We don't "believe in" global warming--we know it's a fact.
Dear Sharon,
On a recent snowy morning, on my way in to work, I heard a refreshing interview with a politician, who said, “When people ask me if I believe in global warming, I say I believe in physics.”
This is the sort of practical, science-based reasoning that is so hard to find these days among the rhetoric of media personalities and polarizing politics found in our national and state capitols.
"I think that the science is inconclusive on this. I personally believe that the solar flares are more responsible for climatic cycles than anything that human beings do."
—Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R WI), new vice chair of the House Science CommitteeYou can help UCS expose and challenge attacks like this on science—become a member today.
That’s why the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is leading the charge to expose corporations, politicians, and media pundits who knowingly mislead the public about science.
But we need your help to do it. Become a member of UCS today and join us as we challenge attacks on science.
Believe me when I tell you that this is an all-out war on science. It’s well coordinated. It’s well funded. And it’s backed by opponents looking out for their own interests in an effort to obstruct progress on important environmental and human health protections. Consider these facts:You can help counter attacks like these by becoming a member of UCS today.
- A Fox News managing editor directed his staff to highlight criticisms of climate science whenever they mention the fact that Earth is warming.
- The new vice-chairman of the House Science Committee has threatened to launch hearings to question basic scientific findings by climate scientists.
- Oil giant ExxonMobil has spent millions to run a sophisticated disinformation campaign designed to deceive the public about the certainty of climate change science.
- Recently elected governors, representatives, and senators have pledged to roll back many of the scientifically sound, global warming emissions reduction measures we’ve won in the last few years.
We may not have the deep pockets of the oil and coal industries and electric utilities who oppose progress on global warming and clean energy—but we do have scientific facts and dedicated supporters like you. With your help, UCS will organize scientists from around the country to beat back fraudulent claims and we'll continue to educate decision makers and the public about the real facts on global warming.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our work. At this critical time, I hope you’ll take the next step and become a member of UCS today.
Sincerely, 
Kevin Knobloch
PresidentP.S. When you join UCS, you join more than 77,000 UCS members who also believe in physics. People from all walks of life who understand that climate change isn’t a belief—it’s a scientific fact. People like you who want to work together to protect human health and our environment. Please join us today.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square Cambridge, MA 02138-3780
phone: 800-666-8276 | Fax: 617-864-9405 | ucsaction@ucsusa.org | www.ucsusa.org UCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible. You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely. About UCS | Take Action | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe | Add UCS to Your Address Book
© Union of Concerned Scientists. All rights reserved.
My loyalty is with the nonhuman and human victims (or targets) of this culture, and my work is toward stopping this culture’s assaults on nonhumans, on the land, on the planet itself, on women, on indigenous peoples, on the poor. Civilized humans do not make the world a better place because of their existence. They are collectively and individually making the world a less beautiful and less wonderful and less fecund place. Q: What will it take for the planet to survive? A: The eradication of industrial civilization. Industrial civilization is functionally, systematically incompatible with life. The good news is that industrial civilization is in the process of collapsing. The bad news is that it is taking down too much of the planet with it. |
By Mickey Z | Crossposted with SEISMOLOGIK (a fraternal site)
Thursday, January 27, 2011 |
As you begin reading this interview, take a look at the nearest clock. …
A Conversation With Derrick Jensen
Worst of all, there’s nothing unique about the past 24 hours. It’s business as usual, a daily reality—and no amount of CFL bulbs, recycled toilet paper, or Sierra Club donations will change it even a tiny bit.- Every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic
- Eighty-one tons of mercury is emitted into the atmosphere each year as a result of electric power generation
- Every second, 10,000 gallons of gasoline are burned in the US
- Each year, Americans use 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides
- Ninety percent of the large fish in the ocean and 80 percent of the world’s forests are gone
- Every two seconds, a human being starves to death
“(Hamlet) was in doubt about something—whether it was nobler in the mind of man to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune—moderation—or to take up arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them. And I go for that. If you take up arms, you’ll end it, but if you sit around and wait for the one who’s in power to make up his mind that he should end it, you’ll be waiting a long time. And in my opinion, the young generation of whites, blacks, browns, whatever else there is, you’re living at a time of extremism, a time of revolution, a time when there’s got to be a change. People in power have misused it and now there has to be a change and a better world has to be built and the only way it’s going to be built with—is with extreme methods. And I, for one, will join in with anyone—I don’t care what color you are—as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth.”If you take up arms, you’ll end it, but if you sit around and wait for the one who’s in power to make up his mind that he should end it, you’ll be waiting a long time. And in my opinion, the young generation of whites, blacks, browns, whatever else there is, you’re living at a time of extremism, a time of revolution, a time when there’s got to be a change. People in power have misused it and now there has to be a change and abetter world has to be built and the only way it’s going to be built with—is with extreme methods. And I, for one, will join in with anyone—I don’t care what color you are—as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth.”
DJ: I think the key has to do with wanting to change this miserable condition.
Rule A is don’t.
Rule A.1 is Rule A does not exist
Rule A.2 is Never discuss the existence or nonexistence of Rules A, A.1, A.2
So how do you start? The problems are so huge! Well, the way I started as an activist was the result of the smartest thing I ever did. When I was in my mid-20s I realized I wasn’t paying enough for gasoline (in terms of including any of the ecological costs, etc), so for every dollar I spent on gas I would donate a dollar to an environmental organization (never a national or international organization, but rather local grassroots organizations), but since I didn’t have any money I would instead pay myself $5/hour to do activist work, whether it is writing letters to the editor or participating in demonstrations. My first demos were anti-fur demos and anti-circus demos. And don’t let your perceived ignorance stop you: I had no idea what exactly was wrong with circuses, but I knew they were exploitative of nonhuman animals and so I showed up, and other people handed me signs. If anyone asked me, What’s wrong with circuses? I just pointed them to the person standing next to me. I went from there to other forms of activism, including filing timber sale appeals, and so on. The point is that I started. At the time it cost $10 to fill my tank with gas, and if I filled it once a week, that meant two hours per week. And I started having so much fun with the activism that I stopped keeping track of how many hours I was doing activism, and just did it. But the important thing is that I got off my butt and started doing something.Riot Police Guard Against Anti-Billionaire Protesters in Rancho Miragehttp://crooksandliars.
Tags:
ECONOMY
PROTESTS/REVOLUTION
This is live video sent back from the Quarantine the Kochs rally in Rancho Mirage about an hour and a half ago. John Amato is on the scene and has called me a couple of times with updates. There are about 1500 people or so there, peacefully protesting the convocation of billionaires at the Rancho Las Palmas resort. The purpose of the meeting is to figure out how to impeach Obama and take over our government in order to preserve their wealth, justice, and liberty at the expense of ours.
Protesters chained to trees to stop 'massacre'
OTTAWA - Clear-cutting for a controversial residential development in the city's west end is back on after two Algonquin Warriors who chained themselves to trees Tuesday morning ended their protest after about 4 1/2 hours.
Protesters Dan Bernard and Robert Lovelace strapped themselves to the trees in Kanata's Beaver Pond forest at around 7 a.m. with cord similar to the type used to lock bikes.
Police approached them several times and read them the law and warned them trespassing charges could follow. At one point, cops also brought blankets to keep the pair warm.
The peaceful protest ended around 11:30 a.m. when police convinced them to unhook themselves from the trees.
"We stopped the cutting for a couple hours and I hope that's a good example for other people who want to stop the cutting," said Lovelace, a former chief of the Algonquin's Ardoch First Nation.
The men were barely visible from the roadside, partially hidden over a small hill a few hundred metres into the forest.
They maintain an Algonquin study found important cultural artifacts and KNL Development should hold off until all the results are back.
But later Tuesday, two machines continued chopping down small trees in the forest.
"We have a duty as Algonquin First Nations to protect the forest ...to stop this massacre until all the levels of government discuss this with the Algonquin First Nation and the general public," Bernard told QMI Agency during an exclusive interview while he and Lovelace were still bound to the trees.
Lovelace is no stranger to this type of protest.
He was sentenced to six months in jail in 2008 for protesting against uranium mining near Sharbot Lake, 120 km southwest of Ottawa.
He said Beaver Pond is the "cheapest park in Ottawa" and the City of Ottawa should buy the land from KNL.
"We want the mayor to take responsibility for this. He can blame the past council for all the errors that have been made. But he now has to take responsibility," said Lovelace.
KNL Development, a partnership between Richcraft and Urbandale Homes, was supposed to start cutting Jan. 17, but delayed two weeks so the Algonquins of Ontario could conduct an archaeological study.
Police officers and security guards hired by KNL will continue to monitor separate entrances to the forest during operations.
More can be found here: http://www.torontosun.
jamie.long@sunmedia.ca
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“The first case successfully challenged the ‘English Only’ law that required individuals to speak only English when engaged in government business, such as at the DMV or in court. In the second case, NARF and the ACLU of Alaska sued the State of Alaska for violation of the Voting Rights Act by failing to provide language assistance to thousands of Alaska’s Yup’ik-speaking voters. Following a preliminary injunction, a comprehensive agreement was reached which includes translation and interpretation assistance for all Yup’ik speaking voters throughout the registration and voting process.”
Founded in 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is the oldest and largest nonprofit law firm dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, organizations and individuals nationwide.
blessings to you all for the day!
bluejay
http://intercontinentalcry.
Harris Sherman, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment, and Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, have encouraged tribal leaders and citizens to actively participate in these national and local sessions. The first national session was held Nov. 29, 2010, to kick off this initiative, and attracted more than 200 participants.
The USDA Forest Service will provide multiple opportunities throughout the course of this effort for members of Tribes and others to meet face-to-face through local, in-person listening sessions. In addition, government-to-government consultation with federally recognized tribes are planned for summer 2011 to receive input and recommendations on a draft report to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, which will be developed based on results of the listening sessions.
Those wishing to participate can call on February 14 between 2 and 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time:
Call in Number: (888) 469-1285
Passcode: 5116673#
Throughout this initiative, comments about sacred site policies can be e-mailed directly toTribalSacredSites@fs.fed.us
Additional information about this effort is available at www.fs.fed.us/spf/
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of National Forest System land, provides stewardship assistance to non-federal forest landowners and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. For more information, visit: www.fs.fed.us
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 03:07:22 -0800
There is a four part interview by Wanbli Tate with Autumn Two Bulls at:
http://www.youtube.com/
We're all Indians now...by Lakotah Russell Means
in America today and the kinds of controls put on American Indians.
Denying people the right to feed themselves by controlling the food
supply...denying people the right of free travel in their own country...
denying people privacy...compulsory, sub-medicocre eduction.
Sound familiar?
Video:
http://www.brasschecktv.com/
- Brasscheck
Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field
and in the policy arena to protect America's last wild buffalo.
Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
February 3, 2011
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: Park Service Captures 400 Bison; BFC Files Emergency Injunction to Stop Slaughter
* ‘Corridor to Nowhere’ Fails to Provide Habitat and Wastes Millions of Dollars
* VOLUNTEER! Please Join BFC on the Front Lines!
* Last Words
* By the Numbers
* Helpful Links
------------------------------
This young bull was in the hunt zone near Gardiner, MT where several buffalo in his immediate herd were shot.
Photo copyright 2011 Jim Macdonald/BFC. Click here to view a slideshow of photos from this week.
* Update from the Field:
Park Service Captures 400 Bison; BFC Files Emergency Injunction to Stop Slaughter
Friends of the Buffalo,
On Friday the Park Service released the 62 bison that they captured in the Stephens Creek trap starting the first week of January. Sadly, this was a hollow gesture. On Monday Park Rangers herded approximately 300 bison, including many of those released just three days earlier, into the trap. On Tuesday they captured 21 more. Wednesday another 20 were trapped. Today BFC field patrols report that 45 to 50 additional bison were captured, bringing the approximate number of bison currently confined in Yellowstone’s trap to 390.
These buffalo, members of America’s only continuously wild population, are currently confined behind cold steel walls where they are being treated like cattle. Feeding them hay and alfalfa, running them through squeeze chutes, and testing them for antibodies to brucellosis, Yellowstone officials have announced they will slaughter some, and possibly all, of these irreplaceable creatures.
Twenty-seven more buffalo have been killed by state and tribal hunters along the Park’s western and northern boundaries, bringing the total number of hunt kills documented by BFC patrols to 128. A buffalo died from wounds suffered inside the Stephens Creek trap on January 12 and another was shot by Department of Livestock agents on January 24th, bringing this winter’s total kill to 130. If the Park Service decides, as they have hinted, to slaughter all the buffalo in the trap, this would represent the loss of more than 520 bison, or 15 percent of the entire population. And it is barely February.
A Yellowstone Park Ranger chases buffalo toward the Stephens Creek Trap in Yellowstone National Park. Photo copyright 2011 Jim Macdonald/BFC
Click here to view a slideshow of photos from this week.
Alarmed by the prospect of such a heavy loss and its impact on the genetics of America’s only continuously wild bison population, BFC teamed up with some of our closest allies this week to file anemergency legal injunction to prevent the Park Service from sending the buffalo to slaughter.
We have been waiting for a final decision from federal Judge Charles Lovell on the merits of our lawsuit challenging the Interagency Bison Management Plan since September and have been forced to file this injunction by the Park Service’s recent actions. We are asking the court to stop the agencies from killing bison in and around Yellowstone National Park and to discontinue the use of traps like the one at Stephens Creek to capture, confine, and ship bison to slaughter.
In addition to running field patrols in both West Yellowstone and Gardiner and our urgent work in the courts, we have been making many trips to Helena to testify against a slew of anti-bison bills in the state legislature. HB 214 and SB 207 would classify all wild bison in Montana as livestock, SB 184 would permit “the use of bows and arrows” to hunt wild buffalo in Montana, and SB 148, which fortunately appears to have died in committee, would have made it legal for Department of Livestock agents to enter private property without notifying and against the objections of the landowner to haze wild bison. We've set up aweb page to track these and other buffalo bills in the 2011 Montana legislature and encourage your timely involvement and participation in protecting America's last wild buffalo.
Buffalo Field Campaign is doing everything we can to prevent a repeat of the winter of 2008, when more than 1,600 bison were killed. But we are only as strong as you, our supporters. Please pick up the phone, send an email, support our efforts with a tax-deductible donation, or join us in the field to help us protect the buffalo. We can not do it without you.
Please take a moment right now and urge Yellowstone's Acting Superintendent Colin Campbell and your US Senators and Representative to stop the slaughter of the Yellowstone bison, America's only continuously wild population.
Colin Campbell, Yellowstone National Park
PHONE: 307-344-2003
EMAIL: colin_campbell@nps.gov
Use this link to find and contact your US Senators and Representative.
Share this email with them and urge them to take immediate action to protect our last wild buffalo.
For the Buffalo,
Dan Brister
Executive Director
Buffalo Field Campaign
-----------------------------
* ‘Corridor to Nowhere’ Fails to Provide Habitat and Wastes Millions of Dollars
For some of the buffalo currently awaiting their fate in the trap, the first month of 2011 was a living nightmare. Never has management of the wild Yellowstone bison been such a heavy-handed and intensive failure. One group of buffalo in the trap has had it particularly hard, having already been captured, tested, marked, tagged and—for the females—invaded with vaginal telemetry devices at the beginning of January as part of an ill-conceived plan we call the Corridor to Nowhere. Described in more detail in last week’s Update, this project has been doomed from the start to be a wasteful failure.
After enduring all the horrors of the trap for two weeks, 25 buffalo were “released” and chased by horses down a narrow, electric fence-lined passage further away from the park to a place called Cutler Meadows, an overgrazed pasture denuded of life from years of cattle grazing that impacted soils and killed off native grasses. For anyone to actually think that wild bison, the very definition of a migratory species, would stay in this area exhibits a striking lack of understanding for the nature of bison. The fact that the National Park Service, MT Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Montana Wildlife Federation supported and paid $3.3 million for such an ill-conceived plan shows how little these agencies and groups understand the nature of wild bison.
Almost as soon as they were hazed to Cutler Meadows the buffalo started to leave. A group of 11 wasted no time in swimming across the Yellowstone River for a reunion with family members that have been penned inside a quarantine facility for several years. The buffalo inside the pens came to the fence and stood near their still wild kin. Agents on horseback quickly arrived and hazed the group back across the Yellowstone River. The buffalo then re-crossed the river only to be hazed again. Agents used cracker-rounds (explosive charges fired from guns), more powerful explosive charges, and even threw rocks at the buffalo in their attempts to chase them back to Cutler Meadows.
The next day buffalo crossed the river again and were again hazed back. And the next day. And the next. Every day for more than a week the buffalo left Cutler Meadows and every day government agents chased them back. One of the buffalo, refusing to be hazed, was shot. Another ran into the hills and has not been seen since. On January 28 the agents decided they’d had enough. Using the quarantine pens as a trap, they captured a group of 13 bison, loaded them onto cattle trailers, drove them across the river and released them. The buffalo, also having had enough, of this so-called tolerance headed south toward the Park, where they joined up with 90 other bison. All of these buffalo, along with hundreds of others, were captured this week and now find themselves back in the trap at Stephens Creek.
Please take immediate action to prevent their slaughter
------------------------------
* VOLUNTEER! Please Join BFC on the Front Lines!
Buffalo Field Campaign's multifaceted approach to helping protect our nation's last free-roaming population of bison often leaves us spread thin for volunteers. We are finding ourselves in need of experienced volunteers to join us on patrols of the Yellowstone boundary. The last call for return volunteers was answered with a tremendous and much needed response. THANK YOU!!!!! If you can again - or are able to for the first time this season - come home to Horse Butte, Sandy Butte, the Madison River, your community, your Campaign, and to your buffalo. We all need you and miss you.
volunteer@
406-646-0070
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* Last Words
We can live with the animals. Buffalo are part of the overall picture. If you don't want them, go get a farm in Iowa.
~ Hank Rate, bison-friendly rancher, from Bozeman Daily Chronicle article "Gardiner-
Have a submission for Last Words? Send to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you'll see them here!
------------------------------
* By the Numbers
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S. which currently numbers fewer than 3,800 animals.
2010-2011 Total: 131
2010-2011 Government Slaughter: 1
2010-2011 State & Treaty Hunts: 128
2010-2011 Quarantine: 0
2010-2011 Shot by Agents: 1
2010-2011 Highway Mortality: 1
2009-2010 Total: 7
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
-----------------------------
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES
Join Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!
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Take Action!
AC5 seeks six talented Contra Costa County artists to display their excellent works in the upcoming Art Passages gallery for the February-April show at the County Supervisors Building, 651 Pine Street, Martinez. We will accept five to ten pieces per artist. Art must be ready to hang on the morning of Feb 15. Gallery reception Wed evening, February 23. Please send up to 10 jpegs to curator Scott Belding at ac5@ac5.org with a brief description of yourself and any web links to review. Deadline is Fri, Feb 4. eMail to: ac5@ac5.org.
The Harpo Foundation Native American Fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center supports the development of visual artists and the potential for inter-cultural dialogue. Annually, two Native American artists living in the U.S. will receive a one-month residency, with room& board, a private studio, and a $500 travel stipend. Deadline: Feb 15 for 2011. FMI:www.vermontstudiocenter.
Creative Capital, a national nonprofit organization, provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: emerging fields, film/video, innovative literature, and performing and visual arts. The next grant round, for film/video and visual arts, opens February 1, 2011 and on February 2012 for emerging fields, innovative literature, and performing arts. Applicant artist must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; at least 25 years old; a working artist with at least five years of professional experience; and not a full-time student and first submit an online inquiry form. FMI: Link to Complete RFP.
The federally-recognized California Valley Miwok Tribe encourages all interested individuals who believe that they are of Miwok heritage and have an affiliation to the California Valley Miwok Tribe to apply to the Tribe and work within their enrollment process when it is completed. FMI: Tribal Office: 209-931-4567.
The Potlatch Fund (Chinook for the native spirit of gift giving) based in Seattle, WA seeks a new Executive Director.
U of C wants more Aboriginal students
The University of Calgary is reaching out to Aboriginals in Canada in order to encourage more students to apply for medical school.
Medical students from University of Calgary and University of Alberta met with provincial Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Len Webber on Nov. 29 to raise awareness about the need for more Aboriginal students in medicine.
There are approximately 325 Aboriginal physicians in Canada, one for every 3,600 Aboriginals in the country.
"This does not reflect society," said faculty of medicine admissions officer Adele Meyers. "We know there is not enough Aboriginal doctors compared to the amount of Aboriginals in the province and across the country."
Although Webber acknowledged that more Aboriginal students are needed in the medical program, he is not taking any steps to specifically increase the number of Aboriginal students in the faculty of medicine. His focus is on primary education for Aboriginal youth.
"It is more about early education opportunities for students and building a strong foundation when they are young," said Webber. "Catch them early and build strong foundations and then they will be qualified to get into post secondary."
The U of C has been proactive in acknowledging the need for Aboriginal students in the medical program.
"It has been proven that rural students are 2.5 times more likely to return to a rural setting to practice medicine after obtaining their medical degree which helps in the regions of our low access areas," said Students' Union medical faculty representative Pamela Weatherbee. "Our hypothesis is that if we can attract low-income, Aboriginal and rural students to the U of C program, then we will have more physicians going back to their communities to help serve their medical needs."
In 2008, the U of C established a new program to promote health care careers to Aboriginal students. The Aboriginal Heath Program aims to raise awareness of First Nations, Metis and Inuit health issues and recruit Aboriginal students in the field of medicine.
"Our reason for being is to promote a career in health care, especially in medicine, to Aboriginal students," said Aboriginal health program coordinator Sue-Ann Facchini. "We go into schools, career fairs, talk to students about the possibility of medicine and answer questions to take to get them there."
There has not been an increase in the number of Aboriginal students since its establishment in 2008.
"Our Aboriginal student admission policy is fairly young and so we have not seen an increase," said Facchini. "We are working on it."
Almost all Canadian universities have an employee in charge of increasing the number of Aboriginal medical students due to an initiative by The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. In December 2004, an Aboriginal Health Task group was formed to look at how schools could better serve the Aboriginal population of Canada.
The task force recommended an increase in the number of Aboriginal medical graduates. To do this the U of C has adjusted the admission process for Aboriginal applicants.
According to the University Policy for the Recruitment of Applicant of Aboriginal Background, the faculty of medicine offers interviews to all Aboriginal applicants of who meet the 3.2 GPA requirement.
All other student applicants need to meet the 3.2 GPA requirement, but are not guaranteed an interview.
The U of C medical program saves 15 per cent of seats for out of province students, while students from Alberta compete for the other 85 per cent.
"There is a quota for non-Albertans and Albertans and so even if a self-declared Aboriginal is from Ontario, we put them in the Alberta pool," said Meyers.
Aboriginal students also have the opportunity to include a personal statement regarding their connection to their community.
The U of C consistently has low numbers of Aboriginal students enrolled in the medical program.
"At any one time we only have approximately one per cent of our class who have stated they are Aboriginal," said Facchini. "We would expect closer to five per cent of [graduates] to be of Aboriginal origin."
Facchini said this is because Aboriginals make up five per cent of Alberta's population.
Unlike other universities, the U of C does not have reserved seats for Aboriginal students.
"A lot of schools do," said Facchini. "They have chosen to approach things in a different way than we have."
According to the University Policy for the Recruitment of Applicants of Aboriginal Background the medical faculties at universities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba each have five or six dedicated seats for Aboriginal students.
"The U of C decided not to have dedicated seats because we felt that it was in the interest of equality for all to not separate the Aboriginal applicants in that way," said Facchini. "We did not want to foster a feeling of stigmatization by segregating Aboriginal students from their classmates."
Webber agreed with the university's policy.
"It should be up to your knowledge and not up to your race," said Webber.
The U of C faculty of medicine also teaches about Aboriginal issues.
"We have a significant amount of Aboriginal people who live in Alberta," said Facchini. "It is important that we are not only recruiting Aboriginal people to become doctors, but we teach all doctors in order to best serve the needs of the Aboriginal people."
Co-chief of the First Nations Student Association Thomas Snow said it is important to create opportunities for Aboriginal people.
"Getting to university is very challenging for Aboriginal people," said Snow. "Even just getting through high school can be very challenging."
According to Statistics Canada, 45 per cent of First Nations people living on a reserve in 2006 lived in homes that needed major repairs, compared to 36 per cent a decade ago.
"Reserves are have some of the poorest social condition in the country," said Snow. "People live off $200 a month and when you have conditions like that, it leads to other problems, like school."
In 2006, 33 per cent of Aboriginal adults aged 25 to 54 had less than a high school education compared to nearly 13 per cent of the non-Aboriginal population, according to a report by Statistics Canada.
"Staying in school can be very hard for many students," said Snow. "I am glad that the U of C is taking proactive steps and helping Aboriginal people."
Weatherbee also believes the U of C faculty of medicine is on the right track.
"The steps the U of C faculty of medicine is taking will ensure a diverse group of graduating physicians," said Weatherbee. "This will help service an even more diverse population in Calgary and Alberta."
Snow thinks having Aboriginal people practice medicine is their own communities is the way to go.
"There is an understanding of how the community functions," said Snow. "People feel more comfortable if you can speak their language. I look forward to the day that I can speak to a doctor in my own language."
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We want to help as many families this winter as possible. So beyond donations to the EREZ Fund, this is another way to raise that funding. Not interested in the t shirt? (of course you are! ) But just in case - just $5 is all we're asking - from everyone we know.
We've heard of people raising money among people they work with, friends, book groups etc. If we pull together we can help a whole lot of people this winter. Need more info?
http://whispernthunder.org/
Please forward this email to everyone you know - thank you so much.
Peace,
Billie
Billie K. Fidlin
President, Whisper n Thunder Inc.
P.O. Box 10891
Glendale, AZ 85318
602.705.5797
~~excerpts from posting below It may take many more years before a mainstream politician or a journalist who cares about future employment dares speak truthfully about Reagan and the grievous harm that his presidency inflicted on the American Republic and the people of the Earth. But the truth is that Reagan’s current historical reputation rests more on the effectiveness of theRepublican propaganda machine – and the timidity of many Democrats and media personalities – than on his actual record of accomplishments. Indeed, many of today’s worst national and international problems can be traced to misjudgments and malfeasance from the Reagan years – from the swelling national debt to out-of-control banks, from the decline of the U.S. middle class to the inaction on energy independence, from the rise of Islamic fundamentalism to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. All of these disasters are part of the Reagan Legacy. Yet, possibly the most insidious residue from the Reagan Years was the concept ofmanipulating information – what some Reagan officials liked to call "perception management" – as a means of societal control. In that endeavor, Reagan’s team took aim at two key entities – the CIA’s analytical division and the Washington press corps – with the realization that if the information produced and disseminated by those two groups could be controlled then the insider community of Washington and the broader American public could be managed. For instance, Nixon, Ford and Carter won scant praise for addressing the systemic challenges from America’s oil dependence, environmental degradation, the arms race, and nuclear proliferation – all issues that Reagan essentially ignored and that now threaten the future of America and the planet. Before Reagan, corporate CEOs earned less than 50 times the salary of an average worker. By the end of the Reagan-Bush-I administrations in 1993, the average CEO salary was more than 100 times that of a typical worker. (At the end of the Bush-II administration, that CEO-salary figure was more than250 times that of an average worker.) Still, the disasters – set in motion by Ronald Reagan – continued to roll in. George W. Bush’s Reagan-esque tax cuts for the rich blew another huge hole in the federal budget and the Reagan-esque anti-regulatory fervor contributed to a massive financial meltdown that threw the nation into economic chaos. The majority report of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission blamed the banking crisis, in part, on "30 years of deregulation and reliance on self-regulation." (Not surprisingly, the four Republicans on the commission refused to sign on, seeking to lay greater blame on government policies for encouraging home ownership.) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ronald Reagan's 30-Year Time Bombs By Robert Parry
January 28, 2011 The time element of "30 years" keeps slipping into American official reports and news stories about the origins of crises – the latest in "The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report" – but rarely is the relevance of the three-decade span explained, and there is a reason. The failure to close the circle in saying who started the nation off on the path toward these disasters is because nearly everyone shies away from blaming Ronald Reagan for almost anything. The overpowering consensus in Washington is that it’s political suicide to criticize the 40th president of the United States, whose centennial birthday on Feb. 6 will be celebrated elaborately. It’s much safer to behave like MSNBC’s "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and simply accept that Reagan was "one of the all-time greats." But the truth is that Reagan’s current historical reputation rests more on the effectiveness of the Republican propaganda machine – and the timidity of many Democrats and media personalities – than on his actual record of accomplishments. Indeed, many of today’s worst national and international problems can be traced to misjudgments and malfeasance from the Reagan years – from the swelling national debt to out-of-control banks, from the decline of the U.S. middle class to the inaction on energy independence, from the rise of Islamic fundamentalism to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. All of these disasters are part of the Reagan Legacy. Yet, possibly the most insidious residue from the Reagan Years was the concept of manipulating information – what some Reagan officials liked to call "perception management" – as a means of societal control. In that endeavor, Reagan’s team took aim at two key entities – the CIA’s analytical division and the Washington press corps – with the realization that if the information produced and disseminated by those two groups could be controlled then the insider community of Washington and the broader American public could be managed. That enabled the Reagan administration to exaggerate the threat posed by the Soviet Union (after Reagan’s CIA chief William Casey and his deputy Robert Gates purged many of the CIA analysts who correctly saw a decaying empire eager for accommodation with the West). Similarly, well-financed right-wing operatives and administration officials worked to marginalize mainstream journalists (the "liberal press") who raised troublesome questions about Reagan’s domestic and foreign policies. The impact of these information strategies had deadly consequences even years later, such as when President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney essentially dictated the intelligence "analysis" on Iraq’s WMD to the CIA and the Washington press corps fell in line behind the march to war. Even today, President Barack Obama complains that his options for addressing the nation’s growing problems are limited by what he calls the Reagan "narrative," demonizing government. [See Consortiumnews.com’s "Obama’s Fear of the Reagan Narrative."] A Central Narrative The Reagan Legacy also lives on as the central narrative of the now-empowered Republican Party and its Tea Party allies. The answer to domestic problems is always to cut taxes, slash government regulations and trust the private sector, while the cure for international threats is to talk tough and to take down governments that won’t obey. For Republicans, virtually all issues must be shoved into the straitjacket of Reagan’s orthodoxy, while the Right’s powerful media continues to build false narratives for public consumption thus guaranteeing that alternative approaches are met with unrelenting hostility. This strategy works, in part, because progressives lack a sufficient messaging apparatus to counter the Reagan narrative and Democratic politicians know that they risk retaliation if they challenge too directly the pleasant conventional wisdom about Reagan. So, instead of a blunt recognition of Reagan’s responsibility for crises, the 30-year reference slides in as if something mysterious about the early 1980s explains how later catastrophes originated. There is no who-done-it in these mysteries; Reagan must be kept enshrined as the genial ex-actor who revived the American spirit after those trying days of the 1970s. However, if future historians are fair (and that is no sure thing), the reevaluation of Ronald Reagan should start with a reassessment of the "failed" presidents from the 1970s – Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. All may deserve more credit than they got for trying to grapple with problems that now bedevil the country. For instance, Nixon, Ford and Carter won scant praise for addressing the systemic challenges from America’s oil dependence, environmental degradation, the arms race, and nuclear proliferation – all issues that Reagan essentially ignored and that now threaten the future of America and the planet. These presidents also followed a generally moderate course on economic policies, finding bipartisan approaches to challenges like inflation and budget deficits, which were a tiny fraction of today's numbers. Nixon – despite his ugly paranoia and noxious bigotry – helped create the Environmental Protection Agency; he imposed energy-conservation measures; he opened the diplomatic door to communist China. Nixon’s administration also detected the growing weakness in the Soviet Union and advocated a policy of détente (a plan for bringing the Cold War to an end or at least curbing its most dangerous excesses). After Nixon’s resignation in the Watergate scandal, Ford continued many of Nixon’s policies, particularly trying to wind down the Cold War with Moscow. However, confronting a rebellion from Reagan’s Republican Right in 1976, Ford abandoned "détente." Ford also let hard-line Cold Warriors (and a first wave of young intellectuals who became known as neoconservatives) pressure the CIA’s analytical division (the so-called "Team-B Experiment"), and he brought in a new generation of hard-liners, including Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. After defeating Ford in 1976, Carter injected more respect for human rights into U.S. foreign policy, a move some scholars believe put an important nail in the coffin of the Soviet Union, leaving it hard-pressed to justify the repressive internal practices of the East Bloc. Carter also emphasized the need to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, especially in unstable countries like Pakistan. Domestically, Carter pushed a comprehensive energy policy and warned Americans that their growing dependence on foreign oil represented a national security threat, what he famously called "the moral equivalent of war."
However, powerful vested interests – both domestic and foreign – managed to exploit the shortcomings of these three presidents to sabotage any sustained progress. By 1980, Reagan had emerged as the Pied Piper luring the American people away from the tough choices that Nixon, Ford and Carter had defined. Sunny Disposition With his superficially sunny disposition – and a ruthless political strategy of exploiting white-male resentments – Reagan convinced millions of Americans that the threats they faced were: African-American welfare queens, Central American leftists, a rapidly expanding Evil Empire based in Moscow, and the do-good federal government. In his First Inaugural Address in 1981, Reagan declared that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." When it came to cutting back on America’s energy use, Reagan’s message could be boiled down to the old reggae lyric, "Don’t worry, be happy." Rather than pressing Detroit to build smaller, fuel-efficient cars, Reagan made clear that the auto industry could manufacture gas-guzzlers without much nagging from Washington. The same with the environment. Reagan intentionally staffed the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department with officials who were hostile toward regulation aimed at protecting the environment. Reagan pushed for deregulation of industries, including banking; he slashed income taxes for the wealthiest Americans in an experiment known as "supply side" economics, which held falsely that cutting rates for the rich would increase revenues and eliminate the federal deficit. Over the years, "supply side" would evolve into a secular religion for many on the Right, but Reagan’s budget director David Stockman once blurted out the truth, that it would lead to red ink "as far as the eye could see." While conceding that some of Reagan’s economic plans did not work out as intended, his defenders – including many mainstream journalists – still argue that Reagan should be hailed as a great President because he "won the Cold War," a short-hand phrase that they like to attach to his historical biography. However, a strong case can be made that the Cold War was won well before Reagan arrived in the White House. Indeed, in the 1970s, it was a common perception in the U.S. intelligence community that the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was winding down, largely because the Soviet economic model had lost the technological race with the West. That was the view of many Kremlinologists in the CIA’s analytical division. Also, I was told by a senior CIA’s operations official that some of the CIA’s best spies inside the Soviet hierarchy supported the view that the Soviet Union was headed toward collapse, not surging toward world supremacy, as Reagan and his foreign policy team insisted in the early 1980s. The CIA analysis was the basis for the détente that was launched by Nixon and Ford, essentially seeking a negotiated solution to the most dangerous remaining aspects of the Cold War. In that view, Soviet military operations, including sending troops into Afghanistan in 1979, were mostly defensive in nature. In Afghanistan, the Soviets hoped to prop up a secular pro-communist government that was seeking to modernize the country but was beset by opposition from Islamic fundamentalists who were getting covert support from the U.S. government. Though the Afghan covert operation originated with Cold Warriors in the Carter administration, especially national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, the war was dramatically ramped up under Reagan. Reagan and CIA Director Casey also were willing to trade U.S. acquiescence toward Pakistan’s nuclear arms program for its help in shipping weaponry to the Afghan jihadists (including a young Saudi named Osama bin Laden). [See Consortiumnews.com’s "Reagan’s Bargain/Charlie Wilson’s War."] Making Matters Worse While Reagan’s acolytes cite the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan as decisive in "winning the Cold War," the counter-argument is that Moscow was already in disarray – and while failure in Afghanistan may have sped the Soviet Union’s final collapse – it also created twin dangers for the future of the world: the rise of al-Qaeda terrorism and the nuclear bomb in the hands of Pakistan’s unstable Islamic Republic. In other words, Reagan’s over-reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan created even worse long-term threats to U.S. national security. And, instead of crediting Reagan with "winning the Cold War," it could be argued that he extended it unnecessarily – at great cost in lives and money. Reagan’s actions elsewhere in the world also damaged long-term U.S. interests. In Latin America, for instance, Reagan’s brutal strategy of arming right-wing militaries to crush peasant, student and labor uprisings created a legacy of anti-Americanism that has resurfaced in the emergence of populist leftist governments. In Nicaragua, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega (whom Reagan once denounced as a "dictator in designer glasses") returned to power. In El Salvador, the leftist FMLN won the last presidential election. Indeed, across the region, hostility to Washington is now the rule, creating openings for China, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and other American rivals. In the early 1980s, Reagan also credentialed a young generation of neocon intellectuals, who pioneered a concept called "perception management," the shaping of how Americans saw, understood and were frightened by threats from abroad. To marginalize dissent, Reagan and his subordinates stoked anger toward anyone who challenged the era’s feel-good optimism.Skeptics were not just honorable critics, they were un-American defeatists or – in Jeane Kirkpatrick’s memorable attack line – they would "blame America first." Under Reagan, a right-wing infrastructure took shape, linking media outlets (magazines, newspapers, books, etc.) with well-financed think tanks that churned out endless op-eds and research papers. Plus, there were attack groups that went after mainstream journalists who dared disclose information that poked holes in Reagan’s propaganda themes. In effect, Reagan’s team created a faux reality for the American public. Civil wars in Central America between impoverished peasants and wealthy oligarchs became East-West showdowns. U.S.-backed insurgents in Nicaragua, Angola and Afghanistan were transformed from corrupt, brutal (often drug-tainted) thugs into noble "freedom-fighters." With the Iran-Contra schemes of 1984-86, Reagan also revived Richard Nixon’s theory of an imperial presidency that could ignore the nation’s laws and evade accountability through criminal cover-ups. That behavior would rear its head again in the war crimes of George W. Bush. [For details on Reagan’s abuses, see Robert Parry’s Lost History andSecrecy & Privilege.] Wall Street Greed The American Dream also dimmed during Reagan’s tenure. While he played the role of the nation’s kindly grandfather, his operatives divided the American people, using "wedge issues" to deepen grievances especially of white men who were encouraged to see themselves as victims of "reverse discrimination" and "political correctness." Yet even as working-class white men were rallying to the Republican banner (as so-called "Reagan Democrats"), their economic interests were being savaged. Unions were broken and marginalized; "free trade" policies shipped manufacturing jobs abroad; old neighborhoods were decaying; drug use among the young was soaring. Meanwhile, unprecedented greed was unleashed on Wall Street, fraying old-fashioned bonds between company owners and employees. Before Reagan, corporate CEOs earned less than 50 times the salary of an average worker. By the end of the Reagan-Bush-I administrations in 1993, the average CEO salary was more than 100 times that of a typical worker. (At the end of the Bush-II administration, that CEO-salary figure was more than 250 times that of an average worker.) Many other trends set during the Reagan era continued to corrode the U.S. political process in the years after Reagan left office. After 9/11, for instance, the neocons reemerged as a dominant force, reprising their "perception management" tactics, depicting the "war on terror" – like the last days of the Cold War – as a terrifying conflict between good and evil. The hyping of the Islamic threat mirrored the neocons’ exaggerated depiction of the Soviet menace in the 1980s – and again the propaganda strategy worked. Many Americans let their emotions run wild, from the hunger for revenge after 9/11 to the war fever over invading Iraq. Arguably, the descent into this dark fantasyland – that Ronald Reagan began in the early 1980s – reached its nadir in the flag-waving early days of the Iraq War. Only gradually did reality begin to reassert itself as the death toll mounted in Iraq and the Katrina disaster reminded Americans why they needed an effective government. Still, the disasters – set in motion by Ronald Reagan – continued to roll in. George W. Bush’s Reagan-esque tax cuts for the rich blew another huge hole in the federal budget and the Reagan-esque anti-regulatory fervor contributed to a massive financial meltdown that threw the nation into economic chaos. The majority report of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission blamed the banking crisis, in part, on "30 years of deregulation and reliance on self-regulation." (Not surprisingly, the four Republicans on the commission refused to sign on, seeking to lay greater blame on government policies for encouraging home ownership.) GOP Icon Republicans continue to enforce the notion that Reagan is an untouchable icon, that his memory and his policies must be revered. After the GOP gained control of Congress in 1994, the party rushed to name as many public sites after Reagan as possible, seeking to elevate their hero to the stature of martyred leaders like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. In that endeavor, the Republicans often had the help of Democrats who saw honoring Reagan as an easy gesture of political bipartisanship, apparently unaware of – or unwilling to contest – the larger GOP strategy of solidifying the status of Reaganism as much as Reagan. For instance, early in Campaign 2008, when Barack Obama was positioning himself as a bipartisan political figure who could appeal to Republicans, he bowed to the Reagan mystique, hailing the GOP icon as a leader who "changed the trajectory of America." Though Obama’s chief point was that Reagan in 1980 "put us on a fundamentally different path" – a point which may be historically undeniable – Obama went further, justifying Reagan's course correction because of "all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s, and government had grown and grown, but there wasn’t much sense of accountability." While Obama later clarified his point to say he didn't mean to endorse Reagan's conservative policies, Obama seemed to suggest that Reagan's 1980 election administered a needed dose of accountability to the United States when Reagan actually did the opposite. Reagan’s presidency represented a dangerous escape from accountability – and reality. [See Consortiumnews.com’s "Obama’s Dubious Praise for Reagan."] Obama and congressional Democrats have continued to pander to the Reagan myth. In 2009, President Obama hailed Ronald Reagan while welcoming Nancy Reagan to the White House and signing a law creating a panel to honor Reagan’s 100th birthday on Feb. 6, 2011. "President Reagan helped as much as any President to restore a sense of optimism in our country, a spirit that transcended politics – that transcended even the most heated arguments of the day," Obama said. It may take many more years before a mainstream politician or a journalist who cares about future employment dares speak truthfully about Reagan and the grievous harm that his presidency inflicted on the American Republic and the people of the Earth. [For more on these topics, see Robert Parry’s Lost History and Secrecy & Privilege, which are now available with Neck Deep, in a three-book set for the discount price of only $29. For details, click here.] |
Giant Breach in Earth's Magnetic Field Discovered
December 16, 2008 � NASA's five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a breach in Earth's magnetic field ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist. Solar wind can flow in through the opening to "load up" the magnetosphere for powerful geomagnetic storms. But the breach itself is not the biggest surprise. Researchers are even more amazed at the strange and unexpected way it forms, overturning long-held ideas of space physics. . .
Full story: http://science.nasa.
Comment: What has experts on edge is the expected increase in the sunspot activity in 2012 at sunspot solar cycle 24. This could short-circuit satellites, pose a risk to aircraft, and play havoc with electrical equipment on the ground. It could expose the earth and its inhabitants to dangerous rays from the sun, and potentially take down power grids.
The Earth's electromagnetic field has been in the news recently. Just this month runways had to be closed down at two Florida airports when the shift in magnetic north became to severe. "The poles are generated by movements within the Earth's inner and outer cores. They're also constantly in flux, moving a few degrees every year, but the changes are almost never of such a magnitude that runways require adjusting," said Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA.
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 11:16:50 -0700
World of two halves! Map shows most of Northern Hemisphere is covered in snow and ice
Last updated at 11:00 AM on 3rd February 2011
CNSC approves nuclear waste transportation
February 5, 2011
Canada's nuclear watchdog has announced their decision to allow Bruce Power to transport nuclear waste through the Great Lakes St.Lawrence watershed inspite of huge opposition from concerned individuals and communities.
Is this any surprise???
"Decision
9.
"Based on its consideration of the matter, as described in more detail in the following sections of this Record of Proceedings, the Commission concludes that Bruce Power is qualified to carry on the activity that the licence and certificate will authorize. The Commission is of the opinion that Bruce Power, in carrying on that activity, will make adequate provision for the protection of the environment, the health and safety of persons and the maintenance of national security and measures required to implement international obligations to which Canada has agreed.
"Therefore, the Commission, pursuant to section 24 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, issues to Bruce Power Inc. a transport licence and certificate for the transport of 16 decommissioned steam generators from the Western Waste Management Facility in the Municipality of Kincardine, Ontario to Nyköping, Sweden. The transport licence, TL-SX-40039.01.00/2011, and certificate, CDN/5255/X-96 (Rev.0), are valid from February 4, 2011 to February 3, 2012."
THIS IS HOW THEY END THEIR EMAIL WHICH WAS SENT OUT FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 4:40 PM.
"The information contained in this e-mail is intended solely for the use of the named
addressee. Access, copying, or re-use of the e-mail or any information contained
therein by any other person is not authorized. If you are not the intended recipient,
please notify us immediately by returning the e-mail to the originator."
More details soon.
here is some REALLY important news to share.... (laughing!)
AND! they will soon hold a two-day "National Bed Bug Summit?"
Nah, didn't think ya' knew this one. Now, aren't you glad you get my press info? (rofl!)
wonder if we could invite Chevron for a "sleep over?" HA HA HA!
Im considering a re-write of my own... maybe titled something like, ""Big Brainiacs Bolster Benefits of Bombing Bed Bugs." or perhaps, "Bureaocrats Beat Back Bad Bed Bugs"
http://www.ens-newswire.com/
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 09:48 AM PST
KEYPORT, Wash.—Kyle Purser climbed out of the frigid waters of Puget Sound, peeled off his latex diving gear and quickly calculated what the day’s shellfish catch would put in his wallet.“Oh, $1,000, maybe $2,000,” said the 26-year-old, who is a member of the Suquamish tribe of Native Americans. “Not bad for 90 minutes’ work.”Mr. Purser is one of 25 divers of the Suquamish tribe enjoying a midwinter shellfish bounty. The 700-member tribe on Washington’s Bainbridge Island is blessed with one of the world’s largest colonies of geoducks—nature’s largest clam and a prized delicacy in Asian cuisine. Dock prices in the run-up to Chinese New Year on Thursday have jumped to almost $15 a pound from $8 a pound in early January.
Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog)Tawo Seed CarrierPOB 1456South Pasadena, CA 91031
Aboriginal financial institutions say Ottawa undermining them
When Walter Starr approached the Royal Bank and Peace Hills Trust Company for a loan to expand a small garage and snack bar on the Sagkeeng First Nation north of Winnipeg, he knew his chances of success were slim.
The financial institutions didn’t even respond to Starr. He had crashed into the barrier many on-reserve Aboriginal entrepreneurs and First Nations face.
Stipulations in the Indian Act protect property on reserves, so it cannot be used as collateral for a loan. The restrictions mean First Nations’ residents often lack the assets mainstream lenders seek.
But 18 years after he first approached the banks, Starr, 64, a former truck driver, is doing a thriving business at Teeny Boppers Convenience Store, in a larger, modern gas station, store and sit-down restaurant. Six months after the banks ignored his first loan applications, Starr secured a $100,000 loan from the Tribal Wi-Chi-Way-Win Capital Corporation (TWCWW), an Aboriginal Financial Institution that five tribal councils in Manitoba own.
In loaning Starr the money, the Aboriginal institution also gave the Sagkeeng First Nation an essential pillar of job creation — critical for the economic self-sufficiency that First Nations communities strive for across the country.
“If it wasn’t for Tribal Wi-Chi-Way-Win, I’m sure we wouldn’t have this business,” says Starr. “I got into this business with the dream of helping the community provide jobs for the people. And we’ve done that.”
The federal government established Aboriginal Financial Institutions in the mid- to late 1980s, providing them with initial funds to give Aboriginal businesses access to the capital they lacked. Including TWCWW, there are now 58 of these institutions across the country.
Since they were created, the Aboriginal lenders have provided about 33,000 loans, injecting $1.4 billion into Aboriginal and mainstream communities, says Nicole Ladouceur, director-general of the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship branch of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. That figure is also leveraged many times over, according to the National Aboriginal Capital Corporation Association.
But now — despite what both Indian Affairs and First Nations acknowledge has been an extremely successful program — the Aboriginal Financial Institutions say a rival federal program is challenging them.
In 2009, Indian Affairs awarded five traditional lenders a total of about $18 million in loan-loss guarantees. The Loan-Loss Reserve Initiative will allow the lenders to make riskier, larger loans to Aboriginal businesses.
The first traditional lenders to qualify for the program were the Business Development Corporation of Canada, a Crown corporation, the Assiniboine Credit Union, the Affinity Credit Union, the First Nations Banks of Canada and the Desjardins Group. No Aboriginal Financial Institutions were invited to participate.
As a result, Tribal Wi-Chi-Way-Win is suing the federal government, arguing in Federal Court that Indian Affairs violated the Constitution by failing to consult with First Nations before adopting the pilot program. They hope the case will force Ottawa to extend the program to the Aboriginal Financial Institutions.
“Anytime the government starts to fund private banks with public funds, it’s disturbing,” says Alan Park, CEO of Tribal Wi-Chi-Way-Win. “All they are doing is making the fat banks fatter and us weaker, because we can’t compete with that. They’re subsidized. We are not.”
The Loan-Loss Reserve Initiative is intended to “provide a certain degree of comfort for mainstream financial institutions” to overcome the barriers the Indian Act presents and to get them lending on reserves, says Ladouceur. The initiative was directed at traditional lenders because the average loan the aboriginal institutions make is about $80,000, and only rarely goes as high as $250,000, she says.
But by giving the traditional lenders loan guarantees, the federal government ensures they can offer substantially lower interest rates than those of the Aboriginal Financial Institutions, which are typically about 3-4 points above the prime rate, argues Park.
In addition, he wonders why the government did not adopt a similar Risk Premium Offset program that Aboriginal lenders had been negotiating with the department to administer.
Park and other Aboriginal financial executives wonder if the pilot loan-loss initiative indicates the current government’s waning support for the Aboriginal Financial Institutions, despite their success.
“To us, it’s clear what they are doing — they are going to force us out of the market … and keep us dependent,” Park says.
The new loan-loss initiative has not worked so far. The mainstream institutions participating in the program have used just $3 million of the $18 million they received, and have made just four loans, Ladouceur confirms. Given that fact, the Department is reviewing the program to see if it should continue, she says.
Back on the Sagkeeng First Nation, Starr employs 13 people, and hires four summer students. At one point, before a competing band store opened, Starr had 40 employees. On reserves, where unemployment rates can be as much as 10 times the national average, every job counts — and each job changes lives.
The business has meant Starr can build his own house and put his kids through university without having to rely on the band — or the federal government — for support.
In 2009, Aboriginal Financial Institutions hit a milestone. They made a total of 1,250 business loans like the one Starr received, worth more than $100 million. Indian Affairs estimates that the loans generated 3,675 jobs in 2009 alone.
In Birch Island, Ont., where the Waubetek Business Development Corporation serves Northeastern Ontario, General Manager Dawn Madahbee hopes Indian Affairs supports expanding the loan-loss initiative so Waubetek can participate and extend larger loans, especially in the resource and green energy sectors.
The corporation succeeds where mainstream lenders do not because it works closely with its clients to develop their ideas, and see them through to viable businesses, says Madahbee.
“We know our clients really well — we help to make our businesses a success,” she says.
The developmental aspect of Aboriginal Financial Institutions differentiates them, says Richard Missens, an assistant professor in business and public administration at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina.
“They’ve really done a good job in filling a tremendous gap, and in fact, they’ve really involved into business incubators, taking the extra step to help First Nations and entrepreneurs get started,” he says.
Every day express your outrage that Leonard Peltier is still in prison.
Call: (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1112.
You also can send an e-mail to the White House.
Go to http://www.facebook.com/l/
Demand that President Barack Obama – step up and do the right thing and have Leonard released.
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500
Fax - (202) 456-2461
This only takes 5 minutes- Your voice will be heard- and it needs to be heard-
AIM SB
AIM Southern California
Sampson Wolfe & Free Leonard
Join Ms. Corine Fairbanks, Lakota, as she interviews Mr. Sampson Wolfe, Muscogee Nation, from the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC). Tonight they discuss who is Leonard Peltier, the current status of Peltier's case, and touch on other issues such as: racism, boarding schools, inter-racial marriages, and diabetes.
for more information on Peltier please see
http://www.facebook.com/l/
for more information on AIM Santa Barbara;
http://www.facebook.com/l/
show in 3 parts
part 1
http://www.facebook.com/l/
part 2
http://www.facebook.com/l/
part 3
http://www.facebook.com/l/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Recognizing the Language of Tyranny
|
Posted on Feb 6, 2011
 |
| AP |
Empires communicate in two languages. One language is expressed in imperatives. It is the language of command and force. This militarized language disdains human life and celebrates hypermasculinity. It demands. It makes no attempt to justify the flagrant theft of natural resources and wealth or the use of indiscriminate violence. When families are gunned down at a checkpoint in Iraq they are referred to as having been “lit up.” So it goes.
The other language of empire is softer. It employs the vocabulary of ideals and lofty goals and insists that the power of empire is noble and benevolent. The language of beneficence is used to speak to those outside the centers of death and pillage, those who have not yet been totally broken, those who still must be seduced to hand over power to predators. The road traveled to total disempowerment, however, ends at the same place. It is the language used to get there that is different.
This language of blind obedience and retribution is used by authority in our inner cities, from Detroit to Oakland, as well as our prison systems. It is a language Iraqis and Afghans know intimately. But to the members of our dwindling middle class—as well as those in the working class who have yet to confront our new political and economic configuration—the powerful use phrases like the consent of the governedand democracy that help lull us into complacency.
The longer we believe in the fiction that we are included in the corporate power structure, the more easily corporations pillage the country without the threat of rebellion. Those who know the truth are crushed. Those who do not are lied to. Those who consume and perpetuate the lies—including the liberal institutions of the press, the church, education, culture, labor and the Democratic Party—abet our disempowerment.
No system of total control, including corporate control, exhibits its extreme forms at the beginning. These forms expand as they fail to encounter resistance.
The tactic of speaking in two languages is as old as empire itself. The ancient Greeks and the Romans did it. So did the Spanish conquistadors, the Ottomans, the French and later the British. Those who inhabit exploited zones on the peripheries of empire see and hear the truth. But the cries of those who are exploited are ignored or demonized. The rage they express does not resonate with those trapped in self-delusion, those who continue to trust in the ultimate goodness of empire. This is the truth articulated in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” and E.M. Forster’s “A Passage to India.” These writers understood that empire is about violence and theft. And the longer the theft continues, the more brutal empire becomes. The tyranny empire imposes on others it finally imposes on itself. The predatory forces unleashed by empire consume the host. Look around you.
The narratives we hear are those fabricated for us by the state, Hollywood and the press. These narratives are taught in our schools, preached in our pulpits and celebrated in war documentaries such as“Restrepo.” These narratives humanize and ennoble the enforcers of empire. The government, the military, the police and our intelligence agents are lionized. These control groups, we are assured, are the guardians of our virtues and our protectors. They produce our heroes. And those who challenge this narrative—who denounce the lies—become the enemy.
Those who administer empire—elected officials, corporate managers, generals and the celebrity courtiers who disseminate the propaganda—become very wealthy. They make immense fortunes whether they deliver the nightly news, sit on the boards of corporations, or rise, lavished with corporate endorsements, within the vast industry of spectacle and entertainment. They all pay homage, even in moments defined as criticism, to the essential goodness of corporate power. They shut out all real debate. They ignore flagrant injustices and abuse. They peddle the illusions that keep us passive and amused. But as our society is reconfigured into an oligarchic system, with a permanent and vast underclass, along with a shrinking and unstable middle class, these illusions lose their power. The language of pleasant deception must be replaced with the overt language of force. It is hard to continue to live in a state of self-delusion once unemployment benefits run out, once the only job available comes without benefits or a living wage, once the future no longer conforms to the happy talk that saturates our airwaves. At this point rage becomes the engine of response, and whoever can channel that rage inherits power. The manipulation of that rage has become the newest task of the corporate propagandists, and the failure of the liberal class to defend core liberal values has left its members with nothing to contribute to the debate.
The Nazis, for whom the Holocaust was as much a campaign of plunder as it was a campaign to rid Europe of Jews, had two methods for greeting arrivals at their four extermination camps. If the transports came from Western Europe, the savage Ukrainian and Lithuanian guards, with their whips, dogs and clubs, were kept out of sight. The wealthier European Jews were politely ushered into an elaborate ruse, including fake railway stations complete with flower beds, until once stripped naked they became incapable of resistance and could be herded in rows of five under whips into the gas chambers. The Nazis knew that those who had not been broken, those who possessed a belief in their own personal empowerment, would fight back. When the transports came from the east, where Jews had long lived in fear, tremendous poverty and terror, there was no need for such theatrics. Mothers, fathers, the elderly and children, accustomed to overt repression and the language of command and retribution, were brutally driven from the transports by sadistic guards. The object was to create mass hysteria. The fate of the two groups was the same. It was the tactic that differed.
All centralized power, once restraints and regulations are abolished, once it is no longer accountable to citizens, knows no limit to internal and external plunder. The corporate state, which has emasculated our government, is creating a new form of feudalism, a world of masters and serfs. It speaks to those who remain in a state of self-delusion in the comforting and familiar language of liberty, freedom, prosperity and electoral democracy. It speaks to the poor and the oppressed in the language of naked coercion. But, here too, all will end up in the same place.
Those trapped in the blighted inner cities that are our internal colonies or brutalized in our prison system, especially African-Americans, see what awaits us all. So do the inhabitants in southern West Virginia, where coal companies have turned hundreds of thousands of acres into uninhabitable and poisoned wastelands. Poverty, repression and despair in these peripheral parts of empire are as common as drug addiction and cancer. Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis and Palestinians can also tell us who we are. They know that once self-delusion no longer works it is the iron fist that speaks. The solitary and courageous voices that rise up from these internal and external colonies of devastation are silenced or discredited by the courtiers who serve corporate power. And even those who do hear these voices of dissent often cannot handle the truth. They prefer the Potemkin facade. They recoil at the “negativity.” Reality, especially when you grasp what corporations are doing in the name of profit to the planet’s ecosystem, is terrifying.
All tyrannies come endowed with their own peculiarities. This makes it hard to say one form of totalitarianism is like another. There are always enough differences to make us unsure that history is repeating itself. The corporate state does not have a Politburo. It does not dress its Homeland Security agents in jackboots. There is no raving dictator. American democracy—like the garishly painted train station at the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka—looks real even as the levers of power are in the hands of corporations. But there is one aspect the corporate state shares with despotic regimes and the collapsed empires that have plagued human history. It too communicates in two distinct languages, that is until it does not have to, at which point it will be too late.
Chris Hedges is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute and a weekly columnist for Truthdig. His latest book is “Death of the Liberal Class.”
To forcably stop Cree traditional beliefs from being practised by those who wish to is no better than Hitler killing the Jews or the Christians killing the jews, Christ's own people. How do you justify such actions as being Christian behavior? It goes against all bible teachings and if your people were true christians, they would walk their talk and live as God wanted them to and doing things like this is not it. There are many pathes to the same destination. Bare that in mind. Your ancestors did well by following their traditions pre white man and much could be accomplished in a possative way by endorcing the old ways. Our world is in the currant mess because our ancestors long gone knew how everything is connected, had respect for all things, something that is sadly lacking in today's world.
http://www.petitiononline.com/
|
Compare that to Native girls, who generally get paired with a culturally similar big sister within a matter of weeks, she said. The long wait the boys experience is a simple function of supply and demand. In 2010 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska had just six Alaska Native men signed on, while 100 Alaska Native boys had signed up for mentors.
"They end up waiting and waiting and waiting," Spencer said of the boys, adding that the program isn't sure why it's so hard to get Native men involved.
"We haven't figured it out yet. We even have Native men on our board in hopes of getting them to help recruit Native men," she said.
"We try and match them to their preferences," Spencer said. "If they are missing a Native man in their life an uncle or a dad we try to pair them up with that. I think it's extremely valuable if that is what they are missing in their life. I think it is very, very valuable. Everybody needs to have a role model."
As she works to get Native men on board by recruiting at Native sporting events and also at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention, Spencer finds herself reinforcing for potential big brothers that they don't have to perfect to be a perfect match.
"They don't have to change themselves," she said. "[Many of them] think that if they have messed up in the past that they cannot be a mentor. But what they have is time and that's what these boys need."
"Not every mistake in the past is a showstopper to being a mentor so give it a try," she said.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
|
NARF declines to comment because the article is not worth dignifying with a reply......
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field
and in the policy arena to protect America's last wild buffalo.
Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
February 10, 2011
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: More Than 500 Wild Buffalo Trapped in Yellowstone
* WHAT YOU CAN DO
* Watch & Share This Video: Inspire Yourself & Others to Protect the Wild Bison
* Science: Yellowstone & Montana Harming Bison's Evolutionary Potential
* By the Numbers
* Last Words
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: More Than 500 Wild Buffalo Trapped in Yellowstone
Last week's Update from the Field articulated the numerous and horrific realities the buffalo are facing this winter. Since then, Yellowstone National Park has captured an additional 133 wild buffalo. More than 500 are confined inside the Park's Stephens Creek bison trap. Last week we filed an Emergency Injunction calling for an immediate halt to Yellowstone's plans to slaughter American buffalo, a motion based on and underscoring the evidence outlined in our 2009 Bison Habitat Lawsuit which demonstrates Yellowstone's actions will cause irreparable harm to the only continuously wild population of American buffalo. Yellowstone National Park's response shrugged off the dangers, blatantly ignoring their responsibility to protect America's last wild buffalo, adding that they could - like in 2008 - ship more than 1,600 buffalo to slaughter this winter. We issued a response and a phone conversation with Yellowstone this morning reveals that our litigation is making an impact: Yellowstone says they are holding off on immediate plans to slaughter while they consult with their legal counsel, and they said they will likely not make a decision about slaughtering the trapped buffalo until Monday at the earliest.
Yellowstone continues to jump on the unsubstantiated brucellosis bandwagon, shamefully bending over backwards to appease the political agenda of the cattle industry rather than protect the wildlife we the people have entrusted them with, regardless of the consequences of their actions which will ultimately drive America's last wild buffalo to extinction in the very near future. The ruling on the Emergency Injunction now rests with Federal Judge Lovell.
While humans play out their games, the buffalo are the ones that truly suffer politicking as if they were no more than pieces on a chess board. The fate - indeed, the very evolutionary potential - of the prehistoric North American bison is in our hands. We are not powerless - we must not only prevent the harassment and slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo population, but envision and create a world in which wild buffalo are embraced as an honored and integral part of the land, treated with dignity and respect as the true elders of this continent. We must demand that the buffalo be set free - not just from government plans and Yellowstone's trap, but from the boundaries of the human mind that fence them into a shallow landscape. Wildlife management is truly an oxymoron. "None but ourselves can free our minds" and in so doing, the buffalo will be set free from the very real and the mental chains that bind them. After centuries of persecution, the buffalo continue to show us the way: Endless pressure, endlessly applied, with persistence, resistance, and endurance. Roam free!
------------------------------
* WHAT YOU CAN DO - Speak Up for the Buffalo Today!
1. Contact Yellowstone National Park Acting Superintendent Colin Campbelland tell him to set the buffalo free, pull out of the Interagency Bison Management Plan, stop harassing and killing wildlife and work towards habitat-based solutions for America's last wild buffalo! Email colin_campbell@nps.gov or call 307-344-2003
2. Contact your Members of Congress and urge them to intervene with the Park on your behalf and to support federal funding to protect America's last wild buffalo and their habitat. Ask them to support the re-direction of funds wasted on the Interagency Bison Management Plan towards habitat-based solutions that honor the wild integrity of our national heritage. Write Your Representative and Write Your Senators!
3. Contact Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and tell him Montana is being globally shamed by these actions against America's last wild buffalo! Remind him that tourism sustains Montana. Email governor@mt.gov or call 406-444-3111
4. Sign BFC's Petition to National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis urging him to abandon the failed Interagency Bison Management Plan. Sign the petition and please pass the link on.
5. Write Letters to the Editor to newspapers in your region to help raise awareness and bring an end to the unjust treatment of America's last wild buffalo. Write on for the buffalo here!
6. Vote for wild buffalo and all wildlife with your money by Boycotting beef. Learn more here.
7. Volunteer with BFC by joining us on the front lines! Get in touch and learn more by emailing volunteer@
THANK YOU! Please spread the word to save these herds by telling everyone you know what is happening to the country's last wild buffalo and what they can do to. Knowledge is power!
------------------------------
* WATCH & SHARE THIS VIDEO: Inspire Yourself & Others to Protect the Wild Bison
------------------------------
* Science: Yellowstone & Montana Harming Bison's Evolutionary Potential
Below are two very important pieces of information, recently released, that reveal that actions carried out against America's last wild buffalo under the Interagency Bison Management Plan are having dire impacts on the viability of this critical population. Arm yourself with this information.
A. "Widespread Mitochondrial Disease in North American Bison." This is an important genetics study by Thomas H. Pringle which finds that there are dire consequences to the current mismanagement of America's last wild buffalo. The findings in this study stress the importance of providing federal protection to America's last wild buffalo - the Yellowstone buffalo population - and their historic habitat. Read about the study here.
B. The International Union for Conservation of Nature "Red Listed" the American bison as threatened with near extinction in a 2010 report. This study further emphasizes that the Yellowstone population - the last continuously wild population of American buffalo - and their habitat warrant immediate protection under the Endangered Species Act. Extinction is forever. Read the IUCN report here.
------------------------------
* By the Numbers
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S. Including the buffalo being held captive by Yellowstone, the last wild population is currently estimated at fewer than 3,800 individual buffalo.
2010-2011 Total: 142
2010-2011 Government Capture: 513
2010-2011 Government Slaughter:
2010-2011 Died In Government Trap: 1
2010-2011 State & Treaty Hunts: 139
2010-2011 Quarantine: 0
2010-2011 Shot by Agents: 1
2010-2011 Highway Mortality: 1
2009-2010 Total: 7
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,853*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortality
-----------------------------
* Last Words
"The buffalo amble along
Their heads heavy with wisdom
And big with winter fur
They look like they know things
We don't know
They look like they wouldn't tell us
If they could
And if we learned their speech
And eavesdropped on their discourse
Their thoughts would be too ancient
And alien for us to grasp"
~ Nancy Schimmel, written in 1979
Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you'll see them here!
------------------------------
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
Join Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!
Tell-a-Friend!
Take Action!
Wednesday February 9, 6 - 9 pm American Indian Alliance Call to Council. at St. Philips Church in San Jose. Dinner Served. All welcome. FMI: Vernon Medicine Cloud,vmcloud@ihcscv.org.
A celebration of life will be conducted for Naomi Ruth Harjo, Thursday, Feb 10, 6 pm at Neighborhood Church in the Chapel, 20600 John Drive, Castro Valley, CA. Potluck reception follows. FMI: Cathy Wisdom, 510.684-4714. Condolances extended to family.
Kawika Alfiche releases the single of "Ho`i Hou Mai" from the upcoming album: KALE`A (CD purchase to release in March) at www.hawaiitunes.com for a $3.00 download. Proceeds benefit our Hawaiian Cultural Center in South San Francisco. We will tour starting in March and hopefully be coming to a town near you!
Call for Proposals, due Mar 18 for the 2011 Native Diabetes Prevention Conference, June 14 - 17, 2011, Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Making Contact, an internationally syndicated, public affairs program, heard on over 200 radio stations, is seeking 3 interns. We focus on topics of environmental, economic, political and social justice, and highlight stories of progressive organizing and systemic solutions. Internships are located in Oakland, CA. Small travel stipend (bus fare to office) avail. Deadline Feb 22, FMI: Lisa Rudman, Making Contact / National Radio Project.
Call for Applications: The 8th Annual Interdisciplinary Writers Lab (IWL) 2011, a literary program for emerging writers, April 3 - May 22, 2011. Twelve students will be selected to participate in eight workshop sessions of three hours duration each (all workshop sessions will take place on Saturday mornings), a public reading in early July at Intersection 5M, and an online anthology publication, led by Brenda Wong Aoki, Jaime Cortez, Cheryl Dunye and Erika Lopez. Due Fri, Feb 18. FMI: Ellen Oh, 415.503.0520 ,Kearny Street Workshop.
The 2011-2012 AIEF Scholarship application is atwww.aiefprograms.org. Must mail with required documents by Apr 4, 2011 for Undergraduate and Graduate level. FMI:Murray Lee, 866-866-8642, American Indian Education Foundation.
The Harpo Foundation Native American Fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center supports the development of visual artists and the potential for inter-cultural dialogue. Annually, two Native American artists living in the U.S. will receive a one-month residency, with room& board, a private studio, and a $500 travel stipend. Deadline: Feb 15 for 2011. FMI:www.vermontstudiocenter.
Creative Capital, a national nonprofit organization, provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: emerging fields, film/video, innovative literature, and performing and visual arts. The next grant round, for film/video and visual arts, opens February 1, 2011 and on February 2012 for emerging fields, innovative literature, and performing arts. Applicant artist must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; at least 25 years old; a working artist with at least five years of professional experience; and not a full-time student and first submit an online inquiry form. FMI: Link to Complete RFP.
The Potlatch Fund (Chinook for the native spirit of gift giving) based in Seattle, WA seeks a new Executive Director.
To: aimflch@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 10:06 PM
[Attachment(s) from rabeaul@aol.com included below]
From David Narcomey:
FYI, this comes from a reliable source. If you can help in any way, please do. If not, forward on to others.
Mvto!
----- Original Message -----
From: Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports & Media
To: mcarsm
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 1:09 PM
Subject: Fwd: Please stand in support and solidarity with the American Indian Student Association at UCI-- Please forward
Hi all,
This may be a repeat but if not, it's important to encourage support for
Native students at the University of California, Irvine.
Mvto,
Melinda Micco, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Ethnic Studies Department
Tel: 510.430.3324
FAX: 510.430.2067
------ Forwarded Message
From: Cheyenne Reynoso <reynoso.cheyenne@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 21:13:44 -0800
Subject: Please stand in support and solidarity with the American Indian
Student Association at UCI-- Please forward
The American Indian Student Association at UCI is asking for your
support and solidarity with us in regards to an event that occurred on
November 23, 2010. In light of Thanksgiving, the Phi Kappa Psi
Fraternity at UCI decided to throw a "Pilgrims and Indians" party.
As soon as AISA was made aware of this event, it was reported it to the
Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and an official complaint was
filed through the school. While the right steps were taken to ensure
that our voices were heard; they were seemingly NOT heard. Although the
school administration, faculty, and the fraternity involved were
notified about the grievance filed and the situation; the party still
went on. Advertisement for the event were still distributed throughout
the UCI community through the attached fliers, Ring Road tabling and
throughout the internet via a Facebook event. To make matters worse,
university shuttles served as transportation for students JUST FOR THIS
EVENT!
AISA members have went out of their way to voice their opinion on the
issue. Dedicated their time educating and explaining why this event was
exceedingly disrespectful to the Native community. Yet AISA members were
subjected to seeing students of all stature prancing around adorned in
rainbow colored headdresses, skimpy "loin clothes" and warpaint. Making
a mockery of our culture and a direct attack on our communities
experiences for the sake of entertainment.
As university students and as Native community members, it is not
acceptable for us to have to endure these repeated cases of hostility
towards us as people of color and Indigenous peoples especially in an
educational institution like UC Irvine that advocates its dedication to
diversity. This events and others that make a mockery of peoples
experiences and identity are not to be tolerated. They create a hostile
campus climate for people of color that are not safe and welcoming. That
is why we are taking a stand and making sure that our voices are heard
at the University of California, Irvine. We will not back down, and
though we only have a .01% representation on the UCI campus; our voices
are loud. Numerous other cultural and campus organizations stand in
solidarity with us. This is not an isolated incident to Natives or
other cultural groups, and we demand that this outright racism and
disregard for who we are as Indigenous peoples and disrespect of our
culture stops immediately.
Due to the issue presented, you play a key role in making this issue,
OUR issue, valid and seen. We are asking for letters of support from
all individuals, allies, organizations, etc. in response to the event
that occurred on November 23, 2010.
We are demanding a change in the UCI's discrimination policy for these
types of events do not occur which cause distress upon Native and other
students of color. We are also demanding an increase of Native faculty
(with UCI currently having none!), Native American courses taught by
these professors, and THE AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION AT UCI
DEMAND A CHAIR THAT OVERSEES THE HIRING PROCESS, AND INVOLVEMENT IN ALL
STEPS /ASPECTS OF CHOOSING THE PROFESSOR AND IN THE HIRING PROCESS.
These are not unreasonable demands for the university. In fact they are
long overdue. These adjustments, increase Native representation, and
classes will not only help the campus climate at UCI, but also bring
awareness to Native and other student of color issues. Ultimately
bringing a much needed structure of support and advocacy for the campus
and serves to help with the retention of Natives at UCI. We hope that
you will take the time to write a letter in support and solidarity in
response to the events that have occurred on November 23, 2010, in
support of our demands.
Please forward this letter out to other individuals, allies, and
organizations and send your letters to UCI's Assistant Vice Chancellor
Thomas Parham at taparham@uci.edu
them to:
Thomas Parham
University of California, Irvine
Student Affairs
Irvine, CA 92697-2215
Thank you in advance for your support, time, and attention. We greatly
appreciate it and know that our voices will be heard.
We have also attached a copy of a letter we sent to VP Parham from AISA
for your viewing. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns you
may email our American Indian Student Association, Chair , Cheyenne
Reynoso, at reynoso.cheyenne@gmail.com
In Unity, Power, Strength & Solidarity,
The American Indian Student Association at UCI
www.clubs.uci.edu/aisa <http:/
------ End of Forwarded Message
----- End forwarded message -----
--
Maria E. Cotera
Director, Latina/o Studies Program
Associate Professor - Program in American Culture
Department of Women's Studies
3666 Haven Hall
University of Michigan
(734)615-8867
For information on _Native Speakers: Ella Deloria, Zora Neale Hurston, Jovita González and the Poetics of Culture_ (University of Texas Press, 2008) see http://www.utexas.edu/
Winner of the 2009 Gloria Anzaldúa Book Prize
******************************
"Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward
justice."
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word
in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil
triumphant."
- Martin Luther King, 1967
--
If you would like to unsubscribe from emails from MCARSM, please reply with unsubscribe in the subject. Thank you
Learn more at:
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red·skin (rěd'skĭn')
n. Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for a Native American.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Organizations that offer Free or Reduced Veterinary Services
Posted by: "Shirl4116@aol.com" Shirl4116@aol.com shirl4116
Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:06 pm (PST)
Organizations that offer Free or Reduced Veterinary Services
GENERAL
In memory of Magic (IMOM)
http://www.imom.org
Help-A-Pet
http://www.help-a-pet.org/
Angels 4 Animals
www.Angels4Animals.org
The Pet Fund
http://thepetfund.com/
http://www.all-creatures.org/
http://www.aahahelpingpets.
http://www.humanesociety.org/
nary_care.html
http://www.face4pets.org/
http://www.care2.com/c2c/
Cante Tenza Okolakiciye - Strong Heart Warrior Society
Free & Independent Lakota Nation
Box 512, Hill City, South Dakota 57745 | 605-454-0449 or 605-517-1547 |http://www.facebook.com/l/
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Feb 13, 2011
Contact: Duane Martin Sr. 605-517-1547 or 605-454-0449
ELDERS UNDER THREAT: SERIES OF ABUSES, ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES UNCOVERED IN LAKOTA RESERVATION ELDERLY MEALS PROGRAM
Conspiracy of Threats, Physical Intimidation, Tribal Council Corruption Stops Investigations
Elders Fear Retaliation After Coming Forward with Revelations
Porcupine Community, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD – The crisis of elder abuse on the Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation has hit a shocking new low as revelations are emerging about a series of abuses and illegal activities uncovered at the Porcupine Elder Center and the Elderly Meals Program.
On Tuesday February 7th, a group of elders contacted the Lakota Strong Heart Warrior Society with concerns for their safety after being threatened by self-appointed Elder Center leader Winifred Janis. Janis, and several family members including daughter Geneva Quiver, appear to hold an iron fisted grip over the Elder Center and have threatened elders with violence and assaulted at least one employee to conceal revelations about abuse and illegal activities being conducted out of the center.
Earlier this week, Janis directly threatened a group of Elders, including 91 year old Cecilia Martin, shouting, “If any of you elders talk about me or my daughter, I’m gonna’ hit you in the mouth!”
When the elders asked whom she meant, Janis replied, “Any damn one of you!”
Efforts to get relief from the abusive conditions of the center’s meal program have been obstructed by corrupt officials. Elder Lorraine White Face said that she had tried to address the lack of nutritional meals and strong arm tactics used by Janis. She has previously used the center along with her 88 year-old mother, Ester White Face, for meals.
After physically intervening to stop an elder from getting hit in the head by a center employee, White Face was slapped with a restraining order to keep her away from the center.
“She [Winifred Janis] uses her position to go against the real elderly, said White Face, who has been an outspoken advocate for traditional Lakota language and culture. “I mean elders who are 88, 89 and 91 years old – she made them worry every day. And I am elderly too.”
The elders who use the Porcupine center now fear retaliation as details of the abuses and corruption emerge. Wilson Coleman Jr., an employee of the center, was physically beaten by three members of the Janis/Quiver family after he spoke out about illegal activities including alcohol bootlegging and the selling of drugs out of the back of the Elder Center.
“Elder abuse is against the law,” noted Duane Martin Sr., headsman of the Strong Heart Warrior Society. He emphasized that in addition to traditional Lakota Customary Law, the Oglala Law and Order Code, the 1948 Older Citizens Act and other laws make elder abuse a crime.
Martin also detailed how the Porcupine District Elderly bylaws are being violated to prevent Elders from speaking out. He emphasized, “Immediate action must be taken to remove Winifred Janis and her family or the Warrior Society will act to impose justice through customary law.”
Both elders and activists say the corruption in the Elderly Meals Program is not just confined to Porcupine, but is present through the entire reservation-wide system. For four years Elders have appealed to the Oglala Tribal Court for investigations into Elder Center and Meals Program activities but have been stalled by responses that the investigation is “ongoing.”
“This is going on in all the elderly buildings on the reservation,” said White Face. “Everyone thinks we are crazy, but we know what’s going on.”
The quality and nutrition of the food being given to the Elders is also a concern. Elders at the Porcupine Center have been served undercooked meals that have made them sick and served meals that contain only carbohydrates, without protein. Pictures have been taken to document the poor quality of the food served there.
According to a 2009 Lakota Country Times article entitled Elder Meals in Porcupine, the tribe receives money for Elderly Meals through Federal Title VI grants, South Dakota Title III monies, and National Relief Charities AIRC Food service. The article noted that meals are cooked at “assembly line speed”.
Enoch Brings Plenty, 67, who was voted by a consensus of elders to be president at the Porcupine Center before Janis assumed control explained, “The elderly should be the number one priority of each reservation. They should be uplifted and treated like an angel.”
Brings Plenty, who served 20 years as head cook for a Rosebud Reservation elementary school, voiced concern the problems at the Porcupine Elder Center have been “going on for some time” and that Winifred Janis has “caused a lot of chaos for the elderly there.”
He added, “The elderly have an awful life here, I have to do something about this.”
Brings Plenty also shared how is wife Della, who is 67 and handicapped by seizures, was denied meals by Janis while at the same time members of Janis’ family including her children and grand children were fed regularly.
Janis’ name also appears as a contact for the collection of clothes and other support in the name of the Porcupine Elder’s center but the elders have not seen this assistance. An October 18, 2010 entry for the “Ashley’s Closet” Facebook page reads, “We at Heart Bridge are glad to welcome Ms. Winifred Janis as contact for Ashley’s Closet. You may send items to her at… c/o Porcupine Senior Center 1 Main St. Porcupine, SD 57772.”
Lorraine White Face explained she has twice appealed for help from the Oglala Tribal Council, contacted the Oglala Courts twice, and the Treaty Council three times without any resolution.
Virgil Bush, Porcupine District President, confided that the previous Oglala Tribal Council administration couldn’t deal with the abuses in the Elderly Meals Program because they were not fluent Lakota speakers like many of the elders. Bush’s admission highlights the large cultural divide between many members of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) tribal government and the traditional Lakota people.
Activists detail how a wall of corruption conspires between families to sideline investigations and create a culture of retaliation for people who try to fight for justice. For decades this corruption has marginalized native Lakota speakers, traditional people, and others who have tried to stand against those who are exploiting the BIA system of Lakota government for their own gain.
In December, Strong Heart headsman Duane Martin Sr.’s dog was poisoned and killed for his activism against bootleggers and drug dealers, many of whom are protected by members of the tribal council and tribal law enforcement. In January, a group of Lakota Elders were pushed and threatened with a gun by Oglala District representative Deborah Rooks-Cook outside of a secret council meeting. Rooks-Cook has gone unpunished.
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Cante Tenza Okolakiciye also known as the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation is an ancient Lakota warrior society as well as a broad-based civil rights movement that works to protect, enforce and restore treaty rights, civil rights, and sovereignty of Native people and their communities across Turtle Island. In addition to activist efforts to protect the land and people, each year Cante Tenza collects and freely distributes shoes, winter coats, school supplies, food, and other support to Oglala Lakota elders, children and families.
New trailer for Dancing Salmon Home
Thank you for being part of the Cause to finish the "Dancing Salmon Home"! I have finished a short (6 minute) trailer for the documentary. I invite you to watch it and share it with your friends.
Link: Dancing Salmon Home-New Trailer
From Cynthia McKinney: From Toronto, Canada
But, before I post my remarks, however, I would like to pass along a link to Splitting the Sky telling the truth about who benefited from the September 11th attacks. He calls names. It is quite eye-opening, and although I count myself a member of the 9/11 Truth community, I had never heard this material, despite almost 1.7 million views on this video, and I've been to Canada to talk about 9/11 with him. This video is one and one half hour long. I'm going to listen to it again so I can absorb every fact-filled sentence.
Splitting the Sky and I are looking forward to bringing our truth throughout Canada and the United States in an upcoming tour. More on that when we actually get the tour together. Right now, it's just a glimmer in Splitting the Sky's eye!
For those of you not familiar with Splitting the Sky, he tried to serve a citizen's arrest warrant on George W. Bush when Bush came to speak for megabucks in Canada. And instead of the war criminal being prosecuted, Splitting the Sky was. I read about it and wanted to help. So, I came to Canada to testify in court, but was held up at Canada Customs and the judge adjourned the trial early, so I did not get to testify. However, the point had been made: when international legal structures fail to act for justice, then we citizens are empowered to do so.
Here is Splitting the Sky: http://video.google.com/
Also, the Obama Adminstration is hard at work subverting the people's will in Ivory Coast, Haiti by defending flawed elections, like the kind of elections that put George W. Bush in the White House despite losing the popular vote and stealing the electoral college vote. Here's some truth on exactly what happened in Ivory Coast and why most of what you've read is either propaganda or an outright lie. There's more than even this, but I'll divulge that information later.
Information on Ivory Coast: http://www.ivoirevox.
And on Haiti, here is a Letter from Jude Celestin, the real winner of the election. Hillary Clinton used the same playbook in both Ivory Coast and Haiti. A la Duvalier, watch who rushes back to Egypt. I'm sorry, but Jude's letter is in French and I haven't had a chance to translate it. For those of you who don't read French, I will translate it and send it again with English translation. But I know many of you on this list not only read French, but you also speak Krayol!
Jude's Open Letter:
Les adieux de Jude Célestin
Finalement les résultats tant attendus sont proclamés par notre CEP, qui aura désormais toutes les peines du monde à se dire indépendant, parce que son esquif, ballotté par la tempête des pressions, semble s'être enfin enlisé dans les sables de la vassalité et du reniement de soi. Malheureusement, nous ne sommes pas sorti tout à fait indemne de la traversée tumultueuse, car nous porterons encore longtemps les atteintes faites à notre bonne foi et à notre prestige. Et même si les blessures se ferment, les cicatrices demeurent et rien que d'y toucher réveillera la douleur, pour maintenir le souvenir des drames, des tractations souterraines et des trahisons qui ont marqué cette période électorale. En tout cas, je m'adresse à vous du haut de ma verticalité inviolée, drapé dans mon honneur et dans la carapace de mes principes et de mes convictions profondes et inentamées. Mes chers amis, C'est mu par un élan patriotique et dans le souci sincère de changer les choses que je me suis engagé dans la course présidentielle, en ce pays dévasté qui attend d'être reconstruit, au bénéfice de ce peuple qui se lamente depuis trop longtemps de l'indifférence de ses dirigeants, comme du mépris de ses élites. J'ai abordé la campagne, porteur d'une vision grandiose, neuve et fraîche pour la République nouvelle que notre génération a pour devoir de construire, une vision définie dans dix grandes orientations de mon programme de gouvernement. Et si j'ai prôné la continuité, en ciblant - en revendiquant - le patrimoine des cycles du passé, c'est parce que, en tant qu'ex-directeur général du CNE ou Centre national des Équipements, je ne pouvais faire l'impasse sur mon propre bilan, concrétisé sous la forme des 2 000 kilomètres de routes que nous avons construites ou réhabilitées et par l'action prompte et salvatrice de cet organisme dans les lendemains douloureux et endeuillés du séisme du 12 janvier 2010. Sur les ailes de cette vision et de ce bilan quelque peu personnel, visible dans toutes les provinces du pays, j'ai parcouru les campagnes ; j'ai mené une campagne expansive et exubérante, allègre et colorée, irradiée du sourire et de la dévotion de mes partisans, une campagne à ce point impressionnante par la ferveur et le nombre, que nombre de représentations étrangères, étonnées ou subjuguées, ont fait chercher auprès de plusieurs stations de l'audiovisuel les cassettes authentifiées de nos rassemblements monstres et à nuls autres pareils. Nous avons surtout mené une campagne saine : jamais nous n'avons attaqué nos rivaux, assuré que nos concurrents de ce jour deviendront indubitablement nos collaborateurs ou associés de demain dans la nécessaire et solidaire kombite du relèvement national. Nous avons prêché la paix, la discipline, la bonne considération de l'autre et de l'opinion contraire, le respect des affiches de l'adversaire et des biens privés. En dépit de nos frustrations et de vos impatiences, vous avez observé le calme et la sérénité, ainsi que le culte de la loi et des règles du jeu démocratique. Car pour éviter de subir la loi du plus fort, nous avons choisi de donner force à la loi. Paradoxalement, ce choix ne nous a pas porté bonheur. Nous continuerons néanmoins à privilégier cette option, tant il est vrai que la défaite du droit est toujours éphémère. Nous nous félicitons d'avoir convenablement accompli notre tâche et rempli nos devoirs envers nos partisans et sympathisants, comme envers nous-même en cultivant au plus haut exposant le sens de la responsabilité citoyenne et les vertus de l'excellence en toutes choses. Vous et moi, nous sommes absolument convaincus d'avoir bousculé les panneaux branlants des sondages truqués et manipulés et remporté haut la main les joutes de ce 28 novembre, abandonnées d'ailleurs dès midi par nos adversaires effrayés de l'immensité de notre vague conquérante. D'ailleurs, un comptage objectif et impartial a confirmé notre victoire limpide, annoncée et répercutée à travers le monde par l'une des plus respectables chaînes de la presse américaine. Dès lors, les officines souterraines et les forums se sont mis au travail de sape pour crucifier Jésus-Christ (J.C.) et glorifier Barabas. Puisque, à partir de midi il ne restait à voter que nos partisans fidèles, nos adversaires déboutés n'eurent d'autre alternative que de réclamer l'annulation. Mais bientôt les deux grands ténors de l'annulation ont ravalé leur morgue sous la promesse de quelque potentat d'ici et/ou d'ailleurs que tout allait être fait pour les maintenir dans la course, au prix de la diabolisation et de la mise à mort politique du gagnant. Et la machine se mit en marche pour broyer la vérité des urnes, en rejetant tous les procès-verbaux où JC comptait plus de 300 voix, puisque nos concurrents pas assez populaires - ou absents - ne dépassaient pas le cap des 150. Ainsi mit-on de côté- en quarantaine - environ 3 000 procès-verbaux dont 90% étaient à notre avantage ; ne pouvant malgré tout nous sortir, 1045 PV gagnants de JC disparaissent comme par enchantement dans le centre de fabulation. Injustice, iniquité, hypocrisie, imposture, il n'y a pas de mot dans le vocabulaire de l'immoralité pour qualifier une telle attitude. A force d'élucubrations et de gymnastique sur la crête de chiffres, on nous ravala en deuxième position, juste au niveau du pourcentage de leur sondage commandité. Nous ne protestâmes même pas. Et notre poursuivant immédiat, qui n'avait jamais dépassé les 14 % dans leurs sondages, prit prétexte de sa brusque remontée - artificielle ou réelle - pour forcer le destin, en cela encouragé par certaines délégations ou liaisons particulières, et jeta dans les rues de Port au Prince et de Pétion-Ville-Delmas des hordes agressives qui saccagèrent tout sur leur passage, durant trois journées dont le fait dominant est l'absence remarquée - et certainement délibérée - des chars, des soldats et policiers de la MINUSTAH. Nous voilà ainsi revenu au temps des baïonnettes ; nous croyions honnêtement en avoir fini avec ce passé, mais ce passé n'en avait pas fini avec nous ; il ressurgit dans toute sa splendeur macabre sous la dictée ou dans la complicité à peine discrète de nos tuteurs, de nos pédagogues de la stabilisation démocratique. Ainsi, l'Haïtien a renoué avec cette pratique de vouloir prendre le pouvoir par les armes et la violence. Et la violence vient de recevoir la suprême récompense. Cela nous remet en mémoire le massacre odieux de la ruelle Vaillant du 29 novembre 1987, le vandalisme meurtrier du 7 décembre 2010 : quelle similitude dans le tragique des images, quelle analogie dans le profil des acteurs, quelle constance dans le statut des commanditaires, quelles retrouvailles dans l'identité des bénéficiaires ! Dans cette confusion savamment créée et entretenue, le gouvernement, tombant grossièrement dans le piège des sourires et des empressements diplomatiques, sollicita l'assistance technique de ses fossoyeurs. Et les experts accoururent, amenant dans leur sacoche deux pages de rapport déjà rédigées par une commission informelle et confidentielle qui avait visité les procès-verbaux et identifié lesquels pouvaient nous éreinter. Il ne s'agissait maintenant que d'habiller le rapport à venir, de l'asseoir sur une méthodologie prétendument scientifique - d'ailleurs restée abracadabrante - et sur des considérants tout à fait incongrus et incohérents. Des experts haïtiens ont d'ailleurs démontré le parti pris écoeurant dans le choix des P.V. et l'absurdité des conclusions et des recommandations. Mais ils sont de trop près, ils sont de chez nous ; pour être reconnu expert, il faut venir de loin. Qu'à cela ne tienne : malgré la faiblesse patente du travail des ''experts'' de l'OEA et la machination de la fuite programmée, une large fraction de l'International tient mordicus à ce rapport et en impose l'application au CEP, au gouvernement, à notre plateforme INITE, ramollie en la circonstance par la révocation intempestive des visas des membres de son directoire et la menace d'autres sanctions plus pointues. Ainsi sommes-nous arrivés, en cette première semaine de février, en ce jour de la Chandeleur, ce jour de la lumière et de la vérité, à ces résultats mensongers, tirés par les cheveux, que notre CEP indépendant a infligés, oui, infligés à la conscience nationale pervertie par les pressions internationales, comme une gifle assenée à la moralité publique, infligée à notre peuple vigoureusement éperonné pourtant au souvenir de ses gloires passées et qui se réveille à un nationalisme que l'on croyait perdu. Peuple haïtien, |
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| Même face à des résultats aussi tronqués, j'assume ma nature profonde, empreinte de civilité, trempée au respect de l'autre et au creuset de la courtoisie et de la magnanimité. Elle m'incline à présenter des félicitations aux vainqueurs de ces joutes et même à ceux qui ont bénéficié de la faveur des consuls. De quelles allégeances et concessions inavouées n'a-t-on pas payé cette sollicitude galopante, entêtée et dévastatrice ! Ne faut-il pas s'attendre à boire jusqu'à la lie la coupe empoisonnée des injonctions et des humiliations ?
Je plains nos dialecticiens de la gauche fatiguée comme les inaltérables rhéteurs de la droite conservatrice et de la société civile trop vite et trop bien alignée ; je plains les ténors de l'intelligentsia annuellement emballée sur la route de l'esclave comme partant à la recherche de quelques résidus de la dignité haïtienne ; je plains la masse aujourd'hui clairsemée de nos leaders qui se sont tus, en enfouissant profondément leur drapeau dans leur poche. Pourtant, je me réjouis et me console au constat qu'il reste sur cette terre quelques échantillons de cette race superbe, encore capable de dire NON à l'indignité et d'indiquer aux occupants les limites de l'inacceptable et le point à partir duquel même un frère ou un père nourricier peut aller trop loin dans l'avilissement de l'obligé : Haïti leur en tiendra reconnaissance éternelle. Je plains certains de mes coreligionnaires de la plateforme INITE, qui, comme les fils du patriarche Jacob, ont vendu leur frère Joseph, sans l'intuition que ce dernier pouvait -- allait- devenir ministre du pharaon d'Egypte. Dans leur hâte de me livrer afin d'apaiser les impatiences des orfèvres probablement détenteurs de quelque pièce de leur coffret à bijoux, ils ne se sont pas donné le temps de relire la loi électorale qui ne reconnaît pas à un parti le droit de « désister » son candidat, ni à celui-ci d'outrepasser le délai prescrit (article 104). Il m'est bien douloureux de voir mes pairs se couvrir la face pour lécher le sang immonde qui coule de la blessure de la honte et de devoir les consoler en sollicitant pour eux l'absolution nationale et en leur jetant mon propre pardon, pour la seule raison qu'ils ne savaient pas ce qu'ils faisaient. Ce qu'ils faisaient d'abord à eux-mêmes, car, en regardant dans la même direction d'infamie que nos détracteurs, ils se sont tourné le dos à eux-mêmes. A moi, ils n'ont fait que du bien, m'ayant permis de découvrir tout de suite quelques spécimens de cette race qui savent si vigoureusement agiter l'encensoir devant nous dans l'objectif, devenu aujourd'hui évident, de nous saouler et de nous étouffer. Je sais qu'il est vain de parler de dignité nationale à qui n'a qu'une notion approximative de sa dignité personnelle. Hélas ! les compromissions et la crainte éteignent l'honneur comme le vent souffle sur une bougie! L'Unité (INITE) se dissout quand toute grandeur s'effondre ; elle se dilue dans la poussière des capitulations et des reniements. La quête forcenée du pouvoir en dehors de son propre camp oblige parfois à des collusions bien indignes. Mais mon amertume fond devant la certitude qu'il existe encore dans les rangs de mon parti des citoyens et citoyennes verticaux, constants dans leurs convictions et leur idéologie, respectueux des principes et des liens de fraternité infrangibles entre les supporteurs d'une même et noble cause. Elle s'efface même, quand je me persuade que certains combats et attaques laissent les prétendus vainqueurs plus embarrassés que ceux que l'on croit vaincus. C'est fort de cela que je formule mes voeux les plus fervents de succès à l'endroit des candidats au Sénat et à la députation de la plateforme INITE qui vont affronter la lice du second tour. Je leur souhaite du courage, de la lucidité, de la vigilance pour que personne ne puisse leur voler leur popularité et leur victoire. Je suis à leurs côtés, et il n'est rien que je ne sois prêt à faire pour les aider et les accompagner sur la route du triomphe. Hommes et Femmes de l'Haïti du prestige et de la fierté, Jeunesse saine de mon pays, Je m'adresse à vous des confins de l'indignation et de la colère, tant me révolte l'attitude de ceux-là, d'ici et d'ailleurs, qui ont acquis un tel aplomb dans la pratique de la machination, de l'hypocrisie et de la trahison. J'adresse le salut fraternel et patriotique à tous ceux, populations des villes et des sections communales, candidats au Sénat et à la députation de la plateforme INITE, tous les candidats législatifs de partis frères qui ont supporté ma candidature, les « Amis de Jude », qui m'ont soutenu et accompagné durant les rudes journées de la campagne électorale, qui n'ont pas failli ni défailli durant les moments de transe et d'angoisse où des vaincus ont fait parler la poudre (aux Cayes) et la violence ( à P-au-P et à Pétion-Ville-Delmas). N'accordez aucune confiance, ni aucun écho aux fanfaronnades des uns et des autres : le vote d'un peuple ne s'exprime que dans l'urne, pas au micro des manipulateurs de l'opinion. Retenez pour l'histoire et pour la vérité que ce sont ceux qui ont dépecé les procès-verbaux et ordonné à leurs sbires du centre de tabulation/fabulation d'opérer des sélections au détriment d'un candidat pour faciliter un autre, ce sont ceux-là qui ont falsifié ou volé le vote du peuple. Ce sont eux, les véritables fraudeurs. Qu'il est aisé d'accuser l'autre de fautes qu'on a commises soi-même : la raison du plus fort est toujours la meilleure. Il est clair pour tout le monde que les résultats ne reflètent pas la tendance du vote : comment comprendre la mise à l'écart du candidat à la présidence de INITE alors que tous les candidats législatifs de la plate forme, lesquels ont mené avec lui campagne commune et conjointe, ont largement gagné dans tous les départements, dans toutes les circonscriptions du pays ? Comment comprendre cette insistance pour que le second désiste alors que ne coiffant pas la liste, il a peu de chance de gagner, on le dit même impopulaire: Tout cela est tout a fait illogique, même pour les pupilles de l'école maternelle. Ne laissez personne, si puissant soit-il, vous donner mauvaise conscience, ni mettre en cause votre honnêteté pour couvrir des forfaits concoctés dans le secret de leur officine ou de leur forum. Nous adressons un remerciement spécial à nos sponsors, nos supporteurs financiers, à nos photographes bénévoles, qui ont parcouru avec nous les chemins de cette victoire qu'on nous a volée. Nos sympathies et notre gratitude vont à ceux qui ont mis gratuitement à notre disposition leurs maisons qui ont été vandalisées et incendiées, à nos amis qui ont perdu leurs magasins, leurs stations de radio, leur établissement scolaire, leur centre cybernétique. Sans vous, nous n'aurions pas pu offrir à la communauté haïtienne une campagne si colorée, au goût des gens qui savent apprécier la beauté et l'excellence. Ne soyez pas déçus : vous avez misé du bon côté. Au moment de fermer ce chapitre pathétique d'une vie commune alimentée à la flamme de nos convictions et de nos aspirations au mieux-être pour notre peuple, je vous dis à tous un profond et sincère merci pour votre attachement et votre fidélité. Je vous remercie pour votre constance, votre sens de la discipline et de l'appartenance. Je vous remercie d'avoir obéi à mes mots d'ordre de rejeter toute forme de violence, de ne pas sortir dans les rues, on vous y attendait probablement pour vous infiltrer et vous piéger. On nous a dit impopulaire parce que nous n'avons pas lâché nos phalanges dans les rues pour, comme d'autres, saccager les magasins, piller les commerces petits et grands, incendier les résidences paisibles, casser les voitures : la population haïtienne nous en sait gré. Je garderai toujours en mémoire vos récentes et chaleureuses protestations de soutien, au moment même où la hiérarchie de notre parti m'immolait sur l'autel des intérêts particuliers inavoués. Je suis presque heureux que l'occasion m'ait été offerte de vous prouver que, quel que soit le prix à payer, je n'abandonnerai jamais ceux qui ont mis leur confiance en moi et qui ont livré à mes côtés le bon combat pour la victoire d'une noble cause. Et surtout que je ne suis pas fait de cette pâte malléable qui prend la courbure de la main qui la pétrit et qu'il est des valeurs suprêmes que je ne saurais vendre pour des plats de lentilles : l'honneur et la fierté d'un homme vertical, rivé aux principes. Je n'étais pas prêt à ramasser le sceptre présidentiel dans la gadoue et la boue et courir le risque d'y laisser mon orgueil et mon prestige. Je sais que vous souffrez de ces résultats, synonymes en quelque sorte de prime à la violence. Ne vous abîmez pas dans la mélancolie du vaincu ou du sacrifié : vous êtes de la race des conquérants. Notre triomphe viendra tard, mais il viendra quand même. Regardez vers le soleil, le front haut, l'âme altière et préparez-vous pour les batailles futures où la victime sera réhabilitée et le juste glorifié. Courage, fils et filles de Dessalines : la nuit la plus noire annonce l'aurore radieuse. Un militant ne perd jamais la guerre ; il perd des batailles, mais s'il garde ses convictions, elles en sortent enrichies et renforcées. | ||
| Jude CELESTIN |
And finally, my remarks in Toronto:
Cynthia McKinney
Toronto, Canada
12 February 2011
One of our most famous Civil Rights Movement songs in the United States is by Gil-Scott Heron. He sings, “You will not be able to stay home, Brother; You will not be able to plug in, turn on, and cop out; Because Black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day; the Revolution will put you in the driver’s seat; the Revolution will not be televised; will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised. The Revolution will be no rerun, Brothers; the revolution will be live.”
Hosni Mubarak is gone.
Freedom-loving peoples all over the world are celebrating. We all watched, on the floor, perched on the edges of our chairs, we were glued to our televisions, but just like Gil Scott Heron says, the Revolution was not on television, the Revolution took place within the minds of individual citizens who suddenly awakened to their own strength by overcoming their fears.
Fear permits you to bend your back—and as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated so long ago, a man can only ride your back if it is bent.
The people discovered themselves. And they overcame an oppressive state, imposed on them by outsiders from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Israel, with Canada and Australia along for the ride.
These countries rode the backs of the Egyptian people for as long as the Egyptian people allowed them to ride.
And then, the Revolution within the minds of the people gave us, and them, something to celebrate.
On February 11, 2011, the people of Egypt made history. They proved that with determination, unity, organization, and critical mass, the mightiest walls of oppression can come tumbling down.
Ben Ali in Tunisia is gone. Crowds have amassed in Yemen where President Saleh promised not to seek another term; Jordan, where King Abdullah replaced his Prime Minister; Algeria where PresidentBouteflika, said he would lift emergency powers, address unemployment and allow democratic marches to take place. Apparently, 30,000 protesters showed up and despite the pledge, approximately 1000 were arrested and others were beaten by Bouteflika’s police.
Protests are scheduled for Italy tomorrow.
In Bahrain, a large march is planned for February 14th, the anniversary of the Bahraini Constitution.
Pakistan is on the brink with the Foreign Minister resigning and United States issuing a threat to sever relations if an American killer is not released after one of the Embassy’s hired guns killed three Pakistanis in “cold blood” according to the Pakistani police and a fourth Pakistani, killed herself after her husband was killed by the American.
Who’d have thought we would see this day? Once again, the world is rising up against oppression.
I’m reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech before he was murdered. When he rejoiced to be living at the end of the 20th Century when men and women all over the planet were saying “We want to be free.”
Well, this is a pretty nice time to be living in the 21st Century when people are doing the same thing.
However, I do want to take a moment to remember that we have been at this celebratory moment before. Because while we rejoice at what is happening, we must not relent.
The Western world shuddered when Patrice Lumumba was elected by the people of Congo and so, they killed him. And when it was time for Mobutu to go, they brought in Laurent Kabila who proved too patriotic for them and so he was killed, too. The Congolese were clear that they had to not only get rid of Mobutu, but of Mobutuism. With the murder of Laurent Kabila, they have not been able to achieve that goal.
Right now, the West is searching desperately for their next marionette to dangle in front of the people. I see them already rehearsing. The West’s person will be an avatar of a freedom fighter, but will really be in place to serve the West and not the people. From Tunisia to the Republic of South Africa, we must beware the incomplete Revolution, where we see face change and not regime change.
Therefore, I want to shift our focus to another part of the world where the people’s revolutions are making a difference in the lives of people as we speak and countries are led by real revolutionaries and not avatars.
I’d like to draw your attention to the Caribbean and Latin America, where, from Cuba to Venezuela, from Nicaragua to Ecuador and Bolivia, and to Paraguay, the people have used the power of a free vote to completely cut the oppressive yoke of the West and to reorient national policy toward freeing the people and nature.
The ALBA countries, begun humbly with Venezuela and Cuba only, have grown to a powerful independent bloc where economics is being redefined and so, too, is humankind’s relationship with the planet. Planet Earth is guaranteed to be here, but humankind is not if we don’t change our ways. The ALBA countries are in the forefront of that change.
I have long wanted the people of the United States to lead the world’s change or to at least resist enough to stop its bad policies. Unfortunately, in the U.S. we have not yet had our Revolution: people power has not yet taken hold. But we cannot be immune to what is happening in the rest of the world. Our time will come.
People thought it had come when they went to the polls and elected President Obama. The people inside the United States were voting for peace, they were voting for justice, they were voting for hope, and they were voting for change. But sadly, what we’ve gotten is a more intense George W. Bush, with the largest Pentagon budget about to be presented in the history of our country.
The President wants to extend the life of the unpatriotic and unconstitutional Patriot Act and sends his Justice Department into court to defend George W. Bush’s illegal acts of torture and rendition.
Our President has launched more drones and depleted uranium into Muslim lands, rattled sabers at Iran and accepted a hot war where the entire world is the battlefield and insultingly sent our diplomats scrounging to collect DNA samples and frequent flier numbers of the world’s leaders.
President Obama’s Federal Bureau of Investigation raids the homes of peace activists, including the offices of nuns, pursues whistleblowers, deports Haitians back to an earthquake ravaged Haiti, and targets Palestinian-Americans for prosecution. Therefore, we have a lot to overcome in the United States, but we can overcome these obstacles.
And for anyone who has any doubt, just remember the kind of commitment we saw in Malcolm X, who was murdered 46 years ago this month.
Malcolm X knew that the United States government wanted him dead. And according to the book, “The Assassinations,” on the morning of February 21st, Malcolm received a phone call saying “today is the day.”
Malcolm could have not gone to the Audubon Ballroom; he could have fled to Georgia; or he could have left the country—he had friends all over the world. But, he told his wife to get the kids dressed because he wanted them to be with him at the Audubon Ballroom. Malcolm X showed up, any way, knowing that that day could be his very last day on this Earth.
Malcolm X did not let fear control his commitment to the cause of freedom and justice.
That is the real stuff we all are made of. Deep inside every one of us is a Revolution waiting to happen.
Thank you for supporting the Islamic Center and this event.
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Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction.
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Dear Dave & Sharon,
Nine-year-old Brisenia Flores was murdered in her home in Arivaca, Arizona in May 2009. She pleaded, “Please don’t shoot me,” right before she was shot — point blank, in the face — by a member of the Minutemen American Defense Corps (MAD)1
The alleged mastermind behind Brisenia’s murder, Shawna Forde, has publicly represented anti-Latino hate groups including the Minutemen and the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR). Forde is currently on trial in Arizona for the murder of Brisenia and her father, Raul. As we speak, the jury is deliberating and will return a verdict within days, or hours.
Our community is waiting on justice for Brisenia.
Her murder represents the violence that follows when hateful and dehumanizing rhetoric and the groups that promote it goes unchecked.
Brisenia’s story has been largely ignored in the mainstream media, but her life has galvanized people around the country to speak out against hate violence towards Latinos. We at Presente designed a poster to honor Brisenia’s memory, and to send a statement that we want justice.
Together, let’s take a stand against anti-Latino violence and the hatred that ruins lives. Please download this memorial poster, display it proudly, and share it with your friends and family:
http://act.presente.org/go/
Brisenia’s murder follows the mainstreaming of the most dangerous strands of hatred in the United States. The extremist groups like those that Shawna Forde represented publicly are the same groups responsible for hateful laws like Arizona’s SB1070, attempts to repeal birth-right citizenship for babies born in the U.S. and the dehumanization of immigrants and Latinos.
It’s up to each of us to stand up against anti-Latino violence everywhere. By displaying this poster and helping people learn about the story of this amazing girl and her tragic murder, you can help build resolve to end the discrimination and violence that took Brisenia’s life.
Click here to take a stand and help us share this little girl’s story by spreading her image far and wide:
http://act.presente.org/go/
We will send out an update as soon as we the jury comes back with a verdict. Until then, we’re all waiting for justice.
Thank you y ¡adelante!
Joaquin, Laurie, Favianna, Roberto & the rest of the Presente.org team
Resources
1. "Slain Girl Pleaded for Her Life, Mom Testifies at Militia Leader's Trial" AOL.com, 1/28/11
http://act.presente.org/go/
Fwd: Yale Law School Panel on Criminal Justice in Indian Country
Posted by: "Christina Rose" Rosepetl5@aol.com rosepetl5
Sun Feb 13, 2011 7:11 pm (PST)
-----Original Message-----
From: Jessica Koski
Sent: Sun, Feb 13, 2011 3:50 pm
Subject: Yale Law School Panel on Criminal Justice in Indian Country
Criminal Justice in Indian Country: Current Practices, Challenges, and the Promises of the Tribal Law and Order Act
Fri., Feb. 18, 3:30-5 pm, YLS Room 120
Yale Law School Reb Law Conference
This panel will bring together practitioners from various areas of Indian country to discuss how criminal law works—or fails to work—in in Indian country. Issues particular to these regions pose challenges for the criminal justice system: high rates of sexual abuse, remote locations, small communities, language barriers, high prosecutorial declination rates, conflicting state-federal-tribal criminal jurisdiction, and tribal sovereignty. The panelists will talk about efforts to address these issues, including the recently passed Tribal Law and Order Act. The Act provides greater sentencing authority to tribal courts in certain cases; greater incentives for cooperation between state, federal, and tribal governments; and, in some states, concurrent state, federal, and tribal jurisdiction. The panelists may also touch on broader issues including federalism and sentencing.
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For The HTML Format of the Newsletter:
(Having Problems With The Links? Try this version instead.)http://www.cherokee.org/home.
AOL - http://www.cherokee.org/
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Osiyo,
The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council will meet Monday, Feb 14, 2011, at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex just south of Tahlequah, Ok. View the meeting live online this evening athttp://www.cherokee.org/
The next regularly scheduled Cherokee Nation history presentation will be Tuesday, February 22 from 10:30 til noon in the tribal council chambers at the W.W. Keeler Tribal Complex. The presentation is free and open to the public. The topic will be the Spiro Mounds.
Learning to use technology in a "Cherokee way" is the focus of a series of presentations for those wanting to make use of the Cherokee syllabary with digital devices such as computers and smart phones. for more information, read the entire 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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Fri., February 11: Some Cherokee Nation Offices Closed or Opening Late: 2/11/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation main offices in Tahlequah are open regular hours Friday. Some feild offices remain closed or will be opening late.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
February Cherokee History Talk Focuses on Ancient Oklahoma Civilization: 2/11/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation’s ongoing history presentation series continues on Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Tribal Council Chambers at the tribe’s W.W. Keeler Complex, 17675 S. Muskogee Ave.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Offers Entrepreneurs Selection of Small Business Loan Programs: 2/10/2011 11:20:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is holding an informative and free workshop to spread the word about the small business loan programs available to the Nation’s entrepreneurs. The Cherokee Nation will conduct five of these workshops in February at various locations.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Presents ‘Using Technology in a Cherokee Way’: 2/10/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is offering a series of trainings on the usage of the Cherokee syllabary with today’s technology. The training series,
“Using Technology in a Cherokee Way,” will provide an opportunity for anyone interested in learning how to use the syllabary in modern digital media technology.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
North Carolina Student Ambassadors Take Part in Cherokee Nation Exchange: 2/7/2011 9:20:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation recently played host to two students from Salem Academy, a college-preparatory boarding school for girls in Winston-Salem, N.C. High school juniors Emma NcNairy, 16, of Chapel Hill, N.C. and Haley Weibel, 17, of North Wilkesboro, N.C. spent three weeks in Tahlequah interning for the Cherokee Nation.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Hosting Language and Literacy Development Workshop in West Siloam Springs: 2/7/2011 8:21:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is offering a workshop for parents, teachers, social workers, para-professionals and other types of child care providers. The workshop, titled “Language and Literacy Development,” will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Cherokee Casino, 73000 West U.S. Highway 412, in West Siloam Springs. The workshop will be taught by Dr. Barbara Sorrels.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Offers Help Getting Started to Local Entrepreneurs: 2/7/2011 7:58:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business but felt intimidated by the thought of creating a business plan, the Cherokee Nation is offering an educational opportunity in February designed to give you and other prospective business owners the tools to get started. For two consecutive Sundays, Feb. 20 and Feb. 27, the Nation will host a two-part workshop aimed at teaching how to draw up business plans.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Businesses Completes Purchase of Colorado-based ETI Professionals; Adds 375 Jobs to CNB: 2/7/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation Businesses has completed the purchase of ETI Professionals (ETI), a Colorado-based company offering strategic project management and staffing solutions. ETI caters to many large federal agencies and commercial clients, providing services in information technology, science, engineering, mission support services, research and development, facility management and program management.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Presents ‘iDecide’ for High School Seniors, Parents: 2/7/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
High school seniors, who chooses your future? That is the central theme of a February series of regional presentations sponsored by the Cherokee Nation and featuring a special talk, “iDecide” given by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith. The presentations are geared toward high school seniors and their parents and will focus on making good decisions for college preparation and career exploration. All school officials and the public are invited to attend.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
UPDATE: Cherokee Nation's Main Offices Closed Friday, Feb. 4: 2/4/2011
(C) Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation's main offices in Tahlequah are closed Friday due to additional inclement weather and road conditions. Health centers in Sallisaw and Stilwell will close at 11 a.m. The Jay health center will close at 1 p.m. All other health centers expect to remain open. Please call them in advance of traveling to the facility.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation names hospital physicians: 2/3/2011 12:33:00 PM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation has named four physicians practicing at the tribe’s W.W. Hastings Hospital as hospitalists. Doctors Seth Yandell, Anna Miller, Owen Gilmore and Timothy Hsieh were all named to the position recently by Cherokee Nation Health Services officials.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
Cherokee Nation Honors Military Family: 1/31/2011 9:00:00 AM
(C) Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation honored a distinguished military family, the Crowes, at January’s regular Tribal Council meeting. Norman W. Crowe Jr. and his sons Brian J. Crowe and Norman W. Crowe III have collectively served several decades in the Marine Corps and Army. The three have served in military actions that span from the Vietnam War up to current overseas operations.
http://www.cherokee.org/news.
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**** Other Links of Interest ****
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Games - http://www.cherokee.org/home.
Community Calendar - http://www.cherokee.org/home.
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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1893: Cherokee Outlet opened for white settlement; Dawes Commission arrives.
Dear David,
Thank you to everyone who's co-signed my letter calling on Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any deliberations related to health care - insisting that our nation's highest court maintains its integrity. The response has been tremendous - 19,000 signers and counting!
If you haven't signed on yet, it's not too late to add your name at ConflictedClarenceThomas.com.
If you have already signed, the next step is to help spread the word.
- Forward this message to friends and family.
- Tweet it.
- Post it to Facebook.
- Shout it out your car window.
We need to generate plenty of buzz to force Clarence Thomas to recuse himself. Your help is essential.
Thanks again for standing with me.
Anthony
Marcia Lane has invited you to join their cause on Facebook:
 | Help Murphy, the dog beaten with a hammer
183,845 members Mission: I want to send as many signatures as possible to the Dekalb Police Department to seek the prosecution of the criminal who beat Murphy up with a hammer. |
| Join Cause |
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"When crazy people call you crazy,
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