US tribe sues beer makers for $500m over alcohol abuse

7zark7

7zark7

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[size=+1]US tribe sues beer makers for $500m over alcohol abuse[/size]
10 February 2012

An American-Indian tribe in South Dakota has sued some of the world's biggest beer firms over severe alcohol-related issues in the community.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe are asking for $500m (£316m) for healthcare, social services and child rehabilitation.

Tribal elders say the lawsuit is a last resort after efforts to curb abuse through protests and policy failed.

On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation one in four children suffers foetal disorders caused by alcohol abuse.

The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Nebraska, targets Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, SAB Miller, Molson Coors Brewing Company, MillerCoors LLC, and Pabst Brewing Company.

There was no immediate response from those firms.


Full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16976700
 
7zark7 said:
On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation one in four children suffers foetal disorders caused by alcohol abuse.
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One in four. And that's only the children who were affected by alcohol use during pregnancy, let alone the others who have come out of the womb relatively unscathed.
 
What a joke...why would you blame the alcohol manufacturers for an addiction problem in your community? I think they need to have better alcohol education and treatment for the addicted ones, but not at the expense of the alcohol companies. im sick of so many people feeling entitled to some type of compensation when they go through suffering...you aren't entitled anything in life.
 
Wait so if I go out drinking every day and fuck my health and life up, I can sue the makers?! you mean it's not my fault?!


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Newbierock said:
Wait so if I go out drinking every day and fuck my health and life up, I can sue the makers?! you mean it's not my fault?!


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You fucking idiot, these people don't have money to "go out drinking". They drink about $3-4 worth of terribly strong malt liquor shit per day, to numb the pain of living in such terrible fucking conditions.

Have you ever been to an indian reservation in your damn life? I highly doubt it, otherwise you would have some sympathy for these people. Life on the reservation is worse than the worst third-world country you've ever seen, its truly fucked -- these people don't even drink to survive, they just drink -- like wine gnats, there's nothing left to do but drink often and die young.

You'd change your opinion if you lived even one damn day in one of these hell holes. It's very easy to judge people when you don't have to experience their day-to-day lives.
 
I live about 20 minutes from Indian reservations in California and they do very well running casinos that pay no taxes. The neighborhood where they all live has dozens of million dollar houses on a private golf course.

We should just absorb them into the american population, their culture is dead. The results of them living in these pseudo-nations is either immense prosperity or immense poverty, neither of which is good.
 
^I live near a reservation and it is dilapidated. There are rows upon rows of trailers selling cheap cartons of cigarettes and it the most depressing place I have ever been to.

Some are just lucky.
 
Then they need to gtfo of where they are, and enter society . Like move somewhere that has jobs available .
 
Care said:
I live about 20 minutes from Indian reservations in California and they do very well running casinos that pay no taxes. The neighborhood where they all live has dozens of million dollar houses on a private golf course.
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California is not South Dakota!!! There is no money in South Dakota, how can you even make such a comparison?

I cannot emphasize this enough, the conditions for native people are completely different based upon geography. The Lakota people, especially, have nothing, and because of that they are absolutely preyed upon by alcohol companies and meth dealers, etc.

Its incomprehensible to me how anyone in this country can deny this people's right to a considerable degree of assistance. We have many third-world countries existing within the confines of our borders, it is our duty as a developed first-world nation to offer all the assistance that we can to these people. THis is an issue I feel strangly about,

and despite the fact that I consume "malt liquor" on a daily basis (steelies, to get fucked), I feel ashamed as fuck because malt liquor is something that is really harming these people and making life terrible for them. What a terrible goddamn situation!
 
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I definitely sympathize with the terribly sad history of Native Americans.
And I also clearly see that it was the fault of mainstream / European- / White American government policy.
Finally, I also believe that modern American government needs to find a way to try to redress the wrongs that were done. I do not know what form this should take, but jobs have to be part of it.

However, blaming Budweiser for their current situation is ridiculous.
Just as need to give people responsibility to choose which drugs they use - by making drugs legal - we cannot think that the drug manufacturers "made" the people use the drugs.
We must respect personal choice and freedom, and part of that includes taking responsibility.

Did you grow up dirt poor, an outcast, and became addicted to a drug "because of that"?
I feel bad for you, but suing the drug maker seems laughable to me.
Other people have difficult lives and do not become addicted.
Maybe you feel like you didn't have much of a choice, but you could have said "no" or stopped at any time.

Maybe the gov. can provide addiction treatment, in addition to jobs?
I woud be perfectly fine with that.

Interested to hear your response, Roger&Me, as always.
 
Roger&Me said:
You'd change your opinion if you lived even one damn day in one of these hell holes. It's very easy to judge people when you don't have to experience their day-to-day lives.
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Wow, guessing I hit a nerve or something there? chill the fuck out dude.
No matter how shitty they have it, they choose to drink that shit, it's their own fucking fault. Just like heroin/meth/any other addicts only have themselves to blame.

My point was, if someone chooses to abuse something and destroy their life with it, it's not the creators fault. It's the retard alcoholics fault. Suing the brewers is just straight up bullshit imo. Thats why I have no sympathy.

If a family member OD's on heroin, I ain't gonna go out there suing no dealer.

Oh and if someone can afford to get fucked up on liquor everyday, thats not exactly third world. It seems you have a bit of a native indian fetish or something, but still no need to fly off the handle like that ;)
 
^ this

I am not saying the conditions are not delporable and their situations bleak...they are. but they made the decision to drink so they have to live with cosequences. I smoke cigarrettes...I know they cause cancer, heart disease,..ect...ect I new when I started and I know even better now. So how can I blame the tobaco companies for my own stupidity? it is the same with alcohol. you can't tell me that they are so out of the loop that they didn't know drinking every day could cause them problems down the line.
 
I um... so NOT drinking isn't an option then? They're going to suddenly die of alcohol deprivation?

Or when carrying a child.. no one thought it was a bad idea to be drunk the whole time?
 
Roger&Me said:
California is not South Dakota!!! There is no money in South Dakota, how can you even make such a comparison?

I cannot emphasize this enough, the conditions for native people are completely different based upon geography. The Lakota people, especially, have nothing, and because of that they are absolutely preyed upon by alcohol companies and meth dealers, etc.

Its incomprehensible to me how anyone in this country can deny this people's right to a considerable degree of assistance. We have many third-world countries existing within the confines of our borders, it is our duty as a developed first-world nation to offer all the assistance that we can to these people. THis is an issue I feel strangly about,

and despite the fact that I consume "malt liquor" on a daily basis (steelies, to get fucked), I feel ashamed as fuck because malt liquor is something that is really harming these people and making life terrible for them. What a terrible goddamn situation!
Click to expand...

Did you read the 2nd part of my post?

My point was that their native culture is dead, replaced by dependence on american society. They either have nothing, or are sucking money out of the economy because of laws that allow them to run very profitable businesses that are otherwise illegal and therefore have no competition. Both situations are bad.

Yes Native Americans got fucked royally in the past, sad story, but its hardly unique. Most cultures that have ever existed were eventually conquered by another stronger culture.

If you look at history (specifically roman history) there are plenty of examples of conquered peoples, and how best to address governing them. In almost all situations the best option is to absorb them into society as equals. I would say that this is even more true today.
 
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