Indigenous News 5 10 2012

Indigenous News 5 10 2012First Nations & Aboriginal RightsPosted by Tjay Henhawk (cause founder)NOTEFirst Nations resist Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline with cross-Canada Freedom TrainBritish Columbia's Yinka Dene Alliance will embark on a nationwide "Freedom Train" journey on Monday to defend First Nations laws banning oil pipelines and tankers on their traditional territory. The Alliance, a leading group of First Nations that has been active so far in opposing the Enbridge... See moreVIEW, SHARE, OR ADD A COMMENT:http://links.causes.com/s/clCx7O@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@from the Eagle Watch April 29, 2012FYI - very important.Knowing how much the colonial entities aka Indian Affairs love to vaccinate Indigenous children... they don't care if our children are hungry, malnourished or living on the streets, as long as they get those vaccinations...KittohInfant Monkeys Given Standard Doses of Vaccines Develop Autism Symptoms Source: SafeMinds.orgInfant Vaccines Produce Autism Symptoms in New Primate Study by University Of Pittsburgh ScientistsRoutine Safety Study That Government Scientists Refused to Do Illustrates Vaccine Program and Mercury Health RisksAtlanta, GA: Findings released today showed that infant monkeys given vaccines officially recommended by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) exhibited autism-like symptoms. Lead investigator Laura Hewitson of the University of Pittsburgh and colleagues presented study results at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in London. Safety studies of medicines are typically conducted in monkeys prior to use in humans, yet such basic research on the current childhood vaccination regimen has never before been done.The abstracts presented at IMFAR, the world’s top autism science conference, describe biological changes and altered behavior in vaccinated macaques that are similar to those observed in children with autism. Unvaccinated animals showed no such adverse outcomes. The vaccines given were those recommended for U.S. infants in the 1990s, including several with the mercury preservative thimerosal and the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine. Rates of autism spectrum disorder among children born in the 1990s surged dramatically, from about 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 150 children.“This research underscores the critical need for more investigation into immunizations, mercury, and the alterations seen in autistic children,” stated Lyn Redwood, director of SafeMinds. “SafeMinds calls for large scale, unbiased studies that look at autism medical conditions and the effects of vaccines given as a regimen.”The group’s request for research echoes that of Dr. Bernadine Healy, Former NIH Director, in a CBS interview earlier this week. She asserted that public health officials have been too quick to dismiss an autism-vaccine connection when the research has been insufficient. The government recently conceded a federal vaccine court case which agreed that a child regressed into autism as a result of 9 vaccines given on one day.“The full implications of this primate study await publication of the research in a scientific journal,” noted Theresa Wrangham, president of SafeMinds. “But we can say that it demonstrates how the CDC evaded their responsibility to investigate vaccine safety questions. Vaccine safety oversight should be removed from the CDC and given to an independent agency.”@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@First Nations & Aboriginal RightsPosted by Tjay Henhawk (cause founder)NOTEWorries over fed changesSnuneymuxw First Nation Chief Doug White thinks that all British Columbians should be concerned about the federal government's desire to reduce environmental assessment regulations, announced in the recent federal budget. White, a member of the B.C. First Nations Leadership Council, was a... See moreVIEW, SHARE, OR ADD A COMMENT:http://links.causes.com/s/clCxuU@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Lakota Elder Subjected to Hate CrimePosted by: Christine RoseSun Apr 29, 2012 7:44 am (PDT)If you haven't signed this petition, please do....Vernon Traversie, a member and resident of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota came home from a 14-day stay in the hospital to find he had been horribly mutilated. Three Ks can be easily seen carved or burned into his abdomen in the shocking photograph taken the day after he came home.The victim is age 68 and completely blind. Vernon Traversie's nightmare began when he had a heart attack while at the Heart Doctors office in Rapid City last August. He was immediately sent a few blocks away to Rapid City Regional Hospital for emergency surgery. Being blind, Traversie didn't even know what was done to him until a RCRH employee came into his room and advised him to have pictures taken of his chest and abdomen as soon as he got home. She said she could not testify on his behalf, but that her conscience got the best of her and she did not agree with what had been done to him.Read more and sign the petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/justice-for-hate-crime-against-lakota-sioux-elder-vernon-traversie@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Pueblo votes to change membership ruleshttp://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/santa-clara-voteSanta Clara Pueblo members have voted to change its patriarchal membership policy by a majority of more than two to one, a tribal member said late Monday. Historically, the Native American community has granted membership to the children of Santa Clara men. But the offspring of Santa Clara women with men from outside the tribe, Native American or not, are not automatically granted membership. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Santa Clara Pueblo's membership policy did not violate federal sex-discrimination laws. That case had been initiated by Julia Martinez, a Santa Clara Pueblo member married to a Navajo man, whose eight children had grown up on the pueblo, yet were denied tribal membership. "This is historic. This is huge," said a member who asked not to be identified until the tallies are official. Gov. Walter Dasheno did not return a message asking for information about the election, which began with early voting last week and ended with the vote count late Monday. The Tewa-speaking village on the west bank of the Rio Grande, just south of Española, has about 3,000 residents, but only about 800 are members. Puye Cliff Dwellings in Santa Clara Canyon is the ancestral home of Santa Clara. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Doing Time in KanekotaIn the year 2000 I decided to enact my right as per Royal Proclamation 1784, commonly known as the “Haldimand Proclamation”. I am of the Mohawk people and I have “chose to settle in that quarter” as the Proclamation reads. I rented a farm within the six mile limit and started to look for my spot up here, “Rule of Law” is; a Royal Proclamation supersedes all Admiralty statutes. I attended Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and had a survey done of the watershed map and in 2005 put in my claim for Lot 1 concession 11 Nottawasaga township, Simcoe county. It was an abandoned School board property at the time and would not be a big problem for anyone who has invested their money, illegally in the tract. Since this was the Etobicoke Outdoor Education Centre I sent notice to the City of Toronto that I would be coming down to City Hall to pick up the keys for the gate they left locked. On my way down to City Hall, I received a call from then Councillor Rob Ford on the cell phone of one of my companions in the car. I have known Rob since he was a boy and he told me to meet him at Etobicoke City Hall instead. I was puzzled how he knew the cell phone number of my friend and agreed to meet him at Etobicoke City Hall, instead of my scheduled visit to Toronto City Hall. When we arrived at Etobicoke, I asked Rob if he brought the keys and he shook his head no. When I asked why he said “it’s a real sensitive issue and I can’t step on any toes”, I asked who told him to say that he would not tell me. I then said “whoever told you that, is probably responsible for killing my brother Matt, do you want them to kill me too? And he looked at me with a blank stare that told me a lot. I then told him that he should concentrate on getting the fluoride out of the water and ending the corruption within the Corporation of Canada, something his father would have been proud of and we left empty handed. I received reliable information that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was trying to secure the property next to the education Centre and it started to makes sense who was pulling Rob’s chain. Flaherty went ahead and spent many millions of dollars putting an outrageous mansion on my claim, I guessed this was the sensitive issue and whose toes he was talking about. The Ontario NDP stood up in the house and talked about my claim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rksNYP96MMs I attended a meeting with then MP Garth Turner of the Liberals,he was fired from Steven Harpers cabinet and crossed the floor to the Liberals. I read aloud the proclamation in his office and showed him the survey I had done of Kanekota (six miles from the headwaters of the Grand). He was required by “Rule of Law” to act upon that proclamation but obviously did nothing.I moved to the village of Hornings Mills (within the protectorate area) in 2005 and rented a place there on the banks of the Poison Pine River. I was living peacefully there and trying to be a good friend and neighbor for 2 years, while all of the politicians were avoiding the issue that would nail Jim Flaherty for High Treason. They are guilty of treasonous behavior for ignoring the “Supreme Law” and should all be tried in Military court, as Admiralty court has no jurisdiction when a Royal Proclamation is involved. Omar Khadar is a good example of how jurisdiction works, he was charged in military court as per Rule of Law. I took a 3 week visit to Kanawake in 2006 and when I returned to Hornings Mills I was served with an eviction notice from my landlord. A year later I asked him why he did that and he told me that when I was away, an executive of Consumers Gas showed up at his house and told him “the only reason the pipeline would not be coming to Hornings Mills is because of the Mohawk living in your basement apt. “ and he was going to let all the neighbours know that as well. Next I found an apt. in Shelburne but as soon as I moved in I was given an illegal eviction notice, so it seems someone was still trying to get rid of the Mohawk. Many of the people up here became activists because of a proposal by “The Highland Group” to totally ignore the Royal Proclamation and turn 8500 acres of the protectorate, into a Mega-Quarry. I sent a letter to Chief of the General Staff of the British army regarding his orders as per Royal Proclamation 1784 http://thahoketoteh.ws/2011/04/april-2011-update/ and have followed up that letter with another about my claim in 2005 that has been ignored by all of her Majesty’s agents here. I did notice the CF helicopters landing in Greenwood Park, Shelburne for a few days in August of last year. I talked with Captain Brown of General Sir Peter Wall’s office and he did respond to my second letter. We have not saw any action from the nefarious “Highland Group” in awhile and I presume their shareholders are nervous, as Admiralty Statutes protecting shareholder identity do not apply in military court. So all of the work I have been doing is what stopped the mega-quarry and they never even invited me to their party http://www.ndact.com/index.php/events/43-sun-october-16-2011-foodstock , how Ironic. The people up here do not consider themselves racist but they are on Mohawk land so they have said things like “why don’t you go back to the reservation” or about the Holocaust “get over it, we said sorry” or “I’ll fight you for my land”. Which I respond; you will follow Rule of Law or you will be fighting her Majesty’s Canadian Army, not me. Our vision has been to allow all who are here to stay and live under the constitution of Peace “Kayanerakowa” with us, perpetually forever. We will establish Law of the Land here in Kanekota and will be a model of consensus-building, that all the people in the world will look to as a solution. Many people will not want to leave their current corporate-matrix. Any who do not want to live under Law of the Land, will be relocated by the Corporation of Canada and leave the protectorate area because it will never go back to 51%, ever. WAMPUM #2THE GREAT WHITE ROOTS OF THE TREE OF PEACERoots have spread out from the Tree of Great Peace: one to the north, one to the east, one to the south and one to the west. These are the Great White Roots and their nature is Peace and Strength. If any man or any nation outside of the Five Nations shall obey the laws of the Great Peace (Gayanerekowa) and shall make this known to the statesmen of the League, they may trace back the roots to the Tree. If their minds are clean and if they are obedient and promise to obey the wishes of the Council of the League, they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the Tree of the Long Leaves.We place at the top of the Tree of Great Peace an eagle who is able to see afar. If he sees in the distance any danger threatening, he will at once warn the people of the League.This is our immigration wampum and all are welcome to join us on the quest to spread the Peace. It was here on Great Turtle Island the Peace started at the time of the 4thsun. Let us bring it to fruition for the arrival of the 5th sun. Unity, Strength, Peace,thahoketoteh of Kanekota@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@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 BisonUpdate from the FieldMay 3, 2012 Find BFC on FaceBook! * Update from the Field - NEW BFC Video Footage from the Field* NEW Take Action! Help Buffalo & Grizzly Bears: End Helicopter Hazing!* Hereditary Blackfeet Chief Visits BFC, Designates Sacred Site on Horse Butte* Mike Mease & BFC Extend Big Thanks for Arizona Trip!* Update from Washington, D.C.* Outreach Volunteers Wanted for Summer Tabling* Update from the Agencies* BFC Wish List: Assorted Optics* Endangered Buffalo Fact of the Week* By the Numbers* Last Words* Update from the Field Watch this new BFC video from field to get a glimpse of hazing activities over the past two weeks. Click image to watch video. After seeing two Park Service rangers last Wednesday and learning that they were doing a recon into the Park, we had suspected that something more was coming for the buffalo. Thursday morning the Montana Department of Livestock's (DOL) helicopter arrived, along with nine horsemen from all five Interagency Bison Management Plan state and federal agencies, complete with law enforcement. The agents had assumed that wild buffalo had returned to the Denny Creek/South Fork region of the Madison River, around the lands of the anti-buffalo Povah family. They intended to use the nine horsemen and helicopter to haze buffalo into Yellowstone National Park. The DOL's helicopter swooped over the region, disrupting wildlife and human inhabitants, but found no buffalo to harass. After wasting thousands of federal tax dollars, the DOL's buffalo harassment circus was called to a halt for the day. The agents left town, leaving everyone here to a quiet weekend. This little buffalo calf is the first one to be seen by BFC volunteers. We've waited a long time for you, little one! The next generation is slowly but surely arriving, and what will their future hold? BFC file photos by Stephany. Click photos for larger image. Beginning Friday BFC patrols began to spot this year's first buffalo calves! Just one or two, here and there, these tiny creatures put smiles on everyone's faces. Calves have mysteriously been late to come this year, though there are hundreds of cow buffalo ripe for birthing. Unfortunately, we are hearing that the DOL wants to fast-track their large-scale hazing operations and force all wild buffalo out of Montana as soon as next Tuesday, May 8. If the DOL chooses this path they are sure to cause even greater harm to the newborn calves, pregnant cows, and all the wild buffalo who will be rudely chased off of the lands that are their birthright. The threatened grizzly bear and America's last wild buffalo share the same rich ecosystem, yet also, unfortunately, share the suffering of hazing operations. Maybe each of these powerful animals will be able to help one another in efforts to thwart government abuse of wildlfie and wildlands in the Hebgen Basin. Photo by Kim Kaiser. Click photo for larger image. While wild buffalo are the DOL's target, hazing operations threaten other species as well. The threatened grizzly bear, federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, is one such animal. Last May, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies filed a lawsuit against Gallatin National Forest for allowing the DOL to use a helicopter to haze wild buffalo in grizzly habitat. BFC patrols, and even some of the agents themselves, have been seeing bears and signs of bears since late-March. All of the IBMP agencies have promised that "hazing operations would cease if there was evidence of grizzlies being active in the area". BFC and the agencies have confirmed numerous times that bears are active in the Hebgen Basin. To remind the IBMP agencies of their promise, BFC sent two letters, including documentation and eye-witness accounts of grizzly bear activity. While the helicopter hasn't been back since Thursday, wild bison, grizzly bears, and all species in the ecosystem continue to be harassed. Hazing operations just like this one from Monday have been repeatedly taking place, harassing wild buffalo on the lands that are their birth right. BFC file photos by Stephany. Click photos for larger images. Over the weekend wild buffalo returned to the Denny Creek/South Fork area, as it is fantastic habitat. Monday morning, six horsemen representing the DOL and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) arrived to again harass wildlife. They hazed sixty-two buffalo off of land owned by the Povahs, and even trespassed on the Bar-N Ranch, a long-time guest ranch that welcomes the presence of wild buffalo. One DOL agent, Jeff Bowers, had the audacity to approach a couple of us, puffed up with authority, and tell us to stay out of the way while they were the ones unwelcome. The buffalo were pushed through Gallatin National Forest along the Madison Arm of the Madison River for about eight miles to Houdini's Meadow. The buffalo swam the river, climbed the bluffs, and turned back west toward Horse Butte. Later that same day, a few miles east from where the haze had ended, BFC patrols found a buffalo mother standing protectively over her dead calf. This hazing operation, which took place on Tuesday, pushed wild buffalo down Highway 287. The buffalo were none too pleased to be shoved around so; some tried to escape, others were running at high speeds away from their oppressors, and we feared the little calf on the right might be trampled in the process. Prior to the DOL's operation, the buffalo had spent peaceful, quiet days in the area. BFC file photos by Stephany. Click photos for larger image. On Tuesday, as a BFC volunteers were heading out to two days of Interagency Bison Management Plan meetings, they found themselves stuck in a DOL-caused traffic jam on Highway 287. Agents from the DOL, FWP and Yellowstone National Park, on horseback and an ATV, were hazing around 60 wild buffalo off of cattle-free habitat. Other BFC patrols were in the field, flanking the operation and videotaping. Many of the buffalo were running at high speeds to escape their oppressors. One baby buffalo was caught up in the haze, trying to keep up with its mother, dangerously close to adult buffalo running from the agents. Luckily the calf didn't get trampled in the chaos. These buffalo had been spending a fair number of days in the area, quietly grazing and moving here and there, but when the agents arrived to harass them, pandemonium ensued. At the end of that haze, the buffalo were pushed to an open field on Gallatin National Forest, near Duck Creek,. Not surprisingly, some have already started making their way back. BFC volunteers trail Wednesday's hazing operation down Gallatin National Forest's Madison Arm Road, during a May blizzard. BFC file photo by Don. Click photo for larger image. On Wednesday morning more wild bison harassment resumed around the Denny Creek/South Fork region, as wild buffalo had again returned to their chosen habitat. Seven agents from the DOL, Yellowstone National Park, and FWP hazed a near total of sixty buffalo, including five new calves through Gallatin National Forest, and on for a few more miles into Yellowstone National Park. A Gallatin County sheriff and DOL agent Rob Tierney followed the haze as law enforcement attempted - yet failed- to keep BFC from documenting. It is highly likely that as you read these words today the agencies are inflicting still more suffering upon the buffalo.There are no cattle present in the Hebgen Basin now, and there wont be for at least another six weeks. Even if cattle were present, there is no defensible reason for Montana livestock interests to be wasting federal tax dollars to abuse native wildlife. This is one of the most beautiful and wild places in the United States, a place that affords a glimpse of what the land was like before European invasion, where members of America's last populations of wild bison, grizzly bears, wolves, moose, elk, osprey, eagles, and so many other species attempt to live their lives. It is preposterous that the few wealthy "ranchers" who choose to summer cattle in this incredible wildlife migration corridor expect the government to keep wildlife away. If you are going to live in the flood plain, you should expect to get wet. BFC volunteers are exhausted, but not as much as the buffalo who have been constantly harassed for weeks now. Like the buffalo who will not give up their right to roam, BFC will always be here, standing in the buffalo's defense and documenting all actions made against them so we can represent them in every arena, and one day put an end to their ruthless mistreatment.Wild is the Way ~ Roam Free!* NEW Take Action! Help Buffalo and Grizzly Bears: End Helicopter HazingIt is quite possible that the threatened grizzly bear - federally protected under the Endangered Species Act - can help alleviate some of the abuse wild buffalo suffer. The IBMP agencies have promised that "hazing operations would cease if there was evidence of grizzlies being active in the area." The evidence is there and BFC has submitted it to the agencies. There is also a lawsuit pending against Gallatin National Forest for allowing the DOL to use a helicopter to haze wild buffalo in grizzly bear habitat. And now YOU can also make a difference!TAKE ACTION! Tell the Montana Department of Livestock to stop violating it's own plan and to end hazing in threatened grizzly bear habitat.Click here to learn more about the actions BFC and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies are taking to protect both wild bison and grizzlies.* Hereditary Blackfeet Chief Visits BFC, Designates Sacred Site on Horse Butte Jimmy brought and shared a copy of the 1855 Treaty, artistically done with the names and hauntingly beautiful faces of the great Blackfeet Cheifs who made this powerful treaty hold great meaning for all time. BFC file photo by Stephany. Click photo for larger image. Hau mitakuyepi (Hello my relatives), On Sunday, April 29th Jimmy St. Goddard, Former tribal council member and next hereditary chief of the Blackfeet Nation, held a ceremony with BFC volunteers near the base of Horse Butte. I was honored to be asked to assist by bringing out my Cannunpa (the sacred ceremonial Pipe). During the ceremony prayers were made and a medicine wheel was created by laying stones in a circle and blessing them with sacred water from a nearby spring.For generations the buffalo have consecrated this land by coming there to give birth, to bring new life into this world. Through the use of the Sacred Pipe and the creation of a medicine wheel, the innate sacredness of this land was formalized. This, along with the ceremony held there in 2009 by Arvol Looking Horse, 19th generation keeper of the Sacred white Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Dakota Lakota Nakota Nation, makes Horse Butte and the surrounding land a sacred site. As a Pipe carrier and a Sun Dancer for my people, I expect the sacred site of Horse Butte to be treated in accordance with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. The hazing of the buffalo off their chosen land on Horse Butte is an act of desecration, and it should not be allowed to continue.The buffalo have nurtured and supported Indian people with their generosity and self-sacrifice for untold generations, and now it is our turn to help them. With this in mind we called on the spirits to have pity on us and our four-legged relatives, and through this ceremony they have heard us. With their help the buffalo will be free again.Mitakuye Owasin (All My Relations)Nick Anderson* Mike Mease & BFC Extend Big Thanks for Arizona Trip!I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of our new family members and supporters in the hot state of Arizona. Our first presentation was sponsored by Native American Student Affairs & the American Indian Studies Graduate Student Council. Thanks to Sarah Demers for setting it up with these groups. It was an honor to meet you all. Thanks also to Becky McGraw who made the entire trip possible, I'm sending you a big buffalo hug. The other show was put together by my dear friend Acasia Berry and my new friend Greta Anderson of Western Watersheds Project. It was great to meet the people doing all of the amazing work to protect our desert ecosystems and I thank you all for taking the time to come hear of our efforts up north. I look forward to coming down again someday, but I think it might have to be in the winter months as my one day in 103 degree temperatures nearly cooked me. Thanks again and know you always have a home up here in the Wild Rockies of Montana.With the Buffalo,Mike Mease* Update from Washington, D.C. A poster created by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for their recent Roundtable discussion on fish and wildlife related issues. The poster reads: "Buffalo & Indians ~ A Shared Destiny." BFC file photo by Josh. Click photo for larger image. An essential part of Buffalo Field Campaign's mission is, "to work with people of all Nations to honor the sacredness of wild buffalo." In support of this mission, BFC has been working closely with our Native American allies in developing a national strategy to protect and honor the buffalo. In addition to meetings with Congressional staff who work on Native American issues, I have attended two Roundtable discussions held by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the first on environmental issues in general and the second focused on fish and wildlife related issues. I have been privileged to listen to and learn from some of this country's most eloquent and dedicated tribal leaders. I have also had the opportunity, through these Roundtable discussions, to meet directly with some of these tribal leaders and engage with them on the buffalo issue, providing background materials and opening a dialogue about how to move forward together and protect the sacred wild buffalo of the Yellowstone region.As supporters of BFC and advocates for wild buffalo, I encourage you to continue calling on your Congressional representatives. Ask for changes to federal bison policy and a redirecting of federal funds away from the current Interagency Bison Management Plan toward a holistic and respectful policy that incorporates the cultural significance of wild buffalo to Native American tribes. Remind your Congressional representatives that they must recognize the trust responsibility and Treaty obligations to Native American Nations in providing for viable populations of migratory buffalo in their native habitat.For the buffalo,Josh OsherPolicy Coordinator* Outreach Volunteers Wanted for Summer Tabling!Buffalo Field Campaign will begin starting our summer outreach inside Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in June, and we are looking for passionate, articulate folks who can help run our information tables and talk to park visitors in our efforts to build a strong constituency for wild buffalo. BFC provides food, lodging, camping, gear, and transportation to and from our table in the Park. We ask for at least a three-week commitment in order to accommodate training and orientation. This is a great opportunity to get involved and advocate for America's last wild buffalo! Please contact BFC volunteer coordinator Tony for more information.* Update from the AgenciesMontana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is set to begin discussions about a state-wide bison management plan, starting with a host of public meetings that will initiate process. This is the time for us to speak our minds and hearts for our vision of wild, free-roaming bison in Montana! Think big, dream big, speak big. Learn more about the process and the important public meetings scheduled throughout Montana in May. Contact Arnie Dood for meeting information and click here to learn more.BFC attended the Interagency Bison Management Plan meetings on May 1 and 2 in Bozeman, Montana. A few major highlights include FWP's announcement of a state-wide bison management plan, mentioned above, and news of a soon to be released Environmental Assessment that will recommend year-round habitat for wild bison on Horse Butte. Members of the public called out USDA APHIS on the agency's failure to mention at any meetings their plans to use the birth control pesticide GonaCon on wild bison. We also confirmed that the DOL wants to fast track their large-scale hazing operations to force wild bison out of Montana. Nez Perce (Nimi'ipuu) tribal member Larry Greene spoke up at the meeting. His was the strongest voice for wild buffalo we have heard in a very long time. * BFC Wish List: Assorted OpticsWe could use some help to (literally) keep our sights on the buffalo. We find ourselves in need of new optics: Cameras, binoculars, spotting scopes, and equipment to steady these optics. Below is a section of our wish list that focuses on optics including quantities that will help keep all BFC field volunteers well-equipped. Any contribution for these items is extremely helpful and important to the campaign, whether it is a ten dollar donation towards optics or the entirety of the list. Thanks to each and every one of you for loving the buffalo and for keeping BFC going and our volunteers prepared in the field every day. If you can help with these assorted optics wishes please contact our gear coordinator.Zoom lenses for SLR digital photo cameras (Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Zoom Lens; Rokinon 650-1300mm Super Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR still cameras; Opteka 650-1300mm High Definition Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR still cameras)(6-10 pairs) compact high-resolution binoculars, water- and fog-proof, 7-10x 35-70mm magnification(6-10 pairs) full-size high-resolution binoculars, water- and fog-proof, 7-10x 35-70mm magnification(3-5) high-resolution spotting scopes, standard tripod- or window-mounted, with zoom, 16-60x 60(+)mm magnification(3) compact tripods(3) full-size fluid head video tripods(3-5) Walking/Ski pole Monopods with standard camera mount (eg. Leki, Tracks brands)Click HERE to view BFC's complete Wish List* Endangered Buffalo Fact of the Week"Yellowstone territory, the habitat of the last wild Buffalo Nation - is sacred ground, it has been a SACRED SITE for the First Nation's people, and for all humanity who hold deep respect for all Creation."~ Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe (Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations)* 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: 292011-2012 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: 282011-2012 Quarantine:2011-2012 Shot by Agents:2011-2012 Killed by Angry Residents:2011-2012 Highway Mortality: 12010-2011 Total: 2272009-2010 Total: 72008-2009 Total: 222007-2008 Total: 1,631* Total Since 2000: 4,001**includes lethal government action, trap-related fatalities, quarantine/experiments, hunts, highway mortality* Last Words"My buffalo have teeth, hooves, some have tails and others do not, hair which they rub off on trees and rocks and wires, they live in a place, have calves, walk, exhale clouds of steam when it is cold, they lay down, stand in the rivers and graze along their banks.Their buffalo have common features, attributes, some have anomalous characteristics and others do not, they have an average life-span, birth-weight, typical behavior, they are made of sticks and stones and live on paper and in the crenulations of their brains, when it is cold a robe is laid on the bed to lie under, the banks of the rivers of their dreams are as ravaged and barren, and the water as befouled, as a western stream in cow-country."~ Sweeney, May '12Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to us. Thank you for all the poems, songs, quotes and stories you have been sending! Keep them coming!--Media & OutreachBuffalo Field CampaignP.O. Box 957West Yellowstone, MT 59758406-646-0070bfc-media@wildrockies.orghttp://www.buffalofieldcampaign.orgBFC is the only group working in the field every dayin 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! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@STOP CHILD WELFARE FROM STEALING OUR CHILDRENPosted by Sharon Lewis (cause founder)NOTENative Children of Canada go to bed hungryhttp://links.causes.com/s/clCBth?r=C9FK North American Native Children should NOT go to bed hungry under the fiduciary agreement of the Federal Government, but they do. Most native... See moreVIEW, SHARE, OR ADD A COMMENT:http://links.causes.com/s/clCBtl?r=C9FK@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Breaking News for Global Release:Catholic Church Faces Disruption and Banishment as Irish Cardinal set to resignFriday, May 4, 2012 - 7:00 pm GMTA Communiqué from ITCCS InternationalBrussels and Dublin:The Roman Catholic Church faces permanent disruption and banishment in at least five countries if it does not comply with ten “non-negotiable measures” by September 15, 2012, according to a global coalition of survivors of church rape and torture.The list of measures was issued today at a meeting in Dublin, Ireland between Archbishop Dermot Martin and representatives of Anti Catholic Church Activists Worldwide (ACCAW), Magdalene Laundry survivors, and the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State – Ireland (ITCCS).The measures demanded of the Catholic Church include the defrocking of all child raping priests, the licensing of all other clergy as public servants, the return of the remains of all who died under Church care, the annulment of tax exemptions and other Church privileges, and the return of all of the Church’s wealth generated by the exploitation of children.The full statement outlining these measures is reproduced below, including an attached audio recording of the statement.Issued on the eve of the impending resignation of the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, for his protection of child raping priests, the statement was delivered by John Deegan of ACCAW and ITCCS Ireland members Gerry O’Donovan and Dave O’Brien, who confronted Archbishop Martin with the demands. The Ten Point statement was issued by The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State, an umbrella organization of over fifty organizations in the United States, Canada, Ireland, England and Australia.“Pope Benedict and his Bishops have until midnight on September 15 to start complying with these measures” said ITCCS Secretary Kevin Annett today.“After that, we will begin actions to halt the normal operation of the Roman Catholic Church around the world, and we will seek indictments against Pope Benedict and other Vatican officials for crimes against humanity and criminal conspiracy.”The ACCAW, ITCCS and other groups have staged high profile occupations of Catholic churches during their regular services, and plan to escalate these actions into “a permanent campaign of non-violent disruption and civil disobedience aimed at the Roman Catholic Church … until the Church’s reign of terror over children is ended.”Issued May 4, 2012 by ITCCS International – BrusselsInformation: genocidetribunal@yahoo.ca or 250-591-4573 (Canada) and cliogarvin@hotmail.com orgodonothing@gmail.com (Ireland)...........................An Open Letter to Archbishop Dermot Martin and the Bishops and Clergy of Ireland, from The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and StateIssued to a meeting with Archbishop Martin on May 4, 2012My name is Kevin Annett and I am the Secretary of the five-nation body known as The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS). I am speaking on behalf of the ITCCS and our affiliate organization in Ireland.Our coalition represents over fifty organizations in Canada, the United States, Ireland, England and Australia, including many survivors of church terror. We have also been recognized by seven aboriginal nations in North America, and been authorized by them to recover the remains of their relatives who died in Catholic Indian residential schools and orphanages; and to bring to justice those responsible for the death of over 50,000 children in these church-run institutions.Let us state clearly that the time for polite talk is over. The Roman Catholic Church has imposed and is perpetrating a reign of terror and crimes against humanity on generations of children, is actively concealing those crimes and protecting child rapists and murderers in its ranks, and has shown no desire or capacity to change the policies or practices that allow these unspeakable crimes to continue.Nevertheless, on behalf of the nations and survivors we represent, and the Executive Council of the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State, I have been authorized to give the Church a final opportunity to change, by presenting the following demands to the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland, as we have already done to Pope Benedict, Joseph Ratzinger, and Vatican officials. The following concrete actions by the Church are required if justice is to be won for its victims and if the crimes it has committed and continue to cover up are to end. If the Church fails to abide by these basic commandments of humanity and the law, we will take permanent action to end its criminal regime.1. The Church must issue full reparations to all of its victims, including by paying for all of their medical and counseling bills, the cost of their rehabilitation and retraining, and for any of their disabilities and losses.2. The Church must surrender for a proper burial, without conditions and at its own expense, the remains of all those who died in its institutions or while under its care.3. The Church must return all land and property taken from its victims, and restore all of the wealth generated by its exploitation of them as children, including the wealth created from their unpaid or low paid labor.4. The Church must surrender without conditions all of the evidence of its crimes against children, and all of those persons responsible for committing these crimes and concealing them, including its highest officials. The Church must fully disclose this evidence and participate without conditions in all public investigations into its crimes.5. The Church and its guilty parties cannot hide behind so-called diplomatic immunity or other privileges to evade justice and avoid prosecution. The Vatican must end its official cover up and annul its policy known as Crimen Sollicitationis, which compels Catholic clergy to conceal crimes committed against children in their parishes.6. The Church must immediately expel and defrock all known child raping priests, officials and employees in its ranks, and defrock any clergy who harms a child or conceals such harm.7. All clergy and Church officials must agree to be licensed and monitored as public servants, and take a legally binding, public oath to protect without conditions the rights and sanctity of children and disclose any harm done to them.8. The Church must forgo and withdraw from all of the tax exemptions, financial concordats and agreements, and other special privileges presently granted to it under the laws of nations.9. The Vatican must agree to the annulment of its status as a so-called state, and free its congregations and dioceses from its authority so that they may act according to the wishes and needs of their respective communities and their faith, and not the political and financial requirements of the Vatican.10. All of the wealth accumulated by the Church and the Vatican Bank through land theft and conquest, and from tax exemptions, concordats, and from its operations around the world that have harmed children through the exploitation of their labor, such as the Magdalene Laundries and Indian residential schools, must be returned to its victims and to the poor in general through a direct, public redistribution of that wealth, as Christ himself commands.We have been instructed to inform the Bishops of Ireland, as we have notified the Vatican, that they have until September 15, 2012, to agree to these demands and implement these ten measures.If they fail to commence to do so by midnight of that date, we will enact the following measures:1. The Roman Catholic Church will be formally and forever banished from our communities, and measures will be taken to legally and practically prevent it from operating;2. Roman Catholic churches, agencies and offices around the world will be permanently disrupted and occupied as part of an ongoing campaign of non-violent civil disobedience; and3. Our International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State will reconvene its court, and will seek the immediate detaining for questioning of the highest officials of your Roman Catholic Church, including Pope Benedict, on charges of obstruction of justice, criminal conspiracy, and crimes against humanity.It is time for all people of conscience within the Church to choose who they will serve: a self-governing, criminal church system that sets itself above the law and God – or its suffering victims, and justice. We urge Catholics to choose life, by making these ten steps a reality. Otherwise, the Roman Catholic Church will have forfeited its right to operate in our communities and in our world.By this declaration, we are lending our active support to the Irish survivors of rape and torture by the Roman Catholic Church who are meeting with Archbishop Martin today. These survivors include members of ACCAW, the ITCCS, and Magdalene laundry victims. We stand as a united front with these brothers and sisters, and with all victims of Church terror anywhere in the world. We will never stop until justice is achieved, and the reign of terror against children everywhere is ended.We will be sharing this letter with our affiliates around the world, as well as with the global media, judicial bodies, and governments.We welcome a formal response from the office of Archbishop Martin, and we call upon the Church to accept the demands and wishes of the Irish survivors who are meeting today with Archbishop Martin. Signed on behalf of The Executive Council of The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and StateReverend Kevin D. Annett, ITCCS SecretaryGerry O’Donovan, ITCCS IrelandDave O’Brien, ITCCS IrelandIssued May 4, 2012 by ITCCS International (Brussels)genocidetribunal@yahoo.caITCCS Ireland Protest outside the Dail, Dublin, April 201020,000 people oppose Pope Benedict's visit to England, London, September 2010Read the truth of genocide in Canada and globally at: www.itccs.orgwww.hiddennolonger.com (includes documentary film Unrepentant)www.hiddenfromhistory.orgwww.KevinAnnett.com"I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man"- Thomas JeffersonSee this introductory video on The Canadian Holocaust:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqPIh-267fg&feature=relatedThis email is hosted by Jeremiah Jourdain on behalf of the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS) and Kevin Annett - Eagle Strong Voice (adopted May 2004 into the Anishinabe nation by Louis Daniels - Whispers Wind). Kevin can be reached at hiddenfromhistory1@gmail.com or kevin_annett@hotmail.com - and phone messages can be left for him at 250-591-4573 (Canada).@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@May 4, 2012SPLC Victorious Against Klan LeaderThe SPLC's crushing victory against former Imperial Klans of America (IKA) leader Ron Edwards was upheld by the Kentucky Supreme Court. Edwards, the former IKA "imperial wizard," had appealed his $1.3 million share of a $2.5 million verdict awarded to Jordan Gruver, who was brutally beaten by Klansmen.Investigation Exposes Barbaric Conditions at Miss. Youth PrisonAn SPLC lawsuit uncovered what a federal judge calls a "cesspool" ofinhumane conditions at a for-profit prison in Mississippi, raising alarming questions about the treatment of youthful offenders as well as the wisdom of turning them over to companies that exist solely to make a profit.Kerry Kennedy: Immigration Law is Reminder of the PastOn a recent visit to Alabama, Kerry Kennedy, was reminded of the discrimination against black people that her father, Robert F. Kennedy, tried to stop half a century ago. Today, she sees the similarities between then and now in HB 56— the nation's most draconian anti-immigrant law — enacted last year.Parents of Bullying Victims Thank SPLC Earlier this year, the SPLC achieved a major milestone in its campaign to stop the rampant bullying and violence faced by LGBT students. Parents of children who were bullied in a Minnesota school district, including one who died by suicide, sent letters of thanks to SPLC and its supporters for winning reforms that will protect children from abuse.A Unique Gift to Honor Your GraduateMake a gift to the SPLC in honor of your graduate this year, and we'll send them a special congratulatory e-card. Show how much you care by introducing a young person in your life to the SPLC's mission of pursuing acceptance, justice and equality.@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Cherokee Link Newsletter*********************************************************Osiyo,This time of year comes graduations and the Sequoyah Schools HOPE club will host the annual graduation powwow on Saturday, May 5, in the school gymnasium. The powwow will begin at 2 p.m. followed by dinner at 5 p.m., gourd dance at 6 p.m. and grand entry at 7 p.m. The powwow is free and is open to the public. For more information or to reserve craft booth space, contact Tonya Soap, HOPE club sponsor at 918-453-5400.For more information visit: http://sequoyah.cherokee.org/News.aspxSummer will be here before you know it and it’s best to start planning for it now. One way for you and your children to enjoy the summer is by having them attend a cultural day camp. Did you know Camp Cherokee Day Camps are an enriching cultural and academic experience for Cherokee students? Each camp will be available to students entering grades 1-7. Space is limited so reserve your child’s place today.For more information visit: http://camp.cherokee.org/Home.aspxIf you missed this month’s History Talk hosted by Rowena McClinton, a professor from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, her lecture was over the ancient indigenous peoples of the Cahokia Mounds. This insightful and thought-provoking lecture has been archive and is available to the public at:http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/Webcasts/Default.aspxCherokee NationP.O. Box 948Tahlequah, OK 74465918 453-5000*****************************************************Cherokee Nation News**************************************************************Cherokee Nation Industries Recognized by Aerospace Industry Leaders for Superior PerformanceCherokee Nation Industries, the manufacturing and distribution division of Cherokee Nation Businesses, has been named one of the most prestigious suppliers in the aerospace industry. The company was recently awarded the Gold Supplier Certification from Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33033/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Cherokee Nation Mourns Loss of Registrar Lela UmmerteskeePrincipal Chief Bill John Baker today announced the passing of long-time Cherokee Nation employee and Tribal Registrar Lela Ummerteskee.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33032/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Cherokee Nation Businesses Report Record Profits for MarchThe Cherokee Nation Businesses board of directors held its regular monthly board meeting Monday, announcing record profits for the month of March. CNB’s consolidated net income for both gaming and non-gaming entities increased 16 percent over the previous year, making March the most profitable month in the history of the company.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33031/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Sequoyah Schools announces cast for Spring MusicalStudents at Sequoyah Schools will soon take a step back in time, to the time of poodle skirts and hot rod cars for a musical rendition of “Grease.” Set in the 1950s, “Grease” showcases the life of a teenager who struggles to fit in at a new school, while meeting the love of her life and having a little adventure along the way.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33030/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Cherokee Nation Sponsors Networking WorkshopThe Cherokee Nation is sponsoring a professional workshop for those who want to learn effective networking techniques at the Rogers State University Innovation Center in Claremore, 1701 W. Will Rogers Blvd., from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33029/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Cherokee Nation sponsors A Run for the Berries 5K in StilwellThe Cherokee Nation is sponsoring A Run for the Berries in Stilwell on Saturday, May 12, as part of the tribe’s Wings series of races.http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33028/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264Cherokee Arts Center announces Spring Art ClassesThe Cherokee Arts Center in Tahlequah has five upcoming art classes available this spring for anyone interested in creating traditional pieces of art that are relevant to Cherokee culturehttp://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/33027/Press_Article.aspx?source=Newsletter264******************************************Other Links of Interest*******************************************Games - http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Kid'sArea/KidsGames/Default.aspx?source=Newsletter264Community Calendar - http://calendars.cherokee.org/CommunityCalendar.aspx?source=Newsletter264RSS Feed - http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/RSSFeeds/Default.aspx?source=Newsletter264Podcasts - http://www.cherokee.org/PressRoom/PodCasts/Default.aspx?source=Newsletter264@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@First Nations & Aboriginal RightsPosted by Tjay Henhawk (cause founder)NOTEB.C. regulations to govern First Nations projectsThe British Columbia government has introduced legislation that will permit provincial regulations to apply to commercial, industrial and residential developments on two aboriginal development projects. The move is meant to make it easier for First Nations entrepreneurs to conduct business on... See moreVIEW, SHARE, OR ADD A COMMENT:http://links.causes.com/s/clCB8s?r=HnoO@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ITCCS Update: Catholic Church Faces Disruption and Banishment as Irish Cardinal set to resignwww.youtube.comBreaking News for Global Release: Catholic Church Faces Disruption and Banishment as Irish Cardinal .http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=orX1DeBIN04@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@First Nations & Aboriginal RightsPosted by Tjay Henhawk (cause founder)NOTEAroland First Nation files freedom of information actAroland First Nation has filed a freedom of information act, saying the Ontario government and Cliffs Natural Resources have been holding confidential meetings. Aroland filed a request for disclosure to the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines for information relating to Cliffs’ chromite... See moreVIEW, SHARE, OR ADD A COMMENT:http://links.causes.com/s/clCCz8?r=JRVi@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field and in the policy arena to protect America's last wild buffalo.Important News from Buffalo Field CampaignMay 7, 2012Dear News Media and Wild Buffalo Supporters,We wanted to inform you that the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council passed a resolution on May 1, 2012, urging the protection of the wild buffalo currently in or near Yellowstone National Park. The three resolves:Request Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer to immediately cease harassing (hazing) wild buffaloRequest that wild buffalo be allowed to return to summer ranges by following their own instincts, in their own timeUrges the United States government and state of Montana to recognize their trust responsibility to Treaty obligations, providing for viable populations of wild, migratory buffalo in their native habitat.Download and read the resolution and the Tribal Council's letter to Governor Schweitzer.With the Buffalo,Buffalo Field CampaignMedia & OutreachP.O. Box 957West Yellowstone, MT 59758406-646-0070bfc-media@wildrockies.orghttp://www.buffalofieldcampaign.orgBFC is the only group working in the field every dayin defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S. ROAM FREE! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Read and sign the petition for a true paradigm shifthttp://decolonizenorthamerica.org/?page_id=718@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle WatchMay 7, 2012FYIWe're living in a time of great change for humanity. The darkest hour is before the dawn. Don't give up!!!KittohUN TO GET UP-CLOSE LOOK AT STRUGGLING RESERVESWinnipeg Free PressA United Nations envoy will visit two northern reserves next month on a fact-finding mission about food and flooding.Olivier De Schutter, the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, will visit God's River First Nation on the east side of the province as well as the Garden Hill reserve nearby. De Schutter, a Harvard-educated human rights lawyer who investigates and makes recommendations on food issues, is slated to be in Manitoba May 10 to May 12 as part of a cross-Canada trip."What the rapporteur is going to see is a transition phase where we're relying less on a traditional diet and more on processed, less healthy food," said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak. "Where I come from at Pine Creek First Nation, there is no fish left in the lake and there is no moose to hunt on the mountain. We have to make our purchases at the grocery store just like everyone else."Northern Grand Chief David Harper said he hopes the envoy will get a feel for the high cost of groceries at Northern Stores. De Schutter will also tour a failed fish-processing plant in Garden Hill that could provide food and economic development for the community if it got up and running again, said Harper.On the way back to Winnipeg, De Schutter will fly over the Lake St. Martin area, where prolonged flooding has forced the evacuation of hundreds of reserve residents.De Schutter will also visit the Sagkeeng First Nation closer to Winnipeg for a forum and meet with provincial officials.Federal and provincial aboriginal groups have appealed several times to the United Nations for help with inadequate funding for child welfare and education on reserves, as well as the indoor plumbing crisis in northern Manitoba.Grocery cost comparisonRice Krispies cereal (small box)Northern Stores, God's Lake region -- $6.09Winnipeg (McPhillips Street Safeway) -- $4.99Milk (four-litre jug)God's Lake -- $7.95Winnipeg -- $4.69Apples (three-pound bag)God's Lake -- $7.85Winnipeg -- $4.99Brown breadGod's Lake -- $4.79Winnipeg -- $1.99Head of lettuceGod's Lake -- $1.79 (on sale)Winnipeg -- $1.49@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle WatchMay 8, 2012FYI Monday, May 7, 2012Mohawk John Kane to UN Rapporteur: Process is a farce As the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples begins in New York, some Native people living on the land say they are cancelling plans to attend due to this year's focus on rhetoric -- rather than the life-threatening issues facing Native people, from fracking, uranium mining and coal fired power plants, to deforestation, the militarization of homelands and theft of water rights.John Kane, Mohawk and radio host of Lets Talk Native Pride, challenges the rhetoric and challenges countries of the world to trade directly with sovereign Indian Nations and honor their passports. Kane responds to the sessions of the United Nations Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples James Anaya held across the US.By John Kane, MohawkCensored NewsWe are not matriarchal but rather matrilineal. In our ways men and women share evenly but distinctly in the affairs of our people. Anaya does not recognize the people. He can't see a tree, only a forest. In fact he may not even see the forest but rather the maple or oak or the redwood as a species. What happens to the tree or the individual is not what is important to this guy. For him it is all about the "tribe" and the "tribal leaders."This is why it is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, not People. Informed consent from these guys checks the box.The failure of the world, including the US and including Mr. Anaya to not understand that our sovereignty is a birthright, that we are BORN with the right to our freedom, is what makes this whole process a farce.We were never an institutionalized people. Our idea of self governance was based on participation. We did not have a chief system but rather a clan system. We never divested ourselves of our birthright to empower a chief, a council, the state or the feds. We allowed people to carry our voices not speak for us. We allowed selected persons to communicate our will, not dictate it to us and others.Anaya said in a statement, ‎"I heard almost universal calls from indigenous nations and tribes across the country that the Government respect tribal sovereignty."The "Government" my ass!It's about time other nations stepped up and asked the question: When did Native people stop being sovereign?If the rest of the world would stop quaking in their boots every time the US says their "Indian Problem" is a domestic issue, then perhaps there could be progress.Let one of you dare to trade with us. Let one of you fight to honor our passports. Let one of you establish formal diplomatic relations or provide financing, education or genuine humanitarian aid for our most impoverished communities.John Kanejmkane1220@aol.comListen online to Lets Talk Native Pridehttp://letstalknativepride.blogspot.com/Censored Newshttp://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle WatchMay 8, 2012FYI Good news!Subject: media release: Makita launches websiteFrom: Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit <nunavummiutmakitagunarningit@gmail.com>May 8, 2012Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit (Makita) today launched its website,http://makitanunavut.wordpress.com/.Makita was formed in November 2009 to encourage public debate on thewisdom of opening Nunavut to uranium mining -- seehttp://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/nunavut_mlas_pressed_for_public_inquiry_on_uranium_mining/This website will be used to provide information about uranium mining,the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB -- www.nirb.ca/)'s assessment ofAREVA Resources Canada Inc. (www.areva.ca)'s Kiggavik proposal(http://kiggavik.ca/), and the activities of Makita.We will address both the issues under review by NIRB and issues whichNIRB has said it will not address -- such as the possible end uses ofuranium mined in Nunavut. We will focus on the issue of greatestconcern to our members and to other community residents: the threat tocaribou from the impact that this mine would have AND the 'cumulativeeffects' that would result from the development of other uranium minesin the region, the "experimental" storage of radioactive waste onpermafrost, etc.Last Friday (May 4) NIRB announced that AREVA's revised DraftEnvironmental Impact Statement (DEIS) submission had passed 'guidelineconformity review' -- and was being released for public technicalreview.If you look at NIRB's Review Process Map and Anticipated Timeline forthe Kiggavik Project(http://makitanunavut.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/process.pdf) youwill see that the process is now mid-way down the first page (see thegrey box on the left marked 'May 4, 2012').Parties now have one month in which to submit Information Requests(IRs) to NIRB.Makita is providing a wealth of information on our website -- even auser-friendly web interface(http://makitanunavut.wordpress.com/arevas-draft-environmental-impact-statement/)to AREVA's DEIS files on NIRB's hard-to-navigate ftp site(http://ftp.nirb.ca).We will be making a great deal more information available, includingcritiques of AREVA's DEIS and a plain-language explanation of the NIRBprocess as it progresses.Check the website regularly for new posts, and follow us on Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nunavummiut-Makitagunarningit-Makita/416206891730530)and Twitter (@makitanunavut).@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Update from Sheriff Randy Meeks, Hunt County TXMay 7, 2012Friends,I spoke with Sheriff Meeks this morning. He was immensely professional and filled with compassion. Determined to catch whoever did this, he said that the killing of the buffalo was “…a shock to everybody. Its really bad that something like this would happen here.” He noted that his office is receiving leads from all over the country, and he is confident that his officers will apprehend whoever committed this heinous crime. No motive has been identified yet. Sheriff Meeks is in close contact with the family who owned these animals. He said that they are doing better, in part because of the messages of support that they have received from around the world. I let him know the numbers involved with Whisper n Thunder, and the countries I could identify from the people that we have received comments from. Sheriff Meeks shared that the family will continue on with the celebration and pow wow that they had already scheduled for this weekend, but that it will include a memorial to this sacred buffalo family.I will be in contact with the sheriff in the future, with both his encouragement and permission, and will be keeping our readers updated.~ Billie@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle Watch #224The Oxycontin ScourgeA Sad CommentaryMay 9, 2012It was really disturbing to see a Canadian Press article that spotlighted drug addicts in one Indigenous community. Grade 6 students wrote an open letter to their parents, begging them to stop using drugs. The media picked up on it. :-\The children want their mothers and fathers to "stop because it hurts our family and we don't like when we're angry." They describe their pain, saying they "feel unloved and depressed when you're not with us. We feel unhappy and helpless. We feel that we don't know what to do to help you stop doing Drug." Grade 6 students are about 11 years old, vulnerable and going into puberty, a time of great change for them personally. Such news is upsetting in and of itself. We were also distressed at the way the article focuses on one Indigenous community, a "rez". In fact, a national epidemic of oxycontin addiction is taking place. Immigrants, settlers and Indigenous are all affected. If you don't know about it, you're a lucky ostrich. =-OOxycontin, a powerful opioid, is prescribed by doctors for severe pain. It is extremely addictive like heroin, morphine and all opiates. With each use, more is needed as a tolerance is quickly built up along with the intense craving for more. Oxycontin is worse than firewater, heroin and the demon crack cocaine.Oxycontin has a mind numbing effect. Many people in desperate self medicating, find it helps them to block out their mental anguish and psychological torment. The homeless, the unemployed, the abuse survivor and the wage slave can all look forward to turning the world off when they pop an oxy. After a short while, the user doesn't want to talk to anyone and shuns other people.This is a sure sign to family and friends that oxy may be in the picture. Of course, young children don't understand this and tend to blame themselves. The scourge of oxy has been hitting families everywhere and people of all ethnicity wherever the drug-pusher doctors are at work.Many Indigenous people in the North come to hospitals in Kingston and Toronto for regular treatments like dialysis. It is here in the cities they get their drugs too.Pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma who introduced oxycontin in 1995, certainly knew what they were producing and profiting from. By the time oxy was hitting the streets, one pill was about $25 for a weekend of blank, blissful oblivion. It's a kind of slow suicide.Now that the monster drug has been taken off the market, street prices for the scarce pill are soaring to as much as $1,000. What will desperate sick people do to get it or a substitute??? The withdrawal is said to be brutal.Certainly, these people need help even if only to protect their children, their families and other people in the community from their desperate behaviour.In our experience and observation, the rehab programs are seldom helpful. Somebody is profiting from them. Many people go cold turkey on their own but many are too lost, too weakened to do this. Family support is critical but can be overwhelmed. Sometimes the entire family is afflicted.Treatment is an idealism when the conditions leading to the substance abuse/self abuse/addiction continue. For many Indigenous people on the rez or in the big "shitty", Life seems to offer little hope for the Future, little opportunity for the Present and a huge burden of the Past that is an agony to contemplate.Each disempowered person needs to find a way to do something to bring change, positive change, into her/his life. It could be rehab, a healing circle or simply rising to greet the Sun in the morning. Small successes can be built upon. Each day needs to be greeted with Thanks for the things we do have. Life is a gift. A Child is a Blessing. A clear mind is your best tool and weapon. When things are going very badly in our lives and we see no escape, we need to remember our Ancestors, how they got through so that we could be here now. We need to remember how we have to keep lookin out for the future generations. No matter how mundane that may sound or how many times we hear it said, this is the essence of our Struggle.Indigenous communities are growing in spite of all the horrors ongoing and against all odds. The Imperialists are thrashing in their death throes. All their power to kill is now their Swan Song. Hold on a little longer. We're going to be strong again. KittohWe welcome your feedback! Forward, post and consider printing for your cyberphobic friends and relatives. Be sure to include our contact info.The Eagle Watch Newsletter is sent to interested individuals, both Indigenous and nonNative, politicians especially the Canadian ones and an assortment of English language media. It is also sometimes translated into French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Russian and other languages. Notes:http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/86783-painkiller-addiction-slams-first-nationsPainkiller addiction slams First Nations April 16, 2012 - 4:19am By HEATHER SCOFFIELD The Canadian Press http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/opi014.htmOpium - OxyContin Information;-) If you fall off the wagon, don't wallow in guilt and shame. Get up and try again!!@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Investigate News CorpIn light of a report released last week by Great Britain’s House of Commons, CREW renewed the call for an investigation into whether Rupert and James Murdoch are fit to hold broadcast licenses in the United States. In our latest letter to Congress, Public Citizen, CREDO Action, Nell Minow of GMI Ratings, and West Virginia Citizen Action Group joined us. News Corp. owns 27 U.S. broadcast licenses. It’s the job of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make sure broadcast licensees adhere to a standard of conduct and character. If owners don’t meet the standard their licenses can be revoked. The ability to broadcast on American airwaves is a privilege, not a right, reserved for those with good character who serve the public interest and speak with candor. The ongoing investigation into the News Corp. phone hacking scandal and its cover-up show that both Rupert and James Murdoch have continually failed to meet these obligations. I appeared on C-Span’s Washington Journal last Thursday to talk about our actions. Here are some edited excerpts from that segment that help clarify which laws have been broken and what we’re asking the FCC to do: http://www.citizensforethics.org/page/m/511105fa/143151c4/59e9a746/3d4e5c9c/440401557/VEsF/Also, our friends at CREDO Action have a petition calling on the FCC to revoke the broadcast licenses held by Rupert Murdoch's media empire. If you’d like to add your voice, click here.CREW’s policy director, Jeremy Miller, has written a blog post about our latest action. Click here to learn more about the letter we sent yesterday to the House and Senate Commerce Committees.Thank you for standing with us as we build a better Washington.Melanie Sloan@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@From the Eagle Watch #225May 9, 2012FYI - We know Shawn as a pretty slick dude but in this case we agree 100%. He can speak the truth if he wants to.The glitch that may be overlooked is that "international law" is based on British law and will not contradict it. The time has come, however, when international criminals are being tried in the courts of public opinion. NonNative people need to be encouraged to deal with their seamy past. It is the only way we can get out of this mess we are all in. The extensive colonial records are full of racist rhetoric about savages, civilization and heathen. It should be no problem to find MORE evidence of a long term plan still playing out.KittohWe welcome your feedback! Forward, post and consider printing for your cyberphobic friends and relatives. Be sure to include our contact info.The Eagle Watch Newsletter is sent to interested individuals, both Indigenous and nonNative, politicians especially the Canadian ones and an assortment of English language media. It is also sometimes translated into French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Russian and other languages. http://chiefs-of-ontario.org/News/Default.aspx?NewsID=285PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES - JOINT STATEMENT RE: DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY5/9/2012PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUESEleventh sessionNew York, 7-18 May 2012Agenda Item 4(a): Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesSpeaker: National Chief Shawn A-in-chut AtleoJoint Statement of Assembly of First Nations, Chiefs of Ontario, Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), Amnesty International, Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers), Union of BC Indian Chiefs, National Association of Friendship Centres, Treaty 4 First Nations, Amistie internationale Canada francophone. The Doctrine of Discovery: its enduring impact on indigenous peoples and the right to redress (article 28 and 37 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)In addressing the medieval "doctrine of discovery", we wish to begin by highlighting the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). As a consensus, universal international human rights instrument, the realization of UNDRIP is crucial to the survival, dignity, security and well-being of Indigenous peoples worldwide. UNDRIP unequivocally affirms: “… all doctrines, policies and practices based on advocating superiority of peoples or individuals on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural differences are racist, scientifically false, legally invalid, morally condemnable and socially unjust” Similar rejection of doctrines of superiority is found in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and in the 2001 Durban Declaration on racism and racial discrimination. As recently as September 2011, the UN Human Rights Council by consensus "condemned" doctrines of superiority "as incompatible with democracy and transparent and accountable governance".As with the discredited notion of "terra nullius", the doctrine of "discovery" was used to legitimize the colonization of Indigenous peoples in different regions of the world. It was used to dehumanize, exploit and subjugate Indigenous peoples and dispossess them of their most basic rights. Central to the survival of Indigenous peoples everywhere is the issue of land and resources. Based on such fictitious and racist doctrines as "discovery" and "terra nullius", European nations were relentless in their determination to seize and control indigenous lands. Papal bulls, such as Dum Diversas (1452) and Romanus Pontifex (1455) called for non-Christian peoples to be invaded, captured, vanquished, subdued, reduced to perpetual slavery, and to have their possessions and property seized by Christian monarchs. Such ideology led to practices that continue unabated in the form of modern day laws and policies of successor States.The consequences of the past wrongs regarding the taking of Indigenous lands and resources are visible worldwide, through debilitating impoverishment and suffering endured by Indigenous peoples. In Canada, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples concluded in its 1996 Report: "Without adequate lands and resources, Aboriginal nations ... will be pushed to the edge of economic, cultural and political extinction." In Mabo v. State of Queensland, in rejecting the doctrine of "terra nullius" in relation to Indigenous peoples, Mr. Justice Brennan ruled in 1992: If it were permissable in past centuries to keep the common law in step with international law, it is imperative in today's world that the common law should neither be nor be seen to be frozen in an age of racial discrimination. In regard to the doctrine of "discovery", the same condemnation must now take place within States. While churches have begun to repudiate this racist doctrine, States around the world have not.Leading cases in Canada, such as St. Catherines Milling and Lumber Company v. The Queen, have relied upon early U.S. Supreme Court cases such as Johnson v. McIntosh that are based on the "discovery" doctrine. Yet, in these and other significant legal cases, the Indigenous peoples affected were not included as direct parties. Such breaches of natural justice serve to further discredit these rulings and the doctrine on which they are based.As in many countries worldwide, Canada’s laws and policies constitute a continuing misinterpretation of international law relating to the doctrine of "discovery" – as well as a denial of the full and effective application of UNDRIP. Such actions by Canada and other States adversely affect Indigenous peoples globally. They are reneging on their international obligations to respect, protect and fulfil Indigenous peoples’ human rights.In the Indigenous context, UNDRIP and other international human rights law are increasingly being relied upon by domestic human rights commissions and courts, as well as by international and regional bodies. Therefore, it is inevitable that the claims and justifications for State sovereignty over indigenous lands, resources and governance will need to be increasingly challenged and rectified.We recommend the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII) take concrete measures towards redressing past wrongs. Recommendations include that the PFII: 1. Request States, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, to examine State history, laws, practices and policies and report on their reliance of doctrines of superiority, including "discovery", as the foundation of State claims of sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. States should complete and provide their reports by the 12th Session of the PFII. 2. Urge States, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, to establish national plans of evaluation and work, with clear timelines and priorities, to eradicate from existing laws and policies any remnants of doctrines of superiority, including "discovery", as a basis for the assumed sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. States should report regularly on the progress of their work to their national legislatures and to the PFII.@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Marcia Lane1:34pm May 9John Deegan, ACCAW, and Peter YellowQuill with Kevin AnnettBy HiddenfromhistoryIn Politics ProgressiveAirdate:Sat, May 12, 2012 04:00PM Call in to speak with the host(347) 857-3524Skype If you liked this show, you can follow Hiddenfromhistory. H:70431S:3226655UpcomingJohn Deegan, Gerry O'Donovan, Dave O'Brien and Mary Lawlor from the group ACCAW ( Anti Catholic Church Activists Worldwide) will be discussing the results of the May 4th meeting with Archbishop Dermot Martin in Ireland. Many topics were discussed at that meeting including not only the clerical sexual abuse that took place in church run institutions but also the abuse conducted in the Magdalene Laundries and Unwed Mother's homes of which Mary is a victim of the Black Market Adoptions conducted at the Bessboro Mother and Baby Home in County Cork.Our following guest will be Petter YellowQuill, an Ojibway Lakota Elder and former Chief of 8 years of the Ojibway Nation's Long Plain Reserve in Manitoba ,Canada. He has some things to share about police attacks on Ojibway youth on his reserve, and a court challenge he's bringing against Canada. He is also a survivor of the Portage la Prairie Residential School as well as the Brandon Residential Indian School. Panel: Kevin Annett, co host Russ Letica, Bill Annett, Host and Producer Marcie Lanewww.blogtalkradio.com/hiddenfromhistoryKevin Annett Online Radio by Hiddenfromhistorywww.blogtalkradio.comTelling the Untold Story of the Genocide of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. Host: Kevin Annett and Ru...@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@--"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