FROM SANDY GRANDE'S RED PEDAGOGY:

(I know this is old humor but I think it's important to reflect upon how this joke actually turned out...)

In one of the more famous postings ever to travel through Native chat lines, the following "letter" to the Iraqi people circulated among the networks:

BUREAU OF IRAQI AFFAIRS

Formed March 20, 2003

Dear People of Iraq,

Now that you have been liberated from your oppressors, we at the BIA look forward to our future relationship with you. Below you will find a list of what to expect from our good offices:

1. Henceforth, English will be the spoken language of all government and associated offices. If you do not speak English, a translator fluent in German will be provided.
   
   
   
2. All Iraqi people will apply to be entered on a citizen (tribal) roll. Citizenship will be open to those people who can prove that they are Iraqi back four generations with documents issued by the United States. Christian church records may also be given in support of proof of your origins.
   
   
   
3. All hospitals designated to serve you will be issued a standard "medical kit." The kit will contain gauze, band-aids, burn cream, iodine, tweezers, and duct tape.
   
   
   
4. Your oil is to be held in trust for you. We will appoint an American-approved government lawyer who has a background in the oil industry to represent your interests. Never mind that he may also work for an energy company that he will eventually cut a deal with. However, not to fear - this close relationship will guarantee you more money for your oil.
   
   
   
5. Each Iraqi citizen will be allotted one hundred acres of prime Iraqi desert. You will be issued a plow, a hoe, seed corn and the King James version of the Christian Bible. Following the distribution of land, any land left over will be open to settlement by Israelis.
   
   
   
6. Each citizen is entitled to draw a ration of milk, sugar, flour and lard. If, for health or religious reasons, you feel you cannot use the rations, you may file a complaint with your BIA appointed liaison, General Foods Corporation. Those Iraqis showing signs of diabetes, heart disease, or glaucoma will be issued double rations, as, (we are sure you will agree), our own medical system will be too alien for your use.
   
   
   
7. We will manage your trust monies, stipulating that any five year-old American citizen, demonstrating minimal computer skills, may hack into the system that controls your accounts, and set up their own account. Records of your accounts will be kept, but you must receive express written permission from the head of the BIA in order to examine them.
   
   
   
8. In keeping with the separation of church and state supported by the US Constitution, Christian missionaries will be sponsored through government funding to provide your local educational and social services. Of course, only Iraqis who convert to Christianity will be allowed to hold jobs within the government.
   
   
   
9. For the purposes of future treaty making, any single Iraqi will be found competent to sign land-cession treaties on behalf of all other Iraqis.
   
   
   
10. Welcome to the Free World and have a nice day!