Opinions and Letters
Opinion: POLO ploy: Wrapping itself in the U.S. flag
Travis Armstrong
June 17, 2007 12:00 AM
Another anti-tribal government group in the Santa Ynez Valley is at it again, spreading misinformation and trying to raise some bucks for itself along the way.
The group known as Preservation of Los Olivos, or POLO, mailed out a hit piece complete with a DVD, decorated with the U.S. flag, that goes after the Santa Ynez band of Chumash. A copy of the DVD delivered by an anonymous individual showed up at the News-Press for me.
As one person says, "They sent out a very expensive white cardboard envelope with a flyer, a donation envelope and a DVD in it. Poor things should have just saved their money because I heard that the floors of the local post offices were littered with them."
I'm trying to understand the significance or implication of the flag in POLO's latest ploy.
POLO, along with two or three other intertwined and nearly indistinguishable organizations in the valley, seem to have a record of trying to paint the tribe or its status as a federally recognized tribe as un-American. It's a dirty tactic to try to suggest an American Indian tribe, with roots dating back thousands upon thousands of years, can somehow be un-American.
Some associated with these groups appear to practice us-vs.-them political warfare that relies on sound bites or incomplete information to scare.
I've come to see that some individuals basically will oppose anything Indian. I recently read one commentary pointing out that, to these activists, if the Chumash donate money they are buying off groups. If they don't donate money, they are cheap and uncaring.
A small group in April traveled to Sacramento to present a "petition" personally to the governor regarding the Chumash Casino Resort. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was out of town, but this didn't stop some individuals from suggesting that the governor somehow heard their message that day. The media for the most part also ignored these self-promoters. Their press conference fell flat.
Now another arm of the small anti-tribal faction in the valley is back with a mass mailing in an attempt to gain some relevance and attention using polarizing and deceptive practices.
Travis Armstrong is the editorial page editor of the News-Press.