Topics

31

Debate & Discuss / Mexicans Work the Longest Hours

« on: April 12, 2011, 06:58:52 pm »Message ID: 339289

Mexicans Work the Longest Hours
By CATHERINE RAMPELL

According to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, people in Mexico spend more hours of their day working than the people of any other country.

The average Mexican devotes 10 hours a day to paid and unpaid work, like cleaning, child care and cooking at home. Belgians, on the other hand, spend the least time each day working, about seven hours, among the 29 countries covered.

read the rest of the report @ http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/mexicans-work-the-longest-hours/

32

Debate & Discuss / A grant writer is really needed for a truly rocking cause(pardon the pun).

« on: April 12, 2011, 05:03:13 pm »Message ID: 339258

http://www.facebook.com/notes/davidica-littlespottedhorse/get-the-word-out-support-our-talented-native-youth-on-the-pine-ridge-reservation/1310360734364



Independence Through Music

 

Mission statement- We are committed to empowering our Native Youth by sharing our knowledge of the music business and providing them with resources to promote their talents with the help of our Native brothers and sisters from Canada so the Native Youth can in turn give back to their communities. Our combined efforts will help to bring Native’s together from all corners of Turtle Island to show that Wolakota has no borders.

 

 

With the suicide rate on the rise among our Native Youth we adults look for answers on how to help our youth to escape the overwhelming hopelessness and despair that is in their everyday lives.

How can we convince them that there is a future to look forward to?

After many hours and lots of prayers we have come to realize that we need to empower our youth by encouraging their natural talents by providing them with resources that we as working musicians have already acquired. We want to help them succeed by being self sufficient.

A one time donation is a helpfull temporary solution that only lasts until the donation runs out, but the youth want a way to provide for their families by

doing something that brings them pride and enjoyment while being part of a higher purpose.

So following our traditional ways that teaches us to look ahead, to make a difference for our future descendants. We have decided to give the gift of knowledge and resources to our youth to help lift the despair and to show them there is hope for their future.

To help our Native Youth reach their goal of being working recording artists we are bringing in Native Mentors from all aspects of the music business. This will get them that much closer to being self sufficient. The end result of a youth shelter being built because of the efforts of our youth will make that much needed impact in our communities an even better reason for them to share their talents with the world.

 

Talent Search-

We will be holding auditions across the Pine Ridge Reservation to find 18 young Native musicians. We will also be teaming up three other youths with each musician to have a four(a sacred number) member team. One to learn to run a website for the musician, a person to learn about music management, and one to learn about road management.

 

Compilation CD-

The goal of the talent search is to make a two disc CD featuring 18 Native Youth from across the Pine Ridge Reservation. One song from each musician will be chosen to be on the CD which we will be promoting using our radio and media contacts.

 

Recording Demo CD for the artists-

We are going to bring in a professional producer to record, mix., and master the demo’s for the musicians that are chosen to be on the compilation CD as well as finding sponsors for each musician to get promo starter kits for each musician for their single EP CD.

 

Workshops-

Will be held for one week out of the month in June and July in which all aspects of the music business will be covered. Native recording artists from Canada and the U.S will be instructing in songwriting, stage presence, marketing, promotions, and on the importance of to staying true to traditional teachings to keep them from being pulled into the negative aspects of the music business.

 

Musicians Showcase-

At the end of each week long workshop we along with KILI Radio will be putting on a concert to allow each musician to perform at the radio station which will be aired live to showcase their talents.

 

Promotion-

A film crew will be on site to film the workshops, feature the chosen musicians, and to film their live performances at KILI Radio. Documenting our journey to share with the world will be our biggest asset to help reach our goal of bringing this program to other reservations.

 

A Higher Purpose- Youth Shelter

The sales from the Compilation CD will be as follows- half of the proceeds will go back to the musicians themselves and the other half will be donated to a youth shelter to be built in each district. The youth shelter will be a 24hr open door policy home for the youth to access at any time and will provide basic necessities such as food, sleeping quarters, activities, mentoring, tutors, and teachings in our traditional culture.

 

From the success of this project we are hoping to bring this to the reservations of our brothers and sisters in Canada where their youth are having the same struggles and to other reservations in the United States. We as Lakota’s will offer our hand of friendship to all our Native brothers and sisters. Together, united we can win this fight against hopelessness for our youth. Our next goal will be to build a youth shelter on the Keeseekoowenin Reservation in Manitoba, Canada. We as Native people must unite as one force to help our youth if we really want to make positive changes for them. I know once we succeed we can take this project everywhere that its needed. This is a big project but one that will be used by our future descendants and will lead to many more opportunities for all Native Youth across Turtle Island.

 

Talent Search-

Will begin across the reservation on April 1st and end on April 30th . In the Lakota way the youth is anyone 30ys and under so we will adhere to that. Our only requirement is that all songs be originals and that anyone auditioning must not be an established artist.

Once we have chosen the 18 artists we will be working with them to make raw demos to send to the producer to compose instrumentals then when the producer comes down for the workshop we will record the vocals.

 

Our first talented youth chosen-

Barbara Rose Calzado -Pop/Rock

Kyle Mesteath -Hip Hop

Robert Afraid of Bear -Rap

 

 

Dates for workshops-

June 13th thru 17th

July 13th thru 17th

 

 

Help needed-

18 sponsors to match up with each chosen musician to donate $1500 for their Working Band Bundle’s via Discmakers.

 

Transportation to and from workshops for any youth that wants to attend. Workshops will be open and free to any person across the reservation.

 

Donations of meals for the people attending the workshops.

 

Any and all donations can be sent to

Elain Adair Michalak Foundation

PO Box 191

Pierpont, SD 57468

Ph- 605-325-3392

 

Much Respect,

Jean Belt- The Boss

Davidica Little Spotted Horse- Recording Artist/Mentor

Davidica Young Man Afraid of His Horses,II -YouTube Correspondent

Santana Young Man Afraid of His Horses -YouTube Correspondent

Wendell Young Man Afraid of His Horses, Jr-Youth Shelter Developer

Tracy Bone -Recording Artist/Mentor

J.C. Campbell -Recording Artist/Mentor

Mykal Gamble -Recording Artist/Mentor

Sugar -Recording Artist/Mentor

Rayne Delaronde -Recording Artist/Mentor

Dion Telesky -Film Production

Holly Marchuk -Film Production

Angie Baldwin and Michael Michalak -Non-Profit Organization

Melanie Janis -KILI Radio Station Manager

Derrick Janis -KILI Radio D.J.

KILI Radio -Local Media Support

33

Debate & Discuss / Some Things to Contemplate

« on: April 12, 2011, 08:35:05 am »Message ID: 338986

Every "part" of the "circle" has equal worth and value, although, no "part" has more importance then the "circle".

I am morally indebted to no "part" but owe all to the whole.

34

Off-Topic / Independence Through Music

« on: April 11, 2011, 11:58:24 am »Message ID: 338571

Grant writers greatly needed!!!

 

Mission statement- We are committed to empowering our Native Youth by sharing our knowledge of the music business and providing them with resources to promote their talents with the help of our Native brothers and sisters from Canada so the Native Youth can in turn give back to their communities. Our combined efforts will help to bring Native’s together from all corners of Turtle Island to show that Wolakota has no borders.

 

 

With the suicide rate on the rise among our Native Youth we adults look for answers on how to help our youth to escape the overwhelming hopelessness and despair that is in their everyday lives.

How can we convince them that there is a future to look forward to?

After many hours and lots of prayers we have come to realize that we need to empower our youth by encouraging their natural talents by providing them with resources that we as working musicians have already acquired. We want to help them succeed by being self sufficient.

A one time donation is a helpfull temporary solution that only lasts until the donation runs out, but the youth want a way to provide for their families by

doing something that brings them pride and enjoyment while being part of a higher purpose.

So following our traditional ways that teaches us to look ahead, to make a difference for our future descendants. We have decided to give the gift of knowledge and resources to our youth to help lift the despair and to show them there is hope for their future.

To help our Native Youth reach their goal of being working recording artists we are bringing in Native Mentors from all aspects of the music business. This will get them that much closer to being self sufficient. The end result of a youth shelter being built because of the efforts of our youth will make that much needed impact in our communities an even better reason for them to share their talents with the world.

 

Talent Search-

We will be holding auditions across the Pine Ridge Reservation to find 18 young Native musicians. We will also be teaming up three other youths with each musician to have a four(a sacred number) member team. One to learn to run a website for the musician, a person to learn about music management, and one to learn about road management.

 

Compilation CD-

The goal of the talent search is to make a two disc CD featuring 18 Native Youth from across the Pine Ridge Reservation. One song from each musician will be chosen to be on the CD which we will be promoting using our radio and media contacts.

 

Recording Demo CD for the artists-

We are going to bring in a professional producer to record, mix., and master the demo’s for the musicians that are chosen to be on the compilation CD as well as finding sponsors for each musician to get promo starter kits for each musician for their single EP CD.

 

Workshops-

Will be held for one week out of the month in June and July in which all aspects of the music business will be covered. Native recording artists from Canada and the U.S will be instructing in songwriting, stage presence, marketing, promotions, and on the importance of to staying true to traditional teachings to keep them from being pulled into the negative aspects of the music business.

 

Musicians Showcase-

At the end of each week long workshop we along with KILI Radio will be putting on a concert to allow each musician to perform at the radio station which will be aired live to showcase their talents.

 

Promotion-

A film crew will be on site to film the workshops, feature the chosen musicians, and to film their live performances at KILI Radio. Documenting our journey to share with the world will be our biggest asset to help reach our goal of bringing this program to other reservations.

 

A Higher Purpose- Youth Shelter

The sales from the Compilation CD will be as follows- half of the proceeds will go back to the musicians themselves and the other half will be donated to a youth shelter to be built in each district. The youth shelter will be a 24hr open door policy home for the youth to access at any time and will provide basic necessities such as food, sleeping quarters, activities, mentoring, tutors, and teachings in our traditional culture.

 

From the success of this project we are hoping to bring this to the reservations of our brothers and sisters in Canada where their youth are having the same struggles and to other reservations in the United States. We as Lakota’s will offer our hand of friendship to all our Native brothers and sisters. Together, united we can win this fight against hopelessness for our youth. Our next goal will be to build a youth shelter on the Keeseekoowenin Reservation in Manitoba, Canada. We as Native people must unite as one force to help our youth if we really want to make positive changes for them. I know once we succeed we can take this project everywhere that its needed. This is a big project but one that will be used by our future descendants and will lead to many more opportunities for all Native Youth across Turtle Island.

 

Talent Search-

Will begin across the reservation on April 1st and end on April 30th . In the Lakota way the youth is anyone 30ys and under so we will adhere to that. Our only requirement is that all songs be originals and that anyone auditioning must not be an established artist.

Once we have chosen the 18 artists we will be working with them to make raw demos to send to the producer to compose instrumentals then when the producer comes down for the workshop we will record the vocals.

 

Our first talented youth chosen-

Barbara Rose Calzado -Pop/Rock

Kyle Mesteath -Hip Hop

Robert Afraid of Bear -Rap

 

 

Dates for workshops-

June 13th thru 17th

July 13th thru 17th

 

 

Help needed-

18 sponsors to match up with each chosen musician to donate $1500 for their Working Band Bundle’s via Discmakers.

 

Transportation to and from workshops for any youth that wants to attend. Workshops will be open and free to any person across the reservation.

 

Donations of meals for the people attending the workshops.

 

Any and all donations can be sent to

Elain Adair Michalak Foundation

PO Box 191

Pierpont, SD 57468

Ph- 605-325-3392

 

Much Respect,

Jean Belt- The Boss

Davidica Little Spotted Horse- Recording Artist/Mentor

Davidica Young Man Afraid of His Horses,II -YouTube Correspondent

Santana Young Man Afraid of His Horses -YouTube Correspondent

Wendell Young Man Afraid of His Horses, Jr-Youth Shelter Developer

Tracy Bone -Recording Artist/Mentor

J.C. Campbell -Recording Artist/Mentor

Mykal Gamble -Recording Artist/Mentor

Sugar -Recording Artist/Mentor

Rayne Delaronde -Recording Artist/Mentor

Dion Telesky -Film Production

Holly Marchuk -Film Production

Angie Baldwin and Michael Michalak -Non-Profit Organization

Melanie Janis -KILI Radio Station Manager

Derrick Janis -KILI Radio D.J.

KILI Radio -Local Media Support

35

Debate & Discuss / The NDN National Anthem

« on: April 11, 2011, 10:01:06 am »Message ID: 338506

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv3BFarumTI

36

Debate & Discuss / Enjoy....I am

« on: April 08, 2011, 05:23:38 pm »Message ID: 337463

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles#utm_campaigne=synclickback&source=http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/decorah_eagle_xcel.html&medium=3064708

37

Debate & Discuss / Federal preservation officials oppose oil field near Bear Butte

« on: April 06, 2011, 09:36:00 am »Message ID: 336443

    April 3, 2011
    http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_99a2d254-5da8-11e0-961d-001cc4c002e0.html

The National Park Service is opposing proposed oil-well development north of Sturgis because of its potential impacts on Bear Butte, a sacred site to Native Americans designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Don Stevens, chief of the History and National Registry Program for the park service's Midwest region in Omaha, Neb., said his office sent letters of concern over the oil drilling project last week to the state historic preservation and natural resource officials in South Dakota.

"We told them we felt the drilling would adversely affect the qualities for which the National Historic Landmark was established -- its significance to the American Indian people, particularly the Northern Cheyenne," Stevens said. "We asked them to reconsider authorization of the drilling because of its potential impacts."

The notice from the park service comes as an area environmental group, Defenders of the Black Hills, is asking for a federal hearing on the oil-field proposal because of its potential impacts on Bear Butte. Defenders coordinator Charmaine White Face wrote the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources arguing that a federal hearing is merited because of the national landmark status of the butte. White Face sent a copy of the letter to the park service at its National Historic Landmark program.

She said South Dakota was lucky to have Bear Butte as a state park but that its significance went beyond that designation and state control.

"It is an honor for the state of South Dakota to have under its state parks system such an historic landmark," White Face wrote. "However, Bear Butte is a national historic landmark, and it must have national input on anything that might harm or impair the significance of this national historic landmark."

Drilling oil wells and developing the required infrastructure for storage and transport could produce such harm to Bear Butte, she said.

Stevens said, however, that the National Park Service does not have authority to require hearings on this issue. Since there are no federal permits involved and it isn't on federal property, the authority for permitting appears to rest entirely with the state, he said.

"If it were a federal action and there were a federal agency involved in authorizing the drilling right, then the National Historic Preservation Act would require a consultation process that the National Park Service would be a part of," Stevens said. "The park service has the authority to monitor threats to historic landmarks, but we don't have legal jurisdiction unless there's a federal undertaking."

The state Board of Minerals and Environment and its staff at DENR has primary permitting responsibility for oil and gas fields. After a hearing last November, the board granted a permit to Nakota Energy LLC of Wilmington, N.C., to develop a well field on up to 960 acres of land north of Sturgis and west of S.D. Highway 79. Part of the field comes within 1-1/2 miles of Bear Butte.

But after initial drilling had begun, state historic preservation officials determined that Nakota Energy had missed some steps in the process, including how the development would affect the visual qualities at Bear Butte. Because of that, another hearing on the project before the Board of Minerals and Environment was set for April 21 in Pierre.

Other opponents to the project have joined the hearing as interveners, including the Lower Brule, Rosebud and Standing Rock Sioux tribes in South Dakota and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana, as well as an individual Yankton Sioux tribal member.

The board meeting begins at 10:15 a.m. CDT on April 21 in the Matthew Environmental Education and Training Center of the Joe Foss Building at 523 E. Capitol in Pierre. DENR oil and gas supervisor Fred Steece of Pierre said people may attend and sign up to testify that day.

"They'll limit you to a few minutes, but you can come and say what you want to," he said.

Comments may be sent in advance to Steece at 2050 W. Main St., Suite 1, Rapid City, SD 57702 or by email at Fred.Steece@state.sd.us.

Stevens said Bear Butte is unusual among the 2,500 National Historic Landmarks because it doesn't have human-constructed components that contributed to its designation.

"It is, I would say, not typical because most landmarks are man built," he said. "Having a natural feature that has cultural significance and therefore is sort of part of the natural fabric of history and culture, it's a bit unusual."

38

Debate & Discuss / Tucson Democrats and Ann Kirkpatrick vs the Navajo People and the EPA

« on: April 04, 2011, 03:39:28 pm »Message ID: 335471

I feel that many Democrats are well intentioned and dialog is necessary for them to understand minorities more.

The Navajo Generating Station and the Three Sisters of Destruction

Even the ones that are minorities sometimes get caught up in the politics or on other issues and forget the web of effects their decisions have on others.

A perfect example is with Democrats vs the Navajo Nation.

Democrats in Tucson are key players in allowing the Three Sisters of Destruction at the Navajo Generating Station to continue to pollute the sacred Navajo land, with almost no financial benefit going to the people.

While the Tucson city council contains Latinos and 5 of the 6 seats belong to Democrats, there are still no Native Americans on the council, yet the decision of these 6 people has impacts that destroy Navajo Nation, and I write about this now so that cannot claim they didn’t know.

I am also going to add Ann Kirkpatrick to this story since she was the Democratic Congressperson that represented CD1 and was ousted after only one term, and Native Americans have a lot to do with this also (they don’t like her at all).

Why?

Some quick history: Before I was writing for the Three Sonorans, I wrote a column known as Tucson Science. One of the issues dear to my heart was the environment and how “Greens” and “Democrats” are hypocritical on this issue in a subconsciously racist level perhaps (not considering impacts on those most affected).

It all has to do with water. This is the name of the game in the desert.

There is no Tucson without water; there is no life without water.

Just as with gas and oil, we sometimes look the other way while atrocities and huge injustices take place just so we can access the fossil fuel at any gas pump in Tucson, the same is true for water.

Right now you can turn on the water faucet in any part of your house and water will run — clean drinkable water also.

Right now you can let water run from the faucet outside and just waste water all month long if you want to. No one will stop you, and as long as you can pay the bill, this water waste will be allowed.

Water is a luxury in the desert, but just like oil, we continuously oppress darker people for this resource that will soon run dry.

This Tuesday the Tucson city council will vote to keep the Trail of Tears, or in this case the Long Walk, going well past 2011.

I always mention the Trail of Tears analogy because I remember when we learned about it in school kids would be ashamed of this, and the teachers would say that we have learned from this, that we don’t do this anymore to the Native Americans, but the truth is that we do continue to oppress them and TUCSON HAS A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS OPPRESSION.

The Native Americans were moved to the reservation so that the white man could get access to their land and their resources.  The Trail of Tears and the Long Walk both refer to a forced relocation, almost always on foot, and some never finished the journey and entered the spirit world along that trek.

But now we know better, right? Now we have learned what we have done to the Native Americans, and now we let them live on the rez in peace, right?

WRONG.
Tucson Electric Power

Tucson Electric owns a part of the dirtiest power plant in the nation... and it is in Navajo land.

If you drive by the TEP plant on Alvernon and I-10, you will see huge mountains of coal, and you might also see trains that are a mile long filled with more coal to drop off, and what you won’t see is all the coal they have stored up out of sight.

Every time you turn on the light, the AC, the microwave… anytime you do ANYTHING that requires electricity you are directly using energy that was produced by burning coal. The pollution caused in Tucson is another story for another time. What almost no one has told you is where that coal comes from.

The answer: Peabody Coal.

We will return to Peabody in a moment.
Tucson Water – CAP

The water issue deserves a daily article for a year to do the issue justice, but I will get right to the point.

In Tucson the Santa Cruz river used to run all year round. Then mostly through agriculture we sucked it dry and then we started pumping water that built up over the years in our underground aquifer.

But now are ground is sinking and that water is running out. So we decided to bring water over 300 miles over the desert from the Colorado river to Tucson to be able to waste even more of it.

The main problem is not so much the 300 miles, but rather that Tucson is at over 2000 feet above sea level. If any of you have had to pay the energy costs for a backyard water pool pump, you know that it takes a lot of energy to move water around, especially if that water moves up. And this is what water has to do to get here. It has to be pumped uphill, sometimes through mountains and other obstacles along the desert path.

We are also talking about a lot of water here, and it takes a lot of energy to get it here to Tucson just so we can flush it down the drain.

Where does this energy come from?
      

Slide 1 of 4.
From the Black Mesa to the train to the Navajo Generating Station for Tucson's CAP water

The answer: The Navajo Generating Station… with coal from Peabody Coal.

Perhaps you have heard of the Black Mesa?

It is a popular place in activist circles, and it is a well known place to both the Navajo and the Hopi. It is where Peabody extracts its coal. It also pollutes the water and drains the water. They would make the coal into a slush using the water and pipe it hundreds of miles to other power plants just so that tourists can be awed by lights on The Strip in Las Vegas and see water shows, or for Tucson to be able to power all the laptops and iPhones that we all love to use.

The irony is that many Navajos don’t even have electricity running to their own homes, yet their coal is being exploited for urban areas, and we could care less about the environmental impact to the Navajo.

Would it matter if I told you that the 4th largest emitter of CO2 in the United States is the Navajo Generating Station? Would you care if I told you that the nation’s worst polluter is the Four Corners plant, part-owned by TEP, and that another Democrat, and unfortunately a Navajo himself, Chris Deschene wants to expand this pollution in exchange for money? He’s one of the head lawyers for these massive polluters on his ancestor’s soil, and many Navajo don’t like him either. The council may, but the people don’t.

Ann Kirkpatrick, former Democratic Congressperson from CD1 who the Native Americans don't trust and won't vote for.

Ann Kirkpatrick, the Democrat that represented not only the Navajo Nation but the San Carlos Nation, also in her CD1 until she lost her seat last year is another Democrat that sells out Native Americans for corporate polluters.

    Most of them have already been co-opted by the corrupt mining companies and only stand before the American people as a pretense. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick has lied to the Native Americans and her office has lied to the Coalition of Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners saying she can’t find the time to meet with them. She has been putting off meeting with them since last Oct.

    According to Manuel Ortega, Chair of Superior’s Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners Coalition, “The southwestern part of the United States is currently in a prolonged drought. Mining is one of the most water-intensive industries on earth. Mining on Oak Flat could dewater Queen Creek and its aquifer. Superior and Oak Flat are in the Maricopa County Active Management Area, so whatever water is used for mining will affect the East Valley in addition to the local community.”

Ann Kirkpatrick just announced that she will run for CD1 again. She is also a well known “blue dog” which is another way of saying “weak Democrat.”

Yet she is being praised at an upcoming Female Democrat event, a group co-chaired by Kyrsten Sinema, that other Democratic Diva with a history of pissing off minorities and then calling them ignorant since her “tough on immigration” bills are actually good for immigrants, according to the Democratic Senator.

If Ann Kirkpatrick is an honored guest in Democratic circles, then there is no way the Democrats are going to get out the Latino and Native American vote when we put party above principles.

Now back to Tucson. We have 5 Democrats out of 6, and two of those Democrats are minorities.

The EPA is getting involved because of the haze over our natural wonders in Arizona.

The EPA wants to intervene with the mega-polluting Navajo Generating Station.

The station is so toxic is literally brings tears to the eyes, and if you are ever at the Grand Canyon and see a haze, it’s probably smoke from that plant.

Actually, this is probably the only reason the EPA is getting involved, because of the haze over the Grand Canyon.

If there was no natural wonder nearby, the federal government could probably care less about the environmental impact to poor people on the rez, just like it did with the Church Rock radioactive disaster that was worse that Three Mile Island and took place on Navajo land in Arizona.

    More radiation was released in the spill than in the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania, making the Church Rock spill the largest release of radioactive waste ever in the U.S. — and second only to the Chernobyl meltdown globally. The privately-owned site of the Church Rock spill is a Superfund site — and it is still leaking radioactive waste throughout Indian lands to this day.

    Yet few people today have ever heard of it.

This Tuesday the Tucson City Council will vote to continue the exploitation, the oppression, and the continuation of the Trail of Toxic Tears on Navajo land.

Tucson Democrats and Ann Kirkpatrick vs the Navajo People and the EPA


The Navajo Generating Station is bad for the Navajo people, period. Democrats and environmentalists should be ashamed of even thinking of supporting such an evil and deadly destroyer of what little the Navajos have left!

They will talk about CAP water, they will talk about this and that, but what these Democrats will overlook is the Forgotten people, the Navajo and Hopi people whose earth, water, and sky are being polluted for Tucson’s out of control consumerism.

And this is why it is hard to get out the Latino and Native American vote. It is Democrats also that are doing VERY REAL DAMAGE today, and yet get to be keynote speakers and Democratic events.

This Tuesday at the Tucson council meeting, that cycle of oppression will continue and that makes us part of this evil problem affecting poor people. What do you mean there are still real live Navajo living up there, many who do not have electricity in their homes?

Does anyone care?

39

Debate & Discuss / Everything Has a Purpose

« on: April 04, 2011, 10:52:43 am »Message ID: 335345

http://www.republicoflakotah.com/2011/morning-dove/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RepublicOfLakotah+%28Republic+of+Lakotah%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

40

Debate & Discuss / Court Denies Injunction to Halt Snowbowl Development

« on: April 04, 2011, 10:19:09 am »Message ID: 335332

Contact: Howard Shanker

howard@shankerlaw.net

 
FLAGSTAFF, AZ -- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today denied an emergency motion to stop Snowbowl ski area and the U.S. Department of Agriculture from cutting down thousands of trees on the San Francisco Peaks, outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.   

The Save the Peaks Coalition and other plaintiffs filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit and sought an emergency injunction that would stop all tree cutting and construction in furtherance of snowmaking pending the outcome of the appeal.

Judge Murguia, at the District Court level, previously denied the Coalition any injunction pending appeal. 

“The ski resort can start their destruction tomorrow and there isn't a legal recourse that can be taken.” stated Jeneda Benally, a plaintiff in the case. “The legal system has failed to protect citizens and the delicate ecosystem of the San Francisco Peaks and instead compromised it's ethics by protecting a single for profit business that has blatant disregard for our children's health.”

According to Howard Shanker, the attorney for the Save the Peaks Coalition and other plaintiffs, “We are gravely disappointed in the decision not to grant an injunction but will vigorously pursue our appeal in any event.”  According to Shanker, “we remain hopeful that, at some point, the courts will properly apply the law to the facts of this case.”  Shanker previously represented a number of the Tribes and environmental organizations in the first round of litigation opposing snowmaking with reclaimed sewer water.

The Justice Department under the Obama Administration continues to vigorously fight to cut down trees and to spray reclaimed sewer water to make snow on the San Francisco Peaks while the Administration has held ‘listening sessions’ on sacred sites protection, including the San Francisco Peaks, across the country.

Snowbowl threatens to clear-cut approximately 28,994 trees from 76.3 acres for construction of water impoundments, buildings, and trails. They would also begin cutting down 167 trees along the 14.8 mile snowmaking transmission line and approximately 800 trees in approximately 47.4 acres within the Agassiz and sunset trail areas.

]In 2006, the Snowbowl Ski area, which operates under a permit on federal land, was granted permission by the U.S. Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, to make snow using 100% reclaimed sewer water.  Something that is not done anywhere else in the world.  The project would use sewer water treated to Arizona A+ standards – A+ water in Arizona is known to contain endocrine disruptors, which block or mimic normal hormone activity.  It also contains a host of personal care products and pharmaceuticals, including things like steroids, antibiotics, and caffeine, which are neither tested for, nor adequately removed from the water during the treatment process.[/b   

]The San Francisco Peaks, including the area used by Snowbowl, are sacred to 13 of the Native American Tribes in the southwestern United States.[/b

In 2006, the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Havasupai Tribe and the Hualapai Tribe filed suit to stop the project which, they asserted, amounted to federally approved and sanctioned desecration of one of the best documented Native American sacred sites on record.  The tribes were joined by a number of individuals and organizations, including the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity.  After a unanimous ruling by a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the tribes and environmental groups, the Ninth Circuit, however, agreed to re-hear the case en banc – something they only do about one or two percent of the time.  In an eight to three decision, the en banc panel reversed the prior panel decision and allowed Snowbowl and the Forest Service to go forward with the planned desecration of the area.

Shortly thereafter, a group of concerned citizens from the Flagstaff area, including the Save the Peaks Coalition, filed suit under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) challenging the Forest Service’s review of the impacts associated with the potential ingestion of snow made from reclaimed sewer water.  The prior three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit unanimously found that the Forest Service failed to adequately consider such impacts.  The en banc panel, however, vacated that decision without addressing the merits of the claim.  On review of the issue in the current litigation, District Court Judge Mary Murguia found, contrary to the prior Ninth circuit ruling, that the Forest Service review was adequate and that the case should not be allowed to go forward.

Initial approvals for the controversial project were made under the administration of George W. Bush.  It was initially the Bush Justice Department and Department of Agriculture that vigorously fought to spray potentially unsafe reclaimed sewer water onto the sacred site.  The Obama Administration, which has made a public show of respecting tribal sovereignty and sacred sites, was however, quick to pick up the mantle. Judge Murguia was nominated by Obama to go to the Ninth Circuit.  Shortly after ruling against the Save the Peaks Coalition, her appointment was confirmed. 

It appears that the prior three-judge panel consisted of Democratically appointed judges.  The en banc panel appears to have split in its eight to three decision largely on political party lines.  With the three dissenting judges having been appointed by Democratic Presidents.  In any event, the Administration continues to expend resources and time fighting to disrupt a unique and sensitive ecosystem, which also happens to be sacred land to Native Americans.  All to provide Snowbowl, a private, for profit company that operates on federal land, a consistent and reliable operating season.

41

Debate & Discuss / FDA says you have no right to real food

« on: April 03, 2011, 03:11:02 pm »Message ID: 334912

(NaturalNews)  http://www.naturalnews.com/  In a response to a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), the FDA has articulated its belief that there is no such thing as a right to health or to purchase or consume any given food.

The FTCLDF has sued the FDA for banning the interstate shipment or sale of raw milk products, alleging that the policy deprives consumers and a food buying group owner "of their fundamental and inalienable rights of (a) traveling across State lines with raw dairy products legally obtained and possessed; (b) providing for the care and well being of themselves and their families, including their children; and (c) producing, obtaining and consuming the foods of choice for themselves and their families, including their children."

In a legal response, the FDA countered that "there is no 'deeply rooted' historical tradition of unfettered access to food of all kinds." As evidence for this position, the agency cites "the dietary laws of biblical times."

The FDA goes further, stating that "there is no absolute right to consume or feed children any particular kind of food [because] comprehensive federal regulation of the food supply has been in effect at least since Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906. ... Thus, plaintiffs' claim to a fundamental privacy interest in obtaining 'foods of their own choice' for themselves and their families is without merit."

In other words, the agency has stated that because Congress has given FDA the authority to regulate food, there is no such thing as a right to acquire any given food.

Furthermore, the FDA says, "there is no generalized right to bodily and physical health."

"Finally, even if such a right did exist, it would not render FDA's regulations unconstitutional because prohibiting the interstate sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk promotes 'bodily and physical health.'"

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031934_FDA_food_freedom.html#ixzz1IV691Dow

42

Debate & Discuss / Florida pastor bigger threat to US security than Bradley Manning

« on: April 03, 2011, 03:02:38 pm »Message ID: 334907

Florida pastor bigger threat to US security than Bradley Manning
Written by Yvonne Ridley Sunday, 03 April 2011
http://www.cageprisoners.com/our-work/opinion-editorial/item/1389-florida-pastor-bigger-threat-to-us-security-than-bradley-manning?tmpl=component&print=1



Florida pastor bigger threat to US security than Bradley Manning
So you see, when the US government wants to act in a swift, unconstitutionally and in a vengeful way nothing can stop it. Ergo torture, water boarding and rendition as seen in the War on Terror.
US Army Private Bradley Manning was arrested, tortured and put in solitary confinement based on the absurd allegation that he is a threat to American national security.
 
His alleged crime is that he handed over classified military and diplomatic documents to the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks.
 
Among the accusations thrown at him by Pentagon top brass is that he endangered the lives of serving soldiers overseas by allegedly exposing US war crimes to the world.
 
Now, in an apparent act of revenge, his captors are subjecting him to sleep deprivation, prolonged time in isolation and continuous nude spot-checks - conditions said to be right out of the manual of the CIA for ‘enhanced interrogation’ as used and refined in Guantanamo Bay.
 
So you see, when the US government wants to act in a swift, unconstitutionally and in a vengeful way nothing can stop it. Ergo torture, water boarding and rendition as seen in the War on Terror.
 
The truth is Bradley Manning’s actions have not cost anyone their life but, someone whose actions have triggered a killing spree of mayhem and murder is the American Pastor Terry Jones.
 
His inexplicable act of burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an has caused a tsunami of revolt among ordinary Afghan people, and with the striking of a single match he has undoubtedly put the life of every US squaddie based over there in danger.
 
Sadly, I suspect what is unfolding in Afghanistan will be repeated in other sporadic outbreaks of violence in the Muslim world.
 
Yet no one lifted a single finger to stop this deranged, evil old man from setting fire to a holy book revered by more than a billion Muslims ... a book, by the way that is also hugely respected by countless Christians, Jews and people of other faiths and no faiths.
 
Now I’m sure some will claim that what he did was an expression of freedom and that he had every right to act in the way he did because America is the "Land of the Free" after all.
 
If that is the case can someone tell me why US authorities are very quick to act against those who dare to criticise Israel for instance? The University of California at Irvine suspended its Muslim Student Union for a year when members heckled Israel’s Ambassador to the US in February 2010.
 
Other students and teachers elsewhere in the US have been punished, sacked or suspended for expressing anti-Israeli views or criticisms of the Zionist State.
 
In fact, if you are too vocal about the evils of Zionism or voice your support for the Palestinians in the west Bank or Gaza, you can expect a home visit from FBI agents.
 
So if US authorities can jail Bradley Manning and punish him in an obscene way even before his trial, and they can sack, suspend and intimidate US citizens for daring to criticize the Zionist State why did no one act swiftly to rein in the demented pastor?
 
In September last year the so-called most powerful man on the planet, Barack Obama, urged Pastor Jones not to burn a copy of the Qur’an, saying it could cause “serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan”. General David Petraeus and even Ban Ki-Moon joined in pleading with the pastor.
 
Terry Jones backed down and he resumed preaching his hatred to his tiny flock in Florida which numbers less than two score and ten.
 
But the attention seeking cleric, who was banned from entering Britain earlier this year because he is seen as a preacher of hate, went ahead anyway a few days ago and desecrated a copy of the Holy Qur’an.
 
At a mock trial conducted by the mad cleric a “jury” found the Qur’an guilty of promoting violence. Only a handful of people were present for the kangaroo court which was held on Sunday March 20th, but it was streamed live on Truthsat-tv and went global thanks to the social networks.
 
A violent reaction, as previously predicted by the US President et al, was anticipated.
 
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan while condemning the incident urged the US government to arrest Pastor Terry Jones. It was wise advice, foolishly ignored.
 
As a result, riots erupted across Afghanistan which left 12 dead, including at least four Gurkhas and three United Nations staff.
 
Not one US soldier posted in a Muslim country would be wise to step out of a bunker or foxhole in this incendiary climate created by the American pastor.
 
He has put all of their lives in danger and so must now be regarded as a very genuine threat to the national security of the US – far more so than young soldier Bradley Manning who was slapped in irons last May.
 
The actions of those who went on a killing rampage is beyond belief, but we have to remember that for every action there is a reaction.
 
And it is quite possible that the anger unleashed in Afghanistan was already bubbling just beneath the surface, thanks to the dozen soldiers from the Stryker Brigade who killed Afghan civilians cutting off body parts as trophies, then covered up their crimes.
 
If the actions of the so-called Kill Team drove Afghans wild then it is possible the tipping point was the actions of Pastor Terry Jones who provided the ubiquitous straw to break the camel's back.
 
This could all have been avoided if the authorities in the US had acted in an appropriate manner way back in September.
 
There was no such dithering or navel-gazing over what to do about Bradley Manning who has been confined for 23 hours a day in a six-foot by twelve-foot jail cell since his arrest.
 
*British journalist Yvonne Ridley is a patron of Cageprisoners -
www.cageprisoners.com

43

Debate & Discuss / Mentally Disabled Navajo Man Branded With Swastika

« on: April 03, 2011, 02:47:22 pm »Message ID: 334898

Intelligence Report, Spring 2011, Issue Number:  141
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/mentally-disabled-navajo-man-branded-
Hate Crimes

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In the first known case filed under the federal hate crimes law signed by President Obama in 2009, three New Mexico men face charges after being accused of using a heated wire coat hanger to brand a swastika on a mentally disabled Navajo man.

Paul Beebe, William Hatch and Jesse Sanford each face one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the federal hate crimes law, also known as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. They also face state felony charges of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery.

They are accused of more than just branding Vincent Kee's arm in April 2009.

Police say they shaved a swastika on the back of his head, drew two horns on his forehead and wrote the words "White Power" across the back of his neck. None of this seems incidental. The men are believed to be associated with the white supremacist movement, and a search of Beebe's apartment turned up various items displaying *bleep* iconography, including a *bleep* flag mounted on a wall and a baseball bat painted with a swastika.

44

Debate & Discuss / Hate in the Mainstream

« on: April 03, 2011, 02:43:56 pm »Message ID: 334897

Intelligence Report, Spring 2011, Issue Number:  141
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/hate-in-the-mainstream

    Browse All Issues
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"They're eating away at the foundation of American liberty, of American freedom."
— South Carolina State Sen. LARRY GROOMS (R), quoted in an Aug. 8 McClatchy Newspapers article comparing illegal immigrants to termites

"The deep, dark, dirty secret of Islam: It is a religion that promotes pedophilia — sex with children."
— First Baptist Church of Dallas pastor ROBERT JEFFRESS, in an Aug. 22 service called "Ask the Pastor"

"I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him. I am sure there will be a couple legislative fruitloops there in the audience."
— North Carolina State Rep. LARRY BROWN, in an E-mail sent to dozens of fellow Republican legislators Sept. 27, after learning Democratic House Speaker Joe Hackney was getting an award from a gay-rights group

"How is it for that for decades there were no bedbugs to speak of in New York City or anywhere else in America? … Is it a result of massive, massive waves of immigration from the Third World?"
— Host MICHAEL SAVAGE, on the Dec. 1 edition of Talk Radio Network's "The Savage Nation"

"Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists. No question, in my opinion."
— HELEN THOMAS, in a Dec. 2 speech given six months after the legendary UPI journalist resigned following other remarks widely criticized as anti-Semitic

"If God has changed his mind, he must want the West to die."
— Family Research Institute chief PAUL CAMERON, in a Dec. 3 interview with The [Colorado Springs, Colo.] Gazette, suggesting God agrees with his condemnation of homosexuality

"We have only one blue-eyed bomber and that was Timothy McVeigh. And he wasn't flying."
— U.S. Rep. STEVE KING (R-Iowa), in a Dec. 6 interview with the online Right Side News, discussing the purported advantages of profiling air travelers

"Both Harvard and Yale do have a lesbian, transgender, gay, bisexual department… . I don't know what you have to do to get a degree in those studies."
— RUSH LIMBAUGH, on the Dec. 21 edition of Premiere Radio Network's "The Rush Limbaugh Show," following the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays

Quotes on this page were compiled from media accounts, web pages, e-mail groups and Media Matters for America, a website that monitors the far right.

45

Debate & Discuss / Archeologists, Indians slam Calif. excavation work

« on: April 01, 2011, 06:08:25 pm »Message ID: 333991

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Indian_Remains_564141C.shtml

Archaeologists and American Indians told a state commission that contractors building a garden for a downtown Los Angeles Mexican-American culture museum on county-owned land mishandled human remains found there.

Speakers at the Native American Heritage Commission meeting Monday also accused consultants who evaluated the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes project's environmental impact report of neglecting to anticipate that the bones would be found at the site, which was widely known to have once been the location of a church cemetery.

"What's happened with this cemetery is the worst assault on cultural resources in this city's history," said archaeologist Gary Stickel, who accused the consultant, Sapphos Environmental Inc., of ignoring historic maps that showed the graveyard's actual footprint.

A message left with Sapphos was not returned.

The LA Plaza project is being built among the adobe buildings and historic churches that make up Los Angeles' El Pueblo historic district, the site of the city's earliest non-Indian settlement.

Work has been dogged for months by complaints over the handling of remains that were first unearthed in October at the former site of the so-called Campo Santo cemetery, which was thought to have been completely exhumed in 1848.

Native American researchers located burial records in January that suggested the remains belonged to Gabrielino-Tongva Indians and other tribes. Since then, tribe members have accused LA Plaza and county officials of leaving them uninformed about efforts to make sure that no other graves are disturbed and of mistreating the bones that have been disinterred.

"Right now, those ancestors are not being treated properly," Gabrielino-Tongva member and archaeologist Desiree Martinez said at the commission meeting.

Martinez said she was particularly concerned about the treatment of the exhumed remains, which are being stored in more than a dozen bags and buckets at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.

"They are not being properly cared for, in terms of being separated by individual," Martinez said.

County capital projects manager Dawn McDivitt told commissioners that staff members were waiting to consult with tribal monitors before deciding how to handle the remains.

Biola University archaeology professor Paul E. Langenwalter, meanwhile, said at the hearing that he was appalled by the treatment of the remains when he visited the site in November to monitor students he had arranged to help contractors with the excavations.

But after he saw employees of the Whittier-based Sanberg Group haphazardly removing remains and using tractors for delicate excavation work, he pulled his students from the site in hopes of dissociating his school from the project.

He said crew members told him that they were being pressured to rush through the excavations, apparently so the museum's planned mid-April opening would not have to be delayed.

"Some of the things that I shall not repeat suggest intimidation," said Langenwalter, who declined after the hearing to elaborate.

Sanberg did not return a phone message.

County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who has pushed for the LA Plaza project in her district for 17 years and helped it garner county support, said after the hearing staffers had looked into the claims that workers were rushed and were unable to substantiate them.

Molina stressed at the hearing that county officials and museum planners carefully followed all state regulations for working in archeologically sensitive areas and that she was upset by the controversy that has arisen from the project.

"It truly pains me that this part of the story has unfolded in this manner and this way," she said.

Molina blamed the dustup on Sapphos' failure to anticipate that there would be remains at the site.

"Had they done better work, none of us would be in this situation now," she said after the hearing.

Robert Dorame, a Gabrielino-Tongva tribal council member, said at the hearing that Indian groups were not consulted when Sapphos was evaluating the site's history and importance as a cultural resource. If they had, consultants might have noted in their 2004 environmental impact report that were there likely were still remains at the former cemetery site, he said.

"People from generation to generation knew that there was a burial there," Dorame said, noting that the cemetery appears on contemporary tribal maps. "There's no question the area is highly involved with Native American people."