Pundit sounds off, ice-hit tribe thrives

A national commentator's rant about federal inaction on the storm-ravaged Cheyenne River reservation has turned into a fundraising bonanza for the tribe in north-central South Dakota. As of Tuesday afternoon, an online fund established through the South Dakota Community Foundation had raised about $8,000 for the reservation, which had been paralyzed by a late January ice storm and blizzard that knocked out power and water to thousands. That was before MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann got on his soapbox Tuesday evening. In what amounted to a 30-second editorial, Olbermann chided the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for not helping to facilitate assistance to the tribe, then offered the South Dakota Community Foundation's Web site as a way for viewers to help. The effect was immediate, Community Foundation president Bob Sutton said Thursday.