At 06:52 AM 08/17/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>--- Dori Zook <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>Whoa frickin' Nelly!  Did anyone watch Nightline last night?  It was on the
>>Indian diabetes epidemic.  The story was shot on the Pine Ridge reservation
>>in South Dakota.
>
>>What follows is a rundown of the story.  Should make some sense.  Note the
>>"expert's" reference to genetics.  I wonder what she would say if informed
>>of a hunter-gatherer's documented downfall of general health, including
>>rapid weight gain, after switching to the modern diet.  But then, she works
>>for the federal gubment; what, you expect her to admit she's wrong?

        I used to live in Arizona which has the largest Native American population
in the country. What I observed was horrendous rates of alcoholism(65-85%
in most tribes especially near the major cities such as Phoenix), obesity,
and, of course, diabetes which not surprisingly meant a huge number of
natives were suffering with extreme arthritis and loss of eye sight. The
more government subsidies the worse the problem seemed to be.
        Also disturbing was the fact that when tribal leaders allowed mining of
coal, uranium, etc. on tribal land not much of the money appeared to be
spread around enough in an appropriate manner. Many winters in Northern
Arizona are brutally cold(northern Arizona actually has some of the coldest
temperatures in the nation) leaving many cut off from supplies because the
roads, many of which are dirt, remain impassable for weeks on end. Relief
comes from mostly government sources and not a program directed by tribal
leaders to circumvent this from happening in the first place. The relief
supplies are the 4 basic American food groups of sugar, flour, partially
hydrogenated oils, and drugs! Way to go Uncle Sam!
In GOD we trust?

Dave