Stand up for freedom of speech tomorrow at the GA Capitol

Stand up for freedom of speech tomorrow at the GA CapitolPlease join us at the Georgia State Capitol at 9 a.m. this Thursday to stop SB 469, the anti-free speech bill, and other extreme bills from passing on the final day of the legislative session.Despite the growing tide of Georgians who have stood up to voice their opposition to this infringement on the rights of Georgians, out-of-touch politicians are still considering voting for this dangerous bill -- along with another bill that would gut unemployment insurance for jobless Georgians. We need to turn out in strong numbers to lobby legislators and urge them to stand with working families and the constitution by voting NO on SB 469 and SB 447. Stand with Georgia!End of Rally Session to Stop SB 469 & Extreme AgendaBeginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 29Washington Street side of Georgia State CapitolClick here for more infoIn solidarity,Charlie Flemming, PresidentGeorgia State AFL-CIO This message was sent to sharon l kitchen by Charlie Flemming, Georgia AFL-CIO from the SignOn.org system. MoveOn.org Civic Action sponsors SignOn.org, but does not endorse specific campaigns or the contents of this message.-- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

States with the most lax anti-corruption laws

States with the most lax anti-corruption lawsJason Getz / Atlanta Journal & ConstitutionAPGeorgia Governor Nathan Deal delivers the state of the state address earlier this year. Georgia tops the list of corrupt states.By Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, 24/7 Wall St.The Center for Public Integrity released a report detailing the risk of corruption and lack of accountability in all 50 states last week. The findings of the report should worry anyone who believes state governments are transparent and free of corruption. Of course, no state is without flaws. Unfortunately, nearly every state received a grade that would give residents cause for concern.The Center for Public Integrity’s report examined issues concerning accountability and ethics in each state government. States were graded on 330 separate metrics, which were grouped into 14 major categories. Overall grades are based on the average grades in the major categories, which included lobbying disclosure, political financing, internal auditing, ethics enforcement agencies and redistricting.Most states scored poorly. No state earned an A, and only five states received better than a B+. More than half the states received a D+ or worse. Scored from 1 to 100, eight states earned failing grades of 59 or below from the project.24/7 Wall St.: America's least corrupt states24/7 Wall St. examined the eight states that received an F and the five states that scored B- or better. A review of the states with the highest and lowest scores illustrates that regular monitoring of the government by citizens, public employees and watchdog groups is essential to encourage state integrity.According to Randy Barrett, Communications Director for the Center for Public Integrity, one of the most widespread issues throughout these state governments is the lack of public access to information, which, he says, is key to preventing other kinds of corruption and conflicts of interest from occurring. “When you think about it, that’s really the root of transparency. If citizens can’t see into how their state does business and decision-making, that’s the real problem,” Barrett said.States with the worst corruption risk scores lack powerful watchdog agencies. In many states, according to Barrett, the existing groups intended to ensure ethical action by elected officials lack real power. Virginia, which scores among the worst in terms of corruption risk, does not have a statewide ethics commission at all. Barrett suggests that the reason many states have such ineffectual watchdog organizations is that the elected officials they are supposed to be monitoring consistently vote in favor of cutting their funding and restricting their power.Surprisingly, most of the states that received high marks have big governments with long histories of corruption and political machinery. Connecticut and California fit this description. New Jersey, where it seems former and current officials are indicted every year on ethics charges, received the highest grade in the country. Despite its colorful political past and present, New Jersey received a perfect score in areas such as lobbying disclosure and internal auditing. According to the report, the reason states with historical problems with corruption now have high accountability scores is precisely because of their former offenses. Those past problems led to strict enforcement measures that have kept politicians honest and information readily available.Many of the states with the worst corruption scores have not had the same public issues with corruption that trigger reform. These states, according to the report, are among the most sparsely populated in the country. Reporters sent to conduct research for the State Integrity Investigation found these smaller populations lead to a relaxed, “everybody-knows-everybody” attitude. This environment leads to a lack of reporting by elected officials, a look-the-other-way approach regarding campaign finance and lobbying, and an underfunding (or nonexistence) of political oversight groups.24/7 Wall St.: America's Most Miserable StatesAccording to Barrett, states with stagnant political environments often encourage corruption. Governments with high levels of corruption tend to have a political party -- either the Democrats or Republicans -- in power for a long time. The states that have had a “machine” in place for a long time often tend to be the most corrupt. Machines tend to want to protect themselves. These are America’s most corrupt states.1. Georgia Overall grade: F (49) Public access to information: F Legislative accountability: F Political financing: F Ethics enforcement agencies: FGeorgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. The state scored a D or worse in 12 of the 14 categories. The state’s biggest problem is the absence of a strong ethics enforcement agency. Republican governor Sonny Perdue managed to get an ethics bill through the legislature, but by the time it passed, his proposals to ban gifts to state workers and clearly define appropriate campaign spending had been stripped out. According to State Integrity reporter Jim Walls, while Georgia has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. “About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all,” he said.2. South Dakota Overall grade: (50) Public access to information: D+ Legislative accountability: F Political financing: F Ethics enforcement agencies: FSouth Dakota, which has the second-highest corruption risk score, has nine failing grades out of 14 categories, and three Ds. The state, which has among the lowest population density in the country, does not have “comprehensive state ethics laws,” an ethics commission or satisfactory transparency laws, as Denise Ross writes for the State Integrity Investigation. The state does little to require public officials, other than judges, to disclose their income and assets. State law features a loophole that makes it possible for individuals to make unlimited political donations. The state has made major improvements in its integrity by making many state records available online in recent years.24/7 Wall St.: America's happiest states3. Wyoming Overall grade: F (52) Public access to information: F Legislative accountability: D- Political financing: F Ethics enforcement agencies: FThe state of Wyoming received a grade of F in nine of the 14 categories measured by the State Integrity Investigation. The state’s mechanism for self-governance is extremely poor. According to the report, there is no hotline, website or other method for state employees to report corruption. The state also has had the same political machine in place for some time. Wyoming’s two U.S. senators both have been Republicans since 1977. In 2006, the state legislature, which is primarily Republican, overrode a veto from the governor and ruled themselves exempt from open records laws. This means bills in draft can be kept secret, as can all communications with staff, until a bill is proposed.4. Virginia Overall grade: F (55) Public access to information: F Legislative accountability: F Political financing: F Ethics enforcement agencies: FAmong Virginia’s ethical failings are poor government oversight, weak consumer protections and poor separation between politicians and big business. Overall, it receives nine Fs. One of the state’s greatest offenses is its exemption of its State Corporation Commission -- a regulatory agency that is responsible for overseeing all businesses, utilities, financial institutions and railroads in the state -- from its Freedom of Information Act. While Virginia has a General Assembly Conflict of Interests Act, the law has proven incredibly inefficient. Only one legislator has ever been prosecuted for violating it -- 26 years ago. The state is also weak on enforcing disclosure laws. In 2004, it was discovered that former Democratic Governor L. Douglas Wilder failed to file disclosure reports for his gubernatorial election campaign. Worst still, approximately $169,000 from his campaign account was unaccounted for. Consequently, L. Douglas Wilder, Jr., the former governor’s son and one-time campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to two election law misdemeanors in 2007, resulting in a $1,000 fine and a suspended one-year sentence.5. Maine > Overall grade: F (56%)> Public access to information: F> Legislative accountability: F> Political financing: D+> Ethics enforcement agencies: FMaine received F grades in nine of the 14 measured categories, including legislative accountability, lobbying disclosure and public access to information. The State Integrity Investigation identifies the existence of possible conflicts of interest and corruption. According to the report, there is no law in place, for example, to force Democratic State Senator Jim Brannigan to disclose that the organization that he was a director of received $98 million in Maine government contracts. On February 1, Republican State Representative David Burns was arrested for violating campaign finance laws such as falsifying records and misusing funds6. South Carolina > Overall grade: F (57%)> Public access to information: F> Legislative accountability: F> Political financing: D-> Ethics enforcement agencies: FSouth Carolina received nine failing grades in areas including executive, judicial and legislative accountability. State Integrity Investigation notes that the budget of South Carolina’s State Ethics Commission has been cut a total of six times in the past three years. In September 2010, all regulations on limiting contributions to political parties were eliminated. Additionally, many contributors to individual candidates abuse loopholes to avoid limitations on donations. There is also an antagonistic relationship between office-holding politicians and the press. Specifically, the report says, Governor Nikki Haley’s administration has used a policy of deleting important emails.7. North Dakota > Overall grade: F (58%)> Public access to information: C> Legislative accountability: F> Political financing: F> Ethics enforcement agencies: FNorth Dakota got an F in eight of the 14 categories, including redistricting, ethics enforcement agencies, lobbying disclosure and political financing. According to the report, these problems with accountability can lead to conflicts of interest. For example, there are no laws in place preventing civil servants from entering any part of the private sector after leaving office. The state has had a Republican governor in place since Ed Shafer took office in December, 1992. Republicans hold 75% of legislature seats and are philosophically opposed to more regulation, according to State Integrity Investigation reporter Teri Finneman. Speaking to 24/7 Wall St. about entrenched political parties and risk of corruption, the center’s spokesperson, Randy Barrett, explained, “machines tend to want to protect themselves.” Last year, they overwhelmingly voted against a bill to create an ethics commission. 8. Michigan > Overall grade: F (58%)> Public access to information: D> Legislative accountability: F> Political financing: F> Ethics enforcement agencies: FMichigan received a grade of F in 10 of the 14 categories measured, including accountability in all three branches of government as well as in redistricting, lobbying and political financing. Michigan is one of just three states that still lacks financial disclosure rules for lawmakers and governors. According to Chris Andrews, author of the State Integrity Investigation report on Michigan, the state does not fall prey to much of the widespread corruption that has been seen in Detroit. The report’s findings indicate, however, that the state has no system in place to monitor state lobbying, which is among the most corrupt in the country. This, according to Andrews, “has allowed wealthy individuals and powerful PACs to funnel huge amounts of money into campaigns.” The state also has a “gift loophole” for lobbyists, which allows gifts from interested parties to elected officials like sports tickets or meals. Read more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz1qLjPzqmX Also Read: The Six States Where Taxes Are Soaring Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. StockdaleRead more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz1qLiVXCNaRead more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz1qLiCHoQc -- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

Thank You to all those who helped

Thank You to all those who helpedThank You to all those who helped us with our financial dilemma.The numbers who helped were small.But they were significant.The goal was met. We are out of the woods.Thanks,Dave

Indigenous News

Indigenous News 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 CampaignYellowstone Bison Update from the Field March 22, 2012 Find BFC on FaceBook! ------------------------------ ------------------------------* Yellowstone Buffalo Recently Reunited with Tribes Paid a Heavy Price to Get There * Update from the Field * Experienced Volunteers, Come on Home! * BFC Wish List: Cordless Tool Kit * Endangered Buffalo Fact of the Week * Well Said! Great Buffalo Letters to the Editor * By the Numbers * Last Words ~ USDA-APHIS Quarantine Notes------------------------------* Yellowstone Buffalo Recently Reunited with Tribes Paid A Heavy Price to Get There BFC holds great reverence for the sacred relationship between First Nations cultures and their relatives, the buffalo. We honor the reunion of the sixty-two buffalo that survived a perilous journey from quarantine pens in the Gardiner Basin to the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Descendants of the great herds again walk some of the land that their wild ancestors roamed free upon less than 150 years ago. This reunion is certainly cause for celebration. Yet as we honor the return of the buffalo to the tribes we must also remember what it took for those sixty-two buffalo to get there. A young buffalo pauses from eating hay to look through the fence of its quarantine prison. BFC file photo. Click photo for larger image. During 2005 and 2006 a Quarantine Feasibility Study was initiated by the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Buffalo quarantine began in blood, as 100 calves and their families were hazed into traps inside Yellowstone National Park and on private land along Duck Creek. Hundreds of the calves' family members - mothers, grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins - were loaded onto livestock trailers and shipped to slaughter. During 2008, another 100 buffalo calves were sent to the quarantine facility during capture and slaughter operations, which amounted to the largest-scale wild buffalo slaughter since the 1800's. In those three years, more than 2,711 wild buffalo were senselessly slaughtered. The 200 baby buffalo entered into the quarantine experiment were purposely and unnecessarily orphaned. These young wild-born buffalo were then transported to the Corwin Springs, Montana quarantine pens, just a few miles from the northwest border of Yellowstone National Park, where they have been treated worse than livestock for the last seven years in a tiny enclosure. These pens are located right beside Highway 89, for all passers-by to see. View a short BFC video clip of wild-born Yellowstone buffalo and their quarantine prison. Click image to watch video. "Phase I [of the Quarantine Feasibility Study] included initial capture and testing of bison calves ... maintaining sero-negative bison through fall, and then randomly selecting half the calves, euthanizing them, and subjecting them to a battery of tests... In Phase II, remaining bison would continue to be raised in quarantine and would be allowed to breed at two years of age, all the while being tested... In Phase III, pregnant bison would be allowed to calve, with mothers and offspring subject to additional testing within 5 days after calving." Bison Translocation, Bison Quarantine Phase IV Environmental Assessment Decision Notice, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, February 2010. The buffalo were confined in paddocks, surrounded by a double wall of fencing. They were fed hay, fitted with ear tags, watered with irrigation, and routinely poked, prodded, and tested by scientists. Buffalo calves, all close in age, had no elder buffalo-wit to guide them, no big brothers or sisters to look after, spar, or play with them; no mothers to tell them when it was best to head in a certain direction, safe to take a nap, or which grasses were best to eat; no fathers, grandparents or family members to guide them down their ancestral migratory paths; no herds to teach them the skills they need to survive as wild buffalo. To try to follow their migratory instinct was to hit the brick wall of the "no trespassing" government fence they were confined in. If this sounds anthropomorphic, spend time with wild buffalo to see how alike we really are. All the buffalo that have survived the quarantine process have survived confinement and have been denied their natural instincts, their innate drive to migrate. Many did not survive. Throughout the quarantine process the buffalo were abused, tormented, and killed. This is what you will not read about in news stories: the serious injuries, deaths from stress, human handling, and the toll of confining a wild species in pens: several females were overfed during winter and died while trying to deliver their calves in spring; without adults and stressed by constant captivity, several young mothers abandoned their calves; buffalo were gored to death and crushed against the corral pens; a calf mysteriously died in a creek; many were simply sent to slaughter."In June 2006, 48 randomly selected sero-negative bison...were slaughtered... In October 2008, 41 randomly selected sero-negative bison ... were slaughtered... all animals were culture negative [brucellosis-free]." History & Status of the Bison Quarantine Feasibility Study, USDA-APHIS, April 2009 The whole idea behind quarantine, said the government, was to "create a brucellosis-free herd" to "restore wild buffalo" to public and tribal lands. The scientists told the objecting public that they would "teach the buffalo how to be wild" again. From the government perspective quarantine was "the only way" First Nations and the American public would ever see "wild" buffalo roaming the North American landscape. BFC strongly objected, maintaining that quarantine is unnecessary and inhumane, and a threat to the wild integrity that makes the Yellowstone bison so special and unique. We all know that brucellosis is more of an excuse used by the livestock industry to maintain control over wild bison and wild lands than it is an actual concern. The quarantine also threatens the long-term viability of buffalo by removing buffalo that carry resistance to livestock diseases. Quarantine threatens the wild integrity of wild bison and is an injurious insult to First Nations buffalo cultures who await the return of their relatives the buffalo."Hau Mitakuepi, The buffalo have just as strong a connection to their land as we Indian People do. And just like us, the buffalo are being severed from their land by being put on ranches and domesticated. They are trying to turn buffalo into cattle just as they tried to turn Indians into Whites by putting us on reservations and sending us to boarding schools. Buffalo are not cattle anymore than Indians are Whites. They can't live without their connection to their land. They must be allowed to roam free. Pidamaya. Mitakuye Owasin." ~ Nick Anderson, Cultural Chairman and Historian, Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community. In 2010, the first "cohort" of buffalo to survive this domestication process were ready to move on. They were supposed to go to public or tribal lands, as the government had promised they would, but Montana officials had failed to plan ahead to find them a home. While some First Nations expressed great interest in receiving these relatives, the state objected to their proposals. At the eleventh hour, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer contacted billionaire Ted Turner, asking for help. Turner agreed to house the buffalo on his Green Ranch, but for a price: 75% of the offspring of the quarantined buffalo originating from Yellowstone National Park would become Turner's property. Interestingly, the ranching community remained quiet about this agreement. BFC, Western Watersheds Project, and other groups filed a law suit challenging this decision which violated the public trust and made commodities of American wildlife. Watch this BFC video about why quarantined Yellowstone buffalo should not have gone to Ted Turner's ranch. Click the image to watch the video. After Montana's disastrous decision to send these buffalo to Ted Turner's ranch, the state attempted to save face by promising that the next group to survive quarantine would go to public or tribal lands. The livestock industry was incensed. Irrationally arguing that these "certified brucellosis-free"quarantined buffalo would spread the disease to cattle, the industry revealed its true motives: ranchers were afraid of buffalo returning to the land and eating grass that they wanted for their cattle. Even brucellosis-free buffalo are not welcome in Montana because it's never really been about brucellosis. In February 2012, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission voted to approve the relocation of sixty-eight quarantined buffalo (all that remained in quarantine) to the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Indian Reservations in northeast Montana. One conservation group purporting to "defend" wildlife sent out numerous emails touting the transfer of the catchy-titled "Yellowstone 68." About a week before the transfer the same group announced the coming transfer of what had inexplicably become "The Yellowstone 65." What happened to the other three buffalo? The group didn't say. On Monday morning, livestock trucks arrived in the Gardiner Basin along with Montana Department of Livestock riders to haze, corral and load a uncertain number of quarantined buffalo onto the trailers for transport to the Fort Peck Reservation. Fort Belknap is scheduled to receive half of these buffalo after fencing projects are complete. After a 500-mile journey, 62 buffalo were unloaded. Three died as a result of being transported but we have yet to learn what happened to the other three. Last night, Buffalo Field Campaign filed a Right to Know request with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks requesting this and other details. Relatives welcomed home relatives with drumming and songs. Reunion has begun but the road will be challenging. The 62 buffalo will be held in a two-acre pasture for the next several months, until an eight-foot tall fence surrounding 2,100 acres is constructed. Later, half of the buffalo will go to the Fort Belknap Reservation. The livestock industry is waiting in the shadows to pounce on any "mistake" the buffalo or the tribes might make. Remembering what the buffalo had to suffer to return to their people, we celebrate the end result yet take serious issue with the process. Quarantine is not the solution. Loading buffalo onto cattle trucks and shipping them over highways is not the way. Wildlife migration corridors reconnecting the buffalo and their landscape and allowing them to restore themselves on their own four feet, with their own self-will: this is true wildlife restoration. The buffalo here in Yellowstone country attempt to do this year after year and would be successful if the government and livestock interests would only let them. Coexistence is the key. This young buffalo, not quite a yearling, is the age that the buffalo were when they were taken from their families, who were killed, and sent to quarantine prison. BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. Quarantine is an insulting government program force-fed to First Nations as the only way to reconnect with buffalo. It is damaging to wild bison and the Tribes that would see them home again. Is that all we can do is abuse wildlife, create livestock situations and call it wildlife restoration? We can certainly do better in our efforts at "wildlife restoration" than to abuse and treat members of America's only continuously wild population of buffalo like livestock. Quarantine is no more than a fear-based response to unfounded livestock industry complaints that are nothing but efforts to protect a subsidized "lifestyle". This is what natural wild buffalo restoration looks like. Simple elegance that agrees with the land and the buffalo. All the buffalo need is for us to learn to co-exist, stand aside and let them roam free! BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. We will continue to fight for the buffalo's right to roam and to help heal the broken relationships that have resulted from so much human arrogance, ignorance, and greed. Buffalo Field Campaign continues to honor Native Americans and their sacred relationships with the buffalo, and we will be here until buffalo resume their rightful place on the landscape as the self-willed wild creatures that they are. Corridors, not quarantine. Wild is the way!! ~ ROAM FREE------------------------------* Update from the Field A wee snapshot of the buffalo returning to Horse Butte. BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. As the Spring Equinox arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, so, too, did nearly a hundred wild buffalo arrive on Horse Butte. Grizzly bears are also beginning to emerge from their dens, hungry for the winter-kill they so desire upon waking. After such a mild winter, there will be few winter-killed bison and elk, but grizzly bears are certainly known to take down living buffalo, though, not with out great challenge! If only hungry bears were the buffalo's main concern right now. With everything the last wild buffalo populations suffer at the misguided hands of humans, the fact that they still migrate and still trust their strong instincts seems a miracle. Yet every year, no matter the tragedy the government inflicts upon them, they continue to come. Their numbers are small, but their hearts are big, and the land herself flows in their blood, pulsing forward motion. The wild buffalo tides rise with the spring, and in this we truly celebrate. Another sign that the Montana Department of Transportation has put in place along Highway 191, helping to warn traffic that buffalo also use this road! Thank you MDOT! BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. For a little while, maybe a month, maybe less, it is possible that the main human threat to wild buffalo here in the Hebgen Basin will be the road traffic they must encounter as they follow their migratory instincts to their favored calving grounds. But, should buffalo press their wet, black noses towards Montana's forbidden zones, towards the lands that are their birthright, agency action will certainly commence. We stand ready with the buffalo, armed with video and still cameras, and our passion, for what may come. This older bull has some great wisdom, as he's managed to avoid hunting and capture over the years and lives to continue his story. BFC file photo by Peter Bogusko. Click photo for larger image. Over in the Gardiner Basin, the pens have been emptied of quarantined buffalo (see above). The northern herd that roams the landscape are, of their own accord, making their way towards the Blacktail Plateau to their own calving grounds, which happen to lie within Yellowstone National Park. A small few buffalo remain in the Basin, watched over fiercely by Buffalo Field Campaign and the buffalo's many friends in the Gardiner area. So far, no management action has taken place there this season. Yellowstone National Park had plans to slaughter hundreds this year, but they were skunked by the buffalo. BFC is getting ready to focus all of our attention on the buffalo in the Hebgen Basin, as we know that the spring tides that bring the buffalo also bring those who harass and kill them. We have been blessed with a strong group of very passionate new volunteers this year who are ready to do whatever it takes to help tell the world the buffalo's story. For now, the buffalo are experiencing a respite, having had a mild winter and suffering no hazing or capture thus far. We give thanks, and we prepare for what we know is to come.------------------------------* Experienced Volunteers, Come on Home! As a mild winter begins to make way for the coming spring, so too do the buffalo begin to make their way to their ancestral calving grounds and to the first fresh grasses of spring. We are all very excited for the opportunity to spend some quite time with wild bison on the landscapes they seek out before the insanity of helicopters and over anxious law-enforcement shatters the tranquility. But our volunteers are prepared for the inevitable and ready to document all actions taken against wild bison in Montana and Yellowstone. We have an incredible and dedicated crew of new volunteers this year and are putting a shout out for those with experience to come back to camp and help guide patrols and lead our newer family during hazing actions. If you have been here before and know your way around the landscape and issue we would love for you to come help us out this spring. If you have any questions please get in touch with me at 406-646-0070 or volunteer@buffalofieldcampaign.org. As always, we thank each and everyone of you for your individual support and dedication to making a difference for wild buffalo. Thank you! Peet Support Coordinator Buffalo Field Campaign------------------------------* BFC Wish List: Cordless Tool Kit We try to be as self-sufficient as we can here at Buffalo Field Campaign, and that includes fixing and building things ourselves. The right tools can make any job easier and much more efficient. This week we are featuring our wish for an 18 or 24-volt cordless tool kit (drill, saws all, charger, circular saw). If you are able to grant this BFC Wish, please contact Mike Mease at mease@wildrockies.org. Thank you so very much!! Click HERE to view BFC's complete Wish List------------------------------* Endangered Buffalo Fact of the Week Lovely buffalo lady, basking in the morning sun, reflected in her eyes. Timeless wisdom reflected in her eyes. BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. Bison are an important food source for predators and scavengers including birds, small mammals, gray wolves and grizzly bears. Dr. Sylvia Fallon, The ecological importance of bison in mixed-grass prairie ecosystems 2009.Download and review bison conservation papers HERE. Have a fact you'd like to share with us? Email it to Stephany.------------------------------* Well Said! Great Buffalo Letters to the Editor Most of the Letters to the Editor below were written in response to this Opinion Editorial by the president of the anti-buffalo Montana Farm Bureau Federation: March 10, 2012Opinion: Bison should not roam free in MontanaBillings Gazette March 18, 2012LETTER: Scare tactics misinform public about bison Billings GazetteLETTER: Montana Farm Bureau is spreading fear Billings Gazette March 17, 2012LETTER: Bison should roam free on Montana's public lands Billings GazetteLETTER: Brucellosis debate is a moot point Billings GazetteLETTER: Free-roaming bison hurt no one's property Billings GazetteLETTER: Free-roaming bison belong to all of us Billings Gazette March 16, 2012LETTER: No birth control for America's last wild bison Boulder Daily CameraAll the folks who wrote these wonderful buffalo-friendly letters should get in touch with Stephany for a free BFC t-shirt or calendar! Thank you for being a voice for America's last wild buffalo populations! Anyone can write Letters to the Editor! Here's how!------------------------------* By the NumbersAMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S. The last wild population is currently estimated at fewer than 3,700 individual buffalo. Wild bison are currently ecologically extinct throughout their native range in North America. 2011-2012 Total Buffalo Killed: 29 2011-2012 Government Capture: 2011-2012 Government Slaughter: 2011-2012 Held for Government Experiment: 2011-2012 Died In Government Trap: 2011-2012 Miscarriage in Government Trap: 2011-2012 State & Treaty Hunts: 28 2011-2012 Quarantine: 2011-2012 Shot by Agents: 2011-2012 Killed by Angry Residents: 2011-2012 Highway Mortality: 1 2010-2011 Total: 227 2009-2010 Total: 7 2008-2009 Total: 22 2007-2008 Total: 1,631 * Total Since 2000: 4,001* *includes lethal government action, trap-related fatalities, quarantine/experiments, hunts, highway mortality-----------------------------* Last Words ~ USDA-APHIS Quarantine NotesWARNING! This is very difficult to read, yet it is the reality of life for a buffalo in quarantine. "47-08 was euthanized. When gathered this 2- year pregnant cow tried to jump both another animal and impaled herself on an exposed [bolt limb]. This broke 2 ribs and made a small perforation into her peritoneal cavity. She remained with a group of about 15 animals as we tried to assess her. The smell of blood and change of behavior excited the group to the point where they started to gore 47-08. As we tried to cut out 47-08 for possible treatment, she started to externalize SI thru the hole, which had enlarged during the fighting. After 47-08 was separated, she became recalcitrant to move. We decided to immobilize her for DX-TX. While the dart was being prepared 47-08 stepped on and tore her loop of SI. She was darted w/A3080 xylazines > gave extra medetomidine. When lateral she was euthanized w/euthanasia solution. She was transported to DOL for incineration. [Side notes]: Go to Plum. Jean Terry 631-477-0011 #29." ~ From USDA-APHIS's bison quarantine appointment books (scroll down to Analysis and Decision Docs to review these heartbreaking and cold records), received by BFC after a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted. We submitted the FOIA because USDA-APHIS was not giving us the answers to the questions we were asking, and have still provided incomplete records in their FOIA responses to-date. This failure to disclose such information is part of BFC's legal complaint against the federal livestock overseer agency. Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you for all the poems, songs, quotes and stories you have been sending! Keep them coming!------------------------------ -- Media & Outreach Buffalo Field Campaign P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758406-646-0070bfc-media@wildrockies.orghttp://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/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!Tell-a-Friend! ROAM FREE! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle WatchMarch 21, 2012This article is FORWARDED FWD For Your Interest FYI under fairuse. We did NOT write it.The Quebec government is using public money to develop mining in theNorth. Climate change is all too convenient for these pillagers whoare hellbent on digging up the North. Kittoh[] enclose our commentshttp://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674quebec_sets_out_new_budget/NEWS: Nunavik March 20, 2012 - 5:48 pm Quebec sets out new budgetBudget includes $10 million to study the possibility of extending thepower grid to Nunavik NUNATSIAQ NEWS This map shows the location of the Labrador trough and the site of aplanned iron mine in Nunavik. Quebec is proposing investing money in arail link project to the mine, a project which would cost “severalbillion dollars. (FILE IMAGE) Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand presented the Quebec budget March20, setting out total spending of $70.9 billion, a deficit of $1.5billion, and plans to maintain a two per cent cap on government spending,as tax revenues rise, to balance Quebec’s budget next year.Bachand also filled out details of the Liberal government’sPlan Nord, which he said would mean “anaverage of 20,000 jobs over 25 years.’‘“We must be grateful to the premier for having launched the Plan Nord,’’he said.Hydro Quebec will spend $10 million to study the possibility ofextending its electricity distribution network into Nunavik, Bachandsaid.“By extending the power transmission grid to Nunavik, it will bepossible to supply mining operations in theterritory, connect communities to Hydro-Québec’s main grid and integrateinto the grid the power supplied by future hydroelectric facilities inNunavik,” he said in a Quebec government news release. “It goes withoutsaying that mining companies will be called on to assume the costs of theplanned power transmission infrastructure.” [through theirgovernment subsidies...]As well, a plan, costing “several billion dollars,” is being consideredby CN and the Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec to extend a raillink to the mineral and metal-rich Labrador trough, south ofKuujjuaq, where Bachand said $20 billion in mining investments areplanned.“This railway will be built and operated in keeping with sustainabledevelopment principles and in collaboration with local and aboriginalcommunities, not only to minimize the project’s environmental impact, butalso to optimize the positive benefits for the communities,” Bachandsaid.Quebec will increase its fund to invest in the Plan Nord to $1 billion,from $500 million, taking options and minorityequity positions in mining companies, as part of a larger strategy toinvest more public money in natural resources.“The Plan Nord is taking shape,’’ Bachand said.Nicolas Marceau, the Parti Québécois finance critic, expressed surprisethat the Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec, which investsQuebecers’ public pension and insurancefunds, would participate in such a “risky’’ investment, which hesaid suggests “a lack of distance between the government and theCaisse.’‘Total private investments received for 11 existing Plan Nord projectswere also revised upward from $8.2 billion to $9.2 billion in the budgetwhile three new projects, with additional investments of $1.35 billion,have been added.Based on that, Quebec will dedicate another $276 million to the Fond duPlan Nord, budget documents said.The Charest government’s “disproportionate attention” on developingQuebec’s north is a bid “to hide the fact that the rest of Quebec’seconomy” is faring poorly, Marceau said.with files from Postmedia News@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Three weeks ago, 17-year old Trayvon Martin was gunned down by self-appointed neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. Despite Zimmerman admitting to following, confronting, and killing Trayvon, he has yet to be arrested or charged with any crime.1Just minutes before Trayvon was killed, Zimmerman had called police stating that Trayvon looked "suspicious." Trayvon was unarmed and walking back to his father's home in Sanford, Florida when Zimmerman accosted him.At the crime scene, Sanford police botched their questioning of Zimmerman, refused to take the full statements of witnesses, and pressured neighbors to side with the shooter's claim of self-defense.2 As it turns out, Sanford's police department has a history of failing to hold perpetrators accountable for violent acts against Black victims, and the police misconduct in Trayvon's case exemplifies the department's systemic mishandling of such investigations.3 And now, the State Attorney's office has rubber-stamped the Sanford police's non-investigation, claiming that there is not enough evidence to support even a manslaughter conviction.4Trayvon's family and hundreds of thousands of people around the country are demanding justice.5 Please join us in calling on the Department of Justice to take over the case, arrest Trayvon's killer, and launch an independent investigation into the Sanford police department's unwillingness to protect Trayvon's civil rights. It takes just a moment:http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/TrayvonWalking home from the store shouldn't cost you your life, but when Black youth are routinely assumed to be violent criminals, being randomly killed is a constant danger.6 Before Zimmerman decided to get out of his parked car — gun in tow — to pursue Trayvon on foot that night, he called the police to identify Trayvon as a "suspicious person" — apparently because he was wearing a hoodie and walking too slowly in the rain for Zimmerman's liking. Despite being instructed not to follow Trayvon, Zimmerman proceeded to confront and fatally shoot the boy in the chest within a matter of minutes.7The case has been compromised from the beginning. When Sanford police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman was first approached by a narcotics detective — not a homicide investigator — who "peppered him with questions" rather than allowing him to tell his story without prompting. Another officer "corrected" a witness giving a statement that she'd heard Trayvon cry for help before he was shot, telling her she had heard Zimmerman instead.8 And beyond the questions of professional competence or even the police's disregard for the facts, Florida's notorious "Shoot First" law takes a shooter's self-defense claim at face value — incentivizing law enforcement not to make arrests in shooting deaths that would lead to murder charges in other states.9Sanford has a history of not prosecuting when the victim is Black. In 2010, the white son of a Sanford police lieutenant was let go by police after assaulting a homeless Black man outside a downtown bar. And, in 2005, a Black teenager was killed by two white security guards, one the son of a Sanford Police officer. The pair was arrested and charged, but a judge later cited lack of evidence and dismissed both cases.10Please join us in calling on the Department of Justice to arrest Trayvon's killer and launch an investigation into the Sanford police department's mishandling of the case and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same:http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/TrayvonThanks and Peace,-- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team March 19th, 2012Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:http://www.colorofchange.org/donateReferences1. "Witnesses in Trayvon Martin death heard cries before shot," Miami Herald, 03-15-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1228?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=72. "Orlando Watch Shooting Probe Reveals Questionable Police Conduct," ABC News, 03-13-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1219?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=93. "Trayvon Martin Case Salts Old Wounds And Racial Tension," Huffington Post, 03-14-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1220?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=114. "Police: No Grounds For Arrest in Trayvon Martin's Death," WESH-2 Orlando, 03-16-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1227?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=135. “Trayvon Martin Family Seeks FBI Investigation of Killing by Neighborhood Watchman,” ABC News, 03-18-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1221?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=156. "Ramarley Graham: NYPD Slays Unarmed Black Teen as Outrage over Targeting of People of Color Grows," Democracy Now!, 02-08-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1222?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=177. “Trayvon Martin would be alive if Neighborhood Watch rules followed,” Orlando Sentinel, 03-14-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1223?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=198. See reference 2.9. "Teen's death suggests review of 'Stand Your Ground Law' needed," Tallahassee Democrat, 03-16-12http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1224?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=2110. "Five years since Florida enacted 'stand-your-ground' law, justifiable homicides are up, Tampa Bay Times, 10-17-10http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1225?akid=2382.605349.V3ygfZ&t=23 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Mohawk Nation NewsAppreciate the many comments. Thanks for reading the MNN newsletter. Our revised website is almost finished. Would like your comments when it's launched. Hope like this one. TURN ON THE TV - to see what those crazy white people are up to? MNN. MAR. 19, 2012. Our visitors are constantly depicting themselves as murdering and killing each other to set things as they want without compromise. They plan and scheme the murders and atrocities. They say "Sorry" for what they've done to us while violating us until they think they've got us. Shadows and voices are in their minds. They fear opening up their perverse minds for others to see, while showing their hand anyway. They look for ghosts which are themselves. Their invented ideology is based on who they are and where they come from [from who knows where!]. They create their history and write ours to conform to their fables. What is their Achilles heel? The truth. That is why it's burn, burn, burn. Out of the ashes rewrite history. Get rid of the evidence, quick! They walk alone because they are alone, to avoid being found out. They must fight and win against those who disagree with them, right or wrong. Their brain is constructed so they cannot compromise or see the other's view, but pretend to do so. They see us as different and want to hurt us. For our protection we're usually not alone. Mohawks always go with three to corroborate what we see or hear or give different insights. Guilt over what they've done is in their minds. They know they violated our psyche, our being and our lives. Many of their stories are based on sexual violations or stealing something or someone he or she thought was theirs. Our visitors who committed and benefitted from the wrongs are suffering because the cover-up is based on half truths and lies, which they celebrate. When we die, we return to our mother, the earth. When our visitors die, they are consecrated to our ground and send their souls to heaven above where they came from. Their atrocities are not buried. Ghosts remain forever. A wrong goes on and on in their descendents. Is that why they are not having children to pass their evil guilt onto? It won't be over until they go. That's why they're going. If it's not on tv, they don't believe it. Dire Straits said it in Money for Nothing: "Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it. You play the guitar on the MTV. That ain't working, that's the way you do it. Money for nothing and chicks for free." @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Hundreds expected at funeral ceremony for Onondaga Nation clan motherhttp://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/hundreds_expected_to_say_goodb.html UNA News Audrey Beavers @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ S.P.I.R.I.T. STATEMENT OPPOSING THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE Posted by: "MIKECHEROKEE@aol.com" MIKECHEROKEE@aol.com unitednative Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:50 pm (PDT) SOCIETY TO PRESERVE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND INDIGENOUS TREATIES(S.P.I.R.I.T.)STATEMENT OPPOSING THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINEWe as a group do hereby join with and urge all members of the Society to Preserve Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Treaties (S.P.I.R.I.T.) to unite in solidarity with brothers and sisters to resist the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico; in keeping Mother Earth sacred and protecting our homelands, the homes and graves of our families and ancestors from desecration. S.P.I.R.I.T. hereby adopts the following:Northern Alberta, the region that tar sands oil is extracted, is home to many indigenous populations and important parts of their cultural traditions and livelihood are coming under attack because of tar sands operations; and Tar sands oil production is one of the most destructive strip mining techniques on earth and results in deforestation, habitat loss, ground water contamination, pillaging of native lands, and three times the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere than that of traditional oil; andThe proposed Keystone XL pipeline is a project that would transport extremely toxic tar sands oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada through the middle of the US heartland to the Texas Gulf coast for refining; andTar sands oil is amongst the dirtiest and carbon-intensive fuels on earth, and a spill along the pipeline’s route will be catastrophic for the environment, the residents in the region, fish and wildlife, and the food supply; andThe Keystone XL pipeline would traverse six U.S. states and cross major rivers, including the Missouri River, Yellowstone, and Red Rivers, as well as key sources of drinking and agricultural water, such as the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies two million Americans; andThe destruction of Mother Earth, our homelands and the desecration of sacred sites and ancestral grave sites are imminent; andNumerous indigenous and native groups, supporters, organizations and American Indian Nations actively oppose the Keystone XL pipeline with scientists, environmentalists and supporting groups ALL are opposing the Keystone XL pipeline; andWE CAN STOP THE PROPOSED KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE BY STANDING TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY AND UNITY. The Society to Preserve Indigenous Rights and Indigenous Treaties (S.P.I.R.I.T.) is in opposition to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and pledge to join with likeminded groups and individuals from this date forward to stop the pipeline; andS.P.I.R.I.T. calls upon all members and supporters to join us by taking action now to call, write, e-mail, and personally stand with us to STOP THE PROPOSED KEYSTONE XL pipeline.Migwetch, Aho, Wado, Mvto, Pilamaya ! Society to Preserve Indigenous Rights & Indigenous Treaties_spiritwomenrawk@yahoo.com_ (mailto:spiritwomenrawk@yahoo.com) _www.facebook.com/OKspirit_ (http://www.facebook.com/OKspirit) _www.myspace.com/oklaspirit_ (http://www.myspace.com/oklaspirit) @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Aim Santa Barbara 1:25pm Mar 15 “Chumash people have been attacked, by I call them “white chiefs” or white anthropologists, certain different institutions, academia, the museums, all of them are telling us who is Chumash and who is not. That day is over with…The Barbareno Chumash Council is declaring to the world that we are going to express with no uncertain terms our right to be Indigenous, our right to be Chumash our RIGHT to be who we are. The methodology has been divisive. Individuals have made a living sucking the culture, sucking the lives, and the bones and everything of our culture, that’s to stop.” Marcus Lopez Sr. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Workshop Sat 3/31 Santa Barbara, CAby Aim Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 1:20pm ·Please share, repost, and Mark your Calendars to attend- UNITED NATIONS DECLARATIONON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WORKSHOP FEATURINGGeorgina Sanchez(Barbareno Chumash council)FRED COLLINS(NORTHERN CHUMASH COUNCIL) Also With Darlene Garcia(Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation)&Gabriel Altamirano, Chumash(Rapporteur, North American Indigenous Peoples Caucus 2011) The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007. “It was drafted and formally debated for over twenty years prior to being adopted on 29 June 2006 during the inaugural session of the Human Rights Council. The document emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.”http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/FAQsindigenousdeclaration.pdf Workshop Topics include:United Nations DRIP document and the collective Community & Human rights What is the United Nations permanent forum on indigenous issues?How can this Document be used as a tool for change on a community level? Where:American Indian Health & Services 4141 State Street. Suite B11Santa Barbara, Ca. When:Saturday March 31,2012 Time: 10:am-4:00 pm Sponsored By:Barbareno Chumash CouncilAmerican Indian Movement Southern California More info & registration:805- 969-1076 (leave message)\ Special thanks to:Fund for Santa Barbara, The Seventh Generation Fund,American Indian Airwaves/Coyote Radio, and American Indian Health & ServicesAnd American Indian Health & Services @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ -- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

A Reality Check For The Birthers

A Reality Check For The Birthers

Many thanks to my friend on SH

Were you one of the dummies who fell for the Fake Obama Kenyan Birth Certificate?

There are a few little problems with the birth certificate. For one thing the seal says Republic of Kenya. Check that little fact. There was no Republic of Kenya that year. It's Signed by E F Lavender. Which is a detergent. (Earth Friendly Lavender)The number on the birth certificate is 47,044. Obama was 47 years old when elected and he is the 44'th president and is referred to on FB and Twitter by many as O44. These are all really big coincidences don't you think? - It records Barack Obama Sr’s age as “26.” Obama Sr was born in 1936; his son was born in 1961.The hospital is Coast Provincial General Hospital (sometimes said to be Coast Province General Hospital), not Coast General Hospital.The entire thing is in English and even uses American measurements like inches pounds etc. -- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

They Walk Among Us and they Vote

They Walk Among Us and they Vote http://www.shsu.edu/~mis_dst/Syllabus/Fun%20Stuff/They%20walk%20among%20us.htm Subject: They walk among us and THEY VOTE TOO!They Walk Among Us ... Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: "Free to good home. You want it, you take it." For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were too untrusting of this deal. It looked to good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: "Fridge for sale $50." The next day someone stole it. Caution... *They Walk Among Us and They Vote! * =================== One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone shouted.... "Look at that dead bird!" Someone looked up at the sky and said... "Where???" *They Walk among us and they Vote!!* =================== While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime. She shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff." *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!* =================== I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him,"The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific" *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!!* =================== My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible, but "didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving". *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!!!* =================== My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk... *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!!!!* =================== My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%.Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount on both.... *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!!!!!* =================== I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up.She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "Has your plane arrived yet?"... *They Walk Among Us and They Vote!!!!!!!!* =================== While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go.He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6.He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces. *Yep, THEY Walk Among Us, and, Dear Me, They Vote too !!!!!!!!* -- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

Urgent!

Siyu friends and family, In the past I have spoken to many of you about certain things that just "happen"here where we live. Not to be too overwhelming, I am going to keep this short.We now have an emergency that is urgent. We found out after we had asked for help beforeand had to make a quick decision, that when we went to the county tax office they wiould let us payit of with penaltys for lateness, a little over a period of months.Well this year has been especially bad with my wife, Sharon fighting leikemia and all the medical bills.And this car company has made an overcharge on a vehicle that would be almost twice what the truck is worth.It's a false claim but we have to go to the courts to fight it.Now suddenly the county tax office tells us that all deals are off.They want their money by April or they are putting a lein on our land.Then anyone can pay the tax and get our land.I am asking not for Save The Sacred Sites, but personally if anyone can help, it would only take 100 peoplesending just ten dollars to pay our taxes. This is not tax deductable because it is a personaal gift.And Save The Sacred Sites is not a 501 C3 because we don't like their restrictions on activism.And I give you my solemn word this is an honest need and not bogus. Ask any who have known us for a whilewe do not lie or play games. Fopr the first seven people to give $50 or more I am going to send the beautiful print of Sharon's son in his regailia,paint by Rosemary Woods, renoun artist of Indigenous People. The orginal painting sold for several hundred dollars.And these copies are just as beautiful I have attached a phot of thee print that does not capture its beauty, butwill give you some idea. Since I don't how to do paypal (unless one of you teaches me), could you please send all donations with your name,and for the first seven donations over $50, your address to send you a print, toC/O Dave KitchenP.O. Box 324 Townsend, Ga. 31331Please forgive my asking because I know everyone is hard pressed.I just can't lose this place and make my wife and all these formerly abused animals that we care for homeless. P.S. You all know that we can't prove anything. But isn't it funny that they sudenly change policy about taxes with all these other burdens on us?We understand if you can't donate. But please pass this on to as many people as possible. S'gi,Dave

The Unrevolution

The Unrevolution In the fight for rights for Indigenous people and the human and animals and plant rights of all creation, the time has come for me to be brutally frank with those who might read what I write.You see I was born over 64 years ago. And during that time, I have see the rise and fall of many.I have seen wars, dictators, those who commit genocide, con men, wealth, power, cold hearts, fear mongers,destroyers of life, mass murderers, and many revolutions.The world today as we live in it has many aspects to it that are seen and unseen.The seen world has an element that we cling to so that we can go sanely about our every day lives.But underneath it all is the insanity that is moving ever closer to the edge of a precipice.So that if we step off into the unknown all that we think is real collapses.All this appearance of any kind of order falls apart.Many of you know about the 1973 Wounded Knee happenings with the American Indian Movement and how Leonard Peltier was framed for murder.But this story, as complicated as it is, barely scratches the surface of what has and is happening. I am not even going to scratch the surface in this small writing.Back in the 1990s I watched some very good Native American or Indigenous men get taken out one by one certain covertgroups that are part of a broader plan. Oh they have some association with the U.S. government. But truth be told, they have membersin every major world government. Members of this organization are in almost every aspect of every day life.And people like my wife and I and other Native American brothers and sisters are mere bumps in the road to them.The taking of our lives, families, our health or sanity means little to them. It's just another job or goal to be accomplished.I watched as every Native American man who stood up to them in this state was either dead or disabled in some way in the 1990s, myself included.My wife and I had an Indigenous radio program in Atlanta, Ga. And we were exposing all their games and covert actions. They simply couldn't have that.So something was done to me to make it look like I had gotten mysteriously sick, like so many others had died mysteriously during those years and the years that have followed.But you see, I came back from death. I had a miraculous healing. That has sent them into a fury after me and my wife.While I was very sick they would monitor us. And they were joined by some of the local never do wells because we had offended them by standing up for Indigenous rights and because we saw right through their con games and plans to manipulate us.To date some of the things that have been done are messing with my medications by putting plants in pharmacies that I use or paying people off to do their dirty work.One guy even quit being a pharmacist when they tried to coerce him because he had a conscience.They have used government fighter planes to pass over our home in constant passes because we called an told them we have a dog that throws up when they come that close.Now some will do it for fun. They have had single engine planes fly low and drop stuff on me that made me sick. They had people follow us around and mess with our vehicles and follow us every where to harass us.They have tried to disrupt our sleep, vandalized our property, poisoned a horse, cut fences, disrupt prayer and reading times, stole a dog, cut the Internet cable on the street so we could communicate with you folks, come close and fire high powered rifles that sound like cannons (some of our horses have shot in their bodies), they attacked us spiritually also and many other things that continue to this day.Many people have said to us that we should move. But the fact is, for us, there is nowhere to run or hide. Because no matter where we go they will find us.But one thing they never will understand. We who are dying and being destroyed by their evil plans are not who they are looking for.They will think that what I am about to say is a load of garbage. So when the real deal comes, they will never see it coming.The revolution that they are so afraid of in this physical world is never going top happen the way they think.Oh there will be elements of this world who will try to accomplish it that way.But the real deal is coming in a way they will never expect. They will have all their big guns and covert operations alerted and fighting who they see as the enemy.But they will fail to see to coming fire of the spirit. The end they fear will come upon them quietly and subtly in a way they will never suspect.Like a giant wave that comes with a tsunami, they will be overwhelmed by a burst of something they will not and can not understand.They will be swept away by a force so strong that all their weapons will be useless.And they will never understand or know what happened. They will simply cease to exist.Others who are ready will be transformed into something greater than they ever conceived they could be.This revolution will never have a shot fired. It will carry away the chaff and leave the pure seed of a new existence.As far as the Creator is concerned, this will not be so much a revolution as it will be an evolution to an inconceivable existence.That our minds as they are can not grasp. So if they take me out soon. Don't be upset. I'll be already happily waiting for the rest of you when you make the jump to a near realmof life. They can take out this flesh that they think is me. But the real me is only temporarily in this perishable case.Soon I will be better than I have ever been. Oh they will say this is all the rantings of a crazy man and maybe dream up a good cover story.Quite frankly at this point I could care less what they say in rumors about me. Believe me they are crazier than I could ever be.And they will never know that the revolution they wanted to stop existed only in their own twisted minds and souls.-- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

Butt Dust

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face... 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

Your Right to Peacefully Protest Is In Danger

Your Right To Peacefully Protest Is In Danger Our loyal friends in organized labor have asked us to forward the below message to you. Please protect the rights of all Georgians by calling or emailing your State House Representative today!--------------------------------------------------------- YOUR RIGHT TO PEACEABLY PROTESTIS THREATENED BY THE ANTI-WORKING FAMILY AGENDAOF SOME GEORGIA LEGISLATORS! SB 469 was passed in the Georgia Senate last week. This Bill is a threat to the right to peacefully protest and to union membership. We need your help to prevent the House from passing the legislation and the Governor from signing it into law. PLEASE ACT NOW! Here’s what you can do: Join the protest rally! All Georgia citizens should attend! Sat. March 17 at 11:00 A.M. Georgia Capitol Attend Lobby day! On Mon. March 19 10:00 A.M. at the Georgia Capitol Call, fax, email or visit your State Representative NOW!The General Assembly is meeting today and March 19-22, and Representatives are home Mar 15-18 and 23-25.Visit your elected representative at the Capitol and/or on their home turf.Make a call, fax or email. Click here to identify your State House member and get their contact information. Be clear but don’t threaten. Build your relationship. Use the information below to encourage them to vote NO on SB 469. Click here to find out how your Senator voted. Thank the good lawmakers for standing up for us!Phone and email the Speaker of the House at david.ralston@house.ga.gov or (404)656-5020 Message: Please vote NO on SB 469 to protect the peaceful right to protest and to protect Georgia’s working families. SB 469 hurts school personnel, bus drivers, public employees and working families across Georgia. It unconstitutionally stifles legal peaceful protest for churches, civic associations, fraternities, and other groups, as well as labor unions. SB 469 oversteps the authority of the state to regulate in areas controlled by the National Labor Relations Act. It would punish both conspiracy to commit criminal trespass and the crime itself – unlike any other provision of Georgia criminal law. It also makes the penalty for conspiracy higher than for criminal trespass – unlike any other provision of Georgia criminal law. SB 469 violates the First Amendment right to lawfully and peacefully protest in many settings.· The purpose of this Bill is to stifle lawful picketing.· It would criminalize behavior of a union or group based solely on an individual’s “affiliation” with the group, even if they are not acting as an agent for the group.· The right to peacefully protest cannot be limited based on the content of the speech nor by an unlimited right to “quiet enjoyment” in neighborhoods.SB 469 creates special exceptions to criminal law to penalize peaceful picketing.· SSB 469 lowers the necessary showing for issuance of an injunction required for every other kind of injunction under Georgia law.· SB 469 sets daily penalties of $1,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization without allowing court discretion and lets the employer collect the fines as damages.· It departs from all other provisions of Georgia criminal law by allowing conviction of both criminal trespass and conspiracy to commit criminal trespass.· SB 469 creates a higher criminal penalty for conspiracy to commit criminal trespass than for the completed crime of criminal trespass – unlike any other Georgia crime.SB 469 interferes with federal labor law that already requires notice of employee rights not to join a union, to report illegal union activity, etc.· SB 469 oversteps its authority regarding employer messages regarding de-certification of unions under federal law.· SB 469 charges the State DOL to enforce the law against employers – responsibilities regarding enforcement of federal law beyond its jurisdiction.· Georgia is already a “right to work” state and prohibits requiring union membership as a condition of employment. This Bill just adds an unnecessary duty on employers to distribute an anti-union message, and wastes taxpayer dollars by imposing an unfunded obligation on the State Department of Labor to enforce it. SB 469 violates federal law governing employee rights to dues check off.· Federal labor law takes precedence over Georgia law in governing the rules for union dues check off and revocation. This Bill illegally interferes in that realm that is controlled by federal law.· This Bill draws lines between different worker groups based solely on whether they engage in collective bargaining – a right protected under federal law. Law enforcement officers say this Bill would waste limited public safety resources and put people in jail who should not be there – wasting taxpayer dollars. 10,000 Georgians have signed petitions saying they strongly oppose SB 469. Click here to identify your State House member and get their contact information. Be clear but don’t threaten. Build your relationship. Encourage your State House Representative to OPPOSE SB 469. Homepage Contribute FacebookYou have received this email through your subscription to our email list. If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates unsubscribe here.DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF GEORGIA • 763 TRABERT AVE NW • ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30318MIKE BERLON, CHAIR; NIKEMA WILLIAMS, FIRST VICE-CHAIR; RUSSELL EDWARDS, TREASURER; R.J. HADLEY, VICE CHAIR; MIGUEL CAMACHO, VICE CHAIR; REP. PEDRO “PETE” MARIN, VICE CHAIR; LAVERNE GASKINS, SECRETARY NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE • WWW.GEORGIADEMOCRAT.ORG -- "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen

Indigenous News

Indigenous NewsMarcia LaneOn Missing Women, Missing Children, and Missing Intelligence: Looking for Justice in All the Wrong Placesby Kevin D. Annett http://www.facebook.com/groups/162325317708/permalink/10150612841457709/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@VA Health Care Budget ThreatenedWeek of March 12, 2012Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, wrote that the reality of sequestration -- the congressionally mandated cuts that will automatically occur later this year due to the Joint Select Committee's failure to find $1.2 trillion dollars in deficit reductions -- is about hit home for veterans. "As it stands right now, sequestration of government programs is imminent." Miller's concern goes beyond the issue of how this will impact our national defense, Miller is worried that an ambiguity in the law could be used by the Office of Management and Budget to cut as much as two percent from the VA's Healthcare budget despite Congress' intent to protect VA from sequestration.Read the full article in the Military Advantage blog.http://www.military.com/veterans-report/va-health-care-budget-threatened?ESRC=vr.nl @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Bernardo GallegosParaguay remains the only country in the Americas where a majority of the population speaks one indigenous language: Guaraní. It is enshrined in the Constitution, officially giving it equal footing with the language of European conquest, Spanish. In Paraguay, Indigenous Language With Unique Staying Powerwww.nytimes.com Unusual features of Paraguay’s history and politics mean that Guaraní is widely spoken, despite a relatively small indigenous population.https://mail.google.com/mail/?tab=wm#inbox/13606fec1eaaf32d @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Update on Homeless shelter Project Rapid City SDPosted by: "MIKECHEROKEE@aol.com" MIKECHEROKEE@aol.com unitednativeSat Mar 10, 2012 2:39 pm (PST)Update on Homeless shelter Project 3/10/12As you may or may not know ...United Urban Warrior Society has been putting together a proposal to the City Council in Rapid City SD to build a Shelter by Roosevelt park for our homeless brothers and sisters to have a place they can set and also a place where the different groups that provide meals to them can do this....Included in this is a "similar photo" of what we have in mine...this shelter will also have lights and a Lockable outlet (for the groups) using this. This could also be used for other small Native events..and will be available for free use..except the times the groups that are providing meals are using it..We are currently looking for more ideas on the Color and Design ..we want it to have Native overtones of lakota & Dakota culture..When we get the concept drawn out then the next step is to get some quotes from preferably Native owned contractors to build it....This has been a long project but we will continue to move forward on it...We are gaining allot of support from other groups and organizations as well as City Leaders..if anyone has any ideals or suggestions please let me know...James Swan President & Founder United Urban Warrior SocietyP.O.Box 14Rapid City, S.D. 57709-0014 605-381-8612_unitedurbanwarriorsociety@yahoo.com_ (mailto:unitedurbanwarriorsociety@yahoo.com) @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Dear David,A year ago, the world watched in horror as one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded happened off the coast of Japan, causing devastating tsunamis and triggering meltdowns at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. The result of the disaster was catastrophic: more than 15,000 deaths, hundreds of billions of dollars in damage, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes.Hundreds of thousands of animals were swept away, killed or lost their homes. Thousands more were abandoned or tied up in backyards — left by owners who thought they would be returning soon. With your help, we immediately mobilized sending desperately needed supplies and support to local Japanese agencies.But that was just the beginning. I recently visited the devastated region and it was shockingly clear to me that our work is far from over.Some animals were left at shelters when their owners evacuated, but due to the astounding number of people evacuating, the shelters are overwhelmed. They stare out of small cages with sad eyes, heart broken and hoping to be adopted or reclaimed.Even a year later, most people haven't been able to return to their homes. Today, animal carcasses litter the area and thousands of homeless dogs and cats roam their old neighborhoods scrounging for scraps and curling up for warmth to brave the cold nights — wondering if their owners will ever return.They are lonely and scared. They are starving and dying. They need your help. There is no one else.Please help us save these animals by donating today.Sadly, life may never be the same for those close to the disaster zone, but American Humane Association remains firmly committed to helping in any way it can. To read more about my visit to Japan, download a copy of The Animals of Fukushima: One Year Later.Sincerely,Robin R. Ganzert, Ph.D.President and CEOAmerican Humane AssociationRobin Ganzert's Message of CompassionOn March 11, 2011, when the earthquake struck Japan, the entire world rushed to help.We at American Humane Association put out an appeal to our nation, and thousands of Americans opened their hearts and responded, allowing us to send a shipment of greatly needed animal shelter supplies and a contribution to the organizations in this room. READ ROBIN'S SPEECH »Robin Ganzert's 2012 Japan Blog Posts Visit to FukushimaMessage to People of JapanToyko ShelterDelivery of Hope to Earthquake Victims in JapanREAD MORE NOW »Robin Ganzert's 2011 Japan Blog PostsJapan Animal Relief Update — Aid SentJapan Relief Questions and AnswersRed Star Animal Emergency Services and Japan Relief FundREAD MORE NOW »@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Gloria Montano‎"When Arizona tried to erase our history, we decided to make more," Diaz says. "We’ve unleashed this informal network that’s galvanized into a national movement... People are forming groups to read the books that have been confiscated. They have actually brought so much attention to our community that I think right now we really are on the verge of a Latino Renaissance." "El Libro-Traficante" Tony Diaz Defies Ethnic Studies Book Ban With Caravan to Arizona www.democracynow.org Self-described book smuggler Tony Diaz, nicknamed "El Libro-Traficante", is set to launch a small caravan to bring carloads of controversial books into Arizona that were recently banned by public school officials in Tucson after the city suspended its acclaimed Mexican-American Studies program due t...http://www.facebook.com/groups/110393622343133/321944857854674/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@--CherokeeLink Newsletter**************************Osiyo sharonkitchen@earthlink.net,If you are like me, I know you can’t wait until the end of daylight savings time. Now we can plan more activities outside and enjoy the sun we have missed out on all winter long. So don’t forget to set your clocks forward on Sunday. High school graduation is fast approaching. Students who plan to continue their education but need some assistance might want to check out the opportunities that the Cherokee Nation College Resources offers. Hurry though as deadlines are also right around the corner:http://www.cherokee.org/Services/Education/30836/Information.aspx Meetings for the Tribal Council, Health Committee, Community Services Committee, Education and Culture Committee, and Resources Committee for March will be held Monday the 12th. If you cannot attend in person, watch them live online.For more information:http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/Webcasts/Default.aspx I cannot think of a more perfect way to enjoy the sun than to get out and play a game of golf. It just so happens that Saturday, March 31st is “Play Golf Native America Day” at Cherokee Hills Golf Club, located at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, OK. This program is for area youth ages 7-17 and their families. The event starts at 10 a.m.! Register today and secure your spot.Register today at:http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=facility&facility=27372114 Wado! (Thank you)Cherokee NationP.O.Box 948Tahlequah, OK 74465918 453-5000------------------------------------------------------------*****************************Cherokee Nation News*******************************Jay Clinic to Resume Operations Tuesday:3/5/2012 4:31:54 PM© Cherokee NationAfter a brief closure to investigate an air quality issue, the Sam Hider Clinic will re-open for business Tuesday morning.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/32974/Press_Article.aspxSequoyah Schools to host Stakeholders Meeting :3/5/2012 10:12:39 AM© Cherokee NationSequoyah Schools will host a stakeholders meeting on Thursday, March 15, in the Sequoyah Schools cafeteria. http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/32972/Press_Article.aspxCherokee Elder Care hosts Breakfast with State Lawmakers:3/5/2012 1:47:52 PM© Cherokee NationCherokee Elder Care recently hosted a breakfast that gave concerned citizens a chance to hear their state legislators speak and ask the lawmakers to address any concerns they may have. CEC hosted the event organized by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/32973/Press_Article.aspxCherokee Nation Offering Registration Help in Collinsville:3/6/2012 10:27:11 AM© Cherokee NationThe Cherokee Nation will provide assistance with applications for Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood cards and Cherokee Nation citizenship in Tulsa County in March.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/32975/Press_Article.aspx-----------------------------------------------------------************************************* Other Links of Interest ********************************************Games - http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=culture&culture=gamesCommunity Calendar - http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=calendarRSS Feed - http://rss.cherokee.orgPodcasts - http://podcasts.cherokee.orgE-Cards - http://ecards.cherokee.org@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane. When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person. When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful. Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen