David,
I am very aware of the work you and John do and agree with you most of the time. I read anything I see posted by the cornsilks as I come across them.
I don't want you or anyone to misunderstand me so I would like to touch on the citizenship issue a little more.
I absolutely agree with you that discarding or changing the requirements for citizenship in any way is dangerous. Just like casting out the Freedmen is dangerous. But I also believe that using the Dawes roll and accepting it as the only or best resource is very limiting. I believe that the way the roll is used is harmful just like tossing it away would be too.
I think that our people are very capable of finding a solution to the enrollment problem that makes better since. It may take time and loads of education but I think that it is inevitable that one day tribes will use sovereignty to its fullest degree and base citizenship like any other country or the way we historically did.

So, just to make my point clear, I do not think that people should run out and demand that we start using basic knowledge of cherokee culture to base citizenship. I only meant that culture and more importantly family should be a part of it.

While I personally feel that any arguments of the broken treaty should never hold because it is already broken. Another point I was making is that fighting the treaty is not the only way to gain citizenship. Thats the legal way. The Freedmen can gain support not just by legalities but by morals as well. I think that education on citizenship should start now, the topic should begin now. And the Freedmen have an interest in it and can participate.

Thanks for the time to let me clear my point.