Each morning as I come into work from the Painttown area, I come through downtown Cherokee.  Lately, I’ve noticed more and more tattered U.S. flags in downtown and some in other parts of the Qualla Boundary. 

Patience. It is a virtue indeed. And, like me, I am sure you all could use a good dose of it. Pardon me for being rude, but we have become a society of, if not community of, discourteous people.

I was amongst the last groups of EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians )kids that received their ‘big money’ in one lump sum. I had just graduated high school and was told the best thing to do would be to cash the whole lot and take it to my preferred bank. Talk about a recipe for disaster.