Iroquois lacrosse team denied visas by U.K.

[CHIMO]

Source: The Associated Press

The British government has refused to allow an Iroquois lacrosse team to travel to England using passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy.

The decision Wednesday means the team will miss a world championship lacrosse competition in Manchester.

A British Consulate spokeswoman says the team would be able to travel only with documents the United Kingdom considers valid.

Tonya Gonnella Frichner, a member of the Onondaga Nation who works with the team, says it was told by British officials that members would have to use U.S. or Canadian passports to travel to Britain.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/14/us-iroquois-lacrosse-team.html

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. That' s too bad

I saw the spokesman for the team on tv yesterday. He said the team was rated #4 in the world. Why should they be denied the chance to play in Manchester, as citizens of the Iroquois nation? Unfair.

[Toucano]

2. They're citizens of the United States, so use a U.S. passport

and go win the championship.

What's the big hairy deal here?

It will take time for other nations to recognize their Iroquois travel documents and it's not worth missing the match for it.

[classysassy]

4. The victims of the worst crimes in the history of the world

The noble englishman once again shows the world just how savage they are.The sons and daughters of the criminals that came over here murdered the original citizens,stole their land,then they called them savages because they tried to defend themselves.

[hfojvt]

6. more likely they are great-great- great-great- great-great grandchildren

but your ancestors might be criminals. Mine were mostly farmers.

[Suji to Seoul]

30. Mine were victims. Mother is full blooded Iroquois

How did your farmers get their land? If bought, how did that person get their land?

[hfojvt]

31. speaking of victims, what happens if an Algonquian shows up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Wars

[Suji to Seoul]

33. and this has to do with the subject at hand how?

[proteus_lives]

76. Shhhh! Some people hate to hear that!

Many people are only comfortable with the "Noble Savage" view of American Indians.

They hate realizing that they fought, stole, hated, took slaves, acted any other human culture, etc.

They don't like thinking of them as human beings just stainless victims of the white-eyed devils.

[Odin2005]

83. LOL, Strawman!

Sure, ignorant people steeped in New Age BS may believe that, but no reasonable, logical person who deny that Native Americans got into wars like everyone else.

[proteus_lives]

84. The Noble Savage trope goes back to the 19th century. Maybe earlier.

It has mostly to do with Victorian white guilt.

[No Elephants]

37. Pontius Pilate, is that you?

Good thing no one blamed Germans in the 1930's and 1940's for going along with Hitler, eh?

[Agent William]

71. Bullshit...

I love this Anglophobic stupidity. The English (more appropriately, British) weren't the ones who used nuclear weapons on the Japanese. What other instance where Britain showed its savage'ness? When we ended slavery decades before anyone else? Or how we actually honoured Native American peace treaties? You sound like you could be bit of a Mel Gibson historian... the truth is that Natives took the side of the British since they limited westward expansion; the US on the other hand gave them small-pox blankets.

Savage Englishmen?.... I hope you just forgot the 'sarcastic' icon..

--Will,xx

[proteus_lives]

77. "What other instance where Britain showed its savage'ness?"

Do I really have to through the colonial history of Africa and India?

:eyes:

[SunnySong]

92. good lord it really is read a book time...

Easier answer would be when did the British become civilized?

[truebrit71]

79. a) I highly doubt that any sons and daughters of the original settlors are alive today

b) are you sure it was only the noble english that stole the land? I am fairly sure there would have been noble Dutch, noble French, noble German, noble Spanish, noble Italians included too, no?

I undertand your outrage, but to lay it at the feet of one country is misplaced to say the least..

[hfojvt]

5. some might be Canadians

google says there are about 80,000 in the USA and 45,000 in Canada. The question is whether a semi-autonomous group should be able to issue legitimate passports. I am with the Brits on this, but would they also reject passports from Liechtenstein or Monaco? Does Lichtenstein even issue passports?

[Toucano]

14. Lichtenstein does issue passports

and their citizens do not need visas to travel or work in the EU.

The need a visa for entry to the UK.

Monaco issues passports, but I don't know about the visa requirements.

[hfojvt]

28. how odd, I was thinking they would use Swiss passports

plus they are not part of the EU, but apparently part of the EAA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein_passport

[No Elephants]

35. the Brits do NOT decide which nations have a right to issue legitimate passports.

The Brits can decide only which documents they will require. It's not the same thing.

[depakid]

7. I agree with the premise: What's the big hairy deal here?

The Obama administration should just sign off on this- and start acting reasonable and not petty like the previous administration.

[Lasher]

80. It is not the Obama administration's place to sign off on this.

Since the lacrosse team decided to go with Iroquois passports, and not ones issued by the US, they should be on their own as far as our federal government is concerned. Our Secretary of State has already interceded but I don't think that was appropriate. Percy Abrams (executive director of the Iroquois confederacy) shouldn't be asking the US State Department to mediate on his behalf. And he shouldn't go whining to the Canadian government either.

[CHIMO]

10. Not Necessarily

They occupy a nation within North America.

[Toucano]

15. Those who live within the United States can obtain a U.S. passport.

They are citizens of the United States since 1924.

I do not know about the status of those who hail from the Canadian side.

[CHIMO]

19. They Agree

But they want to travel on their passport. Unfortunately it is not now recognized. They want to travel as Iroquois.

[a la izquierda]

24. The world has had plenty of time...

as someone mentioned downthread, the passports have been recognized abroad since 1977.

[No Elephants]

34. You're in a position to decide for the Iroquois team what is worth missing a match for?

[EmilyKent]

3. U.S.-born lacrosse players cleared to fly on Iroquois passports

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/us-born-lacrosse-players-cleared-to-fly-on-iroquois-passports/article1639866/

[Toucano]

18. Delete

[burnsei sensei]

8. This isn't very consistent with British history.

The British, usually, have respected Native American Nations far more than Americans have.
So have the Canadians.

[No Elephants]

36. Well, except for British settlers of the colonies.

[Art_from_Ark]

95. Speaking of British settlers and the colonies

There were 6 tribes in the old Iroquois Confederacy before the Revolution-- 2 tribes sided with the colonists, while the other 4 sided with the British.

[rug]

9. Odd that the people who created the game aren't allowed to play.

[Toucano]

11. They're allowed to play. They're not allowed to travel. n/t

[rug]

12. To the game.

[Toucano]

16. They are not allowed to travel to the UK for any purpose unless they have recognized

travel documents.

There's no need to obfuscate the issue.

They are not being denied permission to play in the tournament.

[rug]

20. Exactly how long are their sticks?

It's 3500 miles between Syracuse and Manchester.

[No Elephants]

38. Sophistry much?

A distinction without a difference.

[jberryhill]

67. The people who invented the game died many years ago

The people who invented the game are "humans".

Unless you believe there is some genetic right of any particular group of humans in relation to this game, I'm pretty sure that these persons being denied entry to the UK for failure to possess a passport recognized by the UK, did not invent the game of lacrosse.

[mbperrin]

13. Guess the competition is afraid of 'em.

Low trick to eliminate the competition, though.

[Spazito]

17. This is appalling, imo

The Iroquois passport has been used since 1977 and accepted without any problems:

Iroquois Nation passports have worked for years, attorney says


Syracuse, NY -- Since 1977, members of the Iroquois nation have traveled on Iroquois Nation passports.

It has been a way of underscoring the sovereignty the nation claims is proven by the fact that there are treaties between the United States and the Iroquois, who are also known as the Haudenosaunee.

snip

Heath said Haudenosaunee passports were honored as recently as this spring when Onondaga Nation Faithkeeper Oren Lyons and others visited Sweden on their Haudenosaunee passports. They met with the U.S. ambassador to Sweden Matthew W. Barzun. Barzun recounted the event in his online blog.

A Mohawk, Kenneth Deer, is in Switzerland with the United Nations right now on a Haudenosaunee passport, Heath said.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/iroquois_nation_passports_have.html

[MikeW]

22. so ...

You used to be able to travel to Mexico and Canada without a US passport ... Not anymore!!

The world changes, you either adapt, get left behind or stay home.

[Captain Boomerang]

25. Mighty white of you to post that.

[Spazito]

26. The Iroquois passport has still been accepted in other countries...

as stated in the article. It is an arbitrary decision by Great Britain and it is appalling. They HAVE a passport, have had passports since 1977, are still using the passport to travel and it is still accepted.

[No Elephants]

39. Lousy analogy. the U.S.A. has cleared them--and they are willing to stay home.

[Captain Boomerang]

21. Somebody from Arizona must have moved to Manchester

[No Elephants]

40. LOL. Welcome to DU.

[Turborama]

23. British Entry Clearance Officers Are Assholes!!

I have had personal experience of visa refusals and how they think they are Godlike.

Oh, and by the way, you want help filling in your application, they tell you they can't offer advice and that you have to get in touch with solicitors in the UK (who charge £150 minimum per hour and minimum £800 to do the application for you). You get refused, you lose your application fee (at least £100) and unless you're visiting a family member you have no chance of getting an appeal, unless you go for human rights or racism.

[ozone_man]

27. Maybe there's time to get U.S. passports?

This seems like something Obama could take care of with a stroke of the pen. Also, having Indonesian and Hawaiian roots, he might be sensitive to native Americans caught up in documentation troubles.

Imagine lacrosse being an Indian sport and that they're number four in the world, yet they won't be allowed to compete.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

29. FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T GO TO ARIZONA

[No Elephants]

42. they don't want U.S. passports. And they're not Indians. that was Columbus's ignorance.

[ozone_man]

59. I'm sure they didn't want them, just thinking of solutions.

Yes, Indian was a misname, yet it is embedded in our language and culture. I guess it is a bit like black vs. African American. Sometimes I revert to the shorter, but you noticed I used native American too? I know it's the politically correct term. For years, I was married to both a native American and an Indian. Same woman. :)

[AnneD]

61. I am a Native American.....

and hubby is from Hyderabad. We sometimes have pissing contests about who is more Indian. They degenerate into laughter, esp when I do my best Apou imitation.

[ozone_man]

62. First peoples.

At my wedding reception, my father, in response to one of the guests stating that her family came over on the Mayflower, said that his daughter in law's family was there to greet her. It took a while for that one to register.

[AnneD]

70. I have used .....

that line too. Being Cherokee, I use many of the lines Chief Dan George used in the Outlaw Jose Wales:

We were civilized Indians. White men were always sneaking up on civilized Indians.

We endeavor to persevere.

I am not as old as I thought.

[ozone_man]

73. Oh, I think I'll use that one.

"I am not as old as I thought."

I really was so proud of my Dad when he said that, very nonchalantly, with a slight grin.

[No Elephants]

66. Not sure what you mean. Native American is not a misnomer and yes, I have used it. And?

"I guess it is a bit like black vs. African American." Not really. African Americans chose to be called black (rather than "colored," which was once consider a polite term) , then they chose to be called African Americans. I don't see how that's like a name based on Columbus's thinking he'd found a new route to India.

"For years, I was married to both a native American and an Indian. Same woman."

Candidly, I have no idea which gender, race or ethnicity anyone on the Internet actually is, let alone which his or her spouse is. I have noticed that some posters sometimes seem to come up with spouses and children who are members of minorities at certain times. If indeed you were married to a Native American (or First American), though, all the more reason to know she was not Indian.

But, what's your point? A n***er, a "boy" and an African American man would all be the same person, too. Should I refrain from mentioning it whenever I see someone using an offensive name for a minority group?

[ozone_man]

72. No, I was referring to Indian as a misnomer.

And that Native American is indeed politically correct. But also that many Native Americans are OK with being referred to as Indians too, in the same way that some African Americans are OK with being referred to as black. I think it is something that you have to be careful with and it is different for everyone, context sensitive. Indian is being used less though. I was married to a woman who was both comfortable being Indian and Native American. When in doubt, ask them.

"Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. The terms used to refer to Native Americans are controversial; according to a 1995 US Census Bureau set of home interviews, most of the respondents with an expressed preference refer to themselves as American Indians or Indians."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States

[FunkyLeprechaun]

96. Careful....

African Americans might be other colours as well... my white Nigerian-born mother is an American citizen so she is technically African-American.

[burnsei sensei]

69. citizens of the Iroquois Confederacy

have dual U.S./Canadian citizenship.

[superconnected]

32. So the US State department decides who gets to enter the UK and it may decide for Canadians to be

able to enter too.

"“We just got of the phone with the U.S. State department, who are going to clear ... the players who are under their jurisdiction,” Percy Abrams, executive director of the Iroquois Nationals, said on Wednesday.

Since the U.S.-born players had been cleared, officials from the United Kingdom had promised to issue them a one-time visa, he said. However, whether the team’s Canadian-born players would be allowed to travel was still up in the air, he added.

“We are going to be making contact with the Canadian counterparts and hopefully they will offer the same,” he said."

[No Elephants]

41. Hope you did not hurt yourself building that straw man.

the U.S. State Department cleared them to leave the U.S., bound for the U.K. Only the U.K. gets to decide who enters the U.K. If the U.K. wants to be unreasonable about this, it is free to do so.

ETA: The U.S. decided nothing at all about Canadians. Did you read your own post?

[No Elephants]

43. Somehow, this thread has a feel similar to a Confederacy thread.

Let's think. What would the two have in common?

[dipsydoodle]

44. UK refuses to grant visas to Iroquois lacrosse team

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10634044

The UK has said it will refuse to allow a Native American lacrosse team to travel to the country using passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy.

Officials told the team they would be granted a visa at immigration only with documents considered valid by the UK, including US or Canadian passports.

The announcement came after the US cleared them to travel at the behest of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The team says using other passports would be an attack on their identity.

Read more: BBC News

---

Bit sad that. I've always understood that the game originated with the US's native population.

[aquart]

45. Their identity seems built on denial.

How is it considered noble or right to encourage that? They didn't come to the United States like the other immigrants. The United States came to them. They want to pretend it didn't.

As for "native population"... BULL COOKIES. Earlier immigrants is what they are. And they might not even be the earliest, since we've identified FOUR distinct waves based on language.

The human species was NOT born in the Americas. Every human being here is immigrant stock.

[AnneD]

46. Even if the Native Americans are indeed immigrants.....

they are sovereign nations as witnessed by numerous legal and binding treaties put forth (and broken) by the US government are legal and binding in the US and should be accepted in Great Britain .


AnneD , proud card carrying member of the Cherokee Nation. A group that successfully took the US government all the way to the Supreme Court and won-TWICE for treaty violations.

[LostinVA]

47. +1

[SpiralHawk]

55. The USA and Candada have broken or violated every single treaty

ever written with the various Native nations. It is a perfect record of faithlessness -- close to 900 treaties, every one broken or violated not by the Natives, but by the modern states acting with all the integrity of, say, republicons.

Ptooooey. How's that for building up krappy karma.

[jberryhill]

56. "and should be accepted in Great Britain"?

The UK is under no obligation to recognize any sovereign entity just because the US does.

As you may recall, the UK did not recognize the US as a sovereign entity in the first place.

[AnneD]

60. That is true...

but I was trying to first prove that Indians esp the Iroquois were a Nation of laws. In fact, many of the values that Americans hold dear have a familiar ring to it. The paperwork is accepted in the US and the US prevents tribes from dealing on there own, it should be accepted. Look for legal motions.

"In support of the Influence Thesis are quotes from certain founding fathers. John Adams was quoted as saying:
The form of governments of the ancient Germans and the modern Indians; in both, the existence of the three divisions of power is marked with a precision that excludes all controversy. The democratical branch, especially, is so determined, that the real sovereignty resided in the body of the people, and was exercised in the assembly of king, nobles, and commons together. <49>

Benjamin Franklin also stated:
It would be a very strange thing, if six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such a Union … and yet that a like union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies. <50>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iriquois

My solution, deny British Passports on tribal land-no more casinos for you. Or even better, let then in an financially scalp them :spray:

[jberryhill]

68. The British spent good money fighting Iriquois

You know, some tribes allied with the French to fight the British in what we call the "French and Indian War".

That cost the UK a fair amount of cash. When the UK tried to collect some of that back, through taxes on the colonies it had paid tall cash to keep the French out of, we rebelled.

Much like the Pilgrims accepting financing from the Dutch West India Company and then failing to pay back that investment.

We are a nation founded on the principle of shirking debt.

[No Elephants]

48. What does being earlier immigrants have to do with whether the Iroquois Nation has authority

to issue passports?

"They didn't come to the United States like the other immigrants. The United States came to them."

You probably want to think that claim through a bit more before you make it in public again.

ETA: you do know that DNA studies show that all people on this planet are immigrants, the Kalahari Bushmen being the only exception?

Have you ever read the Constitution of the United States?

Talk about being in denial!

[dipsydoodle]

49. I myself found it odd

that the first comment should be so tasteless and without merit.

[Lasher]

50. Limitations on tribal sovereignty include those that apply to the states.

Neither the tribes nor the states have the power to engage in foreign relations. It's OK by me if the UK wants to accept Iroquois passports, or not. That's up to them.

[No Elephants]

51. Yet, our Constitution treats Indian tribes as foreign nations.

And our State Department has recognized the authority of the Iroguois Nation to issue passports.


I have no problem with what the UK wants to recognize, though. The UK, too, is a sovereign nation. It can require whatever documentation it wants before it allows anyone entry into its sovereign borders. Indeed, it can keep everyone out, if it so chooses. Or let everyone in. None of that, however, has anything to do with whether the Iroquois Nation has authority to issue passports.

[No Elephants]

64. too late to edit, but I meant:

Yet, our Constitution treats Indian tribes as sovereign, the same as it does foreign nations.

[xchrom]

52. oh horseshit -- the iroquois and the other tribes are

the First Nations people here and they have a right to self determination and not have it forced upon them.

they are not immigrants in any sense of the word.

[Poll_Blind]

74. +1 You got that right!

:thumbsup:

PB

[SkyDaddy7]

53. Using that logic...

Every human being on every continent except Africa is an immigrant! I think 1,000-10,000 to maybe even 30,000 years is enough to be declared a NATIVE!

So, I guess there are no "natives" except in Africa, huh?

:banghead:

[xchrom]

54. now this thread will be about the ridiculous comments of the first poster.

:eyes:

[jberryhill]

57. The underlying issue is something of a no-brainer, though

Regardless of their status under US law, the UK does not recognize the Iriquois as a sovereign nation, nor is the UK under any obligation to do so.

As you may recall, the English certainly didn't recognize New England as belonging to any of the native tribes in the first instance.

[AnneD]

65. They can do what they want....

but to deny the inventors of the game in as competition is poor form old chap. It just looks bad and mean spirited. To deny the other athletes the chance to compete against these guys is just wrong. Exceptions are made all the time.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

58. Breaking News: British Government Refuses Iroquois Admittance; Will Miss Tournament

Breaking News: British Government Refuses Iroquois Admittance; Will Miss Tournament

and

Iroquois Lacrosse Team Prevented From Traveling to Championships

This is not something Obama can "resolve with the stroke of a pen," as he is President of the U.S., not the prime minister of the U.K.

The U.S. State Department has reassured the team that they will be allowed to return to the U.S. using their own passports. This decision was made in record time, HRC getting it through in time for the team to catch their flight Wednesday. The team had been turned back at the airport on Tuesday afternoon. The team did not want U.S. passports in the first place, already being in possession of passports.

[Lilith Velkor]

63. *facepalm*

[Nihil]

75. What's the big deal?

> A British Consulate spokeswoman says the team would be able to travel
> only with documents the United Kingdom considers valid.

IF (you have documents the United Kingdom considers valid)
THEN {you get in}
ELSE {you don't get in}

How hard is it?


Would US Immigration let in someone with one of these?

http://www.cornwall-passports.co.uk/


Or from any of the Celtic nations for that matter?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_nations


No, they wouldn't.

They would demand a UK, Eire or French passport (depending on which
particular territory you came from).

That's exactly what you're seeing here.
:shrug:

[AnneD]

81. Some folks just don't see the picture....

even with the Polaroid in their hand.

When I am on tribal land, I (as a citizen of the CN) and any other person, even US citizens visiting fall under tribal law. The only thing that usurps tribal law is FBI and they investigate things like murders I think (been a while since I thought about this). Other than that, tribal law is sovereign.

The Celts and celtic culture, while spanning several nations, were not a sovereign nation (I might give you Ireland but not the outposts in France and Scotland). Not only do the Iroquois share the culture, they were dealt with as a sovereign nation and many treaties were entered into by the US, and I even think the UK (which may provide legal grounds to contest the British ruling). I would have to research the history of the Iroquois as I am not as familiar, but I do believe that some Iroquois clans had treaties with the UK. They also had treaties with the French.

[Nihil]

85. I don't have any problem with the way that the US (or Canada) interact with them ...

... but unless there is an internationally recognised designated area
on the map with borders between the nations, they are not a country,
just a region within one (or two) internationally recognised area(s).

As such, regardless of their state within the host countries, the
nation is *still* internal to said countries and so international
travel will require an internationally recognised passport, not just
something that will do to identify their own tribal lands within their
host(s).

> The Celts and celtic culture, while spanning several nations, were
> not a sovereign nation (I might give you Ireland but not the outposts
> in France and Scotland).

The Welsh would really disagree with you there: they - like the Irish - were
conquered by the English but retained their identity. The Scottish Celts
spent more time fighting each other (allied with whichever outside parties
were advantageous to one side or another) so their cohesion is a little
more questionable.

I understand the resentment that other nations are apparently not fully
recognising the Iroquois as independent but the fact remains that
*internationally* they are still a subset of their host nation and so for
international travel outside of those host nations, they need their host
nation's travel documents - not just something that they'd like to use.

I understand what you are saying about the laws and control over their
own territory but, as far as other countries are concerned, it would be
like you trying to travel on a Texas passport.

:shrug:

[AnneD]

87. and who draws the lines...

Winners get the privilege of writing history. And yes, the Iroquois did have recognized boundaries. Who is the host and who is the guest here. If we are to survive as a culture-it will be because folks like this team stood up and claimed the validity of their culture and the validity of other indigenous cultures. The UK has a history of arrogance regarding indigenous cultures (I am thinking Australia).

If the shoe were on the other foot, the British team would be welcome on tribal land, just like the settlers in general were. It wasn't until settlers started claiming what wasn't theirs and taking away resources from traditional tribal lands and killing natives that Indians got upset. The British should respect the passports.

And I wouldn't rule out a Texas passport. People around here take their citizenship to the state very seriously. Texas has always had the option to split into 5 separate states. The ideas has always been appealing until folks realize they would no longer be a part of 'Texas'. We might be willing to leave the union but we could never split up Texas. There may be x number of clans, but you would never split the tribe, even if some clown drew an artificial line in the middle of the tribal land claiming an artificial border.

[Nihil]

90. As you say ...

> Winners get the privilege of writing history.
+
> There may be x number of clans, but you would never split the tribe,
> even if some clown drew an artificial line in the middle of the tribal
> land claiming an artificial border.

Very true and it is a situation that has been biting the "victors" for
centuries (e.g., Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Israel, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
most of the Middle East for that matter). A huge part of their current
problems are due to clowns drawing artificial lines across tribal lands
and preferring the "direction" of a ruler rather than the actual disposition
of the occupants. No disagreement there at all.


> If the shoe were on the other foot, the British team would be welcome on
> tribal land, just like the settlers in general were.

If the British lacrosse team (e.g.) was able to fly from say Manchester to
whatever international airport the Iroquois Confederacy host, I would be
very interested to see if they would accept a Cornish passport (or any other
Mickey Mouse travel document for that matter). As it happens, the US would
require a genuine travel document before allowing the team to enter the USA
so the question wouldn't arise but I know damn well what the US Immigration
folks would think of any such passport.

You *do* realise that the people themselves are more than welcome to come here?
There is nothing being held against the team (or associated travellers), just
against the lack of legal documentation.


> And I wouldn't rule out a Texas passport. People around here take their
> citizenship to the state very seriously.

And if they did then attempted to travel on that "state passport" instead of
the national passport, the Texans would hit exactly the same problem.

:shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

78. US rule could keep Iroquois from lacrosse tourney

Posted on Mon, Jul. 12, 2010 09:39 AM
US rule could keep Iroquois from lacrosse tourney
By VERENA DOBNIK and EVA DOU
Associated Press Writers

The teams participating in the World Lacrosse Championships in England represent 30 nations, from Argentina to Latvia to South Korea to Iroquois.

The Iroquois helped invent lacrosse and, in a rare example of international recognition of American Indian sovereignty, they participate at every tournament as a separate nation. But they might not be at this year's world championship tournament because of a dispute over the validity of their passports.

The 23 players have passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, a group of six Indian nations overseeing land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario, Canada.

The U.S. government says it will only let players back into the country if they have U.S. passports, a team official said. The British government, meanwhile, won't give the players visas if they cannot guarantee they'll be allowed to go home, the official said.

More:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/12/2077545/us-rule-could-keep-iroquois-from.html

[Nihil]

86. So ... I guess there will be a few apologies ...

> The U.S. government says it will only let players back into the country
> if they have U.S. passports, a team official said. The British government,
> meanwhile, won't give the players visas if they cannot guarantee they'll
> be allowed to go home, the official said.

... from the "ITS DA EVUL BRITTISH" posters upthread seeing as how it isn't
just Britain's view of Iroquois passports that is causing the upset ...

:yoiks:

(I don't think I'll hold my breath on that one :evilgrin: )

[ozone_man]

88. Except that Hillary Clinton issued a one time waiver.

So, it really is back to the British being responsible for blocking the team from entering.

"The decision was announced hours after the U.S. cleared the team for travel on a one-time waiver at the behest of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton."

[Nihil]

91. Gosh. Someone didn't grovel to Hillary Clinton simply "because she said so"?

Well, well, well ... and to think that you believe that a word from
a publicity hound somehow solves the world's problems?

American exceptionalism at its best ...

[Odin2005]

82. Ugh, that is fucking STUPID. Native "soverignty" isn't worth a damn, seems like!

:(

[CHIMO]

89. Indian Affairs can't help in Iroquois passport flap

Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl says there's little he can do to help an aboriginal lacrosse team at the centre of a passport dispute.

Strahl said Friday that Canada cannot force Britain to accept documents it doesn't recognize, and the government-issued passport is the only document guaranteed to be accepted.

The lacrosse players from Canada and the U.S. have been unable to travel to a world championship in the U.K. because the government there is refusing to recognize their Iroquois-issued passports.

The 23 team members are all eligible for Canadian and U.S. passports but say accepting them would be a strike against their identity.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/16/iroquois-passport016.html
Friday, July 16, 2010 | 4:31 PM ET

[otohara]

93. Slap in the Face to SOS Clinton Also

Boo UK

Who knew LAX was played in other countries?

[MellowDem]

94. I guess if they're doing this for principle...

they just won't play. I guess nationalism and pride are still alive and well. Gotta have those passports, or else they're not Iroquois, I guess.