Republic of Lakotah plans civil disobedience fishing
Terrence Watson wrote about the similarities between the Lakotah declaration of Independence efforts and the struggles of the Nisga’a nation in Canada back in February of this year ("A new declaration of independence"). The article is worth a fresh read, if you want to brush up on what the Lakotah are attempting to do (withdraw from all treaties with the U.S., and declare themselves a new and independent nation).
No country has, as of yet, recognized the independence of the Republic of Lakotah. Nevertheless, Russel Means–self-declared leader of the Republic, libertarian, and former movie star–continues to agitate for legal recognition of independence.
Their latest move is to fish. But not just to fish, to fish without permission. From their press release:
"In the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Russell Means, the Chief Facilitator of the Republic of Lakotah, is organizing a group of Lakotah Indians to enter Sheridan Lake Recreation Area near Rapid City, South Dakota, refuse to pay the admission fee, and fish without paying the license fee. Means claims that Lakotah retained the right to fish and pass in the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty territory and that those rights continue today and backed by Article VI of the Constitution of the united states of America."
Letter of intent to fish sent to Larry Long, the Attorney General of South Dakota, on August 12 2008 after the break.