CPSIA - NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL GENOCIDE

My MAIN priority at this time is fighting the CPSIA of 2008 - the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (HR4040). This new law that went into effect on Feb. 10, 2009, is the equivalent of Cultural Genocide for Native Americans. It requires testing for lead and other chemicals in all items for children under age 13, which can be extremely expensive, destructive, impractical and is largely UNNECESSARY. It was enacted in response to lead-tainted toys imported by big box importers, but is so poorly written it threatens to wreck the American economy even further. This law is based on knee-jerk political reaction, not science.

It's effects on Native American material culture and the participation of our children in cultural and religious rites is simply incomprehensible. I don't believe it's the intent of Congress to cause the granny making kids moccasins to slink around "underground" to sell her wares like the sleezeball who sells eagle feathers. But the effect of this law is the same. Despite the fact that jingle cones may contain nothing more than tin (Sn) and lead-free paint, I won't be making any medicine dresses for little girls until I can be sure there isn't a trace of lead somewhere in the zipper or cones or fancy fabrics typically used on dresses.

Although a "stay of execution" er uh, stay of testing was issue until Feb. 10 2010, the law is still in force and any violation can result in enormous fines and felony prosecution with 5 years imprisonment. A recent Forbes article equated the law to USING A BAZOOKA TO KILL A GNAT. Given the anti-Indian sentiment by some state Attorney Generals, we're not taking any chances at this time. If Congress doesn't amend the law to be reasonable, we'll organize a class action lawsuit to challenge it.

You can read about it at out website page at http://www.littlecrowtradingpost.com/culturalgenocide.htm