Today, May 19, 2012, the ousted CBC members held a meeting in the ball park on Comanche grounds.  They were told not to hold the meeting on Comanche grounds, and the Comanche police Chief Vernon Griffin was ordered to prevent the meeting.  He did not.  Chairman Johnny Wauqua then fired Griffin and replaced him with Ron Niedo.

The CBC meeting saw more than 150 people show, therefore they considered it a quorum, and an official meeting.   They even appointed officers.  with full pretense of continuing as the official government of the Comanche Nation.

Robert Tippeconnie, who is a member of the BIA Tribal Consultation Board, addressed the group yesterday (May 18) and gave an overview of what the federal budget is looking like for 2012 and 2013.

However, the meeting is legally meaningless.  It rests on the attorney’s interpretation of the recall meetings of April 19 an16, when all six of the CBC members were clearly voted out by the people.  Moreover, if the non-Comanche attorneys declare  the April 19 meeting illegitimate, then the entire General Council meeting of April 21 is illegitimate.  This would then mean that all the nominated candidates are illegitimate, and the whole GC meeting was invalid.

This is an unreasonable pursuit of the ousted CBC members.  They are simply no longer the CBC.  Their actions suggest that they are either trying to hold on to six figure salaries, or to maintain business connections or advantages that come with the position (which would involved money also).  Since neither of these could possibly explain their blind refusal to concede to the people, one has to wonder why they are so determined to maintain their ousted positions.

Robert Tippiconnie lead out at the “ball park meeting” of this former CBC group.  They appointed Robert Komahcheet as the Tribal Administrator.

It was reported that both men were at the bank earlier in the week attempting to withdraw tribal money in order to run the tribe.  It is reported that this action was halted by the bank, and that it is being investigated by the FBI presently.

Again, it is not at all clear why this group insists on maintaining their positions, after they were all voted out–by ample margins.  They are the cause of great concern, of course.  The people can only observe.  Of course, if Chairman Wauqua and temporary TA Willie Owens control the tribal money, then the people needed be concerned about the ball park CBC.

Finally, ComancheMedia in the past, and recently, has asked permission to do interviews of tribal candidates during election seasons.  We have asked to do these interviews at convenient locations on the Comanche grounds.  We have always been denied, on the basis that such interviews were “political” and inappropriate because the candidates were not official office holders, and that such interviews would cause unnecessary strife among employees that work on the Comanche grounds.

Comanche media has always complied.   The ousted CBC members have not complied.  Had we known about the ball park meeting, however, we would have tried to broadcast it.  We are a news agency, not a political agency.

Comanche Media has decided to release the letter our tribal attorneys sent to the CBC and the Election Board.  (See, Lawyers Letter.)  A number of people are now aware of this “confidential” letter, so that it is no longer confidential.

We do not believe the attorneys are intentionally working against the tribe.  We do not believe that the CBC, recently voted out in toto, are working against the tribe’s best interest.  We believe these are good men, all.

The issue is one of priority and propriety.  The attorneys are not hired to handle inner-tribal affairs.   It is not their role to counsel or advise tribal leaders on how to relate to the great Comanche people.  This offends the people, and the CBC was voted out.  The attorneys will probably be voted out.  Neither actions are necessary, had the people not been offended.