Molly Miron was way off the mark in her article: "Tribal judge upholds election amendments." As far as I can remember, Ms. Miron was not in attendance at the hearing so I assume she relied on third-party information. This type of information is generally said to be hearsay. Unless, of course, she relied on press release information from the reservation, which is known as propaganda. The headline itself is misleading because there was no challenge to the constitutional amendments.
In particular, the amendment barring felons does not preclude candidacy, but rather specifically states that such a person cannot hold office. Current Chairman George Goggleye fits the criteria for not being able to hold office.
The reason I refused to comply with the background check requirement is that the people currently holding office must also comply with the amendment. This requires that they must also undergo background checks and the constitution be upheld by removing anyone "ever" convicted of a felony.
This means Goggleye and Finn are being held to a lower standard than are the candidates. The challenge was over the $50 fee that is not mentioned in the MCT Constitution, or in the Uniform Election Ordinance.
None of the other five MCT reservations imposed such a "poll tax" on prospective candidates. Ms. Miron might have gotten it right if she actually reported on something she personally witnessed, or at the least attempted to uncover the other side of the story in an objective manner.
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By the way, Judge Fineday was expected to rule in favor of the government. That is because she wants to keep her job and is not interested in justice.
Wallace W. Storbakken
Cass Lake
