting "no" on the constitutional amendment question because:

• A Tribal Council Election Survey was done in 2010. With this constitutional amendment election, the majority of the members of the Tribal Council are totally ignoring the fact that in that survey a total of 928 Tribal voters responded either "yes" (701) or "no" (227) to Question 2 of that survey, which was: "I support limiting the number of three-year terms a council member may consecutively hold office."
• A primary election will cost the Tribal government additional money each year to conduct our Tribal Council elections when more than 10 qualified candidates are nominated to run for Tribal Council. I do not want to face the possibility of having to vote twice for the same three Tribal Council positions that would be up for election. I also feel that our Tribal dollars can be spent in better ways.
• A primary election would favor incumbents even more than a regular election already does.

I urge all Tribal members who have registered for this special BIA-conducted constitutional amendment election to also vote "no" on the constitutional amendment question.

However, regardless of how you vote, be sure to mark your ballot as soon as you receive it and send it back in the postage-paid return envelope provided with the ballot. The BIA Siletz Agency must receive your completed ballot in the envelope provided by noon Wednesday, June 13, 2012. So a fast turnaround is important if you want your vote to be counted.

Thank you for your time.

Leroy Good

Roll #892

Dear Tribal members:

This is the last call for signing the Per Capita Payment Petition.

We have had a great response to our Per Capita Payment Petition and have already met our initial goal of 200 signatures. As I write, we are now exceeding our goal as we receive various numbers of signatures almost on a daily basis. Five former Tribal Council members have signed our petition.

If you would like to request that our per capita percentage be restored to the percentage that was distributed from 1999-2010, please write to me at rmarybayci@aol.com and I will e-mail you a petition.

If you do not have access to a computer and/or a printer, cut out the wording of the Per Capita Payment Petition shown in the April 1, 2012, Smoke Signals, and fill in the designated spots. After you have completed that step, send by regular mail to the name and address given at the bottom of the Per Capita Payment Petition wording.

Thank you to each Tribal member who has spoken on this matter.

My best to you all.

Rosemary Jameson

Roll #883