_ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 15, ISSUE 045 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2007 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island November 5, 2007 Klamath Kapchelam/Snow Moon Mvskogee Echolee/Frost Moon Mountain Maidu Tetem-Tsampauta/Moon when Large Trees Freeze Blackfeet iitaohkanaikokotoyi niitahtaistsi/Moon when all the rivers freeze +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People s ch mA mL tL squee Lux -- Okanogan -- News from the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from: www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; www.indiancountrytoday.com; Mailing List: Mohawk Nation News, Chiapas95-En, Indigenous Peoples Literature; UUCP Mail IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + "Iraq is simply a replay of American foreign policy towards Indians of the 1780s forward. Invade them and when they resist label them terrorists." __ Vine Deloria Jr., Standing Rock Sioux +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Expect lip service and little else. There have been five centuries of disregard that will not be overcome with a few feel-good speeches, and only the most naive will expect more. At the turn of the 20th century, many people believed that Native Peoples would assimilate into mainstream society and disappear as unique peoples. In fact, the effort to make us copper-skinned versions of the Euro-Americans continues to this day. It is more subtle than in the days of Carlisle and Pratt or the 60s when the Eisenhower administration set about to close all reservations and vacate all existing treaties; but it continues to this day. Bush's efforts to vacate the Jay Treaty and close the northern and southern borders are but part of the effort to isolate native rights. What each reader of this newsletter needs to do is re-energize and do all you can to help your Nations, your families, your cultural ways remain viable. Make sure your congressional representatives understand that that you oppose border restrictions on native communities in the United States, Mexico and Canada - especially if you live in someplace in the interior like Nebraska. Talk about this issue's importance to friends and family, and ask them to contact their representatives as well. We (in each of our individual nations) have to start supporting each other. At less than 2 percent of the population, we are all we have. Our voices will mean nothing until we learn to speak with one voice. Take pride that we have survived disastrous assimilation efforts. We have refused to "just disappear" into "the great melting pot". Instead of disappearing, we have attained legal rights that were being denied and revived our cultural ways. These are achievements we are responsible for maintaining, and where possible, expanding. We have come far, but are still well short of the cultural stability and political independence that establish us as sovereign peoples. Stand strong and remember the next seven generations depend on you. ' ' Gary Smith (*,*) wotanging@bellsouth.net P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30007, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ----------- Editorial Section: - NO to Plan Mexico . American Indian Heritage Month - Indigenous concerned - Senator to BIA: over new Archeological Find Approve Virginia Recognition Bill - JODI RAVE: Closing Remarks - FEMA scolded for to be filed in Cobell phony News Conference on Fires - GRAHAM: Apologizing - Better Fire Protection for the Indian holocaust needed for Tribal Lands - YELLOW BIRD: A sad - Tribes band together but understandable Compromise to fill gaps in Wildfire Aid - JODI RAVE: - Agency won't back Sifting through `Indian' Themes Columbia River dam removal - MARTIN: Mumpower's - Shinnecock Nation insults of Tribe will cost him loses Sovereignty bid - PATKOTAK: Natives must face - BIA recognizes Three Chief System their Twin Demons - Sonoran Pronghorn, - EDITORIAL: Outrage over trip between Bombs and Border Walls to NIEA Convention - American Indians - Mistaken identity protest racist remarks on KQRS clouds Native Rite - Military Debris - Pojoaque: recycling on Native Lands FBI probe retaliation for Op-Ed - Navajo Nation Vietnam Veterans - Native Justice to Lay Wreath -- Native Americans 17 percent - Mohawk WTH position of Taser Incidents on 'Corporate Borders' - Rustywire: A High Silent Place - Septic Systems `bad news' - Del "Abe" Jones Poem: for First Nation Facts About Viet Nam - Zapatismo in Spanish Harlem - Upcoming Events --------- "RE: Senator to BIA: Approve Virginia Recognition Bill" --------- Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:26:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="VIRGINIA TRIBES GET BOOST IN RECOGNITION ATTEMPTS" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416004 Senator to Indian affairs: Approve recognition bill by: Bobbie Whitehead / Indian Country Today October 29, 2007 WASHINGTON - Virginia's Indian tribes have yet another supporter of their federal recognition bill. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia endorsed the bill and asked the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to approve the legislation. In an Oct. 16 letter to the committee, Webb wrote that he concluded the bill, known as the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act, "is a simple matter of fairness." "Four hundred years after the founding of America's first colony at Jamestown, these six tribes deserve to join our nation's 562 other federally recognized tribes," he wrote. The six tribes that would be granted federal recognition include the Upper Mattaponi, the Nansemond, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, the Chickahominy, and the Chickahominy - Eastern Division. In May, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill, which was introduced by Rep. James P. Moran, a longtime supporter of the tribes' federal recognition. Moran said he was pleased to have Webb's "strong support" for the bill. "I look forward to working closely with him to ensure that Virginia's tribes receive the recognition they've so long been denied, yet so rightfully deserve," Moran said. Though some critics have argued that the Virginia tribes should seek federal recognition through the BIA, Webb wrote that some of the tribes have made this attempt; and both the tribes and BIA officials have testified that "a lack of resources coupled with unclear agency guidelines have produced a cumbersome recognition process." The BIA process, he wrote, is backlogged and can take years to complete. Webb, in his letter to Sens. Byron Dorgan and Lisa Murkowski, chair and vice chair of the committee, respectively, said that Virginia tribal documentation also "was tampered with or destroyed due to state actions at the beginning of the last century." Virginia's tribes also have had critics who argued against their recognition because of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. However, the bill includes an amendment that would prevent the tribes from pursuing gaming, which the tribes have said they have no interest in. "Federal recognition of Virginia's Indians enjoys strong, bipartisan support in Virginia," Webb wrote. "Governor Kaine and his predecessor Governor Mark Warner have supported recognition, and in 1999, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly adopted resolutions embracing federal recognition. The measure also has support from various religious and civic organizations." In response to Webb's support, Wayne Adkins, Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division chief and Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life president, said VITAL has worked with Webb and his staff for support of the federal recognition bill. "During that same time, we have been sharing our history at various Jamestown 2007 commemorative events and have received overwhelming support from our fellow citizens," said Adkins in a press release. "I am delighted that Senator Webb has endorsed a bill in the Senate to grant such recognition." Members of Virginia tribes and VITAL contacted Webb early to seek his support, said Reggie Tupponce, VITAL vice president. "We feel really good about him supporting the bill and supporting us," Tupponce said. "It shows that we do have a good bill, and we have the state behind us. Hopefully, this will give us the spark we need to get the bill moving in the Senate." Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: FEMA scolded for phony News Conference on Fires" --------- Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:26:32 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="... AND THE BUSHIES WONDER WHY WE DON'T TRUST THEM" http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/ FEMA scolded for phony news conference on fires October 27, 2007 FEMA exposed: Used their own employees to stage phony PR for FEMA on fires Since the Washington Post exposed the phony reporters, now there's a cleanup spin going on. But there's so many big questions, like why did television reporters allow the fire coverage to become all about praising politicians and FEMA. Also, there's Blackwater's pending training base on the border at Potrero, where the Harris fire started. Some of the most biased news reporting that was ever broadcast assaulted viewers during the California fires last week, ignoring the magnitude of the tragedies, enormous loss of homes and evacuation of nearly a million people. The cameras focused on smiling Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Bush, and praising politicians, while people watched their homes burn and struggled for news of their loved ones. FEMA's phony news reporters: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/27/ fema_scolded_for_staging_phony_news_conference/ FEMA scolded for staging phony news conference By Associated Press October 27, 2007 WASHINGTON - The White House scolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday for staging a phony news conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in Southern California. The agency, much criticized for its response after Hurricane Katrina more than two years ago, arranged to have FEMA employees play the part of independent reporters Tuesday and ask questions of Vice Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, the agency's deputy director. The questions were predictably soft and gratuitous. "I'm very happy with FEMA's response," Johnson said in reply to one query from an agency employee. The Washington Post first reported on the fake news conference yesterday. White House press secretary Dana Perino said it was not appropriate that the questions were posed by agency staff members instead of reporters. FEMA was responsible for the "error in judgment," she said, adding that the White House did not know about it beforehand and did not condone it. "FEMA has issued an apology, saying that they had an error in judgment when they were attempting to get out a lot of information to reporters, who were asking for answers to a variety of questions in regard to the wildfires in California," Perino said. "It's not something I would have condoned. And they - I'm sure - will not do it again." She said the agency was just trying to provide information to the public, through the news media, because there were so many questions. "I don't think that there was any mal-intent," Perino said. "It was just a bad way to handle it, and they know that." FEMA gave reporters only 15 minutes' notice about Tuesday's news conference. No reporter attended the news conference in person, agency spokesman Aaron Walker said. The agency made available an 800 number so reporters could call in and listen to the news conference, but not ask questions. With no reporters on hand and an agency video camera providing a feed carried live by some TV networks, FEMA employees posed questions for Johnson that included: "Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?" Johnson also said the agency had the benefit of "good leadership" and other factors, "none of which were present at Katrina." FEMA's administrator during Katrina, Michael Brown, resigned amid criticism over his handling of the disaster. FEMA is reviewing its press procedures and will make changes to ensure they are "straightforward and transparent," Johnson said yesterday. Material from Reuters was used in this report. Copyright c. 2007 The New York Times Company. Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com at 6:04 PM --------- "RE: Better Fire Protection needed for Tribal Lands" --------- Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:35:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRIBES SAY FIRES PROVE PROTECTION IS INADEQUATE" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-indian31oct31,1,2187979.story? coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true Tribes say better fire protection for their land is needed Ninety percent of one reservation goes up in smoke. Leaders say better coordination with the state in the future is necessary. By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 31, 2007 VALLEY CENTER, Calif. - As they cataloged the widespread damage to several Indian reservations in last week's fires, tribal officials spoke to firefighters and federal officials Tuesday about the need for a better plan to protect their lands. While praising tribal firefighters, state forestry department units and others, Johnny Hernandez, a leader with the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueno Mission Indians, said tribes and the state need to communicate better and the state needs to put a higher priority on fighting reservation fires. "I'm really worried about four to five days from now, when we get another Santa Ana," Hernandez said. With numerous isolated reservations that have limited road access, San Diego County tribes have long felt particularly vulnerable. "The first three days, we were fending for ourselves," said La Jolla tribal Chairman Tracy Nelson, his voice breaking, at a gathering sponsored by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Tribal Hall of the Rincon reservation. The Poomacha fire, which began Oct. 23 as a structure fire on the La Jolla reservation, burned 8,679 acres there and destroyed 59 homes and other buildings. In all, 92% of the reservation burned, Nelson said. The tribe, he said, put a priority on making sure its older members were evacuated. "It's incredible when you're up against something like this, something you're powerless against. . . . " Nelson said. "What is really amazing is that everybody got out alive." The Poomacha fire also burned 3,585 acres on the Rincon reservation, 5, 360 acres on the Pauma, 2,118 on the Pala and six acres on the San Pasqual reservation, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The fire destroyed a church on the Rincon reservation. With 18 federally recognized Indian tribes, San Diego County has more reservations than any other county in the country. They cover about 124, 000 acres, or 4% of the county's area. James Fletcher, superintendent of the Riverside district of the BIA, said the agency has authorized about $600,000 in emergency grants of $1, 000 per Indian family affected by the fires. He said specialists are examining fire victims for health problems, including breathing difficulties. They will also assess the loss of historic structures and start a reseeding effort, he said. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will replace reservation HUD housing that was destroyed. The government also is trying to develop assistance for reservation homeowners who had inadequate insurance. Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency are meeting with tribal leaders to discuss temporary housing for those whose homes burned, Fletcher said. "This is where the healing process is going to start, to bring our reservations to where they were, maybe better," he told several hundred persons who packed the tribal hall half a mile from the Harrah's Rincon Casino and Resort. Indian casinos inside and outside the county served as evacuation sites for some tribes. In Riverside County, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians in Temecula provided hotel rooms for about 250 members of the La Jolla, Mesa Grande, Santa Ysabel, Pala and Pauma bands. Some tribes were able to evacuate elders to an Apache reservation in Arizona. "What Indian people do is we come together in times of tragedy," said Mark Romero, a leader with the Mesa Grande tribe. Tribal leaders said that some parts of their reservations are still without electricity, phone service and drinkable water. They said the fire had also caused deeper damage. The Pauma tribe, for instance, had planned to take its elders on a trip to a region on the west side of Palomar Mountain that holds spiritual significance for the tribe, particularly its older members. "We can't do that now, it's gone, just gone," said Stephen Peters, the tribe's vice chairman. tony.perry@latimes.com Copyright c. 2007 Los Angeles Times. --------- "RE: Tribes band together to fill gaps in Wildfire Aid" --------- Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 09:13:23 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INDIANS PROVIDING OWN WILDFIRE RELIEF" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416024 Tribes band together to fill gaps in wildfire aid by: Shadi Rahimi November 2, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO - As the wildfires that scorched stretches of southern California were tamed and residents began returning to devastated neighborhoods in late October, a dozen tribes continued to rely on their main source of relief: each other. The 35 wildfires that roared through seven counties in seven days before simmering revealed long-standing discrepancies in state and federal aid that some are comparing to Hurricane Katrina, as isolated Native and Latino communities were left to mostly fend for themselves during the fires. "The response has been lackluster at best," said Sonny Skyhawk, a Rosebud Sioux who lives in Pasadena, on Oct. 26. "What happened in Katrina is almost the same as what's happening on the reservations." On one of the hardest-hit reservations, La Jolla in northern San Diego County, about 50 evacuees returned to battle the Poomacha Fire. Some state firefighting crews assisted, but by Oct. 25 a third of the homes were destroyed - 50 houses. "I've never in my life seen such brave men. They were tired, hungry, dirty and still joking around even though many had lost their homes," said Paula Stigler, tribal liaison for the San Diego Foundation. "The resources became so stretched that La Jolla, being in such a remote area, it was very difficult to get to them. They still need help." Help arrived as fires continued to smolder atop the La Jolla reservation Oct. 30, eight days after they began. In a meeting on the Rincon reservation between tribes and state and federal agencies, including the IHS, Federal Emergency Management Agency and BIA, officials promised further assistance was on the way. The BIA already has 211 firefighters on the ground, half the department's crew, said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Carl Artman. An erosion team is assessing prevention strategies and housing agencies are working to provide modular homes from Texas and Arkansas, he said. City and county agencies are working on water and sewage issues, he said. "We're not going to let issues of lack of people stand in the way," said Artman, who added that the BIA has already provided $578,000 in general assistance funds for individuals and is prepared to provide more. "The federal, state and local governments are all working together to help out there, and from the tribal perspective what you saw is tribes coming together and acting as a unified community," he said. "While there may be a lot of debates between tribes at any given time, at these times of crisis this is an Indian country community." On the first days of the fire, tribes across southern California formed a web of aid stretching from the Morongo reservation 40 miles east of Los Angeles down to the southeastern Viejas reservation. "It's unfortunate that reservations are usually the last to receive relief," said Rose Salgado, a Soboba tribal councilman. "Because that's a known fact, tribes immediately rally together to provide for other tribes in time of need." That has happened every time wildfires have threatened the region's isolated reservations in unincorporated rural areas beyond city-funded fire districts, said Rincon spokesman Nikki Symington. Tribes have "typically been left to fight fires with their own volunteer resources," she said. Since mid-October, 130 homes have been lost on reservation land in one of the most destructive series of firestorms in recent state history, scorching 517,450 acres, destroying 3,087 structures and killing seven people, according to the state's Office of Emergency Services. Fires burned more than 30,000 acres of reservation land, said Jim Fletcher, superintendent for the BIA in southern California. The La Jolla and Rincon reservations suffered the most damage, including the loss of Rincon's chapel, built in the late 1800s. Others affected included the Barona, Inaja-Cosmit, Mesa Grande, Pala, Pauma-Yuima, San Pasqual, Santa Ysabel and Viejas. A half-million people across southern California were evacuated - the largest number in state history. As fire conditions improved, evacuees at Qualcomm Stadium were evacuated for the Chargers game Oct. 28. Rumors of deportations had frightened many Latino families away from the stadium, after reports that San Diego police arrested a Mexican family Oct. 24 for allegedly stealing food to resell. They were deported. Fewer than 1,500 people remained in public shelters in the final week of October, down from more than 20,000. Hundreds of Native evacuees remained on the reservations of other tribes, in hotels and shelters. Viejas provided meals to evacuation centers and evacuees being housed at the Pechanga Resort, and opened its recreation center and its casino's buffet to firefighters, said spokesman Robert Scheid. The Santa Ysabel gym has become a hub for donations, said Vice Chairman Brandie Taylor. Some Santa Ysabel evacuees are staying on the Soboba, Borrego and Pechanga reservations, but a majority have left to be housed at the Yavapai/Apache reservation in Verde Valley, Ariz. "Their tribe will be taking care of lodging and food," Taylor said. "We are extremely grateful." At Soboba's The Oaks Retreat lodge, in the foothills of the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley, about 60 Santa Ysabel, La Jolla and Rincon evacuees were being served hot meals and provided gift cards and services at its IHS clinic, said spokesman Mike Hiles. At least a dozen housed there are children, and about half the people have lost their homes, Salgado said. "For one couple, this is their second time in four years they have lost their home," she said. The nonprofit organization Convoy of Hope brought a semi-truck loaded with supplies including food, water, clothing, toys and medicine collected at Soboba, delivering the items to hard-hit reservations in north San Diego County, Hiles said. The La Jolla, Rincon, Mesa Grande, San Pasqual and Santa Ysabel reservations are still seeking food, clothing and medical supplies. Closures on highways 76 and 79 halted deliveries into the region, tribal administrators said in statements. The state's Office of Emergency Services provided La Jolla with some generators and water. Some gaming tribes whose lands were not devastated by the fires, including Morongo and San Manuel, have contributed hefty sums to relief efforts. San Manuel donated $1 million to relief organizations, designating a portion to tribes. In recent years, gaming tribes, including the Rincon, have also used casino profits to build their own fire departments and water storage facilities, said Symington, the Rincon spokesman. Most Indian casinos in San Diego County are safe havens built to withstand winds and wildfires "and all that comes with them - electrical outage, phone disruption and shortages of food and water," she said. A Red Cross shelter set up in the Harrah's Rincon Resort and Casino is also seeking donations of food, clothing, diapers, toys and juice, Rincon Chairman Vernon Wright said in a statement. The hotel had been closed to house 350 evacuees, firefighters and law enforcement officers. Some evacuees have returned home, but nearly 100 people remained there at month's end - some non-tribal members whose nearby trailers or homes had burned, Wright said. "We worry that these people will be essentially homeless, unless some agency or organization can be found to assist with relocation," he said. How to help Call, write or e-mail any of the following: * The San Diego Foundation's Tribal Fire Relief and Recovery Fund: Call (619) 235-2300 or visit www.sdfoundation.org * Evacuees at Soboba (note that donations being sent are for tribes affected by fires): Dee Dee Ortiz-Banda c/o The Oaks at Soboba P.O. Box 487 San Jacinto, CA 92581 * The Indian Resource Center, a nonprofit in San Diego: Indian Resource Center 4265 Fairmont Ave. #140 San Diego, CA 92105 * Santa Ysabel: 100 Schoolhouse Canyon Road P.O. Box 130 Santa Ysabel, CA 92070 * La Jolla: 22000 Highway 76 Pauma Valley, CA 92061 * Mesa Grande: P.O. Box 270 Santa Ysabel, CA 92070 * Pauma/Yuima: P.O. Box 369 Pauma Valley, CA 92061 * The American Red Cross: www.redcross.org * Nikishna Polequaptewa's Reservation Fires Web site: http://web.mac.com/nikishna/Reservation_Fires/Welcome.html Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Agency won't back Columbia River dam removal" --------- Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="SAME PLAN, DIFFERENT PRESENTATION" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/us/01salmon.html Biologists for Agency Endorse Dams Plan By FELICITY BARRINGER November 1, 2007 SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 31 - Federal fisheries officials in Seattle on Wednesday endorsed, with minor modifications, a plan for the government's continued operation of the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. They said it did not jeopardize the survival of 13 stocks of salmon and steelhead that the government must protect under the Endangered Species Act. The endorsement, a draft analysis from the National Marine Fisheries Service, agreed with dozens of proposed protective actions that would provide enhanced measures to get juvenile fish past the dams as they swim seaward, improve habitat in the river and discourage predators like California sea lions and Caspian terns. Wednesday's draft represents the fisheries agency's third effort to find a binding, legally acceptable solution to the Northwest's tug of war between salmon and dams. The agencies operating the dams are required by law to consult with federal biologists about their impact on endangered and threatened species and what they intend to do about it. The opinion by the fisheries service, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, made no mention of the possibility of removing four dams on the lower Snake River that sit on the annual migration route of some of the more imperiled species. Many environmentalists and scientists see these four dams as the deadliest obstacle these fish face. Federal officials said the new plan's approach to the recovery of the 13 stocks was significantly different from an approach they offered three years ago. That plan, which like Wednesday's is called a "biological opinion," was struck down by a federal judge as violating the Endangered Species Act. A federal appeals court upheld that ruling this year. Judge James A. Redden of Federal District Court in Portland, Ore., who has presided over the issue, has made clear he is willing to step in and direct the dams' operation if he believes it is the only way to protect the fish. In a court hearing this summer, Judge Redden said: "I'm going to be very picky because I want a bi-op that works. This is a very, very, very, very important document." Bob Lohn, the northwest regional administrator of the fisheries service, said in a conference call on Wednesday that the plan had been prepared with much more collaboration with interested groups like Indian tribes and commercial interests. Mr. Lohn added, "This plan is based on a much more detailed approach to the problem," taking into account the needs of six dozen subgroups of fish. But environmentalists say the plan retreats from the status quo on one crucial issue. It permits reductions in the amount of water released from the dams that allows juvenile fish quick passage past them and away from the deadly turbines. Judge Redden has set release amounts since 2005. The opinion was condemned by environmental groups, from the Sierra Club to a regional group, Save Our Wild Salmon, as doing more for the Bonneville Power Administration than for the 13 troubled fish runs, two of which have very few wild fish left to reproduce outside hatcheries. The only difference between this plan and the two earlier ones rejected by the courts, they said, is the presentation, not the bottom line. "It's the same pig in a different tutu, but it still can't dance," said Todd True, a lawyer for Earthjustice who represents environmentalists in this dispute. Steve Wright, administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, said in the conference call that the modifications made to mitigate the dams' impact on fish would cost about $1 billion over the next 10 years. Were the four Lower Snake River dams to be breached, he said, the annual cost of replacing the lost power would be at least $450 million. Copyright c. 2007 The New York Times Company. --------- "RE: Shinnecock Nation loses Sovereignty bid" --------- Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JUDGE REJECTS SHINNECOCK SOVEREIGNTY ARGUMENT" http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/005670.asp Shinnecock Nation loses sovereignty bid October 31, 2007 Citing the "disruptive nature" of the Shinnecock Nation's attempts to assert sovereignty, a federal judge on Tuesday blocked the New York tribe from opening a gaming facility on ancestral land. The tribe has lived on Long Island for thousands of years. Its reservation, located in the heart of the wealthy enclave known as the Hamptons, is recognized by the state as sovereign land. But in a 129-page ruling, Judge Joseph F. Bianco said a disputed parcel outside the eservation is not sovereign territory. Though the tribe owns the "Westwoods" land in fee, it lost aboriginal title hundreds of years ago, the lengthy decision stated. Bianco, a Bush appointee, said "the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated in a plain and unambiguous manner that aboriginal title held by the Westwoods land was extinguished in the 17th century." Yet even if aboriginal title still existed, Bianco said the tribe can't use the site for gaming due to the "highly disruptive consequences" of the proposed 61,000-square-foot casino. Nearly 20 pages of the opinion were dedicated to the impacts of gaming on the environment, traffic, health and safety. To back up his reasoning, Bianco cited a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that has hurt several tribes as they pursue their land and sovereignty claims in New York. The Sherrill case required the Oneida Nation to go through the land-into-trust process before asserting sovereignty over properties within its ancestral reservation. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has since used the decision to throw out a land claim by the Cayuga Nation and the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe. In his ruling, Bianco said Sherrill has "dramatically altered the legal landscape" of tribal claims. "The 2005 decision of the United States Supreme Court in Sherrill set forth the legal framework under which a court must examine equitable doctrines in the context of an attempt by an Indian tribe to re-assert sovereignty over a parcel of land," Bianco wrote. The ruling is the latest in a long series of roadblock the tribe has faced. Its petition for federal recognition has languished at the Bureau of Indian Affairs for more than 25 years, preventing the tribe from moving forward with gaming, economic development and other projects. In November 2005, a federal judge declared the Shinnecocks a legitimate Indian tribe. But the Bush administration has refused to recognize the ruling and the tribe has since filed a lawsuit to force the BIA to take action. In December 2006, another federal judge threw out the tribe's claim to 3, 600 acres in Long Island. Judge Thomas C. Platt also cited the "disruptive" nature of the claim. The tribe is taking the case to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which threw out the Cayuga land claim in June 2005 -- three months to the day after the Sherrill decision. In hopes of resolving at least one of its battles, the Shinnecock Nation has offered to drop its Long Island casino plan in exchange for a contract at a state gaming facility near New York City. The tribe's plans call for a major casino-style resort in Queens. The Shinnecocks are just one of several bidders for the project. The Seneca Nation of upstate New York, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut and the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut have also submitted proposals. Copyright c. 2007 Indianz.com. --------- "RE: BIA recognizes Three Chief System" --------- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 07:32:38 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BIA ACCEPTS MOHAWK THREE CHIEFS SYSTEM" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.empirestatenews.net/News/20071102-2.htm BIA recognizes three chief system November 2, 2007 Akwesasne - The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe received the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) decision today determining that it recognizes the Three Chief System as the representative body that it will conduct government- to-government relations with. Equally as important as the governance decision was the BIA's determination regarding prior challenges to the Tribal Court. The BIA stated that all prior decisions of the BIA regarding the invalidity of Tribal Court had been vacated by a federal court judge and "as a matter of law are now no longer extant." The BIA's decision is the latest development in a nearly twelve year governance dispute stemming from the Tribe's effort to adopt a Tribal Constitution. The Constitutional referendum resulted in 50.94% voting in favor, which represented a majority, but less than the 51% required in the adoption clause of the Constitution. On two separate occasions, two different federal courts struck down decisions by the BIA that attempted to resolve the issue of whether the Tribe had adopted the Constitution. In 1999, U.S. District Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the BIA had acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner in its earlier decisions that recognized the Constitutional Government. In 2004, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peebles ruled that the BIA acted arbitrarily in proceeding to recognize the Three Chief government without conducting a meaningful and thorough review of the validity of the Constitution and the Tribal Court. The matter was remanded to the BIA to render a decision that has now been issued. This past August, the Three Chief System, which has been the recognized governing authority since 2000, held another referendum on adoption of the 1995 Constitution. The document failed to pass by a two-to-one margin. The BIA's decision, issued by Franklin Keel, Eastern Regional Director of the BIA who stated that, "If the concept of Indian Self-determination means anything, it means that a Tribe has the inherent right, power, and authority to make its own laws and be governed by them." Keel indicated that there was much to consider in his decision and gave weight to the referenda as an expression of the will of the people. "(The referenda) are the only contemporaneous expression of the will of the Tribe available to me. They reveal that those who voted did not wish the Tribe to be governed by the Constitution." Mr. Keel relied heavily on four tribal referenda that followed the 1995 vote on the Constitution, including the one that took place in August of this year. "I must recognize the fact that the people of St. Regis Mohawk Tribe have chosen not to be governed by the Constitution, and they have clearly expressed their desire to revert to the traditional form of governance by the Council of Thre e elected Chiefs and Sub-Chiefs." Keel decided that it was not necessary for the BIA to rule on the separate issue of the validity and authority of the Tribal Court. "In as much as I have concluded that the Tribe is governed by its Three Chief form of government, there is no issue before me pertaining to the validity of a Tribal Court, nor are there any Tribal Court rulings that have come to my attention which require examination by the Bureau. "As a member of the Three Chief System, I feel the decision is a vindication for this governance system and our Tribal Court. That doesn't mean we aren't open to making needed reforms and, if necessary, expanding the court. We are very much committed to this," said Tribal Chief Lorraine White. "But the Tribe has been engaged in this governance dispute for far too long and has suffered from the suggestion that our Court is invalid. We hope that this decision brings about much needed resolution and serves to restore integrity to our governance structure." Tribal Chief Barbara Lazore, who was a supporter of the Constitutional Government, yet who also serves as a member of the Three Chief System said, "We took the Constitution to the people again and again. I believed in it, but the voice of the people speaks the loudest and carries the most weight. I'm glad we have a decision and I hope that we can now move beyond this issue. The Tribe is already moving forward with governance reform efforts and we have high hopes of taking a new governance document to the people at the June 2008 elections" "This has been a terrifically complex case with deep roots. I would like to emphasize the fact that it is the votes and the will of the people that was closely examined in rendering this decision. The BIA only agreed with the people here," said Tribal Chief James Ransom. "It is time for the Tribe to take a positive step forward and unleash ourselves from the tangles of the past." The BIA has informed the Tribe that it will allow for an appeal, but that appeal must be submitted within 30 days. If no notice of appeal is filed, the BIA's decision will become final. Copyright c. 2003-2007 Empire State News, Statewide News Network, Inc. --------- "RE: Sonoran Pronghorn, between Bombs and Border Walls" --------- Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANTELOPE FURTHER ENDANGERED BY BUSH BORDER WALLS" http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/ Sonoran pronghorns, between bombs and border walls Sonoran Pronghorn can run 60 miles per hour, but can it outrun an out-of-control Bush Administration building border walls By Brenda Norrell http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/ November 1, 2007 AJO, Arizona - The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge visitor center looks like a typical national park office from the outside. Inside, however, the mysteries unfold of the Sonoran Desert, the endangered Sonoran pronghorn and the delicate complexion of the desert ecosystem. In this sleepy town of used clothing stores and Mexican auto insurance offices, the wildlife refuge visitor center is an oasis of natural wonders. Straddling the wildlife refuge is the refuge's evil non-biological twin: the Barry M. Goldwater Airforce Range, known as the Bombing Range. In this area, a small herd of the rare and endangered Sonoran pronghorn roam. Beyond the US/Mexico border, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, a larger herd roams. Fences are the biggest threat to the survival of pronghorns, according to US Fish and Wildlife. Pronghorns, the fastest animal in North America, do not jump, they run into walls and fences when panicked. With the Bush Administration declaring that it is "God of the Universe," and that no federal laws apply to border wall construction, border walls and barriers in all sizes and shapes are suddenly appearing, without public input or environmental assessment. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff waived all federal laws protecting the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in October, located to the east of here on the Arizona border. Chertoff disavowed a federal court ruling temporarily halting construction at San Pedro, which is a World Heritage Natural Area, designated by the United Nations. The San Pedro fiasco was the third time the Real ID Act of 2005 was used to eradicate all federal laws that get in the way of building the US/Mexico border wall. The Real ID Act was first used in San Diego in 2005, then at the Barry Goldwater Range. Among the laws waived: the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. In January, Chertoff used Real ID to direct the construction of a double-layered border wall on the Goldwater range, detrimental to the pronghorns and other wildlife. Instead of a vehicle barrier, which would have been less harmful to wildlife, Chertoff mandated a double-layered fence. The US Congress passed the REAL ID Act of 2005 as Division B of the act, "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005." This legislation was touted as an act to deter terrorism. Critics, however, say it was manipulated fear-mongering, aimed at producing a tool to eliminate all federal laws for the purpose of corporate profiteering and far-reaching government control. For endangered species, the Read ID is a real nightmare, the equivalent of open season on biological treasures. Endangered species weren't the only obstacles Homeland Security disregarded to build border walls and border barriers. The Bush Administration and Homeland Security dug up American Indian ancestors from their final resting places. Border wall contractor Boeing dug up the ancestors of the Tohono O'odham in Arizona, to build a border barrier in 2007. Earlier, Kumeyaay in California protested construction of the border wall, saying it would "plow through the graves" of their ancestors. Although it violated the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act and American Indian Religious Freedom Act, construction continued. At Cabeza, now there is the magic and wonder. Visitors are told that the Sonoran Desert has more species than any other arid region in the world. The cryptobiotic "skin" of the desert is composed of algae, bacteria and lichen. Like a human skin, it is delicate and wounds can take generations to heal. If you pour water on it and wait, it will turn green. Unique on this planet is the pronghorn - Antilocapra americana - which means "American antelope goat." However, it is neither an antelope nor a goat. "The pronghorn is the only surviving member of an ancient family dating back 20 million years. The Sonoran Pronghorn (A. a. sonorensis) is one of five subspecies in western North America. "It is perhaps America's most endangered mammal," according to Cabeza. The Sonoran pronghorn is found only here in the United States, in the area around Ajo, south of Phoenix, near the border. It is also found in the state of Sonora, Mexico. In the United States, there are about 100 Sonoran pronghorns, while in Mexico, one herd numbers 15 to 20, while another numbers 300 to 400 pronghorns. "They never learned to jump over even low barriers," Cabeza says. Here at Cabeza, an enclosure for breeding is an attempt to ensure the herds survival. The recovery plan includes a captive breeding program and transplant strategy. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife says that in 2002, after a lack of rainfall and "land use activities," the Ajo herd dwindled to 21 pronghorn. However, after capturing seven pronghorns in Mexico for the Arizona herd in 2004, four died of reactions to the capture and another died of a medical problem. After the capture myopathy (resulting from overexertion in the capture), the program was shut down. Still, two survived to live in the 640-acre natural environment on the refuge, fenced to keep out predators. An Arizona Sonoran male pronghorn was captured and placed with the two females. New fawns have been seen outside the enclosure. However, there's the lingering question of the bombs. As the visitor center's video rolls, the speaker tells how the Airforce and its bombers have the right to the airspace above the wildlife refuge. The refuge controls only the natural resources on the ground. "Now, how does that work?" I ask the staff. "Are the pronghorns being bombed?" The explanation went like this: The Airforce bombers only turn around in the airspace over the wildlife refuge. Further, the bombers do not engage with ground targets if pronghorns are in the area on the rest of the bombing range. It is an interesting concept, but seems pretty bizarre, considering how pronghorns dart around at 60 miles per hour. This desert bombing range - 1. 3 million acres - is also home to desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and a cornucopia of biological life. Recently, I asked a wildlife official in Arizona about the migration of the pronghorns and how a border wall would effect their migrations, since they run with lightning speed and slam into walls when panicked. The official said that the United States does not really want their US Sonoran pronghorns migrating south of the border to Mexico because of the busy traffic on the Mexican highway running along the border to the south. The United States also has some questions about the grazing and adaptation of the US pronghorns, should they elect to give up their US citizenship and join the larger crowd of pronghorns south of the border. (This all had the sound of "No way I'm telling you the truth, because if Homeland Security finds out, I'm finished.") This wildlife official said the US Sonoran pronghorns have adapted to the rainfall and grasses here and to their bombing neighbors. With Cabeza's 391 plant species and 300 kinds of wildlife, Cabeza is also home to the endangered Lesser long-nosed bats. The Lesser long nosed bats caused a stir around the new non-functional Boeing border spy tower in Arivaca. With the spy tower's layers of radar and microwave transmissions, high tech equipment and generator, questions were raised about the effect on the bats' hunting abilities, since the bats use echolation (bouncing sound) to hunt. The spy tower is being protested as a violation of privacy. At one time there was hope that environmental laws might save the day. However, the bats, along with the pronghorns and jaguars along the border of Arizona, are now facing the heavy-hand of power that is slam- dunking all environmental laws to construct the US/Mexico border wall. There's more disturbing information in the Cabeza literature. Besides Cabeza hosting "a limited desert bighorn sheep hunt," there's a note of caution about the live bombs. Cabeza's information says the military has used this as a gunnery and bombing range since World War II and many types of ordnances remain buried and on the surface. "You may encounter unexploded ordnance," Cabeza warns. Visitors are directed not to touch those and report the live bombs to the refuge staff. Of course, one has to wonder, what does a pronghorn do when it encounters an unexploded bomb. Wildlife refuges and bombing range hardly seem like good neighbors. However, Arizona seems to like the fraternity. Further to the west in Arizona, between Yuma and nowhere, the Yuma Proving Ground is where the military tests missiles and long range weapons. It is right next to another wildlife refuge, the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. On the 80-mile stretch between Quartzite and Yuma, the only sign of life is Stone Cabin, (literally a stone cabin) where a food vendor sells buffalo burgers. Outside of Quartzite, there were a few scattered campers, stuck here and there in the creosote bushes. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live there, with no sign of water, electricity or anything else. It looked like the set for a B-rated "end of the world" movie. I was so anxious to get out of that area, that I couldn't stand the thought of a ten-minute wait for a burger. "You have to drive through the Proving Ground to get to the wildlife refuge," I was told, after seeing a military tank with gunnery, painted in murky green camouflage, stopped at a stop sign. Another time, thanks. Posted by brendanorrell@gmail.com --------- "RE: American Indians protest racist remarks on KQRS" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:21:57 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BARNARD, TRAEN TO BE REPRIMANDED" http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/articles/includes/printer.cfm?id=11783 American Indians protest; KQRS' Barnard, Traen to be reprimanded Molly Miron Bemidji Pioneer Ocotober 30, 2007 A three-minute exchange on the KQRS Radio Tom Barnard morning talk show resulted in a protest meeting Monday morning in Minneapolis with KQRS executives, Red Lake and Mdewakanton Shakopee Sioux elected officials and members of the American Indian Movement. At issue were on-air remarks Barnard and co-host Terri Traen made during a broadcast last month after the Minnesota Department of Health reported that Beltrami County had the highest youth suicide rate in the state. The report also cited the high rate of suicides among Indian young people. The hosts, whose show is in the shock-jock genre of radio, didn't know where Beltrami County is located. They mentioned Bemidji and the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Then, Traen said of the Indian high suicide rate, "Maybe it's genetic; isn't there a lot of incest up there?" She and Barnard also criticized the Mdewakanton Sioux, referring to the Mystic Lake Casino as "Mistake Lake" and making fun of AIM leader Clyde Bellecourt by calling him Clyde "Bellycourt." The KQRS morning show is among the most popular morning programs in the Twin Cities. It is known for delivering weird news, ethnic jokes and political diatribes. In a telephone interview as he was traveling home to Red Lake Monday afternoon, Red Lake Chairman Floyd "Buck" Jourdain Jr. said the Indian Affairs Council sent a formal complaint to KQRS after the September broadcast, but Red Lake Nation, the Mdewakanton Sioux and AIM members decided they needed more response from the radio station and a face-to- face meeting. Attending the meeting were Jourdain, Red Lake Secretary Kathryn Beaulieu, Ponemah Representative Glenda Martin and Red Lake Representative Donald May, Mdewakanton Sioux Vice Chairman Glynn Crooks, AIM Co-founder Bellecourt and other community members. Barnard and Traen did not attend the meeting. Jourdain said KQRS President and General Manager Marc Kalman said the station will take the following measures: - Broadcast a public apology and send a written apology to Red Lake and Mdewakanton Sioux. - Give equal air time to positive issues involving the American Indian community. - Work to hire American Indian interns. - Continue airing public service announcements for the Native youth suicide hot line and suicide prevention program. - Invite members of the Shakopee Mdewakanton and Red Lake tribes to be on the morning show. - Reprimand Barnard and Traen. "KQRS had a productive meeting today with the Native American community leaders," Kalman said in a prepared statement. "We came to an amiable resolution and formed a good plan to build a positive relationship." "He expressed his embarrassment and apologized to the American Indian community," Jourdain said. However, Kalman did not dismiss Barnard and Traen as many of the Indian representatives had hoped. "Everybody expected that," Jourdain said. He noted that NBC fired Don Imus after he referred to the Rutgers' women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." Making light of suicide is a much more serious offense, Jourdain said. "Barnard and Terri Traen were making statements about life-and-death issues," he said. "It's totally irresponsible. What's funny about a funeral? What's funny about cutting a child down from the rafters?" Jourdain said Barnard has been making racist and offensive comments on the air for years. For example, the Somali community protested Barnard and co-hosts mimicking Somali immigrants' manner of speaking after a Somali taxi driver was murdered, and the Hmong community was outraged when he and his co-hosts made fun a teenage Hmong girl charged with killing her newborn son. Jourdain said KQRS allowed Barnard to increase his abrasiveness after Howard Stearns' show began airing in the metro area. Stearns pulled out, but Barnard continued his shock jock style. "It went to an all-time high in tastelessness," Jourdain said. "The attack is on all Indian people, and we have to stand up to these bullies and call them to task." However, Jourdain said he is reasonably satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. "I do because this is just the beginning," he said. "There'll be a follow-up meeting in January to see what progress has been made. We're not going to tolerate this kind of activity." Major media markets won't tolerate verbal assaults like Barnard and Traen's, he said, and this state, which has the reputation of "Minnesota Nice," should be equally appalled. Copyright c. 2007 The Pioneer/Bemidji, MN. --------- "RE: Military Debris recycling on Native Lands" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:21:57 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ARMY CORPS STUDIES PRACTICE RANGE DEBRIS RECYCLING" http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415999 Army Corps studies Military Debris recycling on Native Lands by: Gale Courey Toensing / Indian Country Today October 26, 2007 HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the feasibility of using indigenous peoples' land in Alaska, Hawaii and the United States to build recycling facilities for military practice range debris. The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, along with contractors Bering Sea Eccotech and Science Applications International Corp., have completed phase I of the Centralized Range Residue Recycling Facility Feasibility (CR3F) study, a $2.7 million project that has been conducted over the past five years. The study selected 14 tribes they believed were most capable of supporting a CR3F business: two in Alaska, two in Hawaii and 10 in the continental United States. The selections were based on land availability, size, location, business infrastructure, work force skill level and size and proximity to mills. The study is ready to launch phase II, if Congress continues to fund the project, said Maureen Lawrence, CR3F project manager. "The next step is to present this concept to the commanders at the active military installations who may benefit from these recycling facilities. Then we would need to develop memoranda of understanding between the [military] installations and the tribes that will be operating the facilities," Lawrence said in a release. Range residue is the debris left from military munitions, targets, packaging, crating and other materials left on military practice ranges. The scrap needs to be removed for safety reasons. "None of it would have any kind of explosives, or chemical-type materials. We have a whole different process that does removals involving all that dangerous kind of stuff. This would just be junk," Lawrence told Indian Country Today. The idea is to have the Native communities turn the scrap - particularly the metal scrap - into a recyclable form and sell it to manufacturing mills that use recycled metal. "This project presents a great opportunity to provide economic growth that may improve the lives and livelihoods in Indian country, Alaska Native communities and on Hawaiian homelands," said Elary Gromoff Jr., executive vice president of BSE in a press release issued by the Army Corps. BSE is an Alaska Native Corporation 8(a) company owned by the Aleut Natives of St. Paul Island, a remote island located in the central Bering Sea. During the phase I screening, the project team made site visits and discussed the possible partnership with tribal leaders. The 14 selected communities were further winnowed down to eight: Eklutna and Nenana, Alaska; Barbers Point and Hilo, Hawaii; the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla reservation, Oregon; and the Pueblo of Laguna and Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Detailed business and project management plans were developed for each of the sites, including plans for design and buildings, permits, agreements, procedures and approves; and operation and maintenance manuals, Frank Pickering, assistant vice president for engineering and infrastructure at Science Applications International Corp., said in the press release. Under the proposed plan, a Native community would build the recycling facility at its own cost. It's not known yet what that cost would be or whether the community would be required to build to the design and specification provided by the Army Corps. It's not clear whether the Native recycling facilities would be allowed to recycle materials from sources other than the military. The Army Corps would pay to transport military practice range debris to the recycling facility. The Native recycling plant would then process the range residue metal, and pay to transport the recycled material to the mill. The price for recycled metal, as of last September, was estimated to be around $190 a ton, said Arnecia Bradley, the Army Corps' technical manager for the study. "We are assuming the material will be about 12,000 tons per year. That's an average amount. It could be more and we think it will be a lot more, but until we go out and see how much there actually is on the range, we can only give an approximate amount," Bradley said. The Native recycling facilities would be certified by the Department of Defense "so they will not be exempt [as sovereign nations] from anything that is required in a DoD facility," Lawrence said. Many of the unanswered questions will be answered during phase II of the study, if it goes forward, Lawrence said. The Army Corps is asking for an additional $500,000 and nine months to complete phase II. Copyright c. 1998 - 2007 Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Navajo Nation Vietnam Veterans to Lay Wreath" --------- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:07:29 -0600 From: Joshua Lavar Butler Subj: Navajo Veterans to Lay Wreath for Fallen Navajo Warriors In Washington, D.C. The Navajo Nation Council Office of the Speaker November 2, 2007 For Immediate Release Navajo Nation Vietnam Veterans to Lay Wreath for Fallen Navajo Warriors In Washington D.C. WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - The Honorable Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale) is pleased to announce that a delegation of Navajo Nation Vietnam Veterans will officially lay a wreath on behalf of fallen Navajo Warriors at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. on Sunday - Nov. 11, 2007. The Vietnam Veterans of America is presenting the 25th Anniversary Parade on Saturday - Nov. 10 and the dedication of "The Wall" will occur on Sunday Nov. 11 at 1:00 p.m. The annual event is expected to attract thousands of Veterans and their families. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was first dedicated in 1982. Veterans and their families visit the Wall as a way to heal and to remember their ties to other veterans. For many, the visit to the Wall represents a duty to fallen soldiers - a duty to never forget those that are still missing. The Navajo Nation Steamboat Veterans Organization received an invitation to this annual event and Mr. Lee Bitsui, Commander of the Steamboat Veterans Organization, immediately jumped at the chance to become participants in the parade with thousands of other participants. The Steamboat Veterans Organization is the only Navajo Nation group that has been officially recognized as participants in the national parade in Washington, D.C. TO READ THE FULL STORY AND TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE http://rs6.net/tn.jsp\?e=0012Nny1MB1xy1f87epyfnXpSLxP0VrTRej0eAP8BaLbiIK 7YcXJ7MSIP5nAW1gwrYPafBd5f3XDrEJ7seFa_8a73DFEc0jDwavEnCsrsyBl8ZJZXw4cwIsw D85DHGR s2jeLstyf_fHF_EVmxx1p0c1ZHSZHaffKm2m9ByKuLkf1nciKqejIUltiO0RgTCc- XT-Ncyd0CyT QrwFVJ5Q__00x4w Joshua Lavar Butler Public Information Officer 21st Navajo Nation Council Lawrence T. Morgan, Speaker --------- "RE: Mohawk WTH position on 'Corporate Borders'" --------- Date: Mon Oct 29 8:20 From: 'orakwa' Subj: MNN Mohawk WTH position on 'corporate borders' MNN. Oct. 29, 2007. The following position on the Border Issue is being presented by the Mohawk Women Title Holders on November 7, 2007 at the "Indigenous Peoples Border Summit of the Americas" at Tohona O'odham Nation which is claimed by foreign entities known as Mexico and the U.S. The corporate colonial franchises known as "Canada", "U.S." and "Mexico" are trying to illegally place physical and destructive restrictions on our movements over our ancestral lands. The Women Title Holder intend to serve notice to these immigrants and the world community that we refuse to tolerate it. Comments appreciated MNN Mohawk Nation News www.mohawknationnews.com NOTICE FROM: The Kohtihon'tia:kwenio of the Kanion'ke:haka - Women Title Holders of the Mohawk Nation of the Rotino'shonni:onwe (Iroquois) November 7, 2007 TO: The Invaders of North, Central and South America, all their criminal agencies and departments, their international terrorist allies and the useless members of the United Nations; RE: Freedom of Rotino'shonni:onwe to traverse throughout Indigenous lands known as Onowaregeh, Turtle Island of the "Western Hemisphere" and beyond without hindrance from the invading aliens and their agents; PRESENTED AT: The Indigenous Peoples Border Summit of the Americas, San Xavier Community Center, 2018 West San Xavier Road, Tohona O'odham Nation whose territory is claimed by Mexico and the United States. [Kim Garcia 520-573-4000, kgarcia@waknet.org]. PREAMBLE: Our land is who we are. We can never forfeit ourselves or our land as we are part of Creation on in these lands known as the "Western Hemisphere", which includes North, Central and South America. We were never conquered by anybody. We survived outright murder, chemical and germ warfare, starvation, genocide by statute, lies and ignorance committed by fabricated colonial nations that are squatting on our Indigenous lands. Canada, United States, Mexico and all the other colonists are fictitious "nations". They are corporate "franchises" of Europe, not governments. They do not and can never have title to our land. Only we, the original Title Holders, have sovereign authority. WAMPUM 44 - GREAT LAW OF PEACE, KAIANEREH'KO:WA According to Wampum 44 of our law, the Kaianereh'ko:wa, the Great Law of Peace, we, the Kohtihon'tia:kwenio - Women Title Holders - are the caretakers of the land, water and air of "Onowaregeh" [Turtle Island]; and as trustees, our obligation is to preserve and protect the land for the future generations. a)WHEREAS the Two Row Wampum Agreement and Wampum 58 of the Kaianereh'ko:wa, Great Law of Peace, stipulate that no one shall restrict our freedom of passage on our lands we call Onowaregeh and beyond; we will always reject these artificial borders that were created by the capitalist corporations known as "Canada", "United States" and "Mexico" which are meant to illegally divide up lands and resources stolen from the Indigenous peoples; and we, the original people, will continue to make agreements and alliances among our nations as we see fit and as we have done since time immemorial. b)WHEREAS regarding the northeastern area of Onowaregeh, the Kohtihon'tia:kwenio give notice that we reject the attempt by the colonists to make unlawful restrictions on our freedom of passage on our territory and beyond. c)WHEREAS respect for our rights is entrenched in the constitutions of Canada and the United States. d)WHEREAS the Charter of the United Nations requires respect for the principles of equal rights and self-determination of peoples; and its members have signed a commitment to resolve differences peacefully without using force. e)WHEREAS Canada, the United States and Mexico have ascribed to the internationally recognized standards for respecting political rights of the People as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide, United Nations Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international legal instruments. f)WHEREAS General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) requires the informed consent of the people before they are included in another state; and the international Court of Justice affirmed this Resolution in the Western Sahara case. g)WHEREAS according to article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Sections 1 and 2, every nation has a right to its nationality; and no nation can change another nation's identity by imposing legislation to restrict travel, trade and commerce which must be unhindered throughout our original pre-contact territories. h)WHEREAS international law is committed to affirming the equal and inalienable rights of all peoples. i)WHEREAS Canada, the United States, Mexico and all other colonial states must abide by the international law principles that there can be no arbitrary encroachment on Indigenous peoples; ignoring the true Indigenous people is now universally recognized as illegal; independent Indigenous people's rights must be respected and heeded; and our perspectives on the issues must not be ignored; j)WHEREAS the Indigenous peoples have our own constitutions, we cannot be arbitrarily turned into Canadian, American or Mexican citizens without our knowledge or consent; and we cannot be governed by foreign laws that have been arbitrarily imposed without our consent. k)WHEREAS foreign nations that have invaded our territory cannot restrict our movements and make unlawful demands for us to carry foreign passports and other forms of alien identity; we have made agreements and means by which to traverse the lands of our Indigenous allies; and we have a form of identification, the "Red Card", which are issued to us under our constitution, the Kaianereh'ko:wa. The "Haudenosaunee Passport" is for travel outside of Onowaregeh. l)WHEREAS the "Red Card" and the "Haudenosaunee Passport" identifies that a person is a "Haudenosaunee", Six Nations, of Onowaregeh; according to the Two Row Wampum Agreement we are free to pass and re-pass by land or inland navigation or by air onto our territories; we are free to continue to carry on trade and commerce with each other; it is illegal for taxes, duties or any fees whatsoever to be extracted from us by any foreigners; we are free to hunt and fish anywhere on our territory; and we shall have free passage over all toll roads and bridges that have been built on Onowaregeh. m)WHEREAS the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that every human being has the inherent right to life and fundamental freedom; no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life or freedom; we demand that the United States stop the practice of murdering and detaining our people for crossing their illegally imposed economic border; this contravenes the internationally recognized principles of fundamental justice; life is sacred; and no product of the human imagination can justify these systemic detentions and murders. Human life may not be sacred to the invaders, but it is to us. n)WHEREAS the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People has been adopted by a majority of 144 states; international law has affirmed that all Indigenous peoples are to be treated as equals to all other peoples; and we accordingly claim our right to the full enjoyment as collectives and as individuals to all the human rights and fundamental freedoms that have been recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international law, including the right to self-determination and the right to self-government in all our affairs without being subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of our culture. o)WHEREAS states are required to provide redress for violations of our rights through effective mechanisms; we hereby notify Canada, United States and Mexico that their citizens have been violating our rights; we demand they disarm and stop them from detaining and shooting us; we demand that they stop harassing and charging us in their illegally imposed judicial system; and should they have any issues with us, they must bring their complaints to the legal representatives of our traditional governments. p)WHEREAS we are aware that torture is an intentional act that is premeditated, systemic and scientific which is meant to break down our dignity, our social fabric and foment terror within our people; and these detentions are illegal and violations of fundamental human rights. q)WHEREAS most of us have been subjected to illegal "puppet" tribal and band councils imposed by foreign colonial states, we demand that the colonizing states disband their puppet entities and restore proper diplomatic relations with our inherent traditional governments. WE, THE KOHTIHON'TIA:KWENIO SEEK TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS IS FULL AND FAIR NOTICE THAT: Canada, United States, Mexico and other colonial franchises must cease and desist their attempts to violate our authority; that they must deal with us on a nation-to-nation basis as required under both our law and international law; that any individual or foreign entity wishing to discuss any issues between our nations must provide full information through proper diplomatic channels, which are the Governor General of Canada and the Presidents of the United States and Mexico, who have a duty to inform us. We, the Kohtihon'tia:kwenio, brought this matter to the attention of Canada in an action in the Supreme Court of Canada - Kanion'ke:haka Kaianereh'ko:wa Kanon'ses:neh v. Attorney General of Canada and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontarion, Court File: 05-CV-030785. We, the Kohtihon'tia:kwenio, brought this constitutional jurisdiction issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. See No. 05-165: 2005. In the Supreme Court of the United States in re: Kanion'ke:haka Kaianereh'ko:wa Kanon'ses:ne, Non-party, Petitioner/Movant/Appellant, The Canadian St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians, Plaintiffs, Respondents v. The State of New York, Defendants, Respondents. Petition for Writs of Certiorari and Quo Warranto with Prohibition and Mandamus in Aid to Prevent Genocide. Rules 17.1 and 20.1. FOR THE ABOVE REASONS, WE, THE KOHTIHON'TIA:KWENIO, AS MEMBERS OF THE ROTINO'SHONNI:ONWE - IN ORDER TO PROTECT OUR PHYSICAL INTEGRITY AND LEGAL RIGHTS - SAY AS FOLLOWS: i)The Women Title Holders of the Rotino'shonni:onwe does not tolerate the violations of our constitution, ancient customs, traditions and agreements by Canada, U.S., Mexico or any franchises, corporations and agents violating our inherent rights by encroaching on our land. ii)Murder and torture have no place in either internal or international relations of any peoples. It is a violation of the Great Law which is the first and only law of the Western Hemisphere. iii) We invite Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to put away their guns and weaponry so we can resolve our differences in a mature and peaceful way, by rediscovering and brightening the spirit of the Two Row Wampum and the Covenant Chain that began our peaceful international relationship centuries ago. iv)Should Canada, U.S. and Mexico continue to breach our rights, we shall take the necessary measures available to us in the international arena to correct the injustices that have been committed against us. v)It has never been acceptable to abuse people on the basis of race, religion, nationality, belief or membership in a particular social group. We invite all members of the colonizing societies to become partners with us to end the cycle of abuse, stop the illegal criminalization of our people and extend dignity, equality and a voice to all peoples. KOHTIHON'TIA:KWENIO, the Women Title Holders of the Kanion'ke:haka of the Rotino'shonni:onwe: Katenies /s/ __________________________ Kahentinetha /s/ ____________________________ Contact: P.O. Box 991, Kahnawake of Mohawk territory [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0, kahentinetha2@yahoo.com katenies20@yahoo.com Sent to: All media; governments of Canada, U.S. and Mexico; Queen Elizabeth II; President of the U.S.; President of Mexico; Prime Minister of Canada; United Nations; Six Nations Confederacy; Kanion'ke:haka [Mohawks] of Wahta, Six Nations, Tyendinaga, Akwesasne, Kahnawake, Kanehsatake, Ganienkeh and Kanatiohareke. --------- "RE: Septic Systems `bad news' for First Nation" --------- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 07:32:38 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="MISHKEEGOGAMANG FN SEWAGE SYSTEM PANDEMIC" http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/News/350847.html Septic systems `bad news' story for northern First Nation The same team that discovered gross inadequacies in the Pikangikum water supply has released a health report showing pandemic conditions of sewage systems on the First Nation of Mishkeegogamang. By Jon Thompson Miner and News November 1, 2007 The same team that discovered gross inadequacies in the Pikangikum water supply has released a health report showing pandemic conditions of sewage systems on the First Nation of Mishkeegogamang. Twenty three per cent of septic fields in the entire community, which is approximately 250 kilometres north of Ignace on Highway 599, are inoperable where major breakout and pooling is occurring in leeching fields. The locations where the fields were installed were subject to freezing and flooding, a significant number of septic tanks were unable to break down solid waste, many were exposed where they should be covered by 30 to 60 centimeters of earth , and some tanks were missing lids, exposing raw sewage to the open air. Without digging up a single field to survey underground elements, the Northwestern Health Unit found a zero compliance rate. "Questionable installation, questionable maintenance, absence of inspection and no attempt to remedy the situation. This was a complete bad news story all the way through," said medical officer of health and CEO of the Northwestern Health Unit, Dr. Pete Sarsfield. Thirty-one of 100 homes were surveyed by the Northwest Health Unit and 52 per cent of those were found to be of dysfunctional quality. Public health inspector and program manager for environmental health Bill Limerick speculates that if his crew had access to more homes, the number may have been even higher as the team was shown only the worst examples. "If we did the survey off reserve, it would be totally unacceptable," Limerick said. "When you have raw sewage on the ground and you've got children and dogs exposed to it, it's a vector for the transmission of disease." Sarsfield described having shooed away a dog drinking from an open tank. Where many of the houses are without windows or screens, flies spawning in the sewage can fly directly into the homes. According to a 2006 CBC report, homes in Mishkeegogamang house an average of 8.5 people, which is more than the installed septic systems were designed to service. The report includes half a page of potential resulting diseases including typhoid fever, hepatitis, Norwalk, cholera, hepatitis A, respiratory disease and a host of gastrointestinal and skin diseases. The health facility in the community was unable to comment, but Sarsfield said from their conversations that they were unable to quantify the health effects because many less severe forms of infection result in flu-like symptoms where seeking medical attention wouldn't necessarily occur. No clear causal link could be made but local staff indicated to him that they felt it was a problem. Sarsfield said he speaks for himself and the 39 First Nations in the catchment area of the Northwestern Health Unit when he says the understanding is that responsibility for public health services is a federal responsibility. Yet, he points out, many First Nations are not receiving health services equivalent to non-native communities. His interpretation of the provincial legislation is that when his office is asked for assistance, he is legally responsible to comply. In recent years, many First Nations in similar situations have been turning to the health unit for assistance on matters such as water drinking safety, pandemic planning, epidemiological information and control of infectious illnesses. Kenora MP Roger Valley is standing with the band. "The lack of respect for First Nations people by the Conservative government is ignoring infrastructure at a local level. Over and over, resources have been taken away from Health Canada." Valley uses the example that funding for translators previously available when health needs required travel has been pulled by the federal government. Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray McKay was unavailable for comment. Copyright c. 2007 Kenora Daily Miner and News. --------- "RE: Zapatismo in Spanish Harlem" --------- Date: Thu Nov 1 20:16 From: Chiapas 95 Moderators Subj: En;NN,Zapatismo in Spanish Harlem Mailing List: Chiapas95-english This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:44:25 -0500 (CDT) From: Dana Aldea Zapatismo in Spanish Harlem The Movement for Justice in El Barrio, Inspired by the Zapatista Other Campaign, Brings New York Communities Together to Fight Gentrification By R.J. Maccani Special to The Narco News Bulletin October 24, 2007 An echo that turns itself into many voices, into a network of voices that, before the deafness of the Power, opts to speak to itself, knowing itself to be one and many, acknowledging itself to be equal in its desire to listen and be listened to, recognizing itself as different in the tonalities and levels of voices forming it. A network of voices that resist the war that the Power wages on them. - excerpt from the Zapatistas' Second Declaration of La Realidad Over thirteen years since their famed uprising in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Zapatistas' words continue to reverberate throughout the world. Last Sunday, October 21, they echoed from East Harlem and throughout New York City at the first ever "NYC Encuentro for Humanity and Against Gentrification." D.R 2007 R.J. Maccani Billed by hosts Movement for Justice in El Barrio (MJB) as ".a way of sharing developed by the Zapatistas as another form of doing politics: from below and to the left," at least 15 different organizations working against gentrification from throughout the city in addition to observers from groups based in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania came to MJB's East Harlem seeking to create ".a place where we can all speak, we will all listen, and we can all learn." The result was a multi-lingual and multi-media evening of sharing hope and resistance in the struggle against gentrification. A key element of the encuentro was a fish-bowl style innovation on the typical panel presentation wherein five of the participating organizations rotated in responding to various themes while the other hundred or so in attendance listened. Similar in style to gatherings of the Other Campaign, MJB laid out the four stage flow of the discussion from "Who we are" to "Conditions we face and root causes" to "Our forms of struggle" and concluding with "Sharing our dreams." Many Struggles (and Some Common Enemies) Movement for Justice in El Barrio opens the Encuentro D.R 2007 R.J. Maccani "We are fighting the landlords and a government who have no heart," began Bin Liang, an elder member of CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, which has been organizing across diverse, low-wage, and poor Asian communities in New York City for over 20 years. With translation from CAAAV's Chinatown Justice Project organizer, Helena Wong, Liang went on to describe how landlords will leave them without heat or hot water during the winter in apartments where ceilings collapse. In one case, a hole was left in the ceiling so that "the people living in the fourth floor apartment could watch us using the bathroom in our third floor apartment." Desiree, Jay, and X from FIERCE!, a community organization for Queer youth of color in New York City, followed with a look at their continued struggle over Pier 45 on the coast of Manhattan's Far West Village. A decades-long common gathering point for queer youth of color from throughout the city and beyond, the Hudson River Piers have increasingly become sites of police harassment for FIERCE!'s members as "revitalization plans" are pursued by the city and private developers. The next two participating groups were the Union of New York Tenants (UNYTE), a citywide tenants empowerment group, and the SRO Law Project, which provides free legal services and organizing assistance to some of the most vulnerable tenants in the city. "SRO" refers to the single room occupancy buildings that house tenants who usually earn less than $10,000 a year, paying over half of that in rent and sharing a bathroom and kitchen with other residents. Matt Wade, an organizer with the SRO Law Project, reported that over four-fifths, or 100,000 units, of SRO housing in the city has been lost in the decade to real estate developers who have been aided by the city's politicians. Make the Road NY perform a play to illustrate the struggles they face with landlords in Bushwick, Brooklyn D.R 2007 R.J. Maccani Indeed, every participant in the dialogue spoke to the problem of collusion between the city's politicians and capitalist developers. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) was a common site of struggle. Concluding each go-around with a different member, MJB's Oscar Dominguez spoke to the way that "HPD plays favorites with the rich landlords, allowing them to come into El Barrio to establish luxury restaurants and stores while kicking out the street vendors and community- run stores." Strategic Convergence As the dialogue continued, the places where struggles overlapped and could complement each other began to come into view. Rob Hollander, an organizer with UNYTE who lives on the Lower East Side, signaled that luxury hotel development on the Bowery, one of Manhattan's last true north/south running streets, will spell doom for the immigrant communities of his neighborhood as well as for those of Little Italy and Chinatown: "Immigrants are being pushed out by people with money and it is changing the color of our neighborhoods. It is changing what is beautiful about New York." CAAAV's Bin Liang followed up on this to point out that her landlord had a hand in gentrifying Harlem before moving on to Chinatown. After announcing many of their recent victories in the struggle over Pier 45, FIERCE! signaled Pier 40 as another site of struggle as a $700 million development plan dubbed "Vegas on the Hudson" is underway. The Hudson River Park Trust is currently in the process of review proposals to create what will likely be a massive, Vegas-style complex, not only erasing some of the last open space in the city but also radically altering much of the surrounding neighborhood. As with the development at Pier 45 and wherever gentrification take place, the FIERCE! youth signaled that they are anticipating greater harassment of queer youth of color as police seek to appease the area's increasingly wealthy clientele. In a move that could benefit those in struggle throughout the city, FIERCE! announced their participation in the launch of a city-wide Cop Watch movement as part of the Peoples Justice Coalition. FIERCE! members Desiree, Jay, and X speak about their struggle to make the Christopher Street Pier safe for queer youth of color D.R 2007 R.J. Maccani From tenants associations and rent strikes to press conferences and lawsuits, the groups struggling against gentrification in New York City not only share common enemies, but also a wide range of common tactics. One aspect that stood out was MJB's approach, similar to the rest of their companeros in the Other Campaign, to democracy and politicians: "We represent ourselves," remarked MJB member Victor Caletre, "each of the 23 buildings we work in has its own tenants association that decides what they will do and how they will choose to struggle. And the rest of the organization supports their decision. It's not only an organization that is struggling, but a community, and that community has the right to decide. " With this in mind, MJB recently carried out a Consulta del Barrio in which they consulted residents in East Harlem in order "to hear from people about where we should direct our next struggle." MJB has undertaken this community consultation while at the same time delegitimizing their City Council Representative, Melissa Mark-Viverito. Caletre announced at the Encuentro that not only did Mark-Viverito give herself a raise (increasing her salary to $125,000 a year while representing a neighborhood with nearly 40% of its residents living below the poverty line), but she has also attempted to buy him off. Apparently two young men visited him at his apartment recently to offer him a position with the city, under the condition that he stop working with MJB! A First Step Through employing many different forms of presentation, and patient translation, the Encuentro succeeded in working across barriers of language (Spanish, English, and Chinese), culture, and age. The fish-bowl style dialogue portion of the Encuentro concluded with a rousing gentrification-themed play and series of group songs led by Brooklyn-based members of Make the Road New York. This was followed by two videos, one from CAAAV depicting a moment in their victorious campaign against a landlord on Delancey Street and one by MJB from their first "Mega-March" to confront East Harlem's three worst landlords, as well as HPD and, of course, Councilmember Mark-Viverito. The presentations concluded just as they had opened, with a video of the Zapatistas. The opener to the entire event was footage of EZLN Major Ana Laura speaking at the First Intercontinental Gathering for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism and closed with footage of them retaking their land from the Mexican military. The entire event closed with a horde of kids taking their turns hitting the neoliberal gentrification pinata. The Encuentro concludes with children breaking the Neoliberal Gentrification Pinata D.R 2007 R.J. Maccani The NYC Encuentro for Dignity and Against Gentrification was a new first step in bringing together struggles against gentrification. As MJB's Oscar Dominguez pointed out, "It is not just the landlords that we are against, but the interests behind the landlords. Our common enemy is neoliberalism." Helena Wong, of CAAAV, shared this sentiment, remarking, "The connections are close. The money driving gentrification in the USA is coming from all over the world." It is no surprise then that the Encuentro received support from the Right to the City Alliance, composed of groups struggling against gentrification all over the U.S., and the International alliance of Inhabitants, a world-wide network seeking to make connections across borders for adequate housing and livable cities. MJB is already following up on the gathering. They held an evaluation meeting with their membership on Tuesday and will soon be seeking feedback from all the organizations in attendance. If the early reports are any sign, there will be much enthusiasm for future collaboration. Checking in with members of CAAAV after the Encuentro, Liang remarked to me, "I'm really happy that we were able to come together and are all enthusiastic about fighting capitalism." --- RJ Maccani reported for The Other Journalism on the activities of the Other Campaign in the state of Oaxaca as a member of the "Ricardo Flores Mago'n Brigade." He lives in Brooklyn where he organizes with Regeneracio'n Childcare NYC and publishes the blog Zapagringo. MJB can be contacted directly at (212) 561-0555 or movimientoporjusticiadelbarrio@yahoo.com http://www.narconews.com/Issue47/article2859.html -- To subscribe from this list send a message containing the words subscribe chiapas95 (or chiapas95-lite, or chiapas95-english, or chiapas95-espanol) to majordomo@eco.utexas.edu. Previous messages are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html or gopher to Texas, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Economics, Mailing Lists. --------- "RE: NO to Plan Mexico" --------- Date: Thu Nov 1 20:20 From: Chiapas 95 Moderators Subj: En;Mexico News - NO to Plan Mexico Mailing List: Chiapas95-english This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: . ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:23:27 -0500 (CDT) From: Global Exchange - Mexico News Dear Readers, Buried in the $46 billion supplemental war spending proposal that President Bush submitted to Congress on Oct. 22 is a $1.4 billion aid package to Mexico to be distributed over the next three years, purportedly to fight drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico. The aid package, called Plan Mexico (http://americas.irc-online.org/am/4611) for its resemblance to the $5 billion Plan Colombia, would consist largely in advanced military training and equipment such as helicopters and surveillance aircraft, according to the Mexican foreign minister. We urge you to call, write, and otherwise notify Congress to oppose funding for BOTH the Iraq War and Plan Mexico. We are not against the US helping Mexico's people - if aid is aimed to develop economic opportunities in their home communities. A massive military build up in Mexico does nothing to help and will inevitably lead to increased repression. As has been the case with Plan Colombia, there is great concern that Mexico could use their new equipment in counter- insurgency raids against both social movements and suspected guerrilla forces, mainly in Mexico's indigenous and highly marginalized south. Please read and repost our brief report on Plan Mexico contributed by Global Exchange Human Rights Media Fellow, John Gibler: ----- Why We Oppose Plan America This week the Bush Administration officially announced the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 billion aid package to Mexico to be distributed over the next three years purportedly to fight drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico. The aid package, called Plan Mexico for its resemblance to the $5 billion Plan Colombia, would consist largely in advanced military equipment such as helicopters and surveillance aircraft, according to the Mexican foreign minister. The plan has come under immediate attack on both sides of the border. According to the Associated Press, Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Western Hemisphere subcommittee (http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/sub_westhem.asp\), said Congress was "in no way consulted" as the aid plan was developed. "This is not a good way to kick off such an important bilateral effort to combat drug trafficking and drug-related violence in Mexico," Engel told the AP. "We will have to carefully comb over every detail of the president's request in coming weeks and months." Carlos Fazio, an expert on Mexican social movements and militarization, writes that Plan Mexico would amount to "ceding national sovereignty and the de facto subordination of the national armed forces," to U.S. will. Drug violence in Mexico has reached truly harrowing levels over the past two years, with over 2,000 people slain in the streets so far in 2007, most of them public officials, police, reporters, and rival drug- traffickers. Drug killings have made Mexico the second most dangerous country in the world (after Iraq) for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. Still, the most terrifying fact of Mexico's drug violence has always been the depth of the drug cartel's penetration into seemingly every facet of the Mexican police, military, and judicial system. Mexico's first anti-drug Czar, General Rebollo, was on the payroll of one of Mexico's bloodiest cartels; he is now in a maximum-security prison. In Tabasco state, drug gangs beheaded a local official who had made a supposedly anonymous call to the authorities to denounce drug trafficking through his region. The note written on poster board in his own blood and left over his headless shoulders read: "This happened to me for making an anonymous call to the authorities, and they were the very ones who did this to me." In the past few months, local officials in Altar, Sonora were threatened with death after calling state officials to denounce a drug- gang kidnapping near Altar of 300 migrants on their way to the border. This past June, nearly 20 soldiers shot and killed three children and their mother at a road block meant to detect drug traffickers in the state of Sinaloa; seven of those soldiers tested positive for marijuana use and one of the seven also tested positive for cocaine. As has been the case with Plan Colombia, there is great concern that Mexico could use their new equipment in counter-insurgency raids against both social movements and suspected guerrilla forces, mainly in Mexico's indigenous and highly marginalized south. The Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR), a guerrilla force that first appeared in 1996 in Guerrero state, has recently published repeated communique's denouncing the disappearance of two of their members by government forces. In retaliation, the EPR has detonated various explosives placed in Mexico's national natural gas lines in July and September of this year. There is great concern that Mexico could use their increased military budget and additional military aid from the U.S., to re-implement a "dirty war" counter-insurgency operation against social movements, rural organizations, and indigenous communities suspected of or used as scapegoats for guerrilla activities. Mexico's repeated use of torture to force confessions in cases as distinct as suspected guerrilla activity and the femicides of Ciudad Juarez has been well documented by both nongovernmental and governmental organizations. The Mexican army used anti-drug helicopters in military attacks against the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in 1994. Within the last year the Mexican Navy flew surveillance planes over the city of Oaxaca and the Zapatista international gathering in La Realidad, Chiapas. Moreover, paramilitary and para-police attacks continue in Mexico. Mexican soldiers protected paramilitary forces that massacred 47 people in Acteal in 1997; and para-police units killed over 20 people during the mostly non-violent civil disobedience movement of the Oaxaca Peoples' Popular Assembly (APPO) in 2006. An on-going series of new reports by the Chiapas-based organization Center for Political Analysis and Socio-Economic Research (CAPISE - http://capise.org.mx/\) document recent changes in military deployment, paramilitary activity, and highway projects that combine to form a counterinsurgency strategy to displace Zapatista communities. The army is reinforcing military bases near Zapatista communities with Special Forces, including airborne elite troops and special elite units from Mexico City without jurisdiction to operate in Chiapas. On October 27, it will have been a year since plain-clothes police, city council members and a local judge were all photographed shooting at protesters in Oaxaca. That day, gunmen shot and killed two Oaxacan teachers, Esteban Zurita Lopez and Emilio Alonso Fabian and New York Indymedia reporter Brad Will. A year later and impunity reigns (http://www. globalexchange.org/countries/americas/mexico/dispatches/5038.html\). The men photographed still hold their jobs in local government; no one has been convicted of the murders; and the state and federal governments persist in their efforts to blame members of the APPO for killing Brad Will. Mexican officials and analysts have long said that the U.S. should curb the consumption of drugs within its own borders and the flow of high caliber guns to the traffickers in Mexico. Plan Mexico would simply give military equipment to the very Mexican forces that have so long been implicated in drug trafficking without first addressing the U.S.'s active role in drug violence by providing the market place for drugs and the guns used to kill. (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp) Tell a Friend About GX (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp) Go on a Reality Tour (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp\) -- To subscribe from this list send a message containing the words subscribe chiapas95 (or chiapas95-lite, or chiapas95-english, or chiapas95-espanol) to majordomo@eco.utexas.edu. Previous messages are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html or gopher to Texas, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Economics, Mailing Lists. --------- "RE: Indigenous concerned over new Archeological Find" --------- Date: Mon Oct 29 6:26 From: Glenn Welker Subj: Local Indigenous Peoples Concerned over New Archeological Find Mailing List: Indigenous Peoples Literature Local Indigenous Peoples Concerned over New Archeological Find http://uctp.blogspot.com/ Ponce, Puerto Rico (UCTP Tainno News) - Tomorrow at 9am, the President of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, Elba Anaca Lugo will issue a public statement concerning a recent archeological "discovery" in Ponce, Puerto Rico via University of Puerto Rico Radio (UPC 89.7). Lugo's statement will highlight the declaration issued by the Consejo General and the Caney Quinto Mundo in response to this major archeological find said to date back from 600 A.D. to 1500 A.D. Lugo will also note violations observed by the local indigenous Tai-no community in relation to this already controversial case. The Tai-no archeological site was uncovered last week while land was being cleared for construction of a dam to control flooding in the area. At the site a number of unique archeological finds have already been documented including monolithic stones displaying petroglyphs (carvings) that are surrounding ceremonial plazas as well as burial grounds. At least one of the stone monoliths depicted a human figure with frog legs similar to one found at another site - Caguana - in the island's mountainous interior. Although local archeologists have been aware of the historic importance of the area since at least 1985, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture has called for the construction to stop as heavy machinery has already destroyed important artifacts. The investigation and the discovery is one that is sure to bring the subject of ancient indigenous culture back into to the spotlight on the island. The case however is already amidst controversy regarding the construction permits, their relation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the island's Institute of Culture. Same Old Story Local Tai-no leaders and activists are all too familiar with the scenario unfolding in Ponce. In July 2005, a group of indigenous community leaders entered the Caguana Ceremonial Center in Utuado to mount a peaceful protest to not only bring attention to condition of island. This historic action, which ended in the arrests of several Tai-no leaders, is known locally and internationally as "El Grito Reports indicate that at this new archeological discovery in Ponce, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave permission for the construction to begin with evidence that there was the potential for a major find in the area. As in other similar cases, the U.S. Army Corps is said to have already removed major artifacts to undisclosed locations in the U.S. One question locals have concerns the Puerto Rican Institute of Cultural and if it was aware of and allowed the U.S. Army Corps to engage in this practice without challenge. At least a year before "El Grito de Caguana", local Tai-no leaders raised the alarm about another major archeological site that was being destroyed to make way for construction. This occurred in Arecibo at "Ojo del Agua." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Institute of Culture were also involved in this case and again, many unique artifacts have left Puerto Rico without pubic knowledge or consultation. The Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos and the Caney Mundo brought the destruction at Arecibo to the attention of both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Institute. The local Tai-no called for a halt to the construction and for consultative meetings to discuss their concerns but their requests were ignored. The construction continued and the destruction to that site remains an inconceivable loss barely mentioned by local media. "The lack of respect for the local community and the continuous destruction and looting of our national patrimony were among the major reasons why we chose to enter Caguana and symbolically reclaim the site through our protest." stated Elba Anaca Lugo. "These corrupt practices have been going on in Boriken (Puerto Rico) for many years and we, the Tai-no People have continuously attempted to bring these cases to the attention of the government authorities who Speaking on behalf of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP), Roberto Mucaro Borrero stated "The UCTP is in full support of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos and the Caney Quinto Mundo with relation to their declaration concerning the ancient Tai-no site recently found in Ponce, Puerto Rico." "As they represent the concerns of the local indigenous community, the UCTP looks toward the Consejo General and the Caney Quinto Mundo for guidance in this situation and will do all that it can to highlight their exclusion from the consultation process." noted Borrero. Representatives of the Consejo General visited the site in Ponce on Saturday, October 27, 2007 to survey the situation first-hand as well as to perform traditional ceremony on behalf of their ancestors. Lugo's statement and commentary on UPR radio tomorrow morning is the first in a series that the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos will dedicate to this issue. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Closing Remarks to be filed in Cobell" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:21:57 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CLOSING REMARKS IN 11-YEAR TRUST CASE" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/10/30/jodirave/rave28.txt Native News Cobell, government to file closing remarks in lawsuit By JODI RAVE of the Missoulian October 30, 2007 The 11-year legal battle pitting a half-million Native landowners against the U.S. government has closed another chapter, but it isn't over yet. A 10-day trial wrapped up late last week in the Cobell v. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Lawyers on both sides have 36 days to present written closing arguments to the newly appointed federal judge overseeing the case. Elouise Cobell, a community development expert in Browning, filed the lawsuit in 1996. She attended the proceedings last week - where federal attorneys defended the government's handling of billions of dollars that never made it into the accounts of individual landowners who earned money from natural resources on 11 million acres of tribal land. "Testimony here showed everything is on the honor system," Cobell said. "The way the systems are, anyone has a license to steal from IIM (Individual Indian Money) account holders because there's nothing in place." "It's widespread all over the country," Cobell said of the federal accounting system. "By not having systems in place, people can do whatever they want to take advantage of IIM account holders." After a century of undisputed mismanagement, witnesses and whistleblowers stepped forward to testify that Native landowners are still losers in a land management game where the U.S. Interior Department has been trying to explain, and fix, an accounting system operated with few checks and balances. "The historical accounting can be and is being accomplished, and it is being accomplished in a structured and orderly manner," attorney Robert Kirschman Jr. told U.S. District Judge James Robertson. "The evidence you will hear will demonstrate that Interior is indeed curing the breach of the fiduciary duty that was found by the Court of Appeals back in 2001." After Cobell filed suit in 1996, a federal judge - who was removed from the case for scathing remarks against the Interior Department - ordered a historical accounting dating back to 1887. Meanwhile, estimates of mismanaged money range from $7 billion to upward of $100 billion. "We're not talking peanuts," said Cobell attorney Dennis Gingold. One of the largest timber deal contracts in U.S. history was executed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, which involved Indian timber lands. As lawyers argued for and against the accounting system that has bilked Natives out of billions of dollars, testimony also revealed that the Interior Department has been charging landowners for its accounting services. "From the very beginning of this trust, fees have been charged for the management of the trust lands; 8 to 10 percent with regard to the sale of timber," Gingold said. "Your Honor, if you had a trust today in the Wilmington Trust Company, whether you're a Dupont or anybody else, you're not paying 8 percent, you're not paying 10 percent. You're paying a management fee of never more than 3 percent, and probably less, depending on the size of the trust." Interior Department Deputy Secretary James Cason testified in court that the department has been examining its accounting methods. The department's work is on track for its historical accounting, back to a date Interior officials pin at 1994, instead of the court-ordered 1887. "We have not found any instances of systemic accounting error or systemic fraud," said Cason. "We have covered a fair amount of territory so far, and we think that the job, as we've defined it, is a doable job," Cason said. He said the department could finish its accounting sooner if Congress provided adequate funding. But that's not the case, he said. "If we design a historical accounting that requires $5 billion worth of work, and we have $50 million a year, that indicates that we would be at this for the next 100 years. Our sense of the Department of Interior is no one in the process wants to have a historical accounting project that has that long a duration," said Cason. But Cobell attorneys argue a proper accounting is long overdue. "The systems that house our clients' trust assets and money have been without control," Gingold said. "There's no management. There was not even an audit of the trust for the first 100 years of the trust." Sharon Red Thunder, a Bureau of Indian Affairs employee for nearly four decades, testified that graft within the present-day system goes unchecked. She retired from the BIA in 2003. Here are some excerpts from the courtroom exchange between Red Thunder and attorney David Smith regarding her BIA employment on the Colville Reservation in Washington: Smith: "Have you ever seen money go to BIA employees that were intended for beneficiaries?" Red Thunder: "Yes, I did. When I was a realty officer, I was concerned about an employee within the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a social worker who was taking money out of individual tribal members' accounts. ... He would take the money out of their accounts - (he) had a power of attorney over them - and he would place the money into his bank account." Smith: "Did you raise your concerns with your superiors?" Red Thunder: "Yes, I did. I went to the superintendent of the agency and I told him that I didn't think it was right. ... I knew that money was coming in from land sales, I knew they were getting large amounts of money, and this person was removing the money from their account." When Red Thunder followed up on the reported theft, "I was told that they found no wrongdoing." Reporter Jodi Rave can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at jodi.rave@lee.net. Copyright c. 2007 Missoulian, a division of Lee Enterprises. --------- "RE: GRAHAM: Apologizing for the Indian holocaust" --------- Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:21:57 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GRAHAM: U.S. UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT OWN ATTROCITIES" http://www.indianz.com/News http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=41446 Should U.S. Government apologize For American Indian Holocaust? Mike Graham October 29, 2007 While the U.S. government is waging a war worldwide against terrorists, it's own past history has to be dealt with concerning it's actions against American Indians. Senator Brownback of Kansas re-introduced a resolution (S. J. RES. 4) calling for an apology from the federal government for it's long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies. Senator Brownback's bill is backed up by congresswoman Jo Ann Davis of Virginia with house resolution (H. J. RES. 3). In past years the U.S. Government has made it a point to apologize for it's action against other groups of Americans like African Americans and Japanese Americans. So one would think our federal government would have no problem apologizing to American Indians on paper. That's not true in this case. Senator Brownback's apology resolution was before the U.S. Senate in 2004 but no action was taken. In 2006 the Senate Indian Affairs passed the resolution out of committee placing it on the senate calendar for a vote by the full senate, that's as far as it went that year. The American Indian community stands united with all Americans in defense of our home land. American Indians have no problem telling it like it is; they endured a holocaust. To them the Indian holocaust started with an invasion committed by Columbus. Without the support of Indian nations America, as we know it today, may not have come about. After European Americans won "their independence" the federal government embarked on a path to take away American Indians' independence. The federal government set the tone that Indians were a problem (enemy) to contend with for the new country. Over time the federal government made hundreds of treaties with Indian nations. Every one of them was broken by the federal government. Laws were passed by state and city governments against Indians. Indians could only enter a town to trade their goods. Indians had to use "Black Only" bathrooms and water fountains; they had to be out of town by sunset so there was no need to have the word Indian added. Indians had to request permission of a state government to cross it's border, with the understanding they were to do so only to cross the state, not stay in it. LAWS AGAINST INDIANS http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/bureau/bwa_6.html When one looks at the darkest history of U.S. policies against Indians, we see that bounties were placed on Indian scalps, and massacres were legal. Hanging Indians, for whatever reason, was the norm. History note: President Lincoln oversaw the hanging of 38 Indian men. Three hundred three men were condemned to be hung, but Lincoln was concerned with how this would play out with European nations. This event, in Mankato, Minnesota, December 16, 1862, was the largest mass hanging in America's history. Now what was the U.S. Civil War about? PRESIDENT LINCOLN HANGING INDIANS http://www.unitednativeamerica.com/hanging.html More of Americas dark history toward Indians played out at Indian Boarding Schools for kids, (1878-1930s) Their job was to kill the "Indian" in them. Forty percent of Native American women accessing care through the U.S. Indian Health Service in the 1970s were sterilized against their will. AMERICAN INDIAN GENOSIDE http://www.kporterfield.com/aicttw/articles/boardingschool.html Maybe, just maybe, in the year 2007 the U.S. Government will deal with the question of whether or not it should apologize to the American Indian peoples. That's one hatchet the federal government is finding hard to bury. Mike Graham, Citizen Oklahoma Cherokee Nation Founder United Native America www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com American Chronicle is a trademark of Ultio LLC. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: A sad but understandable Compromise" --------- Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:35:06 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: UND COMPROMISE CAUSE FOR SADDNESS" http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=55537 A sad but understandable compromise Dorreen Yellow Bird October 31, 2007 In the 15 years I've lived in the Red River Valley, the issue of UND's nickname and logo has dominated. It overshadows, influences, punishes, ridicules and divides the community. The settlement of the lawsuit that UND had filed against the NCAA brings us to a crossroads. It's not the best situation, in my opinion; but it's something that may pull this irritating thorn out of the backside of the community. This change needs to happen. We've spent too much time debating the issue. The goal of UND is to educate our young people. The controversy interferes with the goal. I've been reading comments about the settlement on the Internet to get a pulse of the community. So, what are people thinking about the lawsuit and settlement? More than 200 comments have been made on the stories written by Herald staff. Some of the Herald stories disappointed me because, it seemed, those members of the Spirit Lake tribe who lived in Grand Forks or went to UND and had experience, were voiceless. That, unfortunately, let readers speculate that Spirit Lake will approve the nickname. That may be true, but those of us who live off the reservation or aren't familiar with the community really don't know. From what I hear, there doesn't seem to be a consensus in the Spirit Lake community. They might never give a yea or nay. Several people asked why Ron His Horse Is Thunder, tribal chairman for the Standing Rock Nation, was speaking for the Lakota people. The answer is that he, like North DakotaGov. John Hoeven, is the elected leader of the Lakota and their spokesman. Collectively, Standing Rock does not seem to like what happens to their children who attend UND and the disrespect aimed at them. The tribe has said no. Some of the Internet comments were repetitious. Some were excellent and well-thought-out, talking about the negotiations and even scolding the writers who made awful comments. But it was those "awful" comments that astounded me. Some were full of bile, bigotry and racism. The NCAA was correct when it said that the nickname and logo created an abusive and hostile environment, I thought as I read those comments. In some cases, the comments were even threatening. Some of them made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It made me afraid for the young people at UND. Those were the anonymous comments. It's amazing what people will write when they don't have to sign their name to it, a colleague of mine observed. I believe there are people in our community who are thoughtful and good- hearted, and I believe they are the majority in our community. They say little publicly, but they quietly try to make changes. A good example is a prominent Grand Forks man who has made extraordinary efforts to connect with the tribes. He loves the nickname and logo, but he is trying to understand the tribal point of view and will support whatever decision is made. When I first moved to Grand Forks, I met a woman who said little to me about the nickname and logo. Then about 10 years ago, she told me she was one of the supporters of the nickname. She sat through the games and felt that pride when the nickname was used - the logos looked respectful, she said. But then she began hearing and seeing the name used is offensive ways, and students told her about racist incidents on campus. She changed her mind about the logo she was once so proud of. It's these people, and there are a lot of them, whom the tribes should not include in their overall disenchantment with UND. A student told me today that I also should remember that many of these students live here during the school year and return home. They don't have to live by their comments. American Indian students will return to the reservation, and sometimes the disrespect of the nickname follows them. Lastly, while I understand the need to compromise, in my heart of hearts I wish the NCAA had not compromised and instead kept the pressure on UND to change the nickname. In other words, I wish the NCAA had had the backbone to stand its ground. Remember, Standing Rock and most North Dakota and South Dakota tribes have provided written resolutions asking UND to change the name. In addition, most national, regional and state American Indian organizations or those that provide services to Indian people have requested in resolution that the name change. Some of the university staff members developed an organization, Campus Committee for Human Rights, to change the name. There also is a strong tribal, state and national call to make the change. Yet, I have to say that the settlement does allow tribes to play in the game. I believe we are moving slowly forward. I hope the tribes will respond quickly, end the haggling and sparring over the nickname and let UND get down to the business of educating young people and the community. --- Dorreen Yellow Bird is a reporter and columnist. Her columns appear Wednesdays and Saturdays on the opinion pages of the Herald. Reach her at (701) 780-1228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com Copyright c. 2007 Grand Forks Herald, Forum Communications Co., Fargo ND. --------- "RE: JODI RAVE: Sifting through `Indian' Themes" --------- Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:37:14 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JODI RAVE: GOOD, BAD AND UGLY INDIAN BOOKS" http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/11/01/jodirave/rave27.txt Native News Column: Si