This is posted on the Official Caddo Nation Website....

"The Tribal Constitution is being updated. If you have any changes, amendements or deletions to the Caddo Constitution, please submit your suggestions to the Caddo Nation by the end of the business day on April 15, 2008."

This should be interesting...

I have a change: Should LaRue Martin Parker be dis-enrolled for her destroying the Caddo Nation. YES.
Should we go back to Caddo Indian Tribe YES, maybe we can disassociate ourselves with the damage thats been under the Caddo Nation.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

y change it...the 1 already out there is abuse

That's really constructive. Typical of you people I suppose but still sad at the same time. If you people would spend 1/10th of the energy you spend disrupting things toward something positive.....but that will never happen because you people are never happy unless you are unhappy.

heads up caddos,the only one i have ever heard call us "you people" like that, was larue herself.if it talks like a duck,... well you get the picture. my guess is she was doing the same thing i am,just checking in to see if any one was commenting on the recent margaret komalty cfr court clerk snafooo.this is a problem for larue, top of the list i'd bet. i expect

she just wanted to see what "you people"are talking about, and then just couldn't pass up the chance to mess with you a bit.

and ...what caddo constitution

Please Amazed, you people- I agree with Anahwake , that is so LaRue, I can hear her in my head crying You people... Its you people , the kind that have sit back and let them do what they have done and not cared , its you people that either can't read or do not care what the Constitution states.
But typical, blame us people because nothing is going on out there. I suppose it is still the council 5 fault that nothing is going on Last I heard, the money people are scared to invest in the market now for the Casino heck, if it would have been done right it would have been up by now but we people hired stupid attorneys,dumb companies with no financial backing. Yeah, you people f'd it up But hang in there, and let LaRue, Joyce and the rest of the lite brites dangle bits and pieces in front of you and hope like a good little puppy you get a doggie bone

There are many things that need to be changed in the Constitution, however, and this is a biggie, before the Constitution is changed, the current one must be followed. As it stands right now, there is a question as to whether it is ours or not, this needs to be resolved. As simple resolution from the Tribal council to INFCA will not work. There is more involved than that, and if the council who past the INFCA contract years ago would have had an attorney read it, as Ms. Bowman suggested we would not be having this conversation.
Iam certain the will say something about this, maybe not just to prove me wrong like the INFCA thing has been over yadda yadda, but fact remains, its still a viable contract, and one that should have never ever been past or signed. We can get out of it but its going to take a lot, and like I said more than a simple resolution from the council.
I know that many of you had placed your hopes on us, the so called council 5 in getting the tribe back to the people, and I know that we let many of you down. I also know that some of you questioned some of the actions we took,and wondered what were we thinking, maybe we weren't. But I can say this, everything we did was with the Tribes interest and I firmly believe that if we were left to do our business as we should have been , our tribe would be some place. Look at all the tribes, and what they have accomplished, and then look at ours, and don't blame us, council 5 or you people. Fact is, the Council 5 and you people have not been doing anything, she and LaRue has had the control since 2006 and has done nothing with it. , well long before then but nothing. What I am saying it, when is every one going to get the fact that the only thing holding the tribe back is our current Chair and Vice , they have been the two constants with this whole mess. I simply so not understand how long its going to take Oh one more thing, the Gracemont Housing has now changed its plan where they are changing rent up to 450,00 month, yes they can but why. GREEDY

Good to finally hear from you Christine, thought you disappeared. Yea, heard about the rent at Gracemont, a disgrace if you ask me but to answer your question as to why, your answer lies with the people who are now working there. All have questionable fingers, as to the stickiness. And to the other things you wrote, I for one thank you and the others for your hard work. If we would have got behind you all, the tribe would be some place, its just as much our fault as anyones. You all tried, and from what I hear, you guys are still workng. SO thank you. Anahwake, what gives with the CRF court clerk, did they finally find our she was playing favorites or machines.

cfr...well i guess we should view it as an ongoing legal thing,and so therefor handle it with kid gloves,that understood, i here there are "filing fee" discrepancies,alledgedly leading to the clerks doorsteps,and then i was told that the clerk was not in the office and would not be for an indeterminant time,also that susan cheney was now the person in charge as suppervisor of the cfr court.for those of you who may know ms. cheney,you know her as the secrectary/assistant to terry bruner for many years ,and for many MORE years a CLOSE friend to joyce hines,and all joyce hines agendas (if you all would like, maybe we should ask jen to put this discussion on a separate posting. i don't want to have it interfere with this discussion)but..this turn of events could effect our cfr court dealings on all our efforts,constutional issues included.

anahwake

interesting, maybe thats why nothing ever was heard or why certain cases were heard and other cases just tossed to the wind. Wonder if any one who has ever filed any thing could find out , I mean, if you filed, and nothing ever has happened, you have a right to know where your money went, make sense

Ana - Susan also helped us out with several things. She was very careful to not be biased. She and Joyce have known each other for many years because they both worked for the BIA in some of the same places and shared babysitting - I think.

Anyway, she seemed OK to me.

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Glad you all are home again and that Majel is doing OK.

People, think we have until about the 14th to put in our suggested changes for the Constitution. Did ask who was working on this. Don't believe I got a clear answer. Did tell them I had said Mr. Vaughn, Attorney, was. They said something like he has offered his help. I am sitting here with a lot of thoughts running through my head. However, running through my head is not going to change a thing.

There are so many things in there that need revision and probably a bunch that is not in there that needs to be added. One more time, think each action or change needs to be written so there is no room for interpretation because all of us can interpret it the way we want to and this has caused a lot of headaches and hard feelings. There should be no doubt as to what it means. Do not think we need anyone to interpret it for us when there is a question. Maybe we need someone to enforce it but never to interpret it. THAT IS OUR JOB. If you get a chance, or if a thought comes to mind of a way to make things work better and more fairly, jot it down and send it in.

Thanks! Hope I didn[t confuse the heck out of everyone. You know what you want it to do, what you want us, the Caddo people to do. Appreciate it.

Caddo people, the timeframe for amendments, additions, etc., to the Constitution has been given 45 more days. A Ad Hoc or whatever committee was selected, rather volunteered, to work on it, suggestions, whatever. None of the Council are on this committee. Please take this time to look at it and send in your suggestions. There is so much that needs to be clarified, added, revised, etc. I HONESTLY BELIEVE THIS IS A REAL EFFORT, by all, to revise it to make it a better governing document. It can spell out what needs to be done and hold us to that if it is done right. Appreciate it.

Would like to ask Laura why the ad hoc constitution committee was a closed session on Monday, May 19. Shouldn't it be open to Caddo people? If it's closed then that's not a real attempt to get input.

Ad hoc "volunteers" or whatever seem to be mostly from the election board. Put the meetings on website so people can go to them.

In the newsletter, see there is a ANA grant to get a tribal court. Why not do the constitution amendments right, and do the amendments along with the tribal court? Don't it all suppose to work together. What the hurry?

My thoughts exactly, future meetings should be open to ALL Caddo people for input or at the very least there should be a way for us to turn in our suggestions for consideration. I really do not think people would come to the meetings with the sole intent to disrupt - that's a scapegoat.

The most disruptive ones are already in there. It's the intelligent, forward thinking individuals they're trying to keep out!!

Left out, I am not crazy about the way the Constitution is being changed. However, put on here twice that everyone should send in their desired changes. This Ad Hoc Committee was set up or they volunteered at the last Membership Meeting. Did hear them say they would be closed meetings, stated I did not believe that was right that I, as a Caddo Member had every right to be involved in the changes, as do all other Caddo membership. And I am not crazy about 3 Election Board Members being on this committee. Was told it would be a conflict of interest if the Council were on there, I also feel it is a conflict of interest if the Election Board is on there. My thoughts.

Now, I understand also that there is work going on to get our own court system. Think that is a very good idea, also like you I don't see a hurry for the Constitutional changes and think it would be great if these changes were made taking into consideration that we have a court system.

Don't know if this answers your questions or not but don't think it would hurt for those of you who feel the same way could send letters to all the Council Members stating your views. AGAIN, THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE WILL EVER DO AND INPUT FROM ALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.

I sit on the committee for the changing of the Consitution and just for the record I do not believe it should be close to other tribal members. I feel the Constitution belongs to the people. They have every right to sit in on meetings and express ideas or concerns. If Tribal members sit in on meetings then maybe we will have a Constitution that will work for us.
Thanks

What are they afraid of, Teresa?

Mary Pat, they are afraid the caddo members will see that her niece, Donna Benitiz, Frances Kodaseet and Dorothy Garrett won't get to put in the constitution what she wants them to. Shes on her way out and still grabbing for power. Which she never had. She simply could afford to set in that office day and night, good salary, when she was threatened and she had her employees guarding her.

From what I hear she wouldn't know a good constitution if she could read it. I understand she has violated it consistently, actually doesn't even consider it when she starts to do something she wants.

Should have been gone long before her 2007 term ended. But when you have an election board who you direct, not a chance.

The constitution mandates that there be an ANNUAL ELECTION FOR THE HEARING BOARD. The hearing board has staggered terms and the constitution lays out which 2 year term is up each year AT THE ANNUAL ELECTION. See Caddo Constitution Bylaws, Article IV, Hearing Board, Sec 1, 2, & 3.

Isn't this correct Mary Pat? Teresa? Laura? Don't think the terms were changed to 4 year.

Their afraid of anyone with a brain, and common sense. They only want certain people on boards and so forth , family mainly. The way the election board butchered the Constitution in their recent ordinance change should indicate to people they haven't a clue as to what is right or wrong or whether their capable of understanding and knowing the difference. I would venture to say the only one on the current revision committee with any real sense and pride would be Teresa, the rest are, well , just , I will be nice

Read that there is a new constitution committee in another post. Who's the new group? Is there a new deadline? ??? Faithful Reader

There were several names suggested for the constitution revision committee but they have to be voted on by the council at the next council meeting. Some of the names I remember are: Jennifer Walton, Teresa Keller, Mary Pat Clark, Sherry Richard, I'll have to check my notes for the rest. A few of the ladies on the committee resigned during the membership meeting because they were also serving on the election board.

I would be happy to help as well.

Zac,

I'm sure they would love to have your help with this so I will let one of the council members know.

Jen