Healing Old Wounded Knees

It has been widely reported that the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has rejected a grant proposal from the Pine Ridge Reservation's suicide prevention program, indicating that the grant proposal was poorly written.

Taking a wider viewpoint for a moment, it is interesting to note that the U.S. government could find 2 million dollars for the Wounded Knee campaign in 1890 and can more recently find 4 billion dollars a year for the drone war which kills about 28 civilians for every terrorist blown up.

In 1890 the government sent elements of the 6th, 7th and 9th cavalry plus a number of small artillery and infantry companies and even some of Pershings "Buffalo Soldiers" to South Dakota to subdue about 460 Lakota of Spotted Elks (Big Foot) band and about three dozen ghost dancers. This resulted in the massacre of Wounded Knee where over three hundred Lakota men, women and children were cut down by rifle and canon fire from U.S. soldiers. Those Lakota not immediately killed were hunted down on horse back and shot. By the way, 20 medals of honor were handed out to soldiers who took part.

1.3 million dollars (of the total 2 million) was provided for supply contracts to businessmen in Kyle and Rapid City to facilitate supporting the military stationed in that area. That amount of money was some pretty heavy change by the economic standards of 1890. Several historians have reported that a number of businessmen sent telegrams to Washington, D.C. over-stating the danger of an Indian uprising just to profiteer on the situation.

As far as the drone war is concerned 4 billion a year is not peanuts. I do not know who is profiteering on the drone war but the motive is all too similar to Wounded Knee.

Simply stated, the government can find extraordinary amounts of cash to make war and kill men, women and children but cannot find (in the case at hand $480,000/year) to help save lives on Pine Ridge where 20 people have committed suicide in just the last year.

The government is not interested in healing; old wounds or otherwise. Healing is just not profitable.