Excuse me while I interrupt myself...

IndianTrust.com is reporting just now that a number of news accounts – particularly The Associated Press - are incorrectly saying that the plaintiffs have rejected a $7 billion offer from the government to settle the Indian Trust lawsuit. They say it simply isn’t true.

Imagine that? A news report saying things that aren't true? The nerve!

Indian Trust reports the facts to be that:

The government has never offered to settle the Cobell vs. Kempthorne lawsuit at any price.

Instead it is pointed out that the Bush administration in March 2007 suggested it was willing to spend $7 billion over 10 years to resolve a wide range of major Indian issues, including land fractional land claims, the Cobell suit, all individual land mismanagement claims, the 100 plus trust lawsuits filed by tribes and pay for all of trust reform as well.

Oh yes, and it also included provisions to deny Indians any right to bring any future lawsuits for future mismanagement no matter how egregious. That final provision was essentially a license to steal. This proposal was universally condemned by everyone not associated with the government, including a wide range of Native leaders.

Ms. Cobell did note that a mediator had suggested recoveries could run between $7 billion to $9 billion in the case. She said she "would want to talk about that more." Hardly a rejection.

But the Bush administration never followed up on her overture. In fact, federal officials have never made any offer to the Cobell legal team to settle the class action lawsuit for any specific amount.

In 2006, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee did introduce legislation to settle the lawsuit without a specific dollar amount. The Committee later amended that bill to include an $8 billion figure but the bill never moved out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee because of objections raised by the (Sudanese? South Korean, Spanish, noooooo...the United Snakes!) government.

The position of the Cobell plaintiffs has long been that we will consider reasonable offers from the United States to resolve this case. Unfortunately, none has been put forth.

Well, well, well...very well put if you ask me. But then who did the AP go ask to get these "facts of mythic porportion?

To view the latest information concerning this case, go to www.indiantrust.com