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Last month, Tom Delay was convicted by a 
Next week, Baltimore State’s
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US Congress blocks Guantanamo closure 23 Dec 2010 US lawmakers have effectively blocked President Barack Obama's efforts to close the controversial terror prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by approving a Pentagon budge that forbids spending money on the move. Both the House and Senate Wednesday approved a 725.9-billion-dollar defense spending plan for the fiscal year that began October 1, 2010. Included in the bill is language that makes it virtually impossible to close the prison by building a substitute prison or relocating prisoners to the United States.
Scare for President Obama after man leads police on high-speed chase through security checkpoint near Hawaii holiday home 24 Dec 2010 President Obama was involved in a security scare after a man led police officers on a high-speed chase through a security checkpoint near his Hawaii holiday home. Secret Service agents sprinted towards the man's pickup truck and pointed a gun at the driver as he attempted to evade police. He was arrested a short time later and the incident was not thought to be related to the President's visit to Kailua.
Wikileaks Mirror Taken Down: Host Buckles Under Demands from Upstream Provider By Marcia Hofmann 22 Dec 2010 Recently we heard from a user who mirrored the [WikiLeaks] Cablegate documents on his website. His hosting provider SiteGround suspended his account, claiming that he "severely" violated the SiteGround Terms of Use andAcceptable Use Policy. SiteGround explained that it had gotten a complaint from an upstream provider, SoftLayer, and had taken action "in order to prevent any further issues caused by the illegal activity."
Assange challenges suggestions of extradition 24 Dec 2010 Julian Assange has told the Guardian newspaper he doesn't believe Britain will deport him to the United States. Dismissing a threat from the US government, he said if he were to be sent to America he could be killed in the same way as Lee Harvey Oswald; "Jack Ruby style." The WikiLeaks founder said it would be politically impossible for Britain to extradite him to the United States on espionage charges as he had strong public support from the UK public.
Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning's health 'declining'24 Dec 2010 The only person to visit Wikileaks suspect Pte Bradley Manning in custody other than his lawyer says his health has declined in the past four months. Pte Manning, a US soldier, is being held in solitary confinement in a high-security military prison at Quantico marine base, Virginia. US journalist David House, who has been visiting him since September, told the BBC World Service he looked "frazzled".
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Official Statement from Salish Elders Regarding Kiesha Crowther
"The Culture and Elders Committee of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation protect the intangible cultural resources of the tribes including language, songs, stories etc.
"No tribal Elders or elders have met with nor do they condone the claims and actions made by Kiesha Crowther.
"She is not their 'shaman', she has no right to claim this title and the Elders and elders of CSKT of the Flathead Reservation would like her to cease and desist immediately from making such false claims that erode the traditions that members of the CSKT Culture and Elders Committee are trying to preserve."
The posting of this statement came with the permission and urging of the Salish elders. Anyone doubting this message's authenticity can contact the Flathead Reservation.
Video by an Oglala woman that includes the statement juxtaposed with Crowther speaking her claims. http://www.facebook.
Prophet's conference
Ms. Crowther is scheduled to present workshops on
Saturday, Feb 26th, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM and again and Tuesday, March 1st, from 1:00 to 3:30 PM.
Kiesha Crowther is scheduled to appear at "The Prophets Conference"http://www.
Where: Palm Springs, California
When: Friday, February 25th 2011 - Tuesday, March 1st 2011.
The costs for attending the workshops for Ms. Crowther are $85.00 for Saturday, and $100.00 for Tuesday. The price for the entire conference is $295.00
This is an opportunity to voice opposition to the exploitative activities of Kiesha Crowther, AKA "Little Grandmother" by calling or emailing and requesting that they terminate their association with Ms. Crowther.
Phone: US and Canada (1) 505-796-4023
UK (44) 020 8123
Email: prophets@http://www.facebook.
In communicating with the organizers of this event, is very important to be firm but reasonable and polite in tone. It's possible the organizers have no idea Crowther is a fraud. It's possible they will be willing to cancel her appearance if given the truth.
Stick to the facts. Point out her false and hurtful claims (repeated in the linked flyer for the event) of having been "made shaman of the Sioux and Salish tribes", and the statements from the Salish and Kootenai tribes disavowing any knowledge of, or association with her.
Point out her appropriation of Native American cultural imagery , i.e. the use of the pipe, her manner of dress and the language she uses.
Insist that they terminate Ms. Crowther's engagement, and inform them if they refuse to do so that there WILL be people on site to peacefully protest her during the event.
DO NOT: Engage in threats of disruptive behavior or violence, name calling, or accusations that are not supported by evidence.
if we work together we can do it- nothing is impossible
This is a grassroots effort. A number of groups and individuals are co-ordinating this action. Please share with your friends and networks of people who oppose racist cultural misappropriation. Stop the pretendians!
From Ben Carnes
http://www.facebook.com/home.
Prophet's conference
Kiesha Crowther is scheduled to appear at "The Prophets Conference"http://www.
Where: Palm Springs, California
When: Friday, February 25th 2011 - Tuesday, March 1st 2011.
Here is the contact information for the Convention Center where it will be hosted!
Palm Springs Convention Center
277 N Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs CA 92262
Toll Free: 800-333-7535
Phone: 760-325-6611
James Canfield
Executive Director
P: 760-322-8400
F: 760-778-4102
jcanfield@palmspringscc.com
Also here is some info on the local paper to call.
The Desert Sun
http://www.facebook.com/l/
• Main number (760) 322-8889
Ms. Crowther is scheduled to present workshops on Saturday, Feb 26th, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM and again on Tuesday, March 1st, from 1:00 to 3:30 PM.
The costs for attending the workshops for Ms. Crowther are $85.00 for Saturday, and $100.00 for Tuesday. The price for the entire conference is $295.00
This is an opportunity to voice opposition to the exploitative activities of Kiesha Crowther, AKA "Little Grandmother" by calling or emailing and requesting that they terminate their association with Ms. Crowther.
In communicating with the organizers of this event, is very important to be firm but reasonable and polite in tone. It's possible the organizers have no idea Crowther is a fraud. It's possible they will be willing to cancel her appearance if given the truth.
Stick to the facts. Point out her false and hurtful claims (repeated in the linked flyer for the event) of having been "made shaman of the Sioux and Salish tribes", and the statements from the Salish and Kootenai tribes disavowing any knowledge of, or association with her.
Point out her appropriation of Native American cultural imagery , i.e. the use of the pipe, her manner of dress and the language she uses.
Insist that they terminate Ms. Crowther's engagement, and inform them if they refuse to do so that there WILL be people on site to peacefully protest her during the event.
DO NOT: Engage in threats of disruptive behavior or violence, name calling, or accusations that are not supported by evidence.
Official Statement from Salish Elders Regarding Kiesha Crowther
"The Culture and Elders Committee of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation protect the intangible cultural resources of the tribes including language, songs, stories etc.
"No tribal Elders or elders have met with nor do they condone the claims and actions made by Kiesha Crowther.
"She is not their 'shaman', she has no right to claim this title and the Elders and elders of CSKT of the Flathead Reservation would like her to cease and desist immediately from making such false claims that erode the traditions that members of the CSKT Culture and Elders Committee are trying to preserve."
The posting of this statement came with the permission and urging of the Salish elders. Anyone doubting this message's authenticity can contact the Flathead Reservation.
Video by an Oglala woman that includes the statement juxtaposed with Crowther speaking her http://www.facebook.com/l/
( I know that I have quite a few people tagged here, and I sympathize with what it will do with your inbox so feel free to untag yourself, but help to get the word out.
If you have questions, post them at http://www.facebook.com/
______________________________
People are calling and emailing the Convention center numbers. Mostly the Executive Director, but others on the contact page, too.
Palm Springs Convention Center
277 N Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs CA 92262
Toll Free: 800-333-7535
Phone: 760-325-6611
James Canfield
Executive Director
P: 760-322-8400
F: 760-778-4102
jcanfield@palmspringscc.com
http://www.facebook.com/l/
This is an example of the kind of dealers we are dealing with – they do not care for their own people, much less a poor innocent animal. We are deeply saddened by this, but they will see that Duane Martin will not back down until his people are safe from these forms of oppression and genocide.
Duane's dog was poisoned yesterday, hamburger laced w/ anti-freeze. Let everyone know, to show Duane some love, and his dog some respect. Duane lived alone with his dog, it meant a lot to him, was just 6 mo. old, a puppy. Also, if anyone can, I am sure that he has vet a vet bill. I think the dogs name was Small Guy died around 4:30 this AM.
Blockade to take place on December 31st from 1:00PM to 11:00PM: The following is a message from Strong Heart
Friday, December 31 • 1:00pm - 11:30pm
White Clay Nebraska
United Urban Warrior Society / A.I.M.---"Black Hills" S.D.
United Urban Warrior Society / A.I.M. Black Hills chapter will "again Unite" with Duane Martin Sr. and Strong Heart Warrior Society in the struggle against the poison (alcohol) being sold to Pine Ridge residents..I will also post a Video ...... Please come and stand with us in unity " Drugs and Alcohol are killing our people" This is not part of our Lakota ways.
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For The HTML Format of the Newsletter:
(Having Problems With The Links? Try this version instead.)http://www.cherokee.
AOL - http://www.cherokee.org/
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Osiyo,
Students! You're never too young for a New Year's Resolution. If yours include becoming more healthy and fit, why not consider applying to participate in the "Remember The Removal" bike ride scheduled for the summer of 2011. Find out more here: http://www.
Wanna be a Rock Star? You just might get your chance! Cherokee Nation Entertainment (CNE) is accepting applications through Jan. 7, 2011 for aspiring musicians to play in an all-Cherokee band. If your interested polish up your best guitar licks, drum rolls and bass runs, then read the story here: http://www.cherokee.org/
Wado! (Thank you)
Cherokee Nation
P.O.Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465
918 453-5000
communications@cherokee.org
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***Cherokee Nation News***
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Cherokee Nation 911 Operator Delivers Holiday Baby: 12/23/2010
(C) Cherokee Nation
As a Cherokee Nation emergency medical technician, Danai Cole always hoped she would be involved in the delivery of a new baby. However, when Cole became a dispatcher for the tribe’s 911 service she didn’t think much about needing her medic training to assist in that effort. However, that changed recently when Cole received an urgent 911 call from a very anxious caller who was in transit to W.W. Hastings Hospital with a mother-to-be. The labor was farther along than expected and the baby decided to wait no longer.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Sequoyah Schools Students Earn National Math Award: 12/21/2010 10:49:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
More than one-third of Sequoyah Schools’ total student body has qualified for nomination for a national math award for their outstanding performance in high school mathematics. To be eligible for nomination for the official United States Achievement Academy Scholarship Foundation National Mathematics Awards, students must have a 3.0 grade point average in their math class, show mathematics skills and aptitude, demonstrate an attitude of cooperation, leadership, dependability, enthusiasm, responsibility, and have a desire to learn and improve.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation to Offer Money Management Workshop: 12/21/2010 9:09:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is offering a money management workshop throughout the month of January in various locations.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
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**** Other Links of Interest ****
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Games - http://www.cherokee.org/
Community Calendar - http://www.cherokee.org/
RSS Feed - http://rss.cherokee.org
Podcasts - http://podcasts.cherokee.org
E-Cards - http://ecards.cherokee.org
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**** Cultural Tidbits ****
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In 1825, the Cherokee government established the right to ownership of improvements, but not actual real estate. However, improvements could not be sold to white people.
For Immediate Release
December 30: Issaquah, Washington
Analysis and Commentary by Two Eagles (Perry Chesnut)
Secretary of State, Modoc Nation
State Department White Paper Contradicts Obama’s Statements at Tribal Nations Conference –
Shows U.S. Endorsement of UNDRIP Really Means Politics and Business as Usual
On December 16, 2010, President Obama met with more than 300 tribal leaders at Blair House for the second White House Tribal Nations Conference. In his opening remarks (transcript issued by the White House Office of the Press Secretary), the President surprised almost everyone by announcing that the United States is changing the position it has held since September of 2007 concerning the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – from a position of outright rejection to a position of “lending its support to this declaration.” The President’s announcement was met with tremendous applause. Camera flashes filled the room, and hundreds of participants captured the moment by video on their cell phones.
It is worthwhile to read the actual words the President spoke just following this announcement, worthwhile because they raised the hopes and aspirations of not only the conference participants but also all Native Americans who have heard or seen the media reports that the U.S. has changed its position and will now support UNDRIP. But sadly, as I shall point out below, the President’s promises and platitudes may turn out to be nothing more than just empty talk. First, the President’s words from the point at which he announced support for UNDRIP:
“And as you know, in April, we announced that we were reviewing our position on the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And today I can announce that the United States is lending its support to this declaration. (Applause.)
The aspirations it affirms -- including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures of Native peoples -- are one we must always seek to fulfill. And we’re releasing a more detailed statement about U.S. support for the declaration and our ongoing work in Indian Country. But I want to be clear: What matters far more than words -- what matters far more than any resolution or declaration -– are actions to match those words. And that’s what this conference is about. (Applause.) That’s what this conference is about. That’s the standard I expect my administration to be held to.
So we’re making progress. We’re moving forward. And what I hope is that we are seeing a turning point in the relationship between our nations. The truth is, for a long time, Native Americans were implicitly told that they had a choice to make. By virtue of the longstanding failure to tackle wrenching problems in Indian Country, it seemed as though you had to either abandon your heritage or accept a lesser lot in life; that there was no way to be a successful part of America and a proud Native American.
But we know this is a false choice. To accept it is to believe that we can’t and won’t do better. And I don’t accept that. I know there is not a single person in this room who accepts that either. We know that, ultimately, this is not just a matter of legislation, not just a matter of policy. It’s a matter of whether we’re going to live up to our basic values. It’s a matter of upholding an ideal that has always defined who we are as Americans. E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.
That’s why we’re here. That’s what we’re called to do. And I’m confident that if we keep up our efforts, that if we continue to work together, that we will live up to the simple motto and we will achieve a brighter future for the First Americans and for all Americans.”
President Obama wants to be clear: “What matters far more than words . . . are actions to match those words,” and action is the standard to which he expects his administration to be held. He derides the “false choice” that previous administrations have given Native Americans - that “you either had to abandon your heritage or accept a lesser lot in life,” and he rejects outright the basis of that false choice – the belief “that we can’t and won’t do better.” In perhaps the finest words of all he said: “We know that, ultimately, this is not just a matter of legislation, not just a matter of policy. It’s a matter of whether we’re going to live up to our basic values. It’s a matter of upholding an ideal that has always defined who we are as Americans. E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.”
The problem with the motto “Out of many, one” is that it reminds indigenous peoples of the dark and unrelenting history of eradication that has been the policy (at times stated but mostly unstated) of the United States concerning the indigenous peoples who inhabited this land for millennia before there even was a United States. The motto reminds us of genocide, at first by slaughter and, continuing even today, by assimilation. Of course, the President did not have this in mind when he said it; he meant it in the most positive sense.
However, within hours of the President’s remarks, the U.S. State Department issued its 15-page white paper titled “Announcement of U.S. Support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - Initiatives to Promote the Government-to-Government Relationship & Improve the Lives of Indigenous Peoples.” (see attached .pdf file if the following link does not work U.S. State Department’s statement about U.S. support for UNDRIP) This document, not the President’s fine words, reflect the real position of the United States on the extent to which it has changed its position on and is willing to support UNDRIP. And folks, it isn’t good. It is so cleverly written that one commentator (Rudolph Ryser, writing for the Fourth World Eye, a publication of the Center for World Indigenous Studies) referred to it as “verbal sleight of hand.”
Let’s take a look at how the U.S. State Department, indeed, the entire Executive Branch of government, intends to “support” UNDRIP by lip service alone.
U.S. State Department position: UNDRIP unnecessary to protect rights of Native Americans
The white paper issued by the State Department fleshing out the details of the U.S. endorsement of UNDRIP is really quite disappointing. Largely a laundry list of everything the federal government has done for the indigenous people of this country over the last two years, its primary message can be boiled down to: “We’re already doing all these wonderful things to help out the native peoples that live in our country, so U.S. endorsement of UNDRIP is unnecessary. But since we want to continue in our role as the leader of the free world, and the United States always stands up for what is right, we’ll go ahead and endorse it anyway.” This conclusion is all but confirmed when one reads the fine print of the article and finds that the United States government’s application and implementation of UNDRIP will be limited largely to already existing federally recognized tribes and be carried out within the framework of existing US and state law. In other words, even though the United States is “endorsing” UNDRIP, it sees no need to alter any of its laws or policies pertaining to the indigenous peoples within its national boundaries and jurisdiction. In fact, the State Department says the United States should serve as a “model” to the rest of the world in this regard.
Application of UNDRIP will not include all indigenous peoples but be limited to members of “federally recognized tribes”
The language of UNDRIP refers to indigenous peoples, not “tribes” and especially not “federally recognized” tribes. The very use of these terms greatly narrows the scope of the United States’ endorsement of UNDRIP, perhaps leaving out more indigenous people than it includes. The whole point of UNDRIP and the thirty years of work put in by thousands of indigenous people from around the world that resulted in UNDRIP was to have nation-states acknowledge the inadequacies of their existing laws and policies with respect to their indigenous populations and to set out a framework of principles upon which changes to those existing laws and policies should be based. It is this acknowledgment and change that UNDRIP seeks to achieve in order to protect the rights of indigenous peoples around the world.
While the Administration claims that it will support UNDRIP, there are three major foundational concepts that the State Department claims to support, but when the language in which they are discussed is closely examined, the United States’ support turns out to be verbal “sleight of hand” in which the three concepts are really rejected. First is the right of indigenous peoples to freely determine their political status; second is the right of indigenous peoples to have their treaties with the Federal and state governments recognized and honored; and third is the right of “free, prior and informed consent.”
US endorsement rejects UNDRIP’s right of indigenous peoples to “freely determine their political status”
With respect to this all important element of the right to self-determination, the State Department states:
“The United States is therefore pleased to support the Declaration’s call to promote the development of a new and distinct international concept of self-determination specific to indigenous peoples. The Declaration’s call is to promote the development of a concept of self-determination for indigenous peoples that is different from the existing right of self-determination in international law.” (emphasis added)
This language is a complete misstatement of UNDRIP’s position on the concept of self-determination. There simply is no language or provision in UNDRIP that can be interpreted as calling for the development of a “new and distinct international concept of self determination specific to indigenous peoples.” Not only does UNDRIP not promote the development of a concept of self-determination for indigenous peoples that is different from the existing right of self-determination in international law, it actually seeks to encourage nation-states to adhere to the concept of self determination under international law when dealing with indigenous peoples. The sixteenth perambulatory clause of UNDRIP reads as follows:
“Acknowledging that the Charter of the United Nations, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, affirm the fundamental importance of the right to self-determination of all peoples, by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,” (emphasis added)
And yet, the State Department goes on to state:
“For the United States, the Declaration’s concept of self-determination is consistent with the United States’ existing recognition of, and relationship with, federally recognized tribes as political entities that have inherent sovereign powers of self-governance.”
Stated quite simply, the United States will continue to deny indigenous peoples within its national boundaries the right to “freely determine their political status.” Their political status will be determined by the United States government, and, furthermore, the State Department has the arrogance to assert that this policy is consistent with UNDRIP’s concept of self-determination. On December 18, 2010, Rudolph Ryser, writing for the Fourth World Eye, a publication of the Center for World Indigenous Studies, described the position of the United States on this issue very well:
“The US government has held fast to the idea that the right to choose one’s political status must be limited for indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples domestically and presumably internationally must be held in perpetual tutelage under the control of each states’ government–even if a state government demands fealty through force of violence. . . Freely choosing a political status is the most basic of concepts built into the principle of self-determination. Without that right, there is no “self-determination.” The US position is to essentially nullify the right of indigenous peoples to freely make decisions about how they will organize as a political community.” (http://cwis.org/publications/
US endorsement ignores UNDRIP’s obligation of nation-states to honor their treaties with indigenous peoples
One of the most galling aspects of the 200-year relationship between the United States and the native nations, tribes and bands it continues to dominate is the long and continuing practice of the U.S. government in breaching or simply ignoring the many treaties it has signed with Native American peoples. UNDRIP addresses this directly in its 8th, 14th and 15th perambulatory paragraphs and sets forth the right in Article 37:
“Article 37
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements concluded with States or their successors and to have States honour and respect such treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.
2. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as diminishing or eliminating the rights of indigenous peoples contained in treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements.”
Incredibly, this critical issue is not even discussed in the State Department’s white paper. In fact the word “treaties” appears only twice, both times in the same paragraph, in which the State Department lauds the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for consulting with “Northwest treaty tribes” regarding the designation of critical habitat and with four other unnamed tribes regarding their “ocean treaty fishing rights for groundfish in conjunction with the Pacific Fishery Management Council process.” While we all are grateful for the rare occasions in which the U.S. government “consults” with us, it is laughable that the Obama Administration has announced its “support” of UNDRIP without even addressing the issue of honoring treaties, one of the bedrock elements of UNDRIP. Apparently, this Administration, like its predecessors, continues to view treaties with native nations, tribes and bands as documents that have no real force of law and, therefore, are subject to being breached or abrogated whenever it is convenient for the U.S. government to do so. In fact, the Supreme Court enshrined this practice and made it “legal” when it invented by interpretation the “plenary powers of Congress” doctrine (see Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, 187 U.S. 553, 23. S. Ct. 216, 47 L. Ed. 299 (1903)). So, we now see that this Administration plans to make no change with respect to its recognition, observance or enforcement of treaties it has struck with indigenous peoples. Rather than come right out and say that, however, the State Department has just ignored the issue entirely.
US endorsement rejects UNDRIP’s right of indigenous peoples to “free, prior and informed consent”
Articles 10, 11, 19, 28 and 32 of UNDRIP require that before certain actions are taken by the federal, state or local governments that would affect indigenous peoples, their lands or resources, traditional way of life, or other cultural or spiritual values or concerns, the government must obtain such a people’s “free, prior and informed consent.” This means before starting work on any project, or even in some instances removing indigenous people from their lands to another location, the government must inform and consult with the leaders of the affected native nation, tribe or band, in good faith and without any elements of coercion, and obtain their consent. No consent, no project – it’s as simple as that. However, here is what the State Department says about the endorsement and implementation of this right in UNDRIP:
“In this regard, the United States recognizes the significance of the Declaration’s provisions on free, prior and informed consent, which the United States understands to call for a process of meaningful consultation with tribal leaders, but not necessarily the agreement of those leaders, before the actions addressed in those consultations are taken.” (emphasis added)
As stated by Rudolf Ryser (cited above): “In other words, the United States may dictate actions and policies that affect the lives and property of indigenous peoples without their consent, but they may be informed. That is a position utterly inconsistent with the concept of “free, prior and informed consent.”
Summary: The U.S. endorsement of UNDRIP means “business as usual” for Native Americans
The bottom line result of the Obama Administration’s so-called “change” in position is really no change at all. At best, it is a “conditional” endorsement of UNDRIP, one which essentially allows the United States to ignore any provision of UNDRIP under any circumstance which would require a substantive change in US law or policy. Its greatest achievement does not benefit the indigenous peoples of the United States. Rather, it allows the United States to come in from the cold spotlight under which it has shivered since September 2007 as the last of the four pariah nations to have opposed UNDRIP without having to commit to changing any of its laws or policies that are detrimental to the indigenous peoples that live within its borders. At best, the Administration’s “change in position” allowing the United States to endorse UNDRIP entirely misses the point. At worst, it is a cynical move in the game of international politics that signifies nothing for the indigenous peoples of this country but “business as usual.”
As always, the burden of bringing about real change, “change you can believe in” will fall upon the native nations, tribes and bands of this country. No messianic figure, much less President Obama, is going to announce legislative and policy changes that will restore or secure the federal government’s recognition of our sovereignty and our concomitant right to freely determine our political status and freely pursue our economic, social and cultural development. If we want a brighter future for us and our children, a future filled with freedom to choose and opportunity to achieve, we shall have to seize it with our own hands. It will not be given to us. We shall have to do the hard work over the long haul.
Two Eagles (Perry Chesnut)
Secretary of State, Modoc Nation
P.O. Box 2232
Issaquah, WA 98027-0100
425-770-7345 pchesnut@
A Note on the Modoc Nation’s interest in and work done with respect to UNDRIP
On November 20, 2008, the Modoc People issued its Declaration of the Rights of the Free and Sovereign People of the Modoc Indian Tribe (Mowatocknie Maklaksûm), the first and, to our knowledge, still the only such declaration modeled on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to be issued by any native nation, tribe or band in North America. In the exercise of these rights, we came together as a unique indigenous people and tribe in the Lava Beds National Monument on June 19th 2010 and unanimously ratified our first modern constitution and elected our initial government. On July 15, 2010, in response to the U.S. State Department’s call for consultations with federally recognized Indian tribes, our new government sent Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, the response of the Modoc People. In this response, we summarized the history of the Modoc People’s relationship with the despotic and corrupt Klamath Tribal government and why that 146-year history of our subjugation and abuse has led to our decision to dissolve all political allegiance and ties to the government of the Klamath Tribes. We stated that unless the United States changed its position on whether to endorse UNDRIP, the Modoc Nation and People’s struggle for self-determination through self-government would be considerably more difficult. We concluded by stating, “… the Modoc people, organized as the Modoc Nation (formerly Modoc Tribe), hereby respectfully request that the United States government reverse its position on UNDRIP and adopt its provisions without limitation or modification.” (emphasis added)
Rally for Sisters in Spirit!
The Canadian government of whatever party rule, never fails to do the wrong thing when it comes to helping Indigenous. Their solution is more policing and fewer restraints on police. How does that help us??
This event in Ottawa is weeks away so be sure to mark your new 2011 calendar. Meanwhile, letters to the deaf officials need to be sent in a huge flood. Forward and post far and wide. A ruckus must be made loud and clear before we are all swept under the carpet.
Kittoh
This link has loads more articles besides the 2 included here.
http://parkavenuegazette.com/
2011: NEW YEAR ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL:
Day of Justice:
Rally for Sisters in Spirit!
· Public event February 14 2011
Monday, 14 February 2011 · 12:00 NOON to 10 pm
Location Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON
By Irkar Beljaars, Maya Khamala Rolbin-Ghanie, Bridget Tolley
Come out and show support for the survival of the Native Women's Association of Canada's (NWAC) unprecedented Sisters in Spirit campaign (SIS), which, since it's inception in 2004, has worked to raise awareness about violence against Native women and girls in Canada--namely, those who have gone missing or been murdered.
SIS not only compiled a data base for over 583 cases of missing and murdered Native women in five years time, but SIS also identified key patterns integral to understanding the systemic nature of the violence. Media neglect or racial bias, police racism or negligence, victimization of Native women by the Justice system and government apathy coupled with enforcement of cycles of poverty for Native communities, are some causes; to name a few causes of this massive problem in some context which is visible as patterning. In a relatively short period of time, SIS also managed to raise the profile of the issue in the media and in the minds of the population at large, while providing indispensable support to the families of victims and creating a cross-country network.
This October 86 communities organized the 5th annual memorial Sisters in Spirit March and Vigil, including one in Nicaragua. (See our page on the Montreal March also -ed, jb)
In spite of this progress, and the ongoing collection of new data (indeed, grassroots groups have put the number of missing and murdered women much closer to 2000), the government has held SIS in funding limbo for the past 8 months. Ever since the release of Canada's 2010 budget back in March, when $10 million was promised to 'address the issue of missing and murdered Native women', the money had not materialized.
It wasn't until November 2010 that the government finally made the announcement that confirmed the worst fears of many activists, organizers and even opposition MPs: the money would not go to fund SIS research. It would instead fulfill the government's new idea of safety for women, and include requirements for enhanced police power . . . amendments to the Criminal Code to allow police to wiretap without warrants in emergencies and obtain multiple warrants on a single application.
This will not only increase the likelihood of criminalization of women, Native communities, and other vulnerable sectors of the population, but will be expected to operate without the backbone of research and data collection. Add to this the historical and ongoing relationship of distrust between many Native communities and police, who are themselves implicated in a number of documented violent altercations with Native women.
Gladys Tolley, for instance, was killed by the Quebec Provincial Police in 2001 and no one was ever brought to justice. Her daughter Bridget Tolley has pushed for an independent investigation for years and was recently refused. (Montreal activists must take an eye-oopening second look at this case. -ed. jb)
ENOUGH is ENOUGH!! We will not stand for the continued stripping down of First Nations programs essential to the physical safety and mental and emotional health of Native women and Native communities, as we have seen earlier this same year with the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and First Nations University.
RALLY FOR JUSTICE on February 14th. SHOW YOUR LOVE!
(Keep posted for bus schedules from Montreal)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
MUST-READ article by Jorge Barrera:
Moon setting on Sisters in Spirit?
By Jorge Barrera
APTN National News
The Conservative government is opposing the use of the name Sisters in Spirit and any work on a groundbreaking database on murdered and missing Aboriginal women cases if the Native Women’s Association of Canada expects to receive any funding for new projects on the issue, sources say.
The Conservative government has been slowly 'smothering' the Sisters in Spirit project which is responsible for bringing to national attention the hundreds of 'shocking' cases of murdered and missing Indigenous women, sources familiar with the file say.
During discussions around a new Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) project on mudered and missing women, Status of Women Canada officials have said rules around the funding’s source programme prevented the use of government money from research and policy work. They have asked that funding proposals not include the name Sisters in Spirit or any plans to use the money for the database, sources say.
A spokeswoman for Status of Women said they were still awaiting the proposal. Nanci-Jean Waugh, however, said she could not immediately answer questions on whether the department had imposed conditions on new funding.
Politically, it appears the Conservatives have now turned the page on Sisters in Spirit.
“That project was finished. Don’t mix apples and oranges,” said Conservative MP Shelly Glover, parliamentary secretary for Indian Affairs. “That project was finished, now we’re working with them to pursue other projects.”
Only last Friday, Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose singled out Sisters in Spirit during the government’s long-awaited $10 million announcement on a national strategy to deal with murdered and missing women cases.
“The journey truly began with an initiative called Sisters in Spirit that was led by the Native Women’s Association of Canada,” said Ambrose, during the announcement in Vancouver. “The association has undertaken an incredible amount of research . . . and they have brought to light the shocking extent of these horrendous acts of violence.”
The Oct. 29 announcement highlighted the creation of a new police support center for missing persons, along with promised amendments to the Criminal Code to allow police to wiretap without warrants in emergencies and obtain multiple warrants on a single application. It also promised funding for community-based projects on violence against Indigenous women and enhancing the cultural sensitivity of victim’s services.
It was criticized by some front-line workers, victims’ families, academics and opposition politicians over its lack of focus on Indigenous women and its emphasis on giving more money and power to police.
NWAC, however, publicly endorsed the strategy and the Conservatives have since invoked the 35-year-old organization’s name as a shield against criticism of the announcement.
Yet, over several months, the government had been quietly squeezing Sisters in Spirit, which was created under NWAC’s umbrella by the previous Liberal government in 2005. The Liberals committed $5 million over five years to the project.
The project was the catalyst that thrust the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women into the public consciousness. Its meticulous research into now nearly 600 cases broke new ground in a realm that had been previously ignored. Its national database became the first of its kind in Canada in its scope and detail.
Sisters in Spirit has received recognition from human rights organizations like Amnesty International. Police agencies and provincial governments have approached the project’s staff to share information.
Sisters in Spirit was also recently approached by police in British Columbia and government officials to become involved in the recently announced inquiry into police work around serial killer Robert Pickton’s case and a parallel process to culminate in a summit focusing on violence faced by Indigenous women.
The “slow smothering” of Sisters in Spirit began last December when former status of women minister Helena Guergis, after 'fighting tooth and nail,' failed to convince the rest of the Stephen Harper cabinet to renew funding for the project, according to sources.
The future of Sisters in Spirit was put in limbo.
The government committed $10 million over two years in its 2010 federal budget “to address the disturbingly high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women.”
The money, however, would not go to Sisters in Spirit.
With its funding running out at the end of March, the Status of Women department stepped in to provide $500,000 in funding to keep the project’s work going.
Sisters in Spirit then released a report that confirmed 582 cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women up to March 31 and a second project was put into the works called “Sisters in Spirit, evidence to action.”
Department officials eventually said new money had been found but it would come from an existing program that restricted funds from being used for research and policy work, sources say.
New money would be contingent on taking the name Sisters in Spirit out of the proposal. They also said that none of the money could be spent on the database.
Losing the name would be a serious blow to NWAC. Sisters in Spirit, intertwined with its Grandmother Moon logo, has grown to represent the memories and stories of the missing and the dead.
Sisters in Spirit vigils are held every year to commemorate murdered and missing Indigenous women and the Grandmother Moon logo is often prominently displayed at these national events.
If the database of the hundreds of murdered and missing women cases turns stagnant, it remains unclear what could take its place. Before the database came into being, it was up to individuals posting on scattered websites to keep the search for missing Indigenous women going.
The recently announced national police support center for missing persons and unidentified remains won’t be up and running until at least 2013, according to the RCMP.
The centre received $4 million of the $10 million set aside in the budget to deal with murdered and missing Indigenous women.
The center has also received an additional $6 million for a total of $10 million over five years, the RCMP said.
The center will become the third branch of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, but it will not have a separate section dedicated for Indigenous women.
The new center will rely on missing persons reports filed with local police forces. It will provide linkages to other cases if they exist.
The Sisters in Spirit database includes some historical cases that were not accepted by police. It also includes cases where police have closed the book on a woman’s death, despite lingering questions from family members.
After the release of its spring report, Sisters in Spirit was in the process of analysing 20 new cases.
Lakota Deserve Apology for Wounded Knee, 120 Years Ago
You can read more pieces from The Progressive Media Project by clicking here. [2]
This, as with most massacres, was not an Indian War. How they can call it a war when massacred were unarmed women, children & Elders.
There is a fairly new petition to have those medals rescinded at:
Rescind Congressional "Medals of Honor" NOW! Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/
This is not the same petition that came out over five years ago, so please sign & pass along.....
Thank you for sending the article Sis Firefly.....
Teresa Anahuy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
While we put forth effort to help Duane Martin Sr. on the issue of Whiteclay and drug dealers on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation, I wanted to ask for a second wave of letters and e-mails to be sent to Oxford, Alabama, in regards to the destruction of burials there and the erosion of the hill that the stone mound is sitting on. By mid-January, Oxford and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers plan to continue mitigation to get the multi-million dollar sports complex built on what is a Native burial ground. Oxford has let many Native sites be destroyed over the last several years, possible including a temple mound, which they claim is still there. Their recent position in the paper is that they are "working to protect Native artifacts."
For those who are familiar with the companies and destruction that has been done there, they are a little too late. However, if they are serious about this, and they are not just playing political games, then they should be made accountable to do what they say. The fact that different archaeologists have been hired to disprove each other concerning whether these sites were "man-made," and the fact that the story has changed many times concerning how many federal tribes have come forward, have placed us in the position where we cannot trust what we hear. Furthermore, they blatantly disregarded NAGPRA and threw the body that was dug-up back in the ground without contacting appropriate parties, which is required under law.
We insist that mitigation does not take place and the burials are left untouched. There is plenty of land in Oxford that does not require the destruction of Native heritage. Also, we must require that they plant grass on the hill that the remnants of the stone-mounds sit upon. I will post pictures later of the erosion that is taking place on that hill. If they do not plant grass or trees, that mound is coming down the hill. If Oxford says they are going to protect, then "good," but you have to prove it. Please read about the sites and contact the contact numbers that are listed on our official web page" http://www.facebook.com/
Thank you all for taking the time to help!
Much love to you,
Cora and Rob Dunaway
The Strong Heart Preservation Movement
(256)283-7735
raidernationdna@yahoo.com
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For The HTML Format of the Newsletter:
(Having Problems With The Links? Try this version instead.)http://www.cherokee.
AOL - http://www.cherokee.org/
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Osiyo,
Sign Up Today! Enrollment for the online Cherokee language class is now open, with classes beginning on Jan. 10. Complete class information and schedule information is available at http://signup.cherokee.org/
The "Remember the Removal" bicycle ride is a two-wheel trek across nearly 1,000 miles of the historic "Trail of Tears". Scheduled for the summer of 2011, applications for those hoping to participate are now being taken. For details about the ride, requirements for participation and an online application, go to http://www.
Wado! (Thank you)
Cherokee Nation
P.O.Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465
918 453-5000
communications@cherokee.org
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***Cherokee Nation News***
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Cherokee Nation Citizen Goes for World Record: 12/30/2010 4:00:00 PM
(C) Cherokee Nation
At 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, Cherokee Nation citizen Baron O’Field began pushing a Ford Focus along a roped-off track in the Tahlequah Walmart parking lot. Shortly after 9 a.m. the next morning, he had pushed that car 27 miles and possibly his name into the Guinness World Records list.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
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**** Other Links of Interest ****
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Games - http://www.cherokee.org/
Community Calendar - http://www.cherokee.org/
RSS Feed - http://rss.cherokee.org
Podcasts - http://podcasts.cherokee.org
E-Cards - http://ecards.cherokee.org
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**** Cultural Tidbits ****
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The seven remaining clans of the Cherokee are the Bird, Wild Potato, Deer, Wolf, Blue, Paint and Long Hair. There were originally 14.
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wage workers and the environment Two for one! Have a massive PR blitz,
and tell people, who believe that NIKE sneakers are worth
hundreds (five bucks to make) that they're saving the earth.
If TV says it --it's gotta be true. TV was my teacher far into
the night - it taught me to buy (believe) everything within
sight!
|
There is no way, that I am going to be an accomplice, in the poisoning of slave-wage workers in China due to the LIE of CFL lightbulbs being eco-friendly. This is just another example of the soulless - corporate profiteers, who don't give a damn, who they kill or maim in their criminal practices. SEE article below on (numerous articles online) of workers poisoned/ hospitalizedIf you are concerned about the environment and refuse to be an accomplice in the sickness/deaths of others, you want to BUY much more (longer lasting) efficient and safe LED light bulbs.You want to check this LINK (scan down below info on LED to dangers of CFLs) MAINE is the ONLY state that has done an honest health/scientific study to WARN citizens. You will be shocked at the health impacts, JUST by having these in your lamps!! EX: My husband never, ever, has a headache! NEVER. My son had bought some of these CFL bulbs and unbeknown to me ( in hospital/spine surgery) had put them in living room - bedroom (Tom reads at night). He started to have these God-awful migraines!!! When I was out in the barn with my son he told me how these bulbs were crap in cold weather. It was then that I looked them up ---and changed them all! DO NOT throw in garbage as they get sent to incinerator MORE mercury in environment or to landfill (leach into groundwater/rivers). Tom's headaches stopped! You will be shocked (below Maine findings) at dangers if you break one of these. 
PS - imagine the insanity of poisoning wage slave workers/dumping mercury into the environment (where's AL?) and calling it GREEN. It's green alright, for corporate hucksters who don't care if they destroy the entire earth; rainforests - (oil-timber) third world countries (war for their resources) -the Gulf (oil) - Toxic sludge ponds (mining) - Waste sludge on farmlands (cheap way of getting rid of these toxins etc. SEE- http://www.eternaleds.com/The_ Below - Workers poisoned
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A Lesson in Subterfuge, Subversion and Sabotage
December 31, 2010
By Subterfuge, the Corporate Elitists are trying to Subvert our thinking and Sabotage all our actions.
(Quotation) "In the technotronic society the trend would seem to be towards the aggregation of the individual support of millions of uncoordinated citizens, easily within the reach of magnetic and attractive personalities effectively exploiting the latest communications techniques to manipulate emotions and control reason." Zbigniew Brzezinski
This means psychological warfare on the battlefield of cyberspace.
The anti nuclear movement has been around for as long as sensible people have been aware of the dangers of a nuclear industry. It has taken many shapes, growing, shrinking and refocusing through the decades and the top issues. Today, the anti nuclear movement is growing relentlessly.
Sometimes it's about nuclear weapons and sometimes it's about nuclear energy. It's always really the same one issue. Some people try to separate it into two issues, referring to military and peaceful uses of nuclear materials. This is a fraud.
The nuclear monster is a two headed creature. One head is nuclear weapons and one head is nuclear energy. Sharing one body, the two heads cannot live without each other. Their singular goal is to sicken, kill and maim large numbers of people. Toxic and radioactive nuclear materials are tools of genocide.
More and more people are getting the facts on the harmful effects of the entire nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining to nuclear reactors to nuclear waste to nuclear weapons. This is in spite of all the manipulation of information and a well funded effort that tries to convince us of the absurd, that nuclear is green.
People are also learning about the history of the nuclear industry. Fact is, nuclear reactors were first built at places like Chalk River, Ontario to produce bomb materials like plutonium which do not exist in nature. All nuclear reactors produce the highly radioactive isotopes that are used to make nuclear weapons. In essence, a nuclear reactor is a plutonium and bomb ingredient factory.
Logically speaking, therefore, building nuclear reactors all over the world proliferates the very machines needed to make the nuclear bomb materials. As a result, anyone who tells you they support nuclear reactors as a source of green energy but oppose the proliferation of nuclear armaments is either lying or they don't know what they are talking about. Plain and simple.
We were concerned when we received an email urging us to "spread the word far and wide about a very significant development..."
The enclosed article, "Canadian Parliament Adopts Resolution Supporting a Nuclear Weapons Convention", Ottawa, December 7, 2010, originated with Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator for Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament PNND at the United Nations.
Ware informs us that the Canadian House of Commons consented to a motion by MP Bill Siksay, "calling on the Government of Canada to engage in negotiations for a nuclear weapons convention as proposed by the UN Secretary-General...The motion also endorsed a statement signed by over 500 members of the Order of Canada."
Last June, the Canadian Senate unanimously passed a similar motion. Then in November, "...Canada abstained on a UN General Assembly resolution calling for negotiations leading to the conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention."
There's a bit of a contradiction here, actually a huge contradiction. Canada, as a major global producer of uranium and growing military power, has vested interests in sustaining and promoting the nuclear industry. Corporate-run government does not heed ordinary people's concerns.
The Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament PNND is one of four programs run by the Global Security Institute. The other 3 are Bipartisan Security Group (BSG), Disarmament & Peace Education (DPE) and Middle Powers Initiative (MPI). These groups take the position of addressing goverments in power to urge them to end nuclear weapons proliferation.
We wanted to know more about the people involved. Who is Alyn Ware? And what about Bill Siksay?
MP Bill Siksay of Burnaby Douglas, British Columbia is Chair of the Canadian Section of PNND. Siksay and Toronto MP Gerard Kennedy introduced Bill C-440, a bill in support of US Iraq War resisters. A protege of Svend Robinson, Siksay is also New Democrat critic for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual and Transgender Issues. His partner is a United Church minister. Wow!
Alyn Ware is a New Zealander and life-long peace activist jetting around the world. He is co-founder and international coordinator of PNND, set up in 2002. He seems like such a good boy.
We found him at a 2004 Ottawa round table hosted by the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI) and the Canadian Pugwash Group (CPG). A small group of experts were writing a policy paper on nukes for the new Canadian government under Paul Martin. Maurice Strong was then senior advisor to Martin as well as special advisor to UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan and special UN envoy to North Korea.
Mau is Canada's version of Al Gore and Henry Kissinger rolled into one.
Mau was the keynote speaker at the roundtable. Some of the other participants were Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, Ambassador Sergio de Queiroz Duarte from Brazil, who was expected to chair the 2005 NPT Review Conference, Dr.Tariq Rauf, Head of the Verification and Security Policy Office of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, former President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Professor Erika Simpson of the University of Western Ontario, US Senator Douglas Roche, O.C., Chair of the Middle Powers Initiative, Ambassador Paul Meyer, Canada's representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and Debbie Grisdale, Executive Director of Physicians for Global Survival.
Some of these people are undoubtedly sincere and hard working. However, when Maurice "Grand Master of Manipulation" Strong is involved, you can be sure he is manipulating everyone to his way of thinking and using their good names to promote a sleazy agenda. You just can't have it both ways but some people don't seem to notice.
Mau is a Canadian oilman and a leading environmentalist at the UN. As a corporate knight hooked on capitalism, he is certain he can have it both ways. He does meditation at his spiritual retreat in the San Luis Valley, Colorado to quieten the cognitive dissonance roaring in his head.
Kissinger and Strong Good Buddies
In January, 2008, the Wall Street Journal published an article, "Renewed call from Kissinger, Nunn, Perry and Shultz for Nuclear-Free World". It was a slick and cunning piece of subterfuge, subversion and sabotage, crafted in Kissinger's unmistakeable literary style and tone.
Almost at the end of the article, one reads, "Another subject: Developing an international system to manage the risks of the nuclear fuel cycle. With the growing global interest in developing nuclear energy and the potential proliferation of nuclear enrichment capabilities, an international program should be created by advanced nuclear countries and a strengthened IAEA. The purpose should be to provide for reliable supplies of nuclear fuel, reserves of enriched uranium, infrastructure assistance, financing, and spent fuel management -- to ensure that the means to make nuclear weapons materials isn't spread around the globe."
The cognitive dissonance in these people's heads must have them hearing quite a din. Don't these old war mongers know about the nuclear reactors making materials for nuclear bombs? Of course they do but they had to find a way to infiltrate the anti nuclear movement. You now hear people actually saying that Kissinger has changed his ways. What nonsense!
It's the same everywhere as India's PM Singh tells his Parliament, "The essence of the matter is that the agreements that we negotiate with USA, Russia, France and other nuclear countries will enable us to enter into international trade for civilian use without any interference with our strategic nuclear programme. The strategic programme will continue to be developed at an autonomous pace determined solely by our own security perceptions. We have not and we will not accept any outside interference or monitoring or supervision of our strategic programme... I confirm that there is nothing in these agreements which prevents us from further nuclear tests if warranted by our national security concerns... The cooperation that the international community is now willing to extend to us for trade in nuclear materials, technologies and equipment for civilian use will be available to us without signing the NPT or the CTBT."
Then at a New Delhi gathering of anti nukers, Singh advocated the universal, legally verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons." He'll say whatever he figures needs to be said to the group at hand. He's a politician like any other.
Many people's cognitive dissonance is held in check by trivia and pop culture, neon lights, raucous electronic music, toxic chemical odours, greasy tasteless food and violence to body and mind.
While the likes of "Hamhocks" Kissinger and "Meathead" Strong openly seek to infiltrate the anti nuke movement, the people's best weapon is the Truth: Anything nuclear is always about weapons of mass destruction. The basis of resistance lies in getting the facts straight. Only then can we take effective action.
While many doomsday sayers spout terrifying prognostications, we can still create a future of hope and peace. It's ours to SEIZE THE TIMES! for our future generations.
Happy New Year One and All!! May You Enjoy Many Years to Come!
Kittoh
<kittoh@storm.ca>
We welcome your feedback! Forward, post and consider printing for your cyberphobic friends and relatives.
The Eagle Watch Newsletter is sent to interested individuals, both Indigenous and nonNative, politicians especially the Canadian ones and an assortment of English language media.
Notes and Sources
http://www.gsinstitute.org/
*"Middle powers" are politically and economically significant countries that have renounced nuclear arms. They serve as a bridge to influence nuclear armed countries to keep treaty promises and reduce nuclear dangers. MPI works closely with several "middle power" governments including Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sweden.
http://www.middlepowers.org/
By Dr. Urs Cipolat, MPI Program Director
Ottawa, Canada
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Policy Paper: "Building Bridges: The Non-Proliferation Treaty and Canada's Nuclear Weapons Policies"
http://online.wsj.com/article/
Wall Street Journal
January 15, 2008
We have also been encouraged by additional indications of general support for this project from other former U.S. officials with extensive experience as secretaries of state and defense and national security advisors. These include: Madeleine Albright [you must be joking, she's another genocidal anti life maniac], Richard V. Allen, James A. Baker III [another one of the big military industry profiteers], Samuel R. Berger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Frank Carlucci, Warren Christopher, William Cohen, Lawrence Eagleburger (part of Kissinger Associates), Melvin Laird, Anthony Lake, Robert McFarlane, Robert McNamara and Colin Powell. [give me a freaking break]
Search any of the above names and you will see they're all part of the same war mongers club. Did they all change their ways and stop being cruel and dangerous psychopaths?
Singh's speech: http://www.pmindia.
The Senate’s Next Task: Ratifying the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Moscow
See also:
http://www.btinternet.com/~
"Mr. Speaker, today I will talk about Henry Kissinger, his consulting firm Kissinger Associates, two former Kissinger Associates directors, Lawrence Eagleburger and Brent Scowcroft...
http://www.counterpunch.org/
Chairman of the Carlyle Group, Frank Carlucci, was not only a former Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration, but a Deputy Director of the CIA during the Carter Administration...
As the Second Secretary in the US Embassy in the Congo during the time of the reign and consequent assassination of Patrice Lumumba, Carlucci was intimately involved in the US efforts to overthrow Lumumba's government. In the recent cinematic reconstruction of the life and times of the Congo's first elected prime minister, Lumumba by Haitian director, Raoul Peck, Carlucci is depicted as being part of a meeting of US, Belgian, and Congo officials plotting the murder of Lumumba. Claiming that this particular meeting was fabricated by the filmmaker, Carlucci did admit at a Washington premier of the film that US policy towards the Lumumba government was a bit "too strident."
http://bush.tamu.edu/
By Daniel Tencer, Raw Story
Posted on December 30, 2010, Printed on December 30, 2010
http://www.alternet.org/story/
Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one's opinions -- freedom of conscience -- is considered sacrosanct.
But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives' brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals. Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other "primitive" emotions. At the same time, conservatives' brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate -- the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals. And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario, while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
"It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes," Geraint Rees, the neurologist who carried out the study, told the media.
Rees, who heads up UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, was originally asked half-jokingly to study the differences between liberal and conservative brains for an episode of BBC 4's Today show that was hosted by actor Colin Firth. But, after studying 90 UCL students and two British parliamentarians, the neurologist was shocked to discover a clear correlation between the size of certain brain parts and political views.
He cautions that, because the study was carried out only on adults, there is no way to tell what came first -- the brain differences or the political opinions.
But evidence is beginning to accumulate that figuring out a person's political proclivities may soon be as simple as a brain scan -- or a DNA test.
In a study published in October, researchers at Harvard and UC-San Diego found that a variant of the DRD4 gene predisposes people to being liberal, but only if they had active social lives as adolescents. The "liberal gene" has also been linked to a desire to try new things, and other "personality traits related to political liberalism."
For his part, actor Colin Firth, who hosted the BBC show that revealed the results of the brain scans, has said he wants to see brain scans on politicians to find out if they are telling the truth about what they believe.
Questioning the "liberal" credentials of the head of Britain's Liberal Democratic party, Nick Clegg, Firth said: "I think we should have him scanned."
© 2010 Raw Story All rights reserved.
View this story online at:http://www.alternet.org/
"When crazy people call you crazy,
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