Smoke Signals January 1990 Page 12 THAT OLD TIME generation, served as the focus for religious activities. this case, Frohnmayer allies himself with the Citizens for That hardly seems unreasonable. Apparently, Washing- a Drug-Fre- e Oregon and the business-oriente- d Citizen's RELIGION ton bureaucrats' disdain for the religious freedom of Crime Commission. He's recriminalized the use of minorities has lead to their willingness to destroy Native marijuana and incarcerated more Oregonian's and spent American heritage for the possibility of a timber harvest, tens of millions on new prisons and jails that have done Dr. Michael Zimmerman a mining operation or a ski resort. Ironically, that little to reduce crime. In fact, these knee-jer- k methods Office of the Dean disdain does not extend to the dogma of a vocal minority have taken sorely needed money away from jobs Oberlin College Judeo-Christi- substance-abus- when it is couched in the an tradition, programs and e rehabilitation efforts which might someday be forced on all Americans. (like the one that Smith and Black were involved with) The first amendment to the United States Constitution These are exactly the abuses that the first amendment that evidence shows actually reduce crime. is reasonably clear. It safeguards religious groups from was written to prevent. A bit of respect for our Interesting to note, Precision Castparts, a major donor improper meddling by the government, and keeps Constitution would go a long way in Washington these to the recriminalization effort, recently was cited for religions from interfering unduly in the workings of days. dumping radioactive waste into the Portland Sewer government. While it cannot be denied that there are System for the past IS years. That's a social crime worth gray areas, the general principal has served us, as a prosecuting. nation, quite well. "PEYOTE RITUAL IS NO What's a more serious public health problem: some- This summer, however, in two distinct instances, that one attending a Native American Church ritual, some- separation has come under attack in Washinton. If MENACE" one lighting up a joint in their home, or someone who, those attacks are permitted to go unchecked, the FROHNMAYER IS WASTING TIME, in the throes of their wealth addition, acts with such principles underlying the first amendment will be shaken MONEY Come one, Mr. Attorney General Get serious about to their core. the real "drug" problems we face. We've got to get a In the first instance, Representative William E. By Michael Donnelly handle on drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, Dannemeyer (R-CA- ), along with 35 heroin the deadly white powders - not to mention die introduced a constitutional amendment innocuously . General Dave Frohnmayer would have enormous problems associated with the legal drugs, called the "Community Life Amendment." The lan- Attorney you believe that a friend of mine is a dangerous drug tobacco and alcohol, with their 400,000 deaths per year guage of that amendment is far from innocuous. Section offender. and countless millions in societal costs. To claim that 1 states: "The right of the people to allow voluntary He feels so strongly about this that he has spent more denying basic religious freedoms is a form of getting school prayer and the teaching of the Judeo-Christia- n $1 million and of tough on drugs is as silly as fighting alcohol addiction by ethic in public schools shall not be denied or abridged by than of our tax money countless hours time trying convince all denying churches their ceremonial use of wine. the United States." Section 2 then goes on to define prosecutorial to court after court the way to the Supreme Court of the United States that what is meant by Section 1: "the term 'teaching of the Al Smith and Galen Black and by inference the entire Judeo-Christi- an ethic' shall include the Ten Command- Michael Donnelly is a Salem resident Native American Church - should be denied employ- ments, and the creation of the earth as accepted in -- Courtesy of the Statesman Journal ment if they engage in sacramental use of the substance Judeo-Christi- an tradition." What Dannemeyer and his fundamentalist peyote in church rituals. INDIAN RELIGIOUS facts of case in intend is for a literal interpretation of the King The the are not dispute. The case when Smith Black fired James version of Genesis to be taught in public schools. started and were from their jobs FREEDOM: as alcohol counselors in No other explanation is possible because all mainstream a Douglas County Program. The Great Balancing Act? Both alcoholics religions in this country accept the scientific version, are recovering and as such, quite qualified for their jobs. . rather than the biblical version, of Earth's history. Only Traditional Yurok representative Walt Lara, Sr., However, the county has a policy that any drug use by the religious fringe groups, politically powerful far recently told the Senate Select Committee on Indian an employee is a violation requiring termination of beyond their numbers, feel impelled to proselytize in the Affairs, "AU my life I have been involved with the employment. And Smith and Black attended a Native public schools. And as bad as science education is ceremonial practices of the Yurok people. These beliefs American Church tipi meeting where the use of peyote currently, it will get much worse if these people get their and practices have been passed on to me by my family is an integral part of the ritual way. Henry Morris, head of the largest creation organi- before me...These practices are threatened when the Frohnmayer argues speciously that if Native American zation in the world wrote about the creation of the government seeks to destroy the sacred sites which are are allowed the right to use peyote, then what's to keep Earth: "The only way we can determine the true age of part of our religious ceremonies but that are now other groups from seeking a sacramental exemption to the Earth is for God to tell us what it is. And since He located on land taken by the government. These sites existing drug laws? He cites the ed example of has told us, very plainly, in the Holy Scriptures that it is were there and were part of our beliefs and practices motorcycle groups demanding the right to ceremonial several thousand years in age, and no more, that ought long before they became government land." use 'of the deadly drug methamphetamine. to settle all basic questions of terrestrial chronology." The First Amendment's guarantee that "Congress shall Let's get real, Dave. Unlike the supposed motorcycle This is not stuff for the public schools. Nor is the pap make no law...prohibiting the free exercise" of religion Native show a centuries-ol- d advanced Tychonian Bulletin, groups. Americans can by the editors of the a often requires unique kind geog- this a of protection for Judeo-Christi- tradition of the peyote ritual. Wasn't country magazine published out of Cleveland in the an raphically-based Native American religious practices. founded by those upset with religious persecution? How tradition to advance Judeo-Christia- n ideals. Congress is currently struggling with the issue of how to ironic that we would seek to prohibit religious practices The magazine's main focus is an unyielding beliefs in the balance "competing interests" is the continuing practice of the indigenous folks who were engaged in those public schools, something is seriously amiss. of an ancient religion, the balancing question is practices long before the first Europeans set foot on this espe- This summer's second attack on the first amendment cially critical. The question arises continent. now as Congress demonstrates exactly why that amendment is so impor- considers legislation. Even the United State Supreme Court granted Chris- (H.R. 1546 and S. 1124) to amend tant. The Bureau of Land Management and the Depart- -' the "American Indian Religious tian Churches an exemption to laws outlawing the Freedom Act of 1978" ment of Agriculture unequivocally opposed an amend- (AIRFA). consumption of alcohol during Prohibition! ment to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act The amendments come as a congressional Al Smith has suffered personal harm in all of this. response to introduced by Representative Morris Udall (D-AZ- ). decisions 197S soft-spoke- court since that have diminished Indian He's not an overly crusading type of guy. He's a n, His amendment says simply that "Federal lands that religious freedom. In these older Klamath with two young children and cases, the "American Indian have historically been either part of, or necessary to, or Religious Freedom Act" has been ineffective in could truly use the benefits that he's been denied as a its been used by, a traditional Native American religion purpose of protecting Native result of his stand. I have gained from my friendship American religious shall not be managed in a manner that will pose substan- practices. In startling 1988 in with Al. He's one of those rare persons who can a decision Lyng, Secretary tial and realistic threat to undermine and frustrate any of Agriculture, et al., v. Northwest brighten up your day whenever you're around him. I Indian Cemetery traditional Native American religious practices." Protective Association, et al., the can't stress enough how well he can put an individual or Supreme Court held The rationale is equally straightforward. Unlike most that Indians had no First a group at ease. You go away from a time with Al with Amendment protection against religions, those practices by Native Americans are Forest Service plans to build j a much better feeling about yourself and your fellow a logging road through an intricately tied to specific locations. If these sacred area of traditional humans. I can't imagine a finer skill for a counselor who religious importance, even though the places are destroyed, spirituality itself is compromised. action would "virtually destroy is from substance-abus-e prob- the Indians' ability to is helping people recover All that Udall's amendment requests that the Federal practice their religion." First Amendment protection lems. , government respect Native American religious rights to could be invoked only if Indian At the same time that tax dollars are being wasted on practitioners were the extent that it not destroy those sites that have, for (Continued on page 13).