"Standing Bear is a Person"

Sometimes things just seem to go so nicely together for whatever reason. A new book was reviewed in the 12/19/2004 Sunday Omaha World Herald. I think this book is now on my must read list. The book is Standing Bear is a Person by Stephen Dando-Collins of Australia. The story of Standing bear was thrust into the local news this week by the revealing of the 4 United States Mint designs (show above), one of which will become the Nebraska quarter. Originally I was all behind the Sower gracing our state quarter. The Sower graces the very top of the of our Art Deco State Capital. However, life's events are now pushing me tword the Standing Bear quarter. Note the feature on the quarter that states "Equality before the Law".

As most of us do not know, due to our complete amnesia when it comes to history, Standing Bear of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska sued the US government forcing it to recognize American Indians as persons (with legal/Constitutional rights). That is event one. It happened right here in downtown Omaha, Nebraska.

A second event is that a local preservation group, that I am a member of, is admiring an Art Deco federal office building in downtown Omaha. This building is just one of many significant Art Deco buildings not only in Omaha but in Nebraska. The site of this Federal Office building is also the site of the now gone Federal Court House in which Standing Bear plead his case before the Federal Courts.

Third event, is that a newly releasted poll by Cornell University that states that 44% of Americans favor restricting the civil liberties and rights of Muslim American citizens. Those who favored such restrictions were described as "Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious" by the Omaha World Herald in a December 18, 2004 article.

Now replace the words "Muslim American citizens" with American Indian. Is this history repeating itself? I would really like to have a quarter circulating around the country for years to come with the phrase "Equality Before the Law". It seems like a few of us need the reminder.