FOCAL POINTS

Events and individuals have have always been focal points-something to rally behind to address larger more inclusive issues. Such was the case with Nadia in Iran last year, such has been the case with Wounded Knee,  and that has been the case for such divergent groups as those who advocate for Annie Mae or Leonard Peltier-the wind who chases himself.

The events on the Rol discussion about Jesus are taking the expected turn-the common denial statements of why speak for Annie as she is only one person is the preferred,  if not the only, defense that can be made. That accompanied by the predictable accusations and misdirection.

In that is the convenience of denial and ignoring that in speaking for her one speaks for all women-it fails to take into account that in any venue where you find such an advocacy you will also find multiple references to indigenous  “women”-that is a plural, an inclusive position, a speaking for all victims.

If this dismissal of Annie being only one woman has any validity then why would any advocate for Peltier?  And if any do how are they able to validate it by this standard? He’s  only one man, and unlike Annie he is no victim.  Stand on a the internet podium with a bullhorn for decades and support Peltier, and now Graham, but dismiss Annie as one woman, and in doing so dismiss all women.

Russell has travelled far and wide to speak, mostly for himself, but also for Peltier-has he done the same for Annie Mae, indigenous women, or the issues we speak of?

A completely ridiculous logic is offered for this in the discussion in stating that the real issues of alcohol, drugs, gangs, the rape and abuse of women and children and apparently any other pressing issue are taboo. Not to be spoken of-and it follows then not to be remediated.

Should this same logic be applied to the events of Wounded Knee?  Should it be dismissed as only an event that involved a lesser number in comparison to the “hundred of thousands” of other indigenous people who suffered a similiar fate? Should the same question of “what is it you people want” be asked of those who use it as a focal point,  a rallying call?

Should this contorted logic be applied to those who speak for Jancita Eagle Deer or Buddy Lamont? If this is the way of it by what right, and for what purpose did any march for John Wesley Bad Heart Bull at Custer-weren’t these  all just one person?

I don’t think any would take that position, but those patriarchs secure in the bulwark of the RoL are singular in their dismissals, and all are the prime examples of patriarchy and the oppression of women.

There was a time when it was common to see what were referred to as cigar story Indians carved of wood and duly adorned with paint and feathers-wooden, rigid, with a fixed expression, and immovable.
Their sole purpose was to pander to a certain perception, a mental image of a real live noble redman- I submit the Rol is over run with it’s on version of these duly adorned cigar store Indians that are equally as rigid and  fixed in their positions, and impervious to the elements that are in this instance truth and reality.

They like the wooden Indians  can only see in the direction they are pointed, the one they face, and these wooden redmen who frequent the Rol nurture each other  and the perpetuation of the status quo in their exchanges among themselves of being not only red, but noble in their positions, and above all else warriors.

If men want to complain about being blamed for creating the circumstances women face and being “insulted” for them they need to consider they are the very ones responsible for the creation, and allowing  them to continue due to what they would refer to as the “taboo’” off limits nature in discussion, and the lack of taking a visible and communal stand -in the best possible light , and the least “insulting”, it can only be said that in doing so a tacit permission is given.

It isn’t the women who have created this environment and deserve to be insulted for it-it is the men, and they deserve every insult that can be directed at them, and doesn’t make a damn bit of difference what color they are, how much Indianese, Taiwanese,  Americanese , or any other manner of speech they resort to.

One person stands in opposition to this RoL discussion and I would think an advocate for Annie Mae and indigenous women would offer some word of support there…. even if only in passing. One advocate, who if nothing else could gather a few statements by other advocates and post them jointly, something like lostwhitebrother has done . Question is, is he lost or abandoned?

It is an easy thing to be an advocate when surrounded by the comfort of like thinkers-another to go where you won’t receive a pat on the back and speak against the grain.

THE EDGE OF STAGNATION

I was sent a link to a post in a topic on the RoL forum entitled Creator=God=Jesus?  where a post was added for two indigenous women by one LostWhiteBrother. To begin with I would express the opinion that this white brother apparently isn’t so lost as the name implies and respect the fact that he has been willing to open himself up to what will probably be insults and accusations.

These women came with coup sticks and counted plenty, to the extent that thus far I have seen more of what they have described as the silence of men with one lone exception who seems to imply indigenous men didn’t know as the women have been silent. They have made several valid and indisputable points ranging from the aversion by both men and women, and more notably Russell himself, who frequent the forum, to address real  time issues such as the devastation created by alcohol and substance abuse and the rape and physical abuse of women and children, as well as Annie Mae.

I wonder how many of these silent women advocate elsewhere for women’s rights, are “liberated” in the vernacular?
How many of them speak against the abuse of women in Muslim nations, sexual harassment in the workplace, a lower wage standard for women? How many of them are peta supports and pay more lip service to that agenda? All that and join the legendary RoL silence when it comes to Annie Mae or the abuses indigenous women face?

I have respect for women but for those these two women have addressed and any of like nature it amounts to a basic one founded on gender and little else.
Furthermore I’m at a loss to understand why those on other forums won’t make the effort to venture into the RoL fantasy land for one brief statement of support for Annie Mae and indigenous women and then depart if they so desire. Though I don’t lump them into the same category-men are not excluded from this either.

Those who perpetuate the lies have no such hesitancy-they will avail themselves of any venue to speak the distortions and perpetuate the myths-it is a strategy that enabled them to obstruct, confuse, and gain the upper hand for decades.

These are serious issues and yet I found myself laughing at some of their statements-one of which was that if the men were to suffer the abuse of rape not only they, but Russell, would undoubtedly find their voices- I couldn’t agree more or help but think what an abject lesson it would be for them.

In reading through the prior replies and opinions expressed there I had to shake my head and laugh about statements made such as pouty, pout, pout-what exactly is that? Jesus is portrayed alternately as a demon or a wino stumbling about with his posse and he and they just kind of partied their way across the country-later the author who expressed that allows that  maybe that wasn’t exactly the case.

Inevitably the conversation segues into recitals of feats of strength and daring do, and one who is a muslim that apparently has been well received, as long as he knew his place and kept to it, ventures a modest, inoffensive opinion and becomes a target himself.

With all the twists and turns that have taken place it has taken on the appearance of a soap opera-one that could well be named As The RoL Churns, or The Edge of Stagnation-I’m still waiting to see who has cheated on who, and who is having another man’s baby.

These two women have characterised those speaking there and failing to speak elsewhere as being bark less puppies-ouch-who know nothing of tradition and offer the opinion that such being the case the greater service would pretty much be to shut up.
They also point out that for the oft repeated mantra that the RoL forum is a l/d/n site that perhaps if not for the love of a gullible audience they should restrict it to the lakota only and spend their days with what little membership that would remain stroking each other or idly sitting in silence after they’ve exhausted their bag of opinions waiting for another to say something.

I think the entire topic is an eye opener and should be looked at-it will probably disappear or erupt into a fire storm of indignation and accusations-that seems to be the way the RoL rolls.

http://www.republicoflakotah.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=14399#14399

2-27-11-HAPPY REVISION DAY

Looks Like Russell’s faux Republic of Lakota will be celebrating a faux holiday he refers to as Liberation Day-that would be in “honor” of wk2, all designed no doubt to garner some more attention for himself-might even be a fund raiser in this for some project. Attention must be the biggest addiction of all-worse than crack or any other drug.

What I’m curious about is how does he come with these ideas? I know he likes to claim sole credit for anything that won’t land in him jail or has the appearance of a good thing, but are “holidays” such as these the result of the “think tank” he wants all to know he is a member of?

I think in an act of liberation all the AIM cronies from that time ought to step up and liberate everyone by telling the truth-they ought to liberate those who lost their homes and possessions during WK 2 with some form of compensation-but most of all maybe the better liberation would be to free us all from the bs and lies about wk2 they have circulated for these several decades and -to free Annie’s family from the endless lies told about the murder of their mother.

I can’t help but think as I watch events unfold in Libya, and Gadhafi watches his people die, among them women and children, if he will refer to himself in the future as a liberator? Will he attempt to memorialize it with a holiday or call himself a patriot?

MY SIS

I’ve had some loud and abusive women go off on me, and had to bite my tongue and walk away-even had my sister say once ” you should have knocked that B**** on her ass-my response was that it is a line I would not cross and I think once having done so it becomes easier-had to laugh though as my sis asked if I wanted her too.

My sis-she was quite the woman,a loving and gentle mother, very caring person, but would throw punches if the  need arose. She wouldn’t have been the biggest dog in the fight but she would have had the biggest heart.

Saw her go Rambo on a man once-he told her to get her god damn kid out of the way and in a flash she doubled up her fists and laid into him,  we had to pull her off him-funny in the aftermath, and turns out she broke  her little finger-said it was well worth it and became something of a running joke.

Yeah, my sis-she had a real penchant, almost a mission, when we were kids to get me into fights-invariably with someone out of my weight class. She would tell me of some verbal offense they had subjected her to and I would wade in. I remember one time when I was five or six she got me tangled up with a kid about nine or so,

I didn’t fare too well and as we were heading home I was having some difficulty seeing out of only one eye so she had me by the arm and was leading me stumbling about and telling me how it would be a different story next time, as though I was interested in a re-match, but she was right, years later I won that re-match.

In this noble concern of her’s in assisting me she ran me into a tree and banged up my good eye-I swore for years it was intentional while she insisted she with her two good eyes failed to see the tree- I never quite accepted that but reached a point where it took on a humorous aspect.
We’d be joking or playing around and she would point that crooked little finger at me as if to say -you want some of this? It was her eagle feather and I was proud of her. Rest in peace sis-I love you, and your boys have become fine young men- eagles in their own right.

EVERY POSSIBILITY

There is every possibility that during the time it has taken a person to read this a child, a young girl, or a woman will have been sexually or physically abused on a reservation-there is an even chance that it will have been by a family member or relative, and while these things are not restricted to demographics consider that in composing only roughly one and half percent of the population these offenses are statistically higher than among any other demographic.

Remember this the next time you hear someone extol the virtues of matriarchy and how enamoured they are of it. Remember this when you hear someone place the blame everywhere except with the offender. Remember this when you hear someone speak of tradition and any and everything but this. Remember the many good people, men, women,
and children who live and struggle in the midst of this.

Remember as well that the nations are a great people who have fallen on a bleak and hard time that have it within them to overcome these things, and if you would have compassion and a desire for them to heal and resume their rightful place know that it will not come from misguided loyalty or allegiance to celebrities who spend their days  making videos, promoting themselves, and disseminating misinformation, or fund raising behind bars, the nations are more deserving and better than this, just as you are.

Let these celebrities walk, let them make movies, let them write books and create foundations, let them talk until they run out of words, let them call themselves land warriors, or say their life is a sundance, but give them  neither your respect or your money-and if you do, demand an accounting. Direct your support to the people, anywhere but to them if your intent is to have the nations succeed.

An estimated three thousand missing indigenous women in Canada alone-how many of these will be found to have been beaten, murdered, and raped as Annie Mae was? How long before it is enough? How long before men become protectors and providers again?

Dennis Banks said that the men at wk2 became warriors again-this following the senseless destruction, the abuse of the aged like Gildersleeve and Riegert, and a later statement attributed to Crow Dog that three women lay buried there. In view of these things, the case of Annie Mae, and the realities women and children face I say this statement made by Banks is a damn lie.
I say his well known penchant for abandoning women in times of trouble, or what he percieves as a personal threat makes not only the title of his book Ojibway Warrior a lie, but also anything he says suspect. I say when a man makes a statement that “all hands” were turned against him and Kamook after having received ten thousand dollars from a celebrity benefactor and the use of an RV, that he does not then turn his hand against the woman with him to flee and leave her behind-I say to do so is yet another lie and enough to thoroughly discredit him or any man.

One need only look at a child, a young girl, a woman, to see how vulnerable they are when a man turns his hand against them-it is  beyond my understanding that any man would.

TOO THIN FOR ME

No one holds a gun to anyone’s head to make them commit rape, no one holds a gun to anyone’s head to make them drink or involve themselves with drugs, no one holds a gun to anyone’s head to make them physically or verbally abuse an Elder, a child, or woman. No one held a gun to anyone one’s head to make them hold one to Annie Mae’s-and no one wants to “be free to be responsible” enough to actually accept responsibility as Russell so likes to intone.

The truth of the matter is the reverse, guns are being held to the people’s  heads figuratively and perhaps literally in some instances by gangs, drug pushers, rapists, pedophiles, abusers, addicts, and  alcoholics, do nothing tribal governments, and celebrity leaders.
I know too well the conditions on the rez and the environment they create, but there has been enough surrendering of dignity and tradition, too much induced suffering to employ those conditions as an excuse for personal choices or offenses committed.

If any disagree with this then I would ask them to explain how others did not make the same choices, how others who have made the wrong choices have since reversed course? How a child born into poverty on the rez with nothing, and living in these same conditions does not become a rapist or substance abuser, or has a dream, acquires an education, and succeeds?

To cover this all with some kind of one size fits all immunity bestowed by conditions is little more than enabling and perpetuating, and as long as that continues not much is going to change-that is the reality.
Think of the money spent on alcohol and drugs annually that could have been directed to other areas that would have filled a beneficial purpose for communities, and then ask yourself if that is acceptable? If it isn’t ask yourself what excuse is sufficient to cover it? What set of circumstances or conditions? I can think of none that exonerate.

To me it is like saying that looters in the time of crisis are not to be assigned any blame because of the conditions, that armies who rampage and pillage in times of war have no guilt because of conditions.  Too thin for me.
Drug and alcohol treatment are a burning necessity-but such programs begin with
those participating accepting personal responsibility-they are not coddled and their
actions are not excused.

AA or Narconon for example, when a person introduces themself -they begin with My name
is so and so, and I’m an alcoholic/addict-that’s called accepting personal responsibility,
they don’t say My name is so and so and I am an alcoholic/addict but I’m have no responsibility  because of this or that. That’s called denial and avoidance behaviour.

I’ve been around too many drunks and dopers, experienced it in my own home as a child, seen too many fractured families, wounded children, broken women, and abused elders to cede so much as an inch to any who make excuses. You want to talk about conditions, fine, you want to talk about excuses,  save your breath.
If that upsets anyone  I offer no apology and say instead to open their eyes and take a long hard  look around and then tell that raped or abused child or woman that the one who did this to them isn’t to blame-that it is the perpetrator who is the victim-see how far that gets you.  Tell that hungry child there is no food or milk because the moneys been spent on drugs or alcohol. See if it makes you or them feel better-then tune into a video production about matriarchy and the sacred nature of  children and compare those to the reality.

The differences between the physical reality and the fantasy productions for self advancement are what  ought to anger you. The fact that any suffer at the hands of their own ought to anger you, the fact  that the hearts and the welfare of the nations women and children are being systematically ravaged ought to anger you.
It is difficult enough to fight an external enemy without having to fight an internal one at the
same time-and regardless of who likes it’s or who doesn’t, gangs, rapists, pedophiles, and abusers among the nations are in my view as much an enemy as any other, and they should be treated as such-that is tradition, that is the way it was.

Below several quotes from the crimereport.org-none of this remotely resembles “native pride” to me.

“A medic, Neil Phair, wraps his head in gauze. Blue Bird, a skinny 25-year-old with a buzz cut, mustache and “Native Pride” inked on his arm, grimaces when asked what happened.A fight, he mumbles. Hit with a wooden bat. Been drinking. But I’m tough!Phair rolls his eyes. It’s 3 a.m. The night so far is slow – one stabbing, two hours earlier – and this call, like most others, began with a beer.

=> “It becomes a way of life,” Phair says. “They expect it. They’re ready for it. An ambulance showing up at the house is normal.”<=

The worst drinkers are so addicted, Phair says, that emergency responders adhere to a general rule of thumb.
Those who blow above a .450 on a breathalyzer – more than five times the South Dakota driving limit – go to the hospital. Anyone with a lower reading and no other problems goes to jail. Some regulars are known to suffer withdrawal seizures if their level drops below .200.

The regulars of Whiteclay come simply to drink, loiter, laugh, fight, hustle change, and forget their lives.
Every Monday through Saturday, they arrive at 8 a.m. for “roll call.” A local faith ministry serves breakfast.
Then, drinks. The crowd grows. Two men sneak their booze into a gutted house …

Jolene Black Elk points to the scar on her neck, an inch from her windpipe, where she says her boyfriend stabbed  her in an alcohol-fueled rage. She talks about her teenage years on “the rez,” drinking and drugging, and the night  she was raped. As night descends on Whiteclay, she warns a writer and photographer to stay close: “You guys are gonna
get ganged.”

Posted by White Eyes
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 07:47

That’s all we ever do and all we ever hear is blame the white people. “They sold it to us” is our excuse. To say we don’t know any better is a bigger insult to us than anything from the white people. They aren’t pooring it down our throats, our  people are posioning themselves on their own. If we want to get rid of the white businesses in White Clay and other places
we have to get our people to take pride in themselves and stop drinking. It’s our own fault and until we take responsibility for our drinking and quit blaming it on someone else it won’t get better. We have to heal ourselves!!!!

SPIRITUAL LOBOTOMY

A lobotomy is an intrusive, irreversible, surgical procedure that was developed with the express purpose of severing two way connections to the prefrontal cortext of the brain.
The intent was to radically alter behaviour-it was so successful that people often were reduced to little more than a vegetative state which allowed for an ease of control and the inability for a person to think and make rational decisions-another wonder of science and the pseudo science of psychiatry.

Most are probably familiar with the procedure, what they may not be aware of is that in it’s infancy it was also experimented with upon a variety of conditions-even arthritis I am told.
The procedure while no longer in vogue in most countries is still in practice in China where dissenters are routinely classified as having psychological problems-it is an obvious threat and intent to silence them.

AIM labored long and hard to lobotomize not only the nations but the public in general-they have succeeded to a degree in that but most notably in what can best be called a spiritual lobotomy.
The actions of the leadership circa wk2 and the murder of Annie Mae and others in their attempts to deny or qualify by pointing fingers at everyone but themselves, obstructing through silence, and any other means at their disposal has been well thought out and surgical in nature- all, without the benefit of anesthesia and no concern for the suffering endured.

It has been an attempt to sever the connections people possess that facilitates the understanding of right from wrong, the ability to think on their own and arrive at reasoned decisions, and to effect a separation from tradition and spiritual beliefs that have sustained and directed their paths for an immeasurable period of time. They would have it that the connections ran one way-their way.
Once that spiritual connection is modified or broken manipulation and control becomes significantly easier, it paves the way for an Orwellian history as we have seen.

I have stated repeatedly, and believe it without a doubt ,that the spiritual, cultural, and traditional values of the nations and their accelerated decline can be directly linked to the sixties and the formation of AIM, when as they gained influence the status of the Elders and traditional leaders was wilfully and purposely usurped-ceremonies were corrupted for resume building and the presence of drugs and alcohol during them wasn’t uncommon.

If a traditional elder, leader, or medicine man couldn’t be found to align with their so called cause they would shop around till they found one on the fringe who would, such as Crow Dog, or arbitrarily manufacture one from within their ranks.
This enabled them to make the claim of having a spiritual base and espouse such sentiments as Russell did that Crow Dog is the professor of the University of the Universe-that is a such a tragi-comedic statement I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. What I’m confident of though is that it is pure 100% bs.

The good news is that this spiritual lobotomy can be overcome, step by step, individual by individual, a reversal of the process, and many work to that end now.
The non indigenous, media driven perception is that Russell is the spokesman for the Lakota and any others he would claim, and AIM is the spokesman for all the nations-neither are true-the Lakota have a voice as a people, as individuals-and as individuals and a collective are capable of speaking for themselves and with their own voices, minus graphic novel “heroes”.

It is the same regarding AIM-theirs is not the voice of individuals who compose nations and I have to yet to hear of any nation who surrendered their right to speak or act to AIM. I have yet to hear of an election  where the nations cast a ballot for the direction AIM would take, who would sit on the various thrones, or what issues would be addressed.
There was no national debate, no discussion among the nations about WK2 or the murder of Annie Mae, and yet in their own way each has paid a price. They were the results of Gadhafi like figures cloaked in secrecy.

Oppressive regimes are being confronted now as we watch the Middle East and elsewhere-they are being overthrown-hopefully we will be able to say the same
for this oppressive regime AIM and it’s leadership have created.

I was listening to two women sing a lullaby to an infant in their language and realized it was a Bob Dylan song, and an old one at that-it struck me as a little odd and having heard Dylan’s voice amusing-but I listened more intently to the words and the last refrain seemed so very appropriate and worthy of quoting below…..women and their wisdom.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’…….  Bob Dylan

UNDUE EXPECTATIONS

The reality is people have to stop placing undue expectations on us-they have to realize that the nations are comprised first and foremost of people-individuals with individual characteristics-some good, some bad, just as it is with any people.
Their apparent unwillingness to do so creates an untenable burden and gives rise to new age appropriation that “spiritualizes” every aspect of the nations-it is not true. You might recall AIM made a lot of noise about their spiritual base during WK2 and beyond-the same spiritual base that was involved in the murder of Annie Mae.

Blind allegiance to one’s such as Graham, or Peltier for that matter, based on the fact they are indigenous and therefore must be spiritually oriented in some way is not only myopic but also manipulated as they couch their lives in terms of being spiritual beings. You’re being played with all that.

There was no uniform code of beliefs that encompassed every nation, there were as many variances as they were and are language. The status of women varied as well and even in the best of circumstances their’s was not an easy life and many heavy burdens fell to them-those burdens have increased due to a variety of factors, and once the grand rhetoric is set aside I
fail to see an improvement in status.

The general public will rail about the selling of religion and beliefs as with the case of “dispensations” in the Catholic Church, or the snake oil of televangelists who are little more than carnival barkers in the selling of their wares for “love offerings”.
Yet this same public will flock in droves to so called medicine men, “shamen”, professed pipecarriers, wannabe chiefs of dubious heritage, and faux tribes who paint themselves in the colors of the rainbow and believe they in turn are spiritualized by doing so-and it becomes yet another stone laid upon the nations they must carry.

It leads to the corruption of tradition and the total meltdown of culture. If the nations will rail against the the Catholic church and televangelist then they must in turn confront and rail against their counterparts among their own-they are apostates in their own right who seek only profit and notoriety.
Apply the same formula to these plastic shamen as you would to any who sell the most sacred of things among their people, among your own, and understand it has never been the way of the nations to pimp their people or their beliefs-any who do define themselves for what they are and in another time would have been summarily banned.

There are no degrees of enlightenment among the nations-no seven levels of achievement-this isn’t martial arts with various colored belts bestowed
along the way-no Ankh’s, crucifixes, mojo, or merit badges.
Perhaps when this is understood and accepted then the unrealistic expectations can be removed from the nations, the way back to tradition can be found and women can find their rightful place again.

A TIME TO MARCH

To walk or march in protest of an existing condition or abuse is a worthy form of advocacy-much the same as striking is. It gains attention for issues and can lead to support as the result of an increased awareness.
It is an implement not to be overlooked, but also one to use judiciously.

The nations have much to protest and march about, not only health issues but poverty, unemployment, housing, and even the lack of political viability and input.
It is an endless list of grievances,  and all valid. One of the more pressing issues is the physical and sexual abuse of women and children, and as a brother rhetorically asked of me the other day- why isn’t there a march for this , as I ask it now?

It is a good question that demands an answer-and I’m not speaking in terms of an AIM led march as another media event, or even a local one-rather one comprised of all nations and on a national level.
The truth of the matter is such a national march hasn’t taken place because the existence of this is a disgrace and a shame easier for the leaders to ignore than to confront.
It flies in the face of oratory about matriarchy, placing women on pedestals, and the past tradition of honor and respect for them that is claimed to exist now.

Such rhetoric is a hollow and empty place lacking any substance when such abuses are commonplace-when it is the victim who is blamed often to the point of finding some measure of dignity only in leaving.

I think the greater good for the people would be in addressing these issues rather than staging a fishing expedition where one fish over the limit is taken, or selectively marching for a specific malady that is no more virulent than the one of rape and abuse.

Call the media and alert them to a protest at Whiteclay? Why not? It is important to address rampant alcohol abuse as well-but is it any more destructive, does it tear more at the fabric of families, communities where women and children are routinely seen as targets, or entire nations? I don’t think so.
March and hold rallies for the likes of a Peltier or a Graham claiming an injustice has been done, and not do likewise for the real injustice done to women and children?  Where is the balance in that-what part of that comprises the circle?

It is women, more specifically the daughters of Annie Mae, who initiated the fight, the march for justice for her, and tragically it appears as though it must be women to lead once again in this pursuit of justice for all women against this scourge. Ones such as Tillie Black Bear and Jackie Brown Otter-and a shout out to Joann Spotted Bear -woman unafraid-who I know would be there with a stick in her hand kicking ass and taking names.

All this while men speak of pedestals, matriarchy, and being warriors.

THE WALKING, RUNNING (AWAY) MAN

I am told there used to be a program on television some decades ago called To Tell the Truth-on this program either three or four contestants would tell the same story and it was up to a panel of celebrity judges to question them and determine who was lying.
I think Banks and his AIM cronies would have thrived in such a venue and completely baffled the panel.
Consider for a moment the many similarities they profess to share, and some they won’t admit to.

(1) Warriors of Renown
(2) Selfless Leaders
(3) Founts of wisdom
(4) Authors of necessity to tell their version
(5) Heroes
(6) Victims
(7) Blatant revisionists
(8) Financially better off than those they “serve”
(9) Subject to episodes of selective laryngitis
(10) All absent for Annie’s two funerals
(11) Wannabe Hollywood celebrities
(12) An inability to be elected even as dog catcher among their own
(13) Participants in the destruction of WK2
(14) The singular source for the history of indigenous people
(15) And as Russell said “I always fly first class”…. that while so very many indigenous people struggle to makes ends meet, and wend their way in battered vehicles held together with baling wire and a hope bred of necessity. Cardboard or garbage bags to replace missing windows, like the desperate migrants of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath- all longing for and
deserving something better.
But not our heroes whose tables are never graced with Spam, powdered milk, tasteless peanut butter, and canned mysteries labelled pork and beef that are referred to as nutritious commodities. Neither are they ever barren.

And that’s just the short list. Let the media be anywhere in the vicinity and they’re there-let them devise something and they’ll notify the media without hesitation.
None of this is new though-it is well established and people are aware of it. It has been the bread and butter for too many years to count.

Dennis Banks-’ol smoke and mirrors-the chameleon who always gets the color wrong. The one who hides behind a penchant for young teenage girls in claiming “elk medicine”-nice cover. The absentee father who says he places all women on a pedestal and abandons them when trouble comes as he did with the RV stop. I wonder what that power is called?

The leader of walks who is transported in a vehicular manner to the proximity of the next reporter and camera-all the while making those hard decisions leaders have to make-like who rides and who walks-who sleeps in a bed at the hotel at night and who sleeps on the ground after a cold meal and a long days walk, who gets to stand in the light of his reflected glory.

Fortunate it is that a one such as he is willing to make those sacrifices and tough decisions. Where would the people be without him? Now as the support and fan base dwindles he is seen in the company of the crystal wavers, those seers and crystal ball carriers that can tell you all about who you used to be and who the spirits they “channel” say you should be now. Sorry Dennis, Russell has already said he’s been told he is Crazy Horse come again- but there remains many notables to choose from.

All very much in keeping with those traditional values they love to talk about-these crystal wavers have found their niche in a confused and bewildered society, not to mention a lucrative market.

I wish  somebody would pay me some ludicrous  fee for talking on the phone and telling them they were once Pocahontas or Hiawatha-but I guess I don’t have the “gift”, truth is I’m more  than pleased with the lack of it. No doubt the next scam will be future life progression rather than past life regression-think of the benefits, you’ll have time to prepare in knowing who you’ll be next time around.

Yeah, our man Dennis-what a blessing, what a gift from Creator for a troubled and
disenfranchised people. The one who loves so deeply, and values women so highly he won’t
lift a finger to facilitate justice for Annie Mae, the one so close to his heart. The pedestal he says he places them on is never as high as the one he selects for himself.

If Dennis wants to serve his people, the nations, he could best do so by assisting in this quest for justice-if not, the next best thing he could do would be to have the grace to just fade away and take his cronies with him. Maybe get a job, or collect aluminum cans to fill his waking hours rather than create donations based foundations.
So much silence about so many things from all the wannabe chiefs as characterized by the
Elders’s  statement, like AIM-IITC and all that money. And now we see Gaddhafi -a favored AIM benefactor, a dictatorial, autocratic, and utterly ruthless oppressor is getting his just desserts. His redeeming value to AIM in their “fight for liberation”? He had money they could turn tricks for. Suck up to one tyrant so you can say you oppose another-was that the AIM vision for the people?

Funny thing how all these AIM relics from a bygone era have experienced the same timely
epiphany and verbally place women on pedestals now. Kind of seems to be connected to
the growing truth about AIM and Annie Mae doesn’t it? Or maybe it’s just coincidental-I’ll
have to consult my psychic about that and get back to you.

The reality is that neither the truth about Annie Mae, AIM, or WK2 cannot be walked
away from-it is a tether that will not break- a net that having been cast is being
reeled in, and it will be interesting to see what is pulled from the murky depths.