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Vol. 12 Issue 47…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…November 22,
2009
Intuit's Vibe
"Bury My Heart at
Songwriters: Sainte-Marie, Buffy
Performed by Indigo
Girls
Indian legislation on the desk of a do-right Congressman
Now, he don't know much about the issue
So he picks up the phone
And he asks advice from the
Senator out in Indian country
A darling of the
energy companies who are ripping off what's left of the reservations.
I learned a safety rule
I don't know who to thank
Don't stand between the reservation and the corporate bank
They send in federal tanks
It isn't nice, but
it's reality
Bury my heart at
Deep in the Earth
Cover me with pretty lies
Bury my heart at
They got these energy companies that want the land
And they've got churches by the dozen who want to guide our hands
And sign Mother Earth over to pollution, war and greed
Get rich... get rich
quick.
We got the federal marshals
We got the covert spies
We got the liars by the fire
We got the FBIs
They lie in court and
get nailed and still Peltier goes off to jail
My girlfriend Annie Mae talked about uranium
Her head was filled with bullets and her body dumped
The FBI cut off her
hands and told us she'd died of exposure
We had the Goldrush Wars
Aw, didn't we learn to crawl and still our history gets written in a liar's scrawl
They tell 'ya
"Honey, you can still be an Indian d-d-down at the 'Y' on Saturday
nights"
Bury my heart at
Deep in the Earth
Cover me with pretty lies
Bury my heart at
Leonard Peltier
"The government, under
pretext of security and progress, liberated us from our land, resources,
culture, dignity and future. They violated every treaty they ever made with us.
I use the word "liberated" loosely and sarcastically, in the same
vein that I view the use of the words "collateral damage" when they
kill innocent men, women and children. They describe people defending their
homelands as terrorists, savages and hostiles . . . My words reach out to the
non-Indian: Look now before it is too late--see what is being done to others in
your name and see what destruction you sanction when you say nothing. --Leonard
Peltier, Annual Message January 2004
Born on September 12, 1944, in
Around age 14, Peltier attended meetings on the reservation with his father at
which tribal members discussed the termination of
According to Peltier, "It
was like a revelation to me--that there was actually something worthwhile you
could do with your life, something more important than living your own selfish
little life day by day. Yes, there was something more important than your poor
miserable self: your People. You could actually stand up and fight for them...
and as I would come to see in later years, all Indian people, all Indigenous
People, all human beings of good heart. I vowed right then and there that I
would become a warrior and that I'd always work to help my people. It's a vow
I've done my best to keep."
Since then, Peltier has been
standing up for his people. He joined the protest for fishing rights in the
Northwest. He participated in the 1970 peaceful takeover of abandoned
After
After the Trail of Broken
Treaties, AIM was classified "an extremist organization" by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its leaders became targets of the
FBI's Counter Insurgency Program (COINTELPRO). A few weeks after his return
from
Peltier continued to travel and
be involved in political activities including the 1974 takeover by the
Menominee Warrior Society of an unused abbey of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate
in Gresham, the 1975 eight-day takeover of the Fairchild Corporation
electronics plant, where underpaid Navajo women employees had lost their jobs
for trying to unionize, and the June 26, 1975 shoot-out on the Pine Ridge
Reservation, which resulted in Peltier's conviction for the deaths of two FBI agents.
Peltier has been imprisoned for more than 30 years.
Incarceration has not completely
ceased his efforts to aid his people. As presidential candidate for the Peace
and Freedom Party in 2004, Peltier won ballot status in the state of
A popular culture icon, Peltier
has been the subject of countless newspaper articles, songs, books and films,
including Michale Apted's documentary Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier
Story (1992). A number of organizations worldwide, including Amnesty
International has formally requested his release, calling him a "political
prisoner." In 1999, Peltier published his autobiography My Life is my Sun
Dance. He is also an accomplished artist. (Sources: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/activist.htm,
http://en.wikipedia.org and www.huffingtonpost.com)
Obama Meets With Native Americans
By John Burl Smith
President Barack Obama opened the
first White House Tribal National Conference on November, 5, 2009 in Washington
D. C. with this perspective, "We seek to build on and strengthen our
nation-to-nation relationship, ensuring that tribal communities have a meaningful
voice in our national policy debate as we confront the challenges facing all
Americans." The first meeting since Pres. Bill Clinton hosted Native
leaders 15 years ago, though called a White House event, the confab was
down-graded to and staged in the Interior Department.
Pres. Obama delivered opening and
closing remarks and hosted one session. He was followed by six cabinet
secretaries and several top administration officials in breakout sessions.
Having major responsibility for overseeing Indian affairs, Interior Secretary
Ken Salazar, after acknowledging tribal stories have been "swept under the
rug in many ways," echoed Obama's promise to "Uphold a
nation-to-nation relationship with the tribes and open a 'new chapter of change.'
We won't be able to wave a magic wand and resolve all the issues, but it is a
great foundation for all the work that lies ahead.'
However, all cabinet members were
not as receptive, according to Janice Rowe-Kurat, chairperson of the Iowa Tribe
of Oklahoma, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave these
heads of nations who are "supposed to be on the same level as Mr.
Obama" only 15 minutes and didn't take any questions from any tribal
leaders"
Mr. Obama was big on symbolism, signing a memorandum asking his Cabinet
secretaries to outline plans to improve relations with tribal nations within 90
days --a follow up on a
Touting the $170 million for Indian education and the $277 million for Indian
school construction in the stimulus Recovery Act, Mr. Obama promised to help
improve health care, job training and educational opportunities, noting that
Native Americans have among the highest dropout rates of any demographic group
in the country.
More than government handouts,
which created the cycle of poverty, estrangement, hopelessness, ill-health,
deprivation and desperation on reservations that characterize their existence,
Native Americans have endured centuries of symbolism. They look for substance
now. Most tribal members believe if Mr. Obama really wants to help, he would
aggressively pursue settling Cobell v. Kempthorne by issuing an executive
order.
A lawsuit filed by Elouise Cobell that has dragged on over 12-years, the
origins of which date back to 1887, when the government divided up millions of
acres of Indian reservation land, parceled it out to individual Native
Americans, but put the lots into trusts controlled by the Interior Department.
While claiming this land scheme would help Native Americans become self-sufficient,
the government leased the land to oil, gas and other companies. Lawyers for the
Native Americans contend that over the years the government should have paid
Native Americans billions of dollars in royalties. Cobell, a leader of the
Blackfeet tribe in northwest
U.S. District Judge James Robertson in a recent decision in Cobell v.
Kempthorne gave a 165-page opinion. "It would be nearly impossible to
figure out the difference between what the government collected from the leases
and what it then paid out to Native Americans over the years. The government
has trouble accounting for the money. Many records are missing. Some are kept
in different forms. Others were destroyed. And Congress did not allocate the
money necessary to perform an audit that might ultimately determine what
happened to the funds. The government's own data suggested a potential gap of
about $3 billion."
Finally, Robertson ruled that the
Although far short of what they are owed, the Obama administration is trying to
avoid paying this meager sum. This is similar to the settlement with Black
farmers, where the Agriculture Department is trying to renege on that
settlement. If Pres. Obama was not "speaking with a forked tongue,"
he would settle this suit and make good on promises made this week, which would
truly open a new chapter is US and Native people's relationship. (Sources: www.washingtonpost.com, http://winnememwintu.blogspot.com,
http://narcosphere.narconews.com,and
www.greatfallstribune.com)
Differing Views on Native American Confab
Native Americans differed widely
and expressed little trust in President Obama's promises made to Native
American Tribal leaders. The DISH felt it was important that
their thoughts, which were posted at http://narcosphere.narconews.com, be
shared with the world.
-"Native Americans Against Obama came about for two reasons. The first is
Mr. Obama's total lack of knowledge concerning how an American president should
respond to us as a global issue. The second reason is Mr. Obama made it a point
not to attend a meeting with the National Congress Of American Indians held in
-"The little bits and pieces I heard was a lot of 'we need to do better.'
Well NO sh-t !!! That's what we've
been telling you for years." --Tim Wozny
-"Oh no, we'll not forget - we'll not forget you stored deadly radioactive
waste on our reservations - we'll not forget to mine uranium on your lands then
leave the tailings there to poison your people forever - we'll not forget - oh
no we won't." --Molly Johnson
-"Well I wasn't surprised that Leonard Peltier's name didn't come up, but
because of the efforts of those who could make it, our supporters 'were seen'
and 'heard' by Obama when he went by. That fiasco is over now and we still have
work to do; we just have to think of what to do next." ---Michael Oneroad,
Sisseton/Wahpeton Oyate
-"After listening on MyTribeTV I see the same old carrots dangling before
the cart. When there is real action on the issues constantly facing Indian
Country I might feel more encouraged. Lisa Jackson's double speak is a slap in
the face to those in the
-"Wow, I thought it was me just being cynical, so glad all of you shared
your thoughts. I am really disappointed that no NON federally recognized tribes
were asked to join, not even send in suggestions - talk about trying to pit
people against one another. These are Native Nations too, whether they have the
federal stamp of approval or not." --Corine Fairbanks
"I also agree with Corine, I know Chief Billy Tayac of the
--"Obama assumes that we all want to live the American Dream (nightmare),
and that we are all Americans, but that presumption is without a basis in fact.
The 1924 American Indian Citizenship Act was imposed upon us; it was a stamp
that has denied us a voice and vote in the United Nations and to further
assimilate our people into the system. This summit is just another in a long
series of mechanisms to bring our people into conformity with the
--"Just a few thoughts about the November 5th meeting of Pres. Obama with
one tribal government representative of the 564 recognized tribes -- what was
our tribal message? What theme was to be cast upon the Executive waters by a
Shoshone-Bannock tribal leader? Is it health care, education, economic
development, executive policy, legal jurisdiction or sovereignty issues to name
a few? No, it was the same ole song and dance to fund for specific projects. To
hell with the issues of contamination of mother earth -- water, air, fish and wildlife
-- by the Simplot company in
--"The national myth of a
'race of savages' on 'empty lands.' We must all uncover the
counter-narratives (our narratives) from the imperial record that distort
reality, our history, past, present and future. Uncovering the tragic and
sexually violent history of conquest while also uncovering the true strength
and power of both African Americans and indigenous peoples to hope, and
continue to live in the face of such violent injustice. We are still here, and
will keep fighting until all the earth and all the people are free
completely." --Michelle Cook, Navajo
To read other comments by Native Americans on President Obama's confab with
tribal leaders, visit http://narcosphere.narconews.com.
More Money to Collect...Unpaid Oil Royalties
By John Burl
Smith
Due to prejudice and
discrimination against Native Americans, most other Americans view the historic
problem "Indians" have had with the Department of the Interior as
related to justifiable exploitation of a "race of savages on empty
lands" who have no idea of its value. Consequently, a benevolent
government stepped in to insure development of resources for their benefit.
Such individuals do not understand that the Department of the Interior has
always operated for the benefit of businesses like oil, gas, mining and lumber
companies to name a few. However, when government agencies collude with
business in this manner, not only do individuals and groups, like Native
Americans, but states as well, lose revenues.
The Project on Government
Oversight (POGO) used a previous report developed from a Congressional hearing
held by
More astonishingly, royalties the
federal government collects from oil production in California represent just a
small portion of the total amount of royalties the federal government collects
annually -- in fact, from 1985 to 1995, the Department of the Interior
collected 90% of its oil royalties from federal land outside of California.
Therefore, the State of
According to a senior Department of the Interior official, oil companies'
undervaluation of crude oil produced East of the
Perhaps the most glaring evidence is the numerous admissions by oil companies
that they, in fact, undervalued oil for years. Both Phillips and Arco have
publicly admitted to undervaluing oil, while the admissions of several other
companies are conveniently sealed by the courts in
State governments clearly have taken the initiative on collecting unpaid oil
royalties. In 1992, six oil companies settled with the State of
Accordingly, Rep. Maloney and
POGO have mounted an all-out effort to persuade the Department of the Interior
to initiate an aggressive collection policy based on insurmountable evidence
detailing the underpayment of oil royalties on federal land. Given the overwhelming
evidence detailing royalty underpayment East of the
Individual states have focused their collection efforts almost exclusively on
the onshore production of crude oil. The onshore production of oil annually
provides the federal government with nearly $200 million in royalties -- of
which, 50% is returned directly to the state from which the oil has been
pumped. The federal government also collects all oil royalties due from the
production of oil on Native American land. However, all royalties collected are
returned to the specific Native American Nations from whose land the oil has
been pumped. This is why Cobell v.
Kempthorne, the Native American lawsuit seeking an accounting of unpaid
royalties, which is unrelated to undervaluation royalties which states are
collecting, is so important to Native people.
The offshore production of crude oil, on the other hand, provides the federal
government with nearly $1 billion in royalties annually -- approximately 80% of
these royalties come from the offshore production of crude oil in
Stopped Hating Thanksgiving and Learned to be Afraid
By Prof. Robert Jensen
I have stopped hating
Thanksgiving and learned to be afraid of the holiday. Over the past few years a
growing number of white people have joined the longstanding indigenous people's
critique of the holocaust denial that is at the heart of the Thanksgiving
holiday. In two recent essays (Raining On the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Give
Thanks No More: It's Time for a National Day of Atonement) I have examined the
disturbing nature of a holiday rooted in a celebration of the European conquest
of the Americas, which means the celebration of the Europeans' genocidal
campaign against indigenous people that is central to the creation of the
United States.
Many similar pieces have been published in predominantly white left/progressive
media, while indigenous people continue to mark the holiday as a "National
Day of Mourning".
In recent years I have refused to participate in Thanksgiving Day meals, even
with friends and family who share this critical analysis and reject the
national mythology around manifest destiny. In bowing out of those gatherings,
I would tell folks I hated Thanksgiving. I realize now that "hate" is
the wrong word to describe my emotional reaction to the holiday. I am afraid of
Thanksgiving. More accurately, I am afraid of what Thanksgiving tells us about
both the dominant culture and much of the alleged counterculture.
Here's what I think it tells us:
As a society, the
Thanksgiving should teach us all to be afraid.
Although it's well known to anyone who wants to know, let me summarize the argument
against Thanksgiving: European invaders exterminated nearly the entire
indigenous population to create the
In left/radical circles, even though that basic critique is widely accepted, a
relatively small number of people argue that we should renounce the holiday and
refuse to celebrate it in any fashion. Most leftists who celebrate Thanksgiving
claim that they can individually redefine the holiday in a politically
progressive fashion in private, which is an illusory dodge: We don't define
holidays individually or privately -- the idea of a holiday is rooted in its
collective, shared meaning. When the dominant culture defines a holiday in a
certain fashion, one can't pretend to redefine it in private. To pretend we can
do that also is intellectually dishonest, politically irresponsible, and
morally bankrupt.
I press these points with no
sense of moral superiority. For many years I didn't give these questions a
thought, and for some years after that I sat sullenly at Thanksgiving dinners,
unwilling to raise my voice. For the past few years I've spent the day alone,
which was less stressful for me (and, probably, less stressful for people
around me) but had no political effect. This year I've avoided the issue by
accepting a speaking invitation in
The next step for me is to seek creative ways to use the tension around this
holiday for political purposes, to highlight the white-supremacist and
predatory nature of the dominant culture, then and now. Is it possible to find
a way to bring people together in public to contest the values of the dominant
culture? How can those of us who want to reject that dominant culture meet our
intellectual, political, and moral obligations? How can we act righteously
without slipping into self-righteousness? What strategies create the most
expansive space possible for engagement with others?
Along with allies in Austin, I've struggled with the question of how to create
an alternative public event that could contribute to a more honest accounting
of the American holocausts in the past (not only the indigenous genocide, but
African slavery) and present (the murderous U.S. assault on the developing
world, especially in the past six decades, in places such as Vietnam and Iraq).
Some have suggested an educational event, bringing in speakers to talk about
those holocausts. Others have suggested a gathering focused on atonement.
Should the event be more political or more spiritual? Perhaps some combination
of methods and goals is possible.
However we decide to proceed, we can't ignore the ugly ideological realities of
the holiday. My fear of those realities is appropriate but facing reality need
not leave us paralyzed by fear; instead it can help us understand the contours
of the multiple crises -- economic and ecological, political and cultural --
that we face. The challenge is to channel our fear into action. I hope that
next year I will find a way to take another step toward a more meaningful
honoring of our intellectual, political, and moral obligations.
As we approach Thanksgiving Day,
I'm eager to hear about the successful strategies of others. For such advice, I
would be thankful.
About Me: Robert Jensen is a journalism
professor at the
Disgruntled feels: Empathetic! 10-year
old Will Phillips has garnered quite a bit of media attention as a result of
his refusal to say the pledge of allegiance, because of discrimination against
gay Americans. According to young master Phillips, who appeared on CNN with his
father, "I've always tried to analyze things because I want to be a
lawyer. I really don't feel that there's currently liberty and justice for
all." I say, "Welcome to the real world" Will! I must have been
around seven or eight years old when I noticed the difference between the words
of the pledge of allegiance and the treatment accorded my people. From that day
forward, I remained silent when the pledge was routinely recited as part of our
elementary school's daily indoctrination. Back then or even now, I cannot
imagine a black child garnering so much favorable media attention for refusing
to recite the pledge of allegiance. More likely, such a refusal would result in
possible tasering and expulsion from school. Bottom line, I empathize with Will
and trust he will be empathetic to the plight of not just gays, but others in
this country that have historically been discriminated against.
Disgruntled
wants to know: Leonard Peltier is the nation's best-known Native
American activist. He has become a global symbol of
Disgruntled
says: In 2006, the US Interior Department, under then-Secretary Gale
Norton, awarded three lucrative oil shale leases on federal land in Colorado to
a Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary. According to experts examining these contracts,
Shell could net hundreds of billions of dollars over the course of the years
needed to extract the oil. Prior to coming to the Bush cabinet as Interior
Secretary, Norton was