Would anyone be shocked to learn that $2.4 billion was missing from U.S. government accounts used for medical and educational benefits for Native Americans? If you are, it's not surprising.

There has been an almost total blackout in the media regarding this devastating story. No report on network television or CNN. Only two small articles buried inside the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The editor of the New York Times claims “scandal fatigue” for their lack of coverage.

Has the Clinton-Gore administration been so scandalous, outrageous and incompetent that the media completely disregards this event? If it had happened in Ronald Reagan's administration, and in James Watt's Interior Department, the clamor would be tumultuous.

It started with “Casinogate.” Remember that Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt was charged with favoring one group of Indian tribes over another group for a casino license on Indian land — when the first group gave a six-figure donation to the Democratic National Committee? Well, the donation was made and the license granted.

However, during the investigation, a private accounting firm audited the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs. They found that $2.4 billion in gas, oil and mineral royalties paid to the government by private corporations for mining on Indian land was missing. The missing account benefits reservation hospitals and schools.

Further, statements by an Interior Department lawyer now indicate that records regarding the whereabouts of the funds have been shredded.

Where is the outrage? Where is the national media? Can you imagine the din, the demonstrations, the righteous indignation if this was a Republican administration?

Here's what you can do. Clip this article, make copies if you can, and send them to your friends around the country. Call or write your congressman and senators, and ask your friends to do the same. Demand an accounting. No stonewalling, no lies, no more lost records turning up in the White House living quarters.

The Clinton-Gore Administration must be made accountable for its cruelty and insensitivity to Native American children and its decade of deceit.

William H. Fielder

Peachtree City

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