Save The Sacred Sites Alliance: August 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

ECONOMIC HIT MEN AND THE NEXT DROWNING OF NEW ORLEANS

ECONOMIC HIT MEN AND THE NEXT DROWNING OF NEW ORLEANS

Hurricane Bush Four Years Later, Part 2

by Greg Palast
For Crooks and Liars, Thursday, August 27, 2009

This week only, our readers can download, free of charge, Greg Palast's film, "Big Easy to Big Empty: The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans." Or donate and get a signed DVD. Watch the 1-minute trailer ...

Who put out the hit on van Heerden?

Ivor van Heerden is the professor at Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center who warned the levees of New Orleans were ready to blow — months and years before Katrina did the job.

For being right, van Heerden was rewarded with ... getting fired. [See Katrina, Four Years Later: Expert Fired Who Warned Levees Would Burst]

But I've been in this investigating game long enough to know that van Heerden's job didn't die of natural causes or academic issues. This was a hit. Some very powerful folks wanted him disappeared and silenced — for good.

So who done it?

Here are the facts.

Dr. van Heerden has lots of friends, mostly the people of New Orleans, those who survived and cheered his fight to save their city. But he also has enemies, many of them, and they are powerful.

First, there is Big Oil. More than a decade ago, van Heerden pointed the finger at oil drilling as a culprit in threatening New Orleans and the Gulf Coast with flooding.

"Certainly he was critical of what the oil companies did to the coast," Louisiana engineer HJ Bosworth told me. "Seeing what kind of bad citizens they were. Dozens and dozens of pipeline canals just carved the living daylights out of the coast just to find some oil."

Well, we need oil, don't we?

True, but Bosworth, who advises Levees.org, a non-profit group that birddogs hurricane safety work, explained the connection between flooding New Orleans and oil drilling quantified by van Heerden's research. "Takes a million years to build (the protective coastal marsh); once you carve it up, it's just like bleeding a wild animal, hang it up, carve some holes in it, and the juice just drains out of it. Saltwater and tide invade. You make [the state] susceptible to flooding from coastal and tidal surges."

So I was amazed to learn that, shortly after van Heerden, wetlands protector, was given the heave-ho by LSU, a group calling itself "America's Wetland" gave the university a fat check for $300,000.

After a little digging, I found that it wasn't really "America's Wetland," the group with the oh-so-green name and love-Mother-Nature website, that provided the money. One-hundred percent of the loot, in fact, came from Chevron Oil Corporation. Chevron had merely "green-washed" the money through "Wetlands."

Was this Big Oil's "thank you" to LSU for canning van Heerden? The University refuses to talk to me about van Heerden's firing ("It's a confidential personnel matter").

Bosworth notes such a grant to the University "doesn't come without strings attached." And this "Wetland" grant appears to have some tangled threads. LSU will monitor the coast's environment, guided by a committee of what the school's PR office describes as "experts" in coastal infrastructure and hurricane research. But the school is pointedly excluding its own expert, van Heerden. Instead of van Heerden, LSU announced it will rely on representatives from Chevron — and Shell Oil.

You can't challenge Shell's expertise on coastal erosion. The Gulf Restoration Network has calculated that the oil giant, "has dredged 8.8 million cubic yards material while laying pipelines since 1983 causing the loss of 22,624 acres."

Shell too is a sponsor of "America's Wetland."

Bad Behavior

Van Heerden and his team of hurricane experts at LSU have other enemies, notably Big Oil's little sisters: The Army Corp of Engineers and its contractors. One internal University memo that has come to light is a complaint from the Army Corp of Engineers' Washington office to an LSU official demanding to know why van Heerden's "irresponsible behavior is tolerated."

By van Heerden's bad "behavior," they seem to be referring to the professor's computer model of the Gulf which predicted, years before Katrina hit, that the levees built by the Army Corp were too short. The Army Corp, van Heerden asserts, compounded the danger to New Orleans by going shovel-crazy, with massive dredging and channel-cutting sought by shipping interests.

Following the complaint from Washington, the University took away van Heerden's computer (no kidding). But they couldn't take away his voice. He began to speak out. University officials do not deny they told him to shut up, to stop speaking to the press about his concerns. They were worried, they told van Heerden, that his statements jeopardized their government funding.

Van Heerden's revelations were, indeed, damning. He revealed that the Bush White House knew, the night Katrina came ashore, that the levees were breaking up, but withheld this crucial information from the state's emergency response center. As a result, the state slowed evacuation and stranded residents were left to drown. [See Big Easy to Big Empty.]

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Army Corp of Engineers on behalf of all the people of the city who lost homes and loved ones because the Corp-designed levees had failed. Anyone with a TV and two eyes could see that. But the Bush Administration flat out denied it knew its system was flawed and refused any responsibility for the disaster.

Van Heerden, who had warned Washington, long before the flood, that the levees were 18 inches too short, would have been a devastating expert witness for the public. But the university ordered him not to testify, a relief for the Corps. (A verdict is expected soon in the non-jury case.)

The Army Corp and its contractors can feel safer now that van Heerden has been booted. His Hurricane Center will be downsized and instead, the University will expand its "Wetland" program, with Chevron's checkbook.

Joining Chevron and Shell on the LSU board of "wetland" experts will be the Shaw Group, a huge Army Corp contractor.

If you've read John Perkins' book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, you would know about Shaw Group, or at least the subsidiary for whom Perkins did his dirty work: an engineering outfit that used flim-flam, intimidation and fraud to turn a buck. (I once directed a government racketeering investigation of one of their projects before Shaw bought them up. In the 1988 case, a jury found the company was co-conspirator in a multi-billion-dollar fraud, charges the company settled with a civil payment.)

Shaw Group is also a sponsor of "America's Wetland." So is electricity giant Entergy Corporation. That's the company that shut off the power in New Orleans during the flood, then sold the loose juice elsewhere, pocketing a multi-million-dollar windfall.

Yes, America's Wetland does have a green cover, Environmental Defense, exposed in the Guardian UK in 1999 for its icky habit of licking the sugar off corporate candy canes. We caught them trying to set up a lucrative financial operation with the very polluters they were supposed to be challenging. [See Fill your lungs it's only borrowed grime]

I spoke with the Chairman of American Wetland, King Milling. Milling's just a local good ol' boy, a sincere guy, not a front for Big Oil. But he naively let his group be used to buy the debate over the environment and ice out un-bought experts like van Heerden.

Flood Warning

With LSU deep in the pocket of the corporate powers and under Army Corp pressure, van Heerden didn't stand a chance. For doing nothing more than trying to save a few thousand lives, he has paid quite a price. As he told me this week from his home, "No good turn goes unpunished."

That's van Heerden's fate. But what about the city's? Is New Orleans ready for another Katrina?

His answer is not comforting: "No, definitely not. If anything, it's worse than when Katrina hit. We've lost a lot of wetlands protection. It's not very safe ... A section of the flood wall itself has sunk about 9 inches, a result of [Hurricane] Gustav."

Is anyone listening?

"The [Army] Corp won't talk to me," says van Heerden. "Like everybody else, they are crossing their fingers and hoping we don't have a storm."

Well, don't say we didn't warn you.

***********

Greg Palast's film for Democracy Now! "Big Easy to Big Empty: The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans" is available as a no-cost download this week. Or make a donation to the investigative reporting fund and receive a gift of the DVD of the film, with Amy Goodman, signed by the reporter. For more information, go towww.GregPalast.com.

Subscribe to Palast's podcast and follow Palast on Twitter.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Whitestone Hill Memorial Spiritual Ride Information ~ August 28th - Sept 4th

Whitestone Hill Memorial Spiritual Ride Information ~ August 28th - Sept 4th
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=98128197&blogId=508066841

Expert Fired Who Warned Levees Would Burst Hurricane George, Four Years Later

Expert Fired Who Warned Levees Would Burst

Hurricane George, Four Years Later

by Greg Palast
Wednesday, August 25, 2009

For Crooks and Liars

Tonight on Air America: Greg Palast joins Crooks and Liars' John Amato, guest host of "Clout!" on your local progressive station or streaming live on AirAmericaRadio.com at 9pm Eastern.

There's another floater. Four years on, there's another victim face down in the waters of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Ivor van Heerden.

I don't get to use the word "heroic" very often. Van Heerden is heroic. The Deputy Director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, it was van Heerden who told me, on camera, something so horrible, so frightening, that, if it weren't for his international stature, it would have been hard to believe:

"By midnight on Monday the White House knew. Monday night I was at the state Emergency Operations Center and nobody was aware that the levees had breeched. Nobody."

On the night of August 29, 2005, van Heerden was shut in at the state emergency center in Baton Rouge, providing technical advice to the rescue effort. As Hurricane Katrina came ashore, van Heerden and the State Police there were high-fiving it: Katrina missed the city of New Orleans, turning east.

What they did not know was that the levees had cracked. For crucial hours, the White House knew, but withheld the information that the levees of New Orleans had broken and that the city was about to drown. Bush's boys did not notify the State of the flood to come which would have allowed police to launch an emergency hunt for the thousands that remained stranded.

"Fifteen hundred people drowned. That's the bottom line," said von Heerden. He shouldn't have told me that. The professor was already in trouble for saying, publicly, that the levees around New Orleans were no good, too short, by 18". They couldn't stand up to a storm like Katrina. He said it months before Katrina hit - in a call to the White House, and later in the press.

So, even before Katrina, even before our interview, the professor was in hot water. Van Heerden was told by University officials that his complaints jeopardized funding from the Bush Administration. They tried to gag him. He didn't care: he ripped off the gag and spoke out.

It didn't matter to Bush, to the State, to the University, that van Heerden was right- devastatingly right. Exactly as van Heerden predicted, the levees could not stand up to the storm surge.

In 2006, I met van Heerden in his office at the University's hurricane center; a cubby filled with charts of the city under water. He's a soft-spoken, even-tempered man, given to understatement and academic reserve. But his words were hand grenades: the Bush White House did nothing about the levees, despite warning after warning.

Why? A hurricane is an Act of God. But a levee failure is an Act of Bush - of the federal government. Under the Flood Control Act of 1928, once the levees break, it's Washington's responsibility to save lives -- and to compensate the victims for lost homes and lost loved ones.

By telling me this, the professor had to know he was putting his job on the line. This week marks the fourth anniversary of the drowning of New Orleans.

Shakoor Aljuwani of the Rebuilding Lives Coalition reminds me it is also the fourth year of exile for more than half of the low-income Black residents who once lived in the Crescent City. In the Lower Ninth Ward, 81% have yet to return.

And it marks the end of Dr. van Heerden's career at LSU. They got him. Once the network cameras were turned away from New Orleans, as America and Anderson Cooper shifted attention to Brad and Angelina and other news, the University put an end to Dr. van Heerden. "In 2006 they started the nonsense - they stopped me from teaching. They tried last year to get faculty to vote me out."

His contract was not renewed; he was forced out too, dumped along with the chief of the Hurricane Center who led the academics who supported van Heerden's research. The Man Who Was Right was fired.

Cronies and Contracts

I did not seek out professor van Heerden about Bush's deadly silence. Rather, I'd come to LSU to ask him about a strange little company, "Innovative Emergency Management," a politically well-connected firm that, a year before the hurricane, had finagled a contract to plan the evacuation of New Orleans.

Innovative Emergency Management knew a lot about political contributions, but seemed to have zero experience in hurricane response planning. In fact, their "plan" for New Orleans called for evacuating the city by automobile. When Katrina hit, 127,000 wheel-less New Orleans folk were left to float out.

And van Heerden knew all about it. Well before the hurricane, I discovered, he'd pointed out flaws in the "Innovative" plan - and was threatened for the revelation by a state official. The same official later joined the payroll of Innovative Emergency Management.

When I asked the company, at their office, for a copy of the plan, they body-blocked our Democracy Now! camerawoman and called the cops.

Not everyone shared the harsh fate of van Heerden. Just this month, Innovative Emergency Management, the firm with the drive-for-your-life plan, was handed a fat contract by the State of Alabama to draft - you guessed it - a hurricane evacuation plan for Mobile.

The City That Care Forgot

After the flood, I filmed the uplifting story of Common Ground, the commune of Katrina survivors who, under the leadership of the community organizer Malik Rahim, rebuilt a shattered hulk of a building with their own sweat and donated materials. They housed 350 displaced families.

Since I broadcast that film in 2006, Rahim and the tenants were evicted by speculators who bought the building. Just before Christmas, elderly residents were carried out and dumped in the street, literally, by marshals. The speculators paid the families who build their new edifice not one dime.

We also filmed the story of Patricia Thomas, a woman fighting to return to her home in the beautiful Lafitte public housing project. Speculators have long lusted for this property on the edge of the French Quarter.

And now the speculators have it. Patricia's home, unscathed by Katrina, was nevertheless bulldozed. As Rahim puts it, "They wanted them poor niggers out of there and they ain't had no intention to allow it to be reopened to no poor niggers." Their plan succeeded. Patricia, homeless, died last year.

This Friday, take a moment to remember a courageous professor, an indefatigable activist and the refugee families who once lived in what was once called, "The City That Care Forgot."

Now, in 2009, you could call it the city that everyone forgot.

Part 2 tomorrow. A new warning; the next Katrina and Big Oil

For one week only, the International Humanities Center is offering, free of charge, a download of Greg Palast's investigative report for Democracy Now!, "Big Easy to Big Empty - the untold story of how the White House drowned New Orleans" at www.GregPalast.com.

Download the film or make a donation to support these investigations and get a copy signed by Palast atwww.gregpalast.com/bigeasy.

*********************

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Armed Madhouse.

Subscribe to Palast's podcast and follow Palast onTwitter.

Has Anyone Got A Not So Old Computer They Are Not Using?

Has Anyone Got A Not So Old Computer They Are Not Using?

STSSA is repairing ancient computers to get the word out to you all daily.
If anyone has a not so old computer they would like to donate, please contact us at savethesacredsites@gmail.com

Even a decent hard drive and power supply (700 or more watts), would help to keep us forward moving. We are functioning with what we got. But it does seem difficult at times to communicate with you all.
S'gi,
Dave

Has Anyone Got A Not So Old Computer They Are Not Using?

Sacred Land Film Project

Sacred Land Film Project
https://www.earthislandprojects.org/slfp/filmPurchase.html

Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues relating to the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues relating to the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/second_trustfund.html

Overview

2010 Call for Proposals

2009 Grants

2008 Grants

2007 Grants

2006 Grants

Overview

The Trust Fund for the Second Decade was established to promote, support and implement the objectives of the Decade. The Fund will give priority to projects concerning the main areas of the Second Decade: culture, education, health, human Rights, the environment and social and economic development. The Advisory Group for the Trust Fund for the Second Decade consists of members of the Permanent Forum’s Bureau.

Indigenous organizations or organizations working for indigenous peoples can apply for small grants from the Trust Fund. Guidelines to applicants for the Fund are available below.

It is expected that the Fund will mainly be used for small grants projects with a budget for up to 10,000 US$ covering one year’s expenses.

2010 Call for Proposals

The 2010 Call for applications for the Trust Fund on Indigenous Issues relating to the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People is open. Proposals will be accepted between 1 August 2009 and 1 November 2009.

Applications for Trust Fund grants will be accepted between 1 august 2009 and 1 November 2009. Applications are to be submitted to: indigenousfund@un.org during this time period. Applications submitted outside of this time period or to other email addresses will not be considered for funding. Applicants will receive an acknowledgment of receipt of proposal via email. However, due to the high volume of proposals received, the Secretariat of the UNPFII will not be able to respond to questions or requests from applicants. The proposals will be assessed in April 2010 and successful applicants will receive notice thereafter. A list of organizations awarded grants will also be posted on this website.

All applicants must submit their project proposals in accordance with the Trust Fund Grant Application Instructions, and must also submit a proposal summary sheet, in conformity with the instructions for filling out the summary sheet. Applicants should also review the Funding Guidelines for Activities Relating to the United Nations Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, which were amended in July 2008.

>>> Grant Application Instructions

>>> Summary Sheet for Grant Proposals (to be filled by applicants)

>>> Instructions for Completing the Summary Sheet for Grant Proposals

>>> Funding Guidelines For Activities Relating To The United Nations Second International Decade Of The World’s Indigenous People

Note to applicants: The Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues reserves the right to publish information on successful applications, such as the project name, implementing organization and grant amount, after grant agreements have been signed by the implementing organization and the Director of DSPD/DESA.

2009 Call for Proposals

On 14 to 15 May 2009, the Bureau of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, acting as the Advisory Group for the projects for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, met to consider project proposals received by the Secretariat for funding from the voluntary fund in accordance with General Assembly resolution 59/174 of 22 December 2004. On the basis of available funds, the Advisory Group proposed to award grants to 19 projects.

The following organizations were awarded grants:

Africa
• Women Environmental Conservation Project (WECOP), Uganda
• Social Economic and Development Group (SEDEG),Tanzania
• Kasese District Women with Disabilities (KADIWOD), Uganda
• Associacion Avenir NEPAD-Congo, Congo
• Nouveau Programme d’Activités pour le Développement Rural (NPADR/RDC), DR Congo
• Nainyoiye Community Development Organization (NCDO), Kenya

Asia
• Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Foundation, Thailand
• The International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests (IAITPTF), Thailand
• Society of Tribal Women for Development (STWFD), India
• Nagkakaisang Mga Tribu Ng Palawan (NATRIPAL, Inc.), Philippines
• Rural Health and Environment Development Trust – (RHEDT), India

Central and South America and the Caribbean
• Consejo de Ayllus y Markas de Cochabamba Suyu Sura Aransaya, Bolivia
• Comite Civico Pro Desarrollo de Puerto Estrella, Columbia
• Consejo Machiguenga del Rio Urubamba (COMARU), Peru
• Fundación Kalu Ibaky, Panama

Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia
• Kemero region NGO agency for the research and preservation of taiga - (Aist) Stork., Russia
• Inter-regional NGO "Ethnological information center "Luch", Russia

North America
• Traditional Native American Farmers Association, USA

Pacific
• Pacific Concerns Resource Centre Inc., Fiji

The Secretariat congratulates the awarded organizations and wishes them luck with their upcoming activities.

2008 Grants

On 17 to 18 April 2008, the Bureau of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, acting as the Advisory Group for the projects for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, met to consider project proposals received by the Secretariat for funding from the voluntary fund in accordance with General Assembly resolution 59/174 of 22 December 2004. On the basis of available funds, the Advisory Group proposed to award grants to 14 projects totaling $137,779.

The following organizations were awarded grants:

Africa
• Collectif de femmes du printemps noir (CFPN), Algeria
• Aube Nouvelle pour la Femme et le développement (ANFD), Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Action for Women and Awakening in Rural Environment (AWARE-UGANDA), Uganda

Asia
• China Association of Ethnic Economy (CAEE), China
• Himalayan Indigenous Women Network (HIWN), Nepal
• Community Action and Research for Development (CARD), India

Central and South America and the Caribbean
• Asociación de Autoridades Tradicionales Wayuu JEPIRA, Colombia
• Nación Jach’a Pakajaqi Regional La Paz, Calle Yacuma s/n El Alto, Bolivia
• Asociación Mapuche We Folil, Chile

Eastern Europe, Russian Federation, Central Asia and Transcaucasia
• Tomsk Regional non-profit organization legal and information center of the Indigenous People of the Northern Tomsk Region, “Kogolika”, Russian Federation
• International Development Fund for Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (BATANI), Russian Federation
• Novokuzuetsk town public organization “Shoria”, Russian Federation

North America
• Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism, United States

Pacific
• Te Runanga O Te Rarawa (TROTR), New Zealand

The Secretariat congratulates the awarded organizations and wishes them luck with their upcoming activities.

2007 Grants

Outcome of the 2007 application cycle
On 10 to 11 May 2007, the Bureau of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, acting as the Advisory Group for the Trust Fund for the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, met to consider the 78 projects proposals received by the Secretariat for funding in accordance with General Assembly resolution 59/174 of 22 December 2004. On the basis of available funds, the Advisory Group proposed to award grants to 20 projects totaling $181,843.

The following organizations were awarded:

Africa

• Cheng Development Youth Group, Kenya
• Imani Youth group, Kenya
• UNIPROBA (Unissions-nous pour la Promotion de Batwa), Burundi
• Mutualité des Volontaires Africains pour le Développement en Centrafrique
(MVAD), République Centrafrique
• Le Centre d’Accompagnement des Autochtones Pygmées et Minoritaires Vulnérables
(CAMV), Dem. Rep. Of Congo
• OCASDECO (Organisation Chrétienne pour l’Action Sociale et le Développement
Communautaire), Dem. Rep. of Congo

Asia

• Indigenous Peoples Development Services (IPDS), Bangladesh
• Ethnic Research Institute of Liangshan, P.R. China
• Samagra Grameena Ashram, Kaup (SGA), India
• Nagkakaisang Mga Tribu Ng Palawan (NATRIPAL, Inc.), Philippines
• Asia pacific indigenous Youth Network (APIYN), Philippines
• Organisasyon dagit Nukurapay nga Umili iti Siyudad (ORNUS-KADAMAY),
Philippines

Central and South America and the Caribbean

• Centros culturales Mapuche (C.C.M.), Chile
• Corporación para el desarollo social Causai (CORPOCAUSAI), Colombia
• Funcación 7 Monos, Colombia
• Fundación Cooperación y Desarollo (COYDES) y Centro Shuar Putuim, Ecuador
• ACCIES (Asociación Coordinadora de comunidades Indígenas de El Salvador, El
Salvador
• Casa Nativa Tampa Allqo, Peru

Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

• Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North (an interregional NGO),
Russian Federation
• Chin Human Rights Organization, Canada

The Secretariat congratulates the awarded organizations and wishes them luck with their upcoming activities.

2006 Grants

During the Advisory Group meeting in May 2006, regarding the Trust Fund for the Second Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, 136 project proposals were reviewed. Based on the Advisory Group’s recommendations 20 projects were selected to receive grants.

Most of the projects were awarded around 10,000 $ per project. Only two of the 20 projects were multi-year projects. Around 200,000 $ in total was allocated to projects benefiting indigenous peoples.

In selecting the projects, the Advisory Group carefully considered projects from the UN Permanent Forum’s seven diverse socio-cultural regions. Furthermore the Advisory Group considered whether the project could access other funding sources and whether the project was a capacity building opportunity for indigenous organizations. In order to provide as much support to indigenous peoples, the Advisory Group felt it was important to give priority to Indigenous Peoples Organizations as part of the empowerment process.

A total of 5 grants were awarded to African Indigenous Peoples Organizations, 7 grants to the Asian region, 5 grants were awarded to Central and South America and the Caribbean. Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus received 2 grants, and 1 was awarded to an organization in the Pacific region.

The Advisory Group gave priority to projects supporting the livelihood of indigenous women and youth and 6 projects were beneficial to these groups.

Some projects were beneficial for specific communities, while others supported indigenous peoples in general. Even though some projects were specific to a regional area, the experiences from the project could be a model for indigenous people world wide.

The selection of projects for funding was considered to be a success, based on their diversity of working areas and regions.

Theme of the Observance for 2009: "Indigenous Peoples and HIV/AIDS"

Theme of the Observance for 2009: "Indigenous Peoples and HIV/AIDS"

http://www.integranet.un.org/en/events/indigenous/2009/
"Indigenous peoples also tend to suffer from the low standards of health associated with poverty, malnutrition, environmental contamination and inadequate healthcare. With that in mind, this year’s observance of the International Day focuses on the threat of HIV/AIDS. It is essential that indigenous peoples have access to the information and infrastructure necessary for detection, treatment and protection."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People was observed this year at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday, 10 August 2009.

Organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in cooperation with the NGO Committee on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the theme of the observance at UN Headquarters was "Indigenous Peoples and HIV/AIDS".

The event included messages from the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, and the Chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. There were also performances by indigenous artists, and a panel discussion on "Indigenous Peoples and HIV/AIDS".

International Day of the World's Indigenous People, Aug. 9

International Day of the World's Indigenous People, Aug. 9
http://www.un.org/en/events/indigenous/2009/sgmessage.shtml
Secretary-General's Message

The world’s indigenous peoples – 370 million in 70 countries -- are the custodians of some of the most biologically diverse areas on earth. They speak a majority of the world’s languages, and their traditional knowledge, cultural diversity and sustainable ways of life make an invaluable contribution to the world’s common heritage.

The adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly in 2007 was a landmark in the struggle of indigenous peoples for justice, equal rights and development. There have also been recent welcome steps at the national level; some governments have apologized to indigenous peoples for past injustices, and others have advanced legislative and constitutional reforms.

Still, indigenous peoples remain some of the most marginalized populations, suffering disproportionately from poverty and inadequate access to education. Many face discrimination and racism on a daily basis. All too often, their languages face strictures or are threatened with extinction, while their territories are sacrificed for mining and deforestation.

Indigenous peoples also tend to suffer from the low standards of health associated with poverty, malnutrition, environmental contamination and inadequate healthcare. With that in mind, this year’s observance of the International Day focuses on the threat of HIV/AIDS. It is essential that indigenous peoples have access to the information and infrastructure necessary for detection, treatment and protection.

Insufficient progress in health, in particular, points to a persistent and profound gap in many countries between the formal recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights and the actual situation on the ground. On this International Day, I call on Governments and civil society to act with urgency and determination to close this implementation gap, in full partnership with indigenous peoples.

Ban Ki-moon

Preparing for Swine Flu's Return New Wave Expected After Virus Flourished in Southern Hemisphere

Preparing for Swine Flu's Return
New Wave Expected After Virus Flourished in Southern Hemisphere
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/09/AR2009080902447.html

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 10, 2009
As the first influenza pandemic in 41 years has spread during the Southern Hemisphere's winter over the past few months, the United States and other northern countries have been racing to prepare for a second wave of swine flu virus.

At the same time, international health authorities have become increasingly alarmed about the new virus's arrival in the poorest, least-prepared parts of the world.
While flu viruses are notoriously capricious, making any firm predictions impossible, a new round could hit the Northern Hemisphere within weeks and lead to major disruptions in schools, workplaces and hospitals, according to U.S. and international health officials.
"The virus is still around and ready to explode," said William Schaffner, an influenza expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who advises federal health officials. "We're potentially looking at a very big mess."

President Obama arrived in Mexico on Sunday for a two-day summit that will include discussions on swine flu, along with Mexico's drug wars, border security, immigration reform and economic recovery.
"Everyone recognizes that H1N1 is going to be a challenge for all of us, and there are people who are going to be getting sick in the fall and die," said John O. Brennan, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security. "The strategy and the effort on the part of the governments is to make sure we . . . collaborate to minimize the impact."
Since emerging last spring in Mexico, the virus, known as H1N1, has spread to at least 168 countries, causing more than 162,000 confirmed cases and playing a role in at least 1,154 deaths, including 436 in the United States.
Scientists have been closely monitoring the flu's spread for clues to how much of a threat it might pose this fall. So far, no signs have emerged that the virus has mutated into a more dangerous form. Most people who become infected seem to experience relatively mild illness.
Still, the virus has caused major outbreaks involving a disproportionate number of younger people in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and other countries, prompting schools to close, causing theaters to shut down, and straining some emergency rooms and intensive care units, sometimes forcing doctors to postpone other care, such as elective surgeries.
Swine flu has also begun to spread in South Africa, where at least two deaths have been reported; the national laboratory, meanwhile, was overwhelmed last week with samples that needed testing. In India, a 14-year-old girl became the first person to die from the disease in that densely populated nation.
In Britain, meanwhile, where anxiety was increasing because of high-profile cases including "Harry Potter" films actor Rupert Grint, health officials were trying to determine the cause of a sharp rise in reported cases in recent weeks.
"This is something that we could see here soon," said Arnold S. Monto, a University of Michigan infectious-disease expert who advises the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal health agencies. He noted that some emergency rooms were overwhelmed by last spring's outbreak in New York City. "We have to be worried about our ability to handle a surge of severe cases."
Concern about a second wave has prompted a flurry of activity by federal, state and local officials, including intensifying flu virus monitoring and making plans to distribute vaccine and antiviral drugs and other treatments if necessary.
"There's a lot of moving parts to this," said Joseph S. Bresee, who heads the CDC's influenza epidemiology and prevention branch. "Hopefully we won't have a panic, but instead we'll have the appropriate level of concern and response."
The Obama administration has been updating recommendations for when to close schools, what parents should do if their children get sick, how doctors should care for patients and how businesses should respond to large-scale absences. Officials are hoping to navigate a fine line, urging precautions to minimize spread, serious illness and deaths while avoiding undue alarm and misinformation.
"The last time we had anything similar to this was prior to the Internet," said one senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity last week during one of a series of background briefings for reporters.
A Gathering Storm
The virus could cause nothing more than a typical flu season for the Northern Hemisphere this winter. But many experts suspect the second wave could be more severe than an average flu season, which hospitalizes an estimated 200,000 Americans and contributes to 36,000 deaths. Because the virus is new, most people are not immune to it.
"This epidemic will transmit faster than usual, because the population is more susceptible," said Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health who has been helping the CDC project the severity of the upcoming wave. "It's fair to say there will be tens of millions of illnesses and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths. That's not atypical. It just depends on how many tens of thousands."
Perhaps more important, in every country where the virus has spread, it has continued to affect children and young adults much more commonly than typical flu viruses.
"In a pandemic where a greater fraction of illness and deaths occur in kids and young adults, that will be clearly noticeable to the public. There will be a sense that this is a greater severity of illness even if fewer people die overall," the CDC's Bresee said.
Most of those who have developed serious illness and died have had other health problems. But those include many common conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and obesity. Pregnant women appear to be especially at risk. And the virus can cause severe illness and death in otherwise healthy people in perhaps a third of cases.
The virus continued to simmer in the United States over the summer, causing more than 80 outbreaks in camps in more than 40 states. Officials estimate that more than 1 million Americans have been infected.
The number of cases could increase rapidly as soon as schools begin to reopen in the next few weeks and could accelerate further as cooler, drier temperatures return, possibly peaking in October.
That is much earlier than the usual flu season, and it could create confusion. People could start becoming sick with the swine flu before a vaccine is widely available and nonetheless be urged to get the regular seasonal flu vaccine, which will be available first. Because different groups are being given priority for the different vaccines, officials are concerned it could be difficult to make sure the right people get the vaccine at the right time to provide optimal protection. The elderly are a top priority for the seasonal vaccine, but not for the swine flu vaccine.
The first batches of swine flu vaccine are not expected to become available until mid-October, assuming studies indicate it is safe and effective. And officials have yet to answer many key questions, including how many doses will be needed. If it is two, as many suspect, it could take at least five weeks after the first shot before vaccinated people are fully protected.
Southern Hemisphere
In the Southern Hemisphere, which experiences winter during the Northern Hemisphere's summer, the swine flu virus caused a more intense and somewhat earlier flu season in some places. In Argentina, which was hit particularly hard, school breaks were extended and the economy suffered as people avoided restaurants, clubs and other public places.
"There was panic and I felt it, too," said Cristina Malaga, a maid in Buenos Aires who stayed home for a week in July out of fear. "I was scared. It is three buses to get to work and there were many people on those buses who are coughing."
At the Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, officials set up a trailer with specially outfitted examination rooms to help deal with the influx of sick people.
"The system did not collapse, because we prepared special units for outpatients and for inpatients," said Eduardo López, who heads the hospital's medical department.
Paula Morey, a housewife who lives in an affluent neighborhood in Buenos Aires, said she and friends stopped sharing the national tea, which is served in a communal gourd. Now, she said, they bring their own gourd. Morey also began cleaning her 4-year-old daughter's hands constantly and carrying a tube of disinfectant to dab on the moment she touches anything like a doorknob.
"She had to learn to take care of herself," Morey said.
Greater Concerns
The appearance of the virus in countries such as South Africa and India is raising concern that the pandemic could be devastating if it begins to sicken large numbers of people in places with fewer resources.
"These are countries with vulnerable populations and fragile health-care systems," said Nikki Shindo, acting head of the WHO's influenza program.
Indian doctors and health officials were scrambling last week to prepare for a sharp increase in cases. Despite well-run clinics for the wealthy, many of India's government health services are overcrowded, understaffed, chaotic and antiquated.
"If we start investigating every case of H1N1 virus, I think the government facility will not be able to cope with the rush," said Dharam Prakash, the Indian Medical Association's secretary general.
In Kenya, white-coated health workers have been passing out questionnaires at the Nairobi airport and putting up glossy posters about the virus on the walls of downtown cafes. False alarms about the virus have spawned a sense of panic in some places. When a health clinic in a Nairobi mall recently suspected a patient of being infected, word leaked out and soon shoppers were sending out text messages across the city warning people to stay away. The clinic was shut down for a day.
Northern Hemisphere
In Britain, chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said there were several possible explanations for that country's recent increase in cases, including London's role as an international transport hub. In an effort to relieve intense pressure on doctors, the government recently launched the National Pandemic Flu Service, a phone and Internet hotline that allows patients to diagnose themselves and prescribe their own drugs.
"It's changing the way people are responding," said Alan Hay, who directs the WHO's World Influenza Centre in London.
Meanwhile, health officials in Virginia, Maryland, the District and other localities said they have been preparing all summer for the swine flu's return, including making plans to set up special clinics to treat and vaccinate patients if necessary.
"We're doing a tremendous amount of contingency planning," said Frances Phillips, Maryland's deputy secretary for public health.
Although strains of the virus have emerged that are resistant to Tamiflu, one of two antiviral drugs effective in treating it, scientists say both drugs generally appear to continue to be effective. The U.S. government shipped 11 million doses of the drugs to states to add to the 23 million they already had on hand and bought an additional 13 million doses to replenish its supplies.
"There's only so much that can be done to get ready. Flu, like a hurricane, is a force of nature. You can't stop it. You can't make it less severe than it would be otherwise," said Eric Toner of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Biosecurity. "All you can do is try to be prepared to deal with the consequences."
The last flu pandemic, the 1968-69 Hong Kong flu, was the mildest of the 20th century, contributing to perhaps 1 million deaths worldwide, including about 34,000 in the United States. After emerging, many flu viruses continue to circulate for years, while others disappear or combine with other viruses.
Correspondents Juan Forero in Buenos Aires, Emily Wax in Mumbai and Stephanie McCrummen in Nairobi; special correspondent Karla Adam in London; and staff writer Cheryl W. Thompson in Guadalajara, Mexico, contributed to this report.

Chile Confirms Swine Flu In Turkeys

Chile Confirms Swine Flu In Turkeys
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/21/ap/latinamerica/main5257325.shtml
(AP) Swine flu has jumped to birds, possibly opening a whole new chapter in the global epidemic.

Chile's health ministry says it confirmed that the virus jumped from people to turkeys at two farms outside the city of Valparaiso. Authorities ordered a complete quarantine Friday and alerted the World Health Organization.

Some illness was suspected at the farms owned by the Sopraval company after egg production dropped this month. Samples were taken and confirmed Thursday to be the same influenza virus now circulating in humans around the world - a mixture of human, pig and bird genes.

Deputy health minister Jeannette Vega tells Chile's radio Cooperativa on Friday that the farms have been quarantined, and that turkeys remain safe to eat.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Swine Flu Test Authorized For Troops Overseas

Swine Flu Test Authorized For Troops Overseas
Food And Drug Administration Authorizes Emergency Use Of Swine Flu Test For Troops Overseas
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/25/ap/government/main5265608.shtml

(AP) The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it has authorized the emergency use of a swine flu test for U.S. troops overseas, allowing the military to speed up diagnoses and treatment of a virus that could cause widespread infections again this fall.

The FDA emergency authorization lets the Defense Department distribute the swine flu test to its qualified laboratories that have the right equipment and personnel to perform and interpret test results.

The authorization allows for the use of unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products during a public health emergency, the FDA said.

The FDA said the test will help to speed up diagnosis of H1N1 infections so that deployed troops can quickly begin treatment.

The announcement comes as the government is gearing up for the arrival of a vaccine. First supplies are likely by October but most not until the Thanksgiving season.

Since swine flu was declared to be a pandemic, or global outbreak, by the World Health Organization in June, and it is expected to make a strong return in the fall and winter. The WHO has said the virus has killed nearly 1,800 people worldwide.

A presidential advisory panel said in a report presented Monday that a "plausible scenario" for the United States later this year is large-scale swine flu infections, possibly with 30,000 to 90,000 deaths, mostly among young children and young adults, and perhaps as many as 300,000 sick enough to require intensive care unit treatment at hospitals.

Seasonal flu typically causes 30,000-40,000 annual deaths, mainly among people over 65.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hooded men slay 12 Awa Indians in Colombia

Hooded men slay 12 Awa Indians in Colombia

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article9867.ece

Hooded men in uniforms without insignias killed 12 members of the Awa indigenous group, including five children, on a reserve in a region plagued by the cocaine trade, authorities said.

Indigenous leaders said the killings took place on Wednesday at 5 am (local time) on the Gran Rosario reserve about 80 km inland from the Pacific port of Tumaco. The reserve has about 1,500 Awa.

The state governor, Antonio Navarro, said that the victims were all related. The attack killed five men, two women, two boys, two girls and a baby. He said two males, a 10-year-old and a 20-year-old, were wounded in the gunfire but fled and survived.

The identity of the killers was not immediately known.

In February, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels acknowledged killing eight Awa Indians at a different but nearby reservation for allegedly working as informants for the army.

The area is rife with coca plantations and illegal armed groups — leftist rebels as well as far-right militias — that process the leaf into cocaine and smuggle it out of Colombia, typically down rivers that are the region’s main highways.

Mr. Navarro said he could not remember a massacre of so many people in Narino state. He said the survivors described the killers as tall, fair-haired men with moustaches, ruling out local Indians.

Keywords: Awa indigenous group, slayed, columbia cocaine trade

Friday, August 28, 2009

Test

Thursday, August 27, 2009

PRAYER VIGIL

PRAYER VIGIL

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING OR HAVE NO HELP PAYING YOUR MEDICAL BILLS OR KNOW SOMEONE WHOSE STORY YOU WANT TO SHARE, COME SHARE WITH US, SING WITH US AND PRAY WITH US.

SMALLEST CHURCH IN AMERICA HWY 17 AT HARRIS NECK ON WEDNESDAY SEPT. 2ND AT 7:30 PM.

WE WILL BE TAKING PRAYER REQUESTS AND SHARING STORIES. WE DON’T WANT TO LEAVE YOU, YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS OUT.

QUESTIONS: CALL 832 2046 DAVE

ALL ARE WELCOME. NON PARTISAN. NON DENOMINATIONAL PRAYER. ALL PEOPLE ARE WELCOME.

NOTE: PASS ON IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO COME.

Navajo Nation soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan

Navajo Nation soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan
Posted by: "Shirl4116@aol.com" Shirl4116@aol.com shirl4116
Wed Aug 26, 2009 5:31 am (PDT)

Navajo Nation soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan
Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The _Navajo Nation_ (http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.navajo.org/)
is mourning the loss of Troy Orion Tom, a 21-year-old soldier who was
killed in Afghanistan last week.
Tom joined the _U.S. Army_
(http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.army.mil/) in June 2006 after finishing high school. "He was the nicest, the
kindest, son. He made everybody smile. He always had a smile on his face -
never, ever did he get mad. We're going to miss him very much," Carolyn Tom,
his mother, told the Associated Press.
Tom is the ninth Navajo soldier to die either Afghanistan or Iraq since
2004.
Get the Story:
_Navajo Soldier Killed in Afghanistan To Be Honored_
(http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/abqnewseeker-mainmenu-39/15031-7
10am-navajo-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan-to-be-honored.html) (The
Albuquerque Journal 8/25)
_Navajo soldier killed during Afghan tour _
(http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/08/22/Navajo_soldier_killed_dur
ing_Afghan_tour/) (AP 8/22)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

King: Life is bare bones on the Lakota reservation

King: Life is bare bones on the Lakota reservation
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html
By John King
CNN Chief National Correspondent

Editor's note: On CNN's "State of the Union," host and Chief National Correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country.

Tribal chairman Joseph Brings Plenty says he is thankful for stimulus money but a lot of needs are unfulfilled.
3 of 4

CHERRY CREEK, South Dakota (CNN) -- The tiny one-room house rests on a hill; no electricity and no running water. A creaky metal cot and a rusting wood-burning stove is all the comfort Herbert Hale says he needs.

"All it is is logs, glue -- dirt and water put together -- then cement and the chicken string," Hale says of his home. "Long as the windows don't break, it's nice and warm in here."

The roof leaks a bit, and the floorboards are rotted in one corner, but Hale isn't one to complain.

"It's home," he says, almost under his breath, as he invites a visitor to have a look.

Firewood is stacked in one corner inside, and more outside as Hale uses the summer months to stockpile for prairie winters, where 20 below zero is not all that uncommon.

He also pulls bunches of long weeds in the prairie grass, to dry for use as a firestarter.

"I have to be careful," Hale says matter-of-factly as he pulls a few fistfuls. "Sometimes there are some snakes. Rattlesnakes. Nothing to mess around with."

He is 54 years old, a veteran of two Army combat tours in Vietnam, a member of the Lakota tribe and part of two stunning statistics, even as communities across America deal with the pain and challenges of recession:

The unemployment rate on his reservation runs higher than 80 percent;
Ziebach County, where he lives, is the nation's poorest, with just shy of 56 percent of its residents below the poverty line. Poverty among children in the county eclipses a staggering 70 percent.
After the Army, Hale worked 16 years as a firefighter. But he began having some back problems in the early 1980s and then, "cancer caught up with me. I have a brain tumor."

He says he gets a check for just shy of $17 every week from a tribal welfare fund, and tries to find odd jobs to pay for his food and to help out a diabetic sister.

But there's a catch: Tiny Cherry Creek has no such jobs. There are one or two one-room homes like Hale's, but it is mostly a collection of a couple dozen simple modular homes provided by a federal and tribal housing program. It doesn't even have a gas station or general store.

So Hale heads out most days toward Eagle Butte -- 17 miles up one road and then 21 miles more up the next. A few more twists and, "It's about 42 to 43 miles, someplace around there."

Herbert Hale can't afford a car.

"Well, I take off, go to my sister's, then get some water and take off. Somebody along the way will pick me up."

Often, that somebody is Bryce In The Woods, a member of the tribal council whose district includes Cherry Creek.

"It is bad," he says of the area's economic plight, walking a visitor through the gravel streets where many residents, idle because of the lack of jobs, are sitting out front or shout out a greeting from inside their small homes.

To spend a day crossing the reservation is to see a place stunningly beautiful and seemingly forgotten all at once, small, poor communities tucked into the hollows of western South Dakota's Cheyenne River Reservation. The poverty is all the more striking because of the richness of the setting: green and golden rolling hills, roaming horses and cattle, and tall corn and golden sunflowers sprouting from the fertile soil.

"Ziebach County is the No. 1 county statistically with child poverty," he said. "Now that alone is generational, with the trauma of poverty and the broken family."

Breaking that cycle is Bryce In The Woods' obsession. He highlights a bright spot: A building in the community converted to a makeshift classroom and library where residents can get tutoring help and then take the GED --- the high school equivalency exam.

"It is so difficult," he says of the challenge facing younger reservation residents. "Some of our young people join the services, the armed services, some of them go to college or apply to college," Bryce In The Woods told us. "The majority, if they are staying here, end up moving to Rapid City or some of the bigger cities to try to find employment."

In Eagle Butte, the largest community on the reservation, a bustling construction site is a new source of pride.

A medical center is under construction, thanks to funding from the Obama administration's stimulus plan, and Bryce In The Woods says about 65 construction-related jobs so far have gone to tribal members.

"At this point I am very appreciative of what we have received," Joseph Brings Plenty, the elected tribal chairman, says when we ask if the stimulus funding is enough. "But as far as expectation, I can say no. There would be a lot more need to be fulfilled by the U.S. government for our tribe before I can say yes."

Outside, Brings Plenty's office is a "First Americans for Obama" sign -- a reminder the tribe was an early backer of Barack Obama. Brings Plenty says he hopes the president remembers.

"I can sympathize, empathize, with the demands, with the pressures that are on his shoulders, on his plate and put in front of him," Brings Plenty said during a break from a Tribal Council meeting.

The biggest help Obama and Congress could give, the chairman and others told us, is greater water rights. The tribe has money for more housing, but can't build because the water pressure is too low and its treatment systems too outdated to handle increased demand.

"I feel that we are forgotten because we don't have that voice out there," Chairman Brings Plenty said. "It's demoralizing in a way for some of our members that go out and receive an education and come back and are unable to get a job here."

To be clear, Chairman Brings Plenty and Bryce In the Woods say not all of the tribe's problems rest with the federal government.

Both mentioned obstacles and disagreements born of factional tribal politics and rivalries, which were in full evidence during just a few minutes of the Tribal Council's debate.

In The Woods is also a strong advocate for land reforms he says would get the tribe a better deal for grazing rights on its property.

Still, they would welcome more economic development help, from the state and from Washington, but say their voices don't always get heard, even in the best of times.

"When it comes down to a vote, a lot of the urban representatives, I don't think they really know the plight on the reservation," Bryce In the Woods said. "I think there is a stereotype out there that all tribes have casinos and that's not true."

Herbert Hale shrugs when asked if Washington has a responsibility to help his struggling community.

"I can't really say," he said quietly. "I'm not into politics to tell you the truth. I was when I was younger, back in the '80s."

Now, he lives the simplest of lives.

A few hours of work if he is lucky, and perhaps an hour or two collecting wood, even in the scorching August sun. The temperature neared 100 degrees on the day of our visit, yet Hale's wood stove was warm to the touch. Prairie mornings can still be chilly.

More important, memories of winter's past remind Hale of the value of his growing stockpile.

"Sometimes it's a long walk," he says. "Especially in February. Twenty below and I have to walk. Often no cars ... A few times I felt like falling asleep on the road. I told myself, 'Fall asleep, you're froze and you're gone.' I pushed myself to keep walking."

Once home, he has a battery-powered radio and uses a small kerosene lamp to pass time at night reading. He's extra careful because he recently broke its glass chimney, so the flame burns without protection from the winds that can pick up suddenly.

Herbert's worries are more immediate than whether the president or any other politician understands his plight. "They never stopped up here," he says."If they did, I wasn't home."

On the odd jobs in town, $1 here and $5 there adds up -- not too much, but his goals are modest.

"You know, take the trash out. I sweep the front. A few dollars a day wouldn't hurt. That's as good as you need. That's all I care about. One day at a time."

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

American Indian Movement Santa Barbara. (Prayer Request)

American Indian Movement Santa Barbara.

--------------------
Subject: Prayers for a relative....

Nothing is more painful for a parent than to watch thier child hurting,
please take a moment of your time and pray for this family-

James Toy is asking for PRAYERS for his family. His 12 yr. old son was in a SERIOUS car accident, and is in Critical condition. add to the PRAYERS for one of OUR CHILDREN. Thank you ...

for more information please contact Dawn Wright
dawnwright_64@hotmail.com

Tortured Logic

Tortured Logic. Please don't watch if you are sensitive to graphic descriptions.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Prayer Dates

Prayer Dates
In Co Operation with AIM SB, our organization will be praying from now through September 12th for the spirit of greed to be driven from planet earth and for Leonard Peltier's freedom, which if you get right down to it, he was imprisoned because of greedy folks who wanted to take over Pine Ridge Reservation.

Let's focus on getting rid of greed and raising people's awareness for compassion.
Love and Universal Compassion for all Creator's Creation.
S'gi,
dave

Just Peace: Canadian Healthcare System and its initiator Tommy Douglas

Just Peace: Canadian Healthcare System and its initiator Tommy Douglas
Just Peace
Mondays, 6pm - 7pm EST ----- WRFG 89.3 FM
http://www.wrfg.org/features/shows/shows-desc.asp?showid=36

This Monday on Just Peace, we welcome Canadian academics Hugh and Pat Armstrong who have written on the Canadian healthcare system. We will also talk briefly about the founding of the Canadian healthcare system and Tommy Douglas known as its creator and rated as one of the top ten of greatest in Canadian history. Below is his biography.

TOMMY DOUGLAS (rated one of the top ten Canadians)
Form the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) 2009

"My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea." - Tommy Douglas 1961.

For more than 50 years, his staunch devotion to social causes, rousing powers of speech and pugnacious charm made Tommy C. Douglas an unstoppable political force. From his first foray into public office politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's 'father of Medicare' stayed true to his socialist beliefs -- often at the cost of his own political fortune -- and earned himself the respect of millions of Canadians in the process.

The child of Scottish immigrants, Douglas spent his formative years in Winnipeg, Manitoba in a home where politics, philosophy and religion were side dishes at the dinner table. His father, a veteran of two wars, worked part-time in an iron foundry. When money was tight, Douglas and his two sisters had to drop in and out of school as they worked occasional jobs to help pay the bills.

His family's socialist leanings were solidified after Douglas was hospitalized at the age of 10. Due to a bone infection suffered four years earlier, Douglas's knee required several operations - none of which were successful.

Without the money to pay for a specialist, his parents were told that the only option was to amputate their son's leg before the infection spread to the rest of his body. But before that could happen, a visiting surgeon offered to operate on Douglas for free, as long as his students were allowed to attend. The surgery saved Douglas's leg - quite possibly his life - and would serve as his inspiration for his dream of universally accessible medical care.

Not long after this, Douglas would witness firsthand the violent end of Canada's first general strike on a day known as "Bloody Saturday". In the summer of 1919, a teenaged Douglas watched from a rooftop as officers fired on participants in the Winnipeg General Strike and killed two men. The forceful and violent end of the strike further mobilized his dedication to the working man.

During his youth, he tried many different occupations: amateur actor, boxer and apprentice printer. Douglas found his true calling in 1924 when he enrolled in a liberal arts college run by the Baptist church. It was here that he refined his notion of the "social gospel," a vision of religion-in-action that he would carry through his life. Following several post-graduation years working as a minister in Depression-era Saskatchewan, Douglas made the move to politics in 1935 when he was elected as an MP in the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, or CCF.

After nine years in the House of Commons polishing his fiery public-speaking talent, Douglas was elected the leader of the provincial CCF in Saskatchewan. With interest in socialism peaking in post-war Canada, the party won a landslide victory in 1944 and Douglas found himself an instant celebrity as the head of North America's first-ever socialist government.

Amid widespread skepticism, Premier Douglas mobilized aggressively, passing more than 100 bills during his first term. He introduced paved roads, sewage systems and power to most farmers and managed to reduce the provincial debt by $20 million. Over the next 18 years he weathered Communist fear campaigns and a province-wide doctor's strike. Elected to five terms, he introduced Saskatchewan residents to car insurance, labour reforms and his long-standing dream of universal Medicare.

But the years spent reforming his home province worked against him when he made his transition to national politics. By the time he was elected to the leadership of the newly formed national New Democratic Party in 1961, many provincial governments had already adopted many of his ideas, diluting his progressive luster. That, combined with a fervent anti-Medicare campaign by Saskatchewan's medical professionals, helped to deal him his first significant defeat in the 1961 federal election. The NDP won only 19 seats, and Douglas lost his cherished seat in Regina.

Douglas continued to promote his socialist policy through the 1960s, but never managed to secure the highest office in the land. The adoption of national Medicare and a pension plan by Lester B. Pearson's Liberals gave him hope.

He took his final and most controversial stand during the October Crisis of 1970, when he voted against the implementation of the War Measures Act in Quebec. The move was devastating to his popularity at the time, but he would be heralded years later for sticking by his principles of civil liberty.

He stepped down as leader in 1971 but he stayed on with the party. In 1979, he resigned his seat in Parliament and retired to a house in the Gatineau Hills just outside Ottawa, where he devoted himself to reforesting his land. He continued to make appearances at NDP functions where he gave his trademark speeches. Douglas died of cancer in 1986.

Tommy Douglas's legacy as a social policy innovator lives on. Social welfare, universal Medicare, old age pensions and mothers' allowances -- Douglas helped keep these ideas, and many more, watching as more established political parties eventually came to accept these once-radical ideas as their own.

Tune in and join the conversation! You can also listen on the web by going to our home page (http://www.wrfg.org/) and clicking on the "Listen Live" icon on the righthand side of the page. For more information about Just Peace, check outhttp://www.wrfg.org/features/shows/shows-desc.asp?showid=36.

--
Heather Gray
Co-producer, Just Peace
WRFG 89.3 FM
www.wrfg.org

More Public Affairs at WRFG....
€ On Monday, also tune in to WRFG’s Radio Free Activists at 12PM. Hosts Brian Sherman and Paris Hatcher will interview the author of book about experiences as a “woman of color” police officer in DeKalb County; discuss the upcoming Black Gay Pride events in Atlanta;[hopefully] share the coming week's action[s] in Atlanta opposing the coup in Honduras; and talk with a new staff member at Spark! Reproductive Justice Now

€ Today, August 23 WRFG’s Dianne Mathiewetz and Sobokwe Shakura along with others will report on their recent trip to Cuba from 3-5pm at Manuel's Tavern, corner of N. Highland and North Ave in the North Ave. room. Come hear about the ongoing challenge to the travel ban that restricts US citizens from freely going to Cuba; the gains of the Cuban revolution and the continuing impact of the economic blockade; the efforts to free the Cuban 5 from US prisons and more.

Everyone Please Read This, Pray and Pass It On

Everyone Please Read This And Pray
Friends and family,

We (The Save The Sacred Sites Alliance) have a new friend in Greece. And he sent us the message below what I have typed, this morning when I asked him about the fires in Greece. Greed is universal, not just the Republicans or Democrats who want to play footsie with health care while their fellow Americans die out here by being denied health care but in so many other areas. I know it's easy to get caught up in this type of thinking. So please understand this is not about finger pointing. That is why we are asking all Peoples to join world wide in prayer for the releasing of our planet and all our spirituality from the evils of greed.

Let's pick one day to pray for this. How about, September 1st, 2009? They have two Jesus' here in America, the one that is of compassion, and the one that is of greed.
The one of greed wants to distort the real one.
Let us pray in all our churches, sweat lodges, temples, mosques, synagogues, all spiritual ways that we will break the spirit of greed all over the world. And that all people will follow the spirit of compassion, instead of the spirit of greed. Some may not understand this request because they have heard and believed what some news has said that we don't need a socialist system.

This is not about labels. It's about humanity and compassion and giving people something to fall back on if the private insurance companies are infected with the spirit of greed. Even the atheists, we ask that you put positive thinking into the universe.

I know may will disagree with some things that I have said. But let's not focus on our differences this time. For just one day in our lives, let's focus on getting the spirit of greed out of control of our businesses, government, churches, temples, whatever.
Please pass this on all over the world.
We are just one group of people starting this. But my heart is right. And my intent is to free all people from the spirit of greed. We had no other purpose for sending this than we care about you all and the whole human race.

There is no right or left in love/ compassion. We have sent this to both right and left. In the hope that even if you can't openly support this, you can privately pray for the spirit of greed to be taken from its place of power. We are not here to lecture, but to love.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
S'gi,
Dave
You can contact us at:
savethesacredsites@gmail.com
or
www.myspace.com/..savethesacredsites

Kalimera (good morning in greek!)
Thank you for the friendship and your care!
I live in the center of athens and here we are ok and safe
but all around the town and also in other places in greece
big fires are causing serious damages to the environment and to people
You know?my appartment is near Lycabetus hill in the center of the city and the past few years many strange species of birds that used to live in the forests,are passing by
even step on my balcony,and try to find shelter in lycabetus hill or elswhere in the city!
My heart is in such pain for those innocent creatures including all animals and trees and the nature! and of course children and families...
and there is not much we can do....
we create chains of praying and sending possitive energy.............

and the worst of all is that those fires happen every year deliberately from
some people who want to burn the woods in order to built illegal buildings afterwards
and then (here comes the best part) the goverment will make them legal!!!!
Grece is such a beautiful country!
Unfortunately is in the mercy of a few monsters that don't care about anything apart
from money.................
i pray for their souls too
thank you again for your care and interest!
be well!
love
Fotini

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Honduras: Nat'l March Against the Coup 8/28

Honduras: Nat'l March Against the Coup 8/28
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=98128197&blogId=507025051

Greetings to All Our Relations and Earth People

Greetings to All Our Relations and Earth People http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=98128197&blogId=507021165

Reclaming Sacred Sites SATURDAY August 29th 2009 Please Forward To The World Historical Video

Reclaming Sacred Sites SATURDAY August 29th 2009 Please Forward To The World Historical Video
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=98128197&blogId=507019494

From Cynthia McKinney: Did The FBI Pay a "Journalist" in 2006 to Say That I Should Be Lynched on My Way to Vote?

From Cynthia McKinney: Did The FBI Pay a "Journalis..t" in 2006 to Say That I Should Be Lynched on My Way to Vote?

Friends,

I am in the Bay Area and rocking with the San Francisco Bay View newspaper. But something quite insidious is happening and I think you should know immediately how it involves my friends and me.

Hot on the heels of my learning that the Georgia Green Party might have been described by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist organiztion," it has just now come to my attention that a "journalist" who suggested that I be lynched was actually being paid by our own government to say that. Now, when I reported it to the FBI, how in the world was I to know that he was at that time on the FBI's payroll? Interesting that charges stem from his comments against Connecticut lawmakers and Illinois judges, but not from the threat made against me, a sitting Member of Congress at the time! I wonder why. To whom can I or any other innocent citizen turn when the government, itself, is the instigator?

John Judge, my Congressional staffer, is the one who reported the threat. Here is what John just wrote, along with the article that reports that Turner was on the FBI payroll at the time the threat was made against me, according to Turner's attorney. See the green highlights below:

John Judge wrote:
This is the guy who announced a program topic suggesting that Cynthia McKinney be lynched on her way to the polls to vote in 2006 and published her campaign office address on the website. He asked how she would look swinging at the end of a rope and what message it would send to other "uppity" Blacks. I called NJ Homeland Security and FBI at the time sincee related to it as a death threat. The FBI agent I spoke to said "We know all about Mr. Turner". Looks like they did. Now they say he was trained as an agent provocateur by the FBI to get others to participate in illegal acts. As Jim Garrison says in the movie JFK after interviewing Clay Shaw, "I think we got one". Here is an excerpt _ JJ

"Prosecutors have acknowledged that Turner was an informant who spied on radical right-wing organizations, but the defense has said Turner was not working for the FBI when he allegedly made threats against Connecticut legislators and wrote that three federal judges in Illinois deserved to die.

"*But if you compare anything that he did say when he was operating, there was no difference. No difference whatsoever,*" Orozco said."

Harold Charles "Hal" Turner is an American white nationalist andwhite supremacist from North Bergen, New Jersey. He was arrested in June 2009 over alleged threats to politicians, and is currently jailed without bail. Prior to Turner's arrest his program, The Hal Turner Show, was a webcast from his home once a week, and it depended on listener donations.

Turner promotes antisemitism (including the rounding up and killing ofJews)^[1], he opposes the existence of the state of Israel^[1] and he denies the Holocaust.^[2]

According to the Associated Press Hal Turner has exposed through his attorney that he worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an "agent provocateur" and "his job was basically to publish information which would cause other parties to act in a manner which would lead to their arrest" ^[3]

Threats against judges and political figures

^{You can find more info. on Hal Turner go to search engines, google.com or ixquick.com}

Attorney: FBI trained NJ blogger to incite others

By KATIE NELSON (AP) – 1 day ago

HARTFORD, Conn. — A New Jersey blogger facing charges in two states for allegedly making threats against lawmakers and judges was trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative, his attorney said Tuesday.

Hal Turner worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an "agent provocateur" and was taught by the agency "what he could say that wouldn't be crossing the line," defense attorney Michael Orozco said.

"His job was basically to publish information which would cause other parties to act in a manner which would lead to their arrest," Orozco said.

Prosecutors have acknowledged that Turner was an informant who spied on radical right-wing organizations, but the defense has said Turner was not working for the FBI when he allegedly made threats against Connecticut legislators and wrote that three federal judges in Illinois deserved to die.

"But if you compare anything that he did say when he was operating, there was no difference. No difference whatsoever," Orozco said.

Special Agent Ross Rice, a spokesman for the FBI in Chicago, said he would not comment on or even confirm Turner's relationship with the FBI.

Orozco spoke to reporters after a court hearing in Hartford on Tuesday. Turner, 47, of North Bergen, N.J., did not appear, because he is in federal custody in Illinois. His arraignment on the Connecticut charges was rescheduled to Oct. 19.

In June, Turner urged his readers to "take up arms" against Connecticut lawmakers and suggested government officials should "obey the Constitution or die," because he was angry over legislation — later withdrawn — that would have given lay members of Roman Catholic churches more control over their parish's finances.

He wrote in Internet postings the same month that the Illinois federal appeals judges "deserve to be killed" because they issued a ruling that upheld ordinances in Chicago and suburban Oak Park banning handguns. He included their photos and the room numbers of their chambers at the courthouse.

Orozco officially joined Turner's defense team in the Connecticut case on Tuesday, with approval from Superior Court Judge David Gold. Orozco said his Newark, N.J.-based firm has been representing Turner for the past five years, including during his FBI informant years.

Turner's Connecticut attorney, Matthew R. Potter, said it's too early to tell which trial will move forward first. Orozco said he plans First Amendment defenses in both cases.

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago, said the office would not comment on Orozco's statements.

--
http://www.livestream.com/..dignity
http://dignity.ning.com/
http://www.twitter.com/..dignityaction
http://www.myspace.com/..dignityaction
http://www.myspace.com/..runcynthiarun
http://www.twitter.com/..cynthiamckinney
http://www.facebook.com/..CynthiaMcKinney

FDA Issues Warning Letters to Marketers of Topical Ibuprofen Drug Products

FDA Issues Warning Letters to Marketers of Topical Ibuprofen Drug Products
Posted by: "Doria" dwhitlatch2@att.net doria53
Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:11 am (PDT)

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm179689.htm

FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: August 20, 2009
Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 301-796-4668,siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
FDA Issues Warning Letters to Marketers of Topical Ibuprofen Drug Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the agency issued warning letters to eight companies marketing unlawful over-the-counter (OTC) topical drug products containing the pain reliever ibuprofen.
The products, which contain ibuprofen in combination with a variety of other active ingredients and are marketed for pain relief, are unapproved new drugs that require an approved new drug application in order to be legally marketed. Under its OTC drug monograph system, the FDA allows some OTC drugs to be marketed without first obtaining agency approval. These drugs must comply with applicable monographs, that is, regulations that set requirements for the drugs' labeling, formulations, and indications. Ibuprofen is not included in any OTC drug monograph. Companies wishing to market OTC drugs that do not meet the monograph requirements can submit and receive approval of a new drug application.
“These companies have an obligation to the public to demonstrate to the FDA that their products are safe and effective, and they have failed to do so,” said Deborah M. Autor, director of the Office of Compliance at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Orally administered ibuprofen has been approved as a safe and effective treatment for pain and inflammation. There are no approved applications for topical ibuprofen products. Although the FDA has proposed to add orally administered ibuprofen to the applicable OTC monograph, it has never proposed that topical ibuprofen be added to any OTC monograph. Topical ibuprofen is often promoted as a “safer” alternative that can be used in place of oral ibuprofen because of certain side effects, such as stomach ulcers and cardiovascular effects that are associated with prolonged use of oral ibuprofen. However, these safety claims for topical ibuprofen have not been reviewed by the FDA, nor has the agency evaluated what side effects might be associated with such products.
The names of the products and manufacturers that received warning letters are:
Emuprofen (Progressive Emu, Inc.)
BioEntopic 15% Ibuprofen Crème (BioCentric Laboratories, Inc.)
Ibunex Topical Ibuprofen (Core Products International, Inc.)
LoPain AF 15% Ibuprofen Crème (Geromatrix Health Products)
IB-RELIEF (MEKT LLC)
Profen HP (Ridge Medical Products)
IbuPRO-10 Plus (Meditrend, Inc. dba Progena Professional Formulations)
IBU-RELIEF 12 (Wonder Laboratories)

The FDA warning letters advise the companies that they may not continue to market their products without FDA approval. The FDA is requesting a written response from the companies within 15 business days of receipt of the warning letters stating how they will correct these violations and prevent similar violations in the future.
The warning letters are available on FDA’s Web site at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2009/default.htm

Stone Pavers Stolen From Maupin Park Site

Stone Pavers Stolen From Maupin Park Site
Posted by: "Doria" dwhitlatch2@att.net doria53
Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:02 am (PDT)

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/onnnews/stories/2009/08/21/Stone_Pavers_Stolen.html?sid=102

Stone Pavers Stolen From Maupin Park Site

Friday, August 21, 2009 10:54 AM
BATAVIA, Ohio — Authorities accuse a man of stealing a truckload of stone pavers from a park site named for the southwest Ohio soldier who was captured in Iraq and later killed.

The Matt Maupin Welcome Pavilion was established at East Fork State Park, just east of Cincinnati, as a tribute to the slain soldier whose remains were found in Iraq in 2008.

Clermont County authorities say the cut stones were worth $822 and filled a pickup truck bed.

They say 26-year-old Francis Fille took the pavers to build a walkway around his home. He has pleaded not guilty and was allowed to remain free on his own recognizance.

He could face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500 if convicted of the theft charge.

May the Great Spirit,
Hold you in his loving arms,
And walk with you each and everyday!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

his Weeks Indigenous News, Issues & Prayer Requests

his Weeks Indigenous News, Issues & Prayer Requests
(Side note from Dave: Because of previous controversy with the group known as buffalo messengers and the man called Hawk. We will not repost anything about this issue that includes their input or web address or other links to them. I will instead ask for everyone to pray for these two Buffalo one black/ one white that even though the zoo is closing, someone who is a good person will help get them to the real Lakota People not fake impersonaters who abuse Lakota traditions. Anyone who really wants to help get these babies to those who will give them respect, email marcie (catehokte@hotmail.com ).

This Weeks Indigenous News, Issues & Prayer Requests

In memory of Stephanie M. Schwartz

Stephanie M. Schwartz
January 17, 1947 - August 17, 2009

We just received the sad message that our dear friend and colleague Stehanie
M. Schwartz has passed away.

Stephanie was a writer, poet, journalist (member of the Native American
Journalists Association - NAJA), editor, and the president of the Link
Center Foundation.

Stephanie worked as a counselor, lecturer, and mediator between cultural
traditions for 13 years. She was a volunteer to the World Peace and Prayer
Day non-profit organization and Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota,
Nakota, and Dakota from 1999 to 2003.
She was also an author and webmaster for websites relating to indigenous
traditional cultures, information, and charitable activities, such as Wambli
Ho / Voice of the Eagle; Miracle's Website; He Ska Tokala Sobriety Society,
for Thurman Horse, Lakota Artist, the Kanasita Foundation, and for Chief
Arvol Looking Horse.
She was a member of the Board of Advisors for Native Village Publications --
an award-winning internet Native American educational and news non-profit
resource; a volunteer for Dreamkeepers, an organization promoting the
recording and publishing of indigenous wisdoms from around the world;
founded by writer/journalist Harvey Arden.
Stephanie Schwartz was a contributing author to national and international
news organizations such as Country Road Chronicles, Native American Times,
Lakota-Dakota Journal, Well Nations Magazine, Namaste Magazine, Sacred Hoop
Magazine, and more.
www.silvrdrach.homestead.com/

She also volunteered for winter holiday toy drives for the Porcupine
District of the Pine Ridge Reservation since 2002. These toy drives were
originally initiated by Wambli Ho News and the He Ska Tokala Sobriety
Society and are currently continued by the Kanasita Foundation. And a
volunteer for heat and utility assistance program for the Elders of the
Lakota Reservations of South Dakota sponsored by the Link Center Foundation
since 2005.
www.LinkCenterFoundation.org

Stephanie was a volunteer editor for indigenous writers and elders.

And Steph was one of the VIPs who signed the International Peltier Forum
letter to braise awareness to Leonard Peltier's case.
http://users.skynet.be/kola/vip522.html

Her contributions to the Lakota people have been plentiful and
compassionate. Stephanie kept us all aware of what was going on in Lakota
country. Her articles were eye-openers to many, and a constant reminder to
all of us of the struggles Lakota people still face today.

Stephanie M. Schwartz was a true gem. It was a real honour knowing her and
working with her. She will be missed and remembered.

Els Herten
coordinator KOLA / IPF

And Who Will Cry

Dedicated to my adoptive brother, Tiblo Kangi Sapa, my friend, Wanbli
Cikala, and others your world has lost....

Warriors don't cry
So they say
Be strong
Mourn not, grieve not

Yet who will cry
Who will shed the water
To feed the spirit
And heal the people

Keen and wail
Tatter the clothes
Cut the hair
Sing the pain to the stars

Sound of power
Carrying aloft the soul
While tears soft and loud
Nourish those left behind

Warriors don't cry
A fallacy
Earth mothers know the strength
Female Warriors cry

by Stephanie M. Schwartz
© March 3, 2004
Brighton, Colorado

for more poetry by Steph, please visit
http://fiveminutes.homestead.com/AndWhoWillCry.html

-----

Teresa Anahuy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews

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Update on DQ University- Northern California

For those that might not know, DQ is the only Tribal College in California. It has a long history of chaos, yet under the right people, with the right Board, there is so much that this school could accomplish by helping our people and making a huge impact in our community-

Please take the time to review the information and sign the petition;
your voice counts and is necessary to save this College

For more information on this please see/speak/email Quanah Brightman
with United Native Americans

AIM SB
____________________________________

From Quanah Brightman:

***Current DQU Board of Trustees' Chair Margaret Hoaglen Assaulting Community February 16 2008 ***
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbWrfPClvTs

Please SIGN Our On-Line PETITION For a NEW Board of Trustees' For DQ-University

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.thepetitionsite.com/1/demand-attorney-general-jerry-brown-name-a-new-competent-board-of-trustees-for-d-q-university

Re-open California's only tribal college, D-Q University

D-Q University was occupied in 1970, becoming the first inter-tribal collaboration which addressed the lack of structural unity among First Nations of North America. It opened its doors with a purpose to serve all indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. D-Q is a place for international peace, wisdom and understanding. It is here that we can preserve and share with the World our cultures, traditions and heritage, without interference or dominance from the Western Colonial Establishment.
With 643 acres of land, D-Q U provides one of the few spaces in North America for all tribes to bring and share their ceremonies. Indigenous Perma culture (ancient traditional native farming), renewable energy such as bio-diesel fuels, solar technology, wind power, along with land and animal restoration are key components of the mission of D-Q University. Due to growing world wars, a black hole economy, and unprecedented environmental disasters, we as Natives, have taken initiative in confronting assimilation and absorption of Western policies.

Over the years D-Q U has been the victim of embezzlement, fraud, and abuse from the corrupted Board of Trustees while the youth bear the burden of consequences. Direct action must be taken against the Board of Trustees to be held accountable for their crimes.

Since 2005, D-Q University's Board of Trustees have failed to hold a structure that can deliver progressive results towards maintaining any place of education. They annually receive $52,000 from a land lease agreement from the Yolo County Board of Supervisor's Chairman Duane Chamberlain. While serving as Board members, under their "leadership" the campus has now been condemned and is currently a fire hazard being overgrown with dry brush with no water or electricity.
Due to the fact that the members of the Board have proven their lack of knowledge, skills and abilities to run a university, as well as its long list of failing the school by losing its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, spending endowment money meant for student scholarships, doing nothing to hire teachers and re-start classes, losing federal funding and not applying to get it back, and not securing student records, library holdings, and collections of the university, this Board has repeatedly demonstrated incompetence to the point of malfeasance. Individual board members have unlawfully exercised powers, committed fraud, abused the community and the students that the university was intended to serve, and misappropriated and converted funds donated for the use of the university to their own personal use.

We, the people, are asking Jerry Brown, Attorney General for the State of California, to dismiss the current D-QU Board of Trustees and appoint, with the support of the community, a new Board of Trustees, one that is properly educated and motivated to reopen D-Q U.
We further request that Attorney General Brown act in support of the Quo Warranto Complaint filed in California Superior Court for Yolo County seeking redress in these matters.

We Encourage The Indigenous Community To Demand Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr name a new competent Board of Trustees for D-Q University. Please Write & or Call Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr and Voice Your Concern For The One & Only Tribal College In California DQ-University.
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.thepetitionsite.com/1/demand-attorney-general-jerry-brown-name-a-new-competent-board-of-trustees-for-d-q-university

http://www.facebook.com/l/;ag.ca.gov/contact.php
Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr
Attorney General’s Office, Department of Justice.
Mailing Address
Attorney General’s Office California Department of Justice Attn: Public Inquiry Unit P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Service On The Attorney General
Information for the service of court filings on the Attorney General
Public Records Act Requests
Contact the PRA Ombudsman
For questions regarding the Department of Justice contact:
Public Inquiry Unit
Voice Pleae Call Between The Hours of 9AM-12:00PM or 1PM-4PM West Coast Time (Pacific): (916) 322-3360 or (Toll-free in California) (800) 952-5225 Fax: (916) 323-5341
California Relay Service:
(For Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Callers) TTY/TDD Dial 711 or English: TTY/TDD (800) 735-2929 Spanish: TTY/TDD (800) 855-3000 Voice: (800) 735-2922

DQU Talking Circle Video Updates
Videos Posted by Tony Bautista
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lein2eKUpvg

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.youtube.com/watch?v=GObGQ8MV92A

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zBngzFmuWQ

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe7koy64lVI

On Face Book
QUANAH PARKER BRIGHTMAN AT DQU TALKING CIRCLE
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=1092555279332&ref=mf

DQU TALKING CIRCLE
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=1093264857071

DQU TALKING CIRCLE PART FOUR
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/video/video.php?v=1093275497337
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Indian women meet at wellness gathering
Posted by: "Shirl4116@aol.com" Shirl4116@aol.com shirl4116
Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:29 am (PDT)

Indian women meet at wellness gathering
Monday, August 17, 2009

About 125 women met on the Soboba Reservation in California over the
weekend or the third annual Native Womens Wellness Conference.
The conference focused on healthy relationships, sobriety and domestic
violence. Speakers said American Indian and Alaska Native women are more likely
to be sexually assaulted than any other racial or ethnic group.
"And we are the least protected by laws," said Wendy Schlater, a member of
the _La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians_
(http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.lajollaindians.com/) , The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.
The event was hosted by the Luiseño Native Women of Soboba, Riverside and
San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc. and the _Soboba Band of Luiseño
Indians_ (http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.soboba-nsn.gov/) .
Get the Story:
_Native American conference 'is about the togetherness of women' _
(http://64.38.12.138/my.asp?url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_L
ocal_S_health17.45cf17b.html) (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 8/17)

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Harrison Helkrow sent a message to the members of "Red Power Movement" (RPM).

Subject: Looking 6 New Admins

"Looking for members of Red Power Movement that have the same Beliefs all Values that I have as far as Native Pride and Keeping the Circle Strong took post on the Wall or Message me on my Friends list to become a New Admin for our Red Power Movement.. I am looking for 6 Admins to help with the running of the Group. You must be able to help maintain our Movement, by posting Things of Value such as Updates of what is currently happening in Native Communities as well as Help our other members with info and questions they may have Regarding our new changes. *The Red Power Movement is Starting to Spread in other Places then on FB. This movement is real and is ready to make our circle stronger for our people and our communities."

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1194562260691&mid=f690c9G47867ceeG64717dG0

___
Find people from your Gmail address book on Facebook! Go to: http://www.facebook.com/find-friends/?ref=email

This message was intended forsavethesacredsites@gmail.com Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:
http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?notifications&md=bXNnO2Zyb209MTIxNjgwMTQxMzt0PTExOTQ1NjIyNjA2OTE7dG89MTE5OTk5NjE0Mg==&mid=f690c9G47867ceeG64717dG0
Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304
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Native Film Night in Middletown CT
On October 22nd there will be a a screening of Dance Me Outside & four short
films by local Native filmmakers. See below for more information, or cantact
me with questions: Stephanie Elliott, selliott@wesleyan.edu

Troy Phillips, Nipmuc filmmaker, will be our guest speaker.

October 22nd at 7PM
Wesleyan University Center for Film Studies - 301 Washington Terrace,
Middletown, CT

Dance Me Outside
Silas Crow (Ryan Black) and Frank Fencepost (Adam Beach) are two average 18
year olds who live on a reservation in Northern Ontariotheir futures and love lives. Their community is shocked by the murder of
one of their friends by a drunken punk. When he gets out of jail, Silas and
Frank plan revenge, leading to an unexpected outcome. Dance Me Outside
entertains from start to finish, with plenty of humor, mystery, and romance.
Based on the stories of W.P. Kinsella.

These Walls Are My Reservation
by Troy Phillips (Nipmuc)
As a child, an urban Indian did not know what being an Indian meant.
Filmmaker¹s Statement: ³This was an opportunity to tell a story that I
haven¹t seen on TV or in film about being an urban Indian. You hear about0Areservation Indians, or stories of our ancestors, but I wanted to tell the
story of what it was like to be raised as an urban Indian. As a child, it
was always a struggle for me because I¹d always seen Indians on TV, and that
wasn¹t what my life was like. It was an awakening for me to learn our
traditions from my family and teachers as I¹ve grown older. Now I¹ve become
a teacher myself, so I want to get the story out.²

Casino Indian
by Rebecca Perry Levy (Eastern Woodland Pequot)
For one woman, the opening of the Foxwoods casino in CT brought the promise
of economic independence.
Filmmakers Statement: ³I hope this short film will dispel myths about casino
Indians and see me as a real person instead of a mythological entity.
There¹s a misrepresentation that one, we¹re not real Indians, and two, that
because we have a casino we have a lot of money and life is perfect.²

Survivor
by Bruce Curliss (Nipmuc)
A 13th generation survivor reflects on the path his tribe and his ancestors
traveled to bring him where he is today.
Filmmaker¹s Statement: ³For me this was a stepping off point to create a
community dialogue and to encourage community involvement. My ultimate goal
is to get other people to step up to tell the same story from their own
perspective. That¹s what will really complete this idea of telling a
community story.²

Hope for Bigger than 16 Seconds
by Keely Curliss (Nipmuc)
A teenager remembers her childhood dream of a vi
brant Nipmuc tribe
reclaiming a sacred mountain.
Filmmaker¹s Statement: ³For the Nipmuc people, my message is to get their
act together for the youth. It¹s important to preserve the things that make
us unique. For non-Natives, I¹d like this to be a learning experience, so
you might learn a bit about tribes you may not have heard of.²

# # #

Stephanie Elliott
Publicist
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane
Middletown, CT 06459
selliott@wesleyan.edu
www.wesleyan.edu/wespress
phone: 860-685-7723
fax: 860-685-7712
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USDA releases $1M for tribal food assistance
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Department of Agriculture announced the release of $1 million for tribes that participate in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDIPR).
The money comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of $5 million has been allocated for Indian Country.
"It is imperative that people in the United States have access to safe and nutritious food, and through the Recovery Act, we're investing resources to enhance the availability of food on Indian Reservations and tribal lands," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press release. "The Obama administration is committed to increasing the health and nutrition of people throughout the country, and these Recovery Act investments will help further that goal."
Tribes use the program to provide food to low-income households on and near reservations. Nearly 100,000 individuals receive a monthly FDPIR food package, according to the USDA.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
H.R.1 | S.1

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Below is the tentative schedule for Show #3 of AIM TV- found at Santa Barbara Channels, Public Access Television, channel 17

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.sbchannels.tv/khxc/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=display&ref=17_Schedule

This episode is on the candlelight vigil for Leonard Peltier held at the Santa Barbara Couthouse on Monday July 27th, 2009, Featuring Kathy Peltier and other guest speakers.

We want to thank all of you that came and shared with us, it was a very special evening.

As of yet, we have not received any information or updates regarding the outcome his parole hearing. We will update on our website (http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.aimsb.org), Myspace and Face Book, once we receive word.

As always our prayers and positive thoughts go out to his family, friends and all his supporters.

AIM TV #3 “Peltier”
08/20/09 Thursday 11:30 pm
08/23/09 Sunday 9:30 am
08/23/09 Sunday 5:00 pm
08/30/09 Wednesday 5:30 pm

SEPTEMBER
09/02/09 Wednesday 5:30pm
09/06/09 Sunday 9:30am
09/09/09 Wednesday 5:30pm
09/13/09 Sunday 9:30am
09/16/09 Wednesday 5:30pm
09/20/09 Sunday 9:30am
09/23/09 Wednesday 5:30am

Hope you can all catch the show! If you do, please do us a favor and send us your comments at aimsb@ymail.com

Youtubes will be up soon for all of you that live out of the area, or have some kind of satellite system where you don’t get public access.

More information on Leonard Peltier
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.freepeltiernow.org/welcome.htm

Special thanks to the Fund for Santa Barbara, SB Channels crew & staff
Kathy Peltier, Anne Begay, Graywolf, Danza Caulteoc, Marcus Lopez, Pilulaw Khus, Eagle Bear, Jackson Sierra and the rest of the AIM SB crew.

In the Spirit of Resistance,
AIM SB
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CherokeeLink Newsletter
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=newsletter&Date=8/20/2009

AOL - 8/20/2009 Newsletter
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Justice Department Announces Details for Tribal Nations Listening Conference

WASHINGTON, Aug 20, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The Justice Department today announced the dates of the 2009 Tribal Nations Listening Conference to be led by Attorney General Eric Holder. Prior to the Listening Conference, the Department will also convene two working sessions with tribal leaders and experts in law enforcement to be led by Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden and Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli:

-- Working Session #1: Aug. 25-26 in Seattle, Wash.

-- Working Session #2: Sept. 21-22 in Albuquerque, N.M.

-- Listening Conference: Oct 28-29 Minneapolis, Minn..

All sessions will be closed to press, however the principles will be available for media inquiries following each event.

The Listening Conference is part of an ongoing Justice Department initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on tribal justice in Indian Country. It will allow top Department officials to confer with tribal leaders on how to address the chronic problems of public safety in Indian Country and other important issues affecting tribal communities. The working sessions will include Department component leaders and tribal experts in relevant areas to begin a dialogue on a range of important issues including, law enforcement policy and personnel; communications and consultation; grants and technical assistance; detention facilities; federal prosecution in Indian country; tribal court development; domestic violence; drug courts and substance abuse; federal litigation involving tribes; and civil rights.

In 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno convened the only other National Listening Conference, sponsored jointly with the Department of the Interior, which led to numerous initiatives, including major funding for tribal police, jails and courts.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

http://www.USDOJ.gov

In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
www.NDNnews.com
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com

PROTECT BEAR BUTTE!

"Providing news and information about Native American Issues & Causes"
"Helping to make a difference for our people in Indian Country, one day at a time. What will you do today to help make a difference?"

"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?" ......excerpt from One Nation, One Land, One People by Tamra Brennan, 2006

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Memorial Info for Steph Schwartz
f you haven’t had an opportunity to sign our online memorial guestbook for Steph, please visit http://stephanie-schwartz.gonetoosoon.org

Memorial for Stephanie M. Schwartz

January 17, 1947 - August 17, 2009

Sunday, August 23, 2009 : 1:00 p.m.

Boulder Lodge, Boulder Colorado

Ceremony led by Lakota elder David Swallow, Jr.

Monday, August 24, 2009, 11:00 a.m.

Graveside Ceremony

Riverside Cemetery, Denver, CO

In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
www.NDNnews.com
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com

PROTECT BEAR BUTTE!

"Providing news and information about Native American Issues & Causes"
"Helping to make a difference for our people in Indian Country, one day at a time. What will you do today to help make a difference?"

"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?" ......excerpt from One Nation, One Land, One People by Tamra Brennan, 2006

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Cherokee Phoenix Weekly Newsletter

http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/35/newsletter.aspx

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Parole Denied for Leonard

LEONARD PELTIER DENIED PAROLE - NEXT HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 2024

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley says imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier has once again been denied parole.

Wrigley says the next scheduled hearing for Peltier is 2024, when Peltier would be 79 years old. Peltier is serving two life sentences for the execution-style deaths of FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams during a June 26, 1975, standoff on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He was convicted in Fargo, N.D., in 1977. He has claimed the FBI framed him, which the agency denies, and unsuccessfully appealed his conviction numerous times.

Peltier had a full parole hearing for the first time in 15 years last month at the Lewisburg, Pa., federal prison where he is being held. Defense attorney Eric Seitz declined comment on the U.S. Parole Commission decision Friday, saying the Justice Department had not informed him.
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