LOOK MA, TOP OF THE WORLD

Had a weird experience this day-a friend emailed me suggesting I take a look on the RoL that has undergone a purge of late-pointedly making note of the fact that the Annie Mae topic is
non existent-to be expected though in light of current events.

What I found really bizarre was a “video commentary” purportedly having to do with health and wisdom where Russell is to be found looking eerily like Cowboy Bob with his hat and beard talking about the overwhelming  need he has to dispense the boundless wisdom he is the repository of-and sounding so stereotypical of Middle America complaining about how his “kids” won’t listen to “Dad”.

Done all those things he has denounced White America for-including being a politician running for elective office, chasing after that piece of paper called money, scrambling for attention, and in the finest of that tradition given to flattering himself publicly and boasting about  supposed accomplishments and assets, i.e. my ranch, my book, my enterprises, my degrees, my career, always me, my, and I.

Not to mention circumventing the law against fellow indigenous people in the now infamous Chinle case, where he argues that the Dine are not a sovereign nation with the ability to enforce their jurisdiction in crimes committed by him or anyone else not of their nation, on their rez. I’ve never even heard of an elder outside of those in AIM who place such an emphasis and value on these words-me, my, and I.

Like Cody Jarret in the old movie White Heat “look ma, top of the world”. Given to say to White America welcome to the rez-I think White America can say welcome to the white world Russell-you made it.

Soon, in collaboration with the artist who did the rez dog piece, a short series will be presented on this blog titled “Liberation Art” that addresses WK2 and the reality of it.
The purpose is meant to provoke thought, individual research, and a evaluation of those events-hopefully it will have an educational value as art and imagery often do.

Somewhere floating around in the back of my mind I have a vague memory of a song done by Willie Nelson I believe-there is a line in it to the effect that nowadays all the Indians wear cowboy boots and hats and the cowboys wear turquoise and fringe(?). Kind of sad that.

Age encroaches on us all-we came from the earth and the effects of  gravity return us to it in the process known as aging. A returning to the mother following the absence of our journey.
Each second that passes will never be again-nor will the minutes, hours, days, or years that comprise your life-in as much as you are able live each doing and being the best you are capable of-that is the only true legacy you will leave.

There is a justice in moisture that rises from the ground, lakes, and oceans to create clouds producing rain to nourish growth and life. There is a justice in the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening to begin and end our day-to awaken, provide, then to put us to bed.

There is a justice in planting and tending a seed, that in turn will tend to your physical needs upon maturation. There is a justice in teaching children the value of respect and honor, who in seeing it exemplified in their parents will in turn practice and teach these value to their children.

There is a justice as yet to be given Annie Mae, Ray Robinson, and many, many, others that hasn’t been allowed to reach maturation-we need to be mindful of these things too-it is not only a matter of justice, but one of examples to provide about respect, honor, and values.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

When you start looking at the players in the murder of Annie Mae and the familial relationships that exist I am reminded of the six degrees of separation thing regarding Kevin Bacon that linked him to various actors, and was a net sensation a while back.

Here you have Russell, the brothers, and Lorelie all bearing some relationship to Theda, the Nelsons, Troy Lynn, and Graham as an adoptee.

I have no doubt of Vernon’s involvement in Annie’s murder, and even though he has become the convenient whipping boy for others who were involved it is well established that he and Ted, the brother of Russell, had in the least what could characterised as a good working
relationship for all the anomosity that presumably exists between the Means and Bellecourt camps now.

The brothers Clyde and Vernon-the infamous Mr. X ( Dave Hill), in addition  to the notables above all have been placed either at the WKLDOC office, or in and around PR during the time frame when Annie was there-yet difficult to explain their glaring absence during their “sisters” burial wouldn’t you say?

Where does Thelma fit into this? Though not related, she is Hill’s main squeeze at that time. Bruce Ellison? WKLDOC’s resident legal guru-who knowing the so called law claims the Fifth Amendment privilege, and has been placed at, and as a participant in the interrogation of Annie at WKLODC headquarters prior to her murder.

Then there are the associated AIM faithful like Madonna Gilbert, Powless, and others who all have a presence in and immediately around PR during that immediate time. This is what I think is meant by the adage if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a  duck, then it must be a duck.

Undeniable to me that this entire group had flocked together not only at PR then, but even to this day to promote their version and waddle jointly along  through the years.  You be the judge of that , but base your decision on what is known and provable, rather than cover stories and vacuous explanations that cannot stand up to the light of day.

All of these composing a mob in an age old tradition to lynch an innocent person-and who in having done so are neither man or woman enough to speak any measure of the truth now, satisfied to parade about thumping their chests proclaiming their blood that at one point in history carried with it the sure knowledge that truth and balance were the measure of it.

That will change-somebody, as I have repeatedly said is going to speak up. Not as an act of contrition, but one of survival-and when they do they will learn what it is to be denounced-the least of what they deserve. I would hope none will call them warriors or penitents for doing so, ultimately they will be doing what they always have done-the thing they believe serves them at the moment.

For all that is known I believe it is but a portion, revelations to come will rock Indian country to it’s very foundations and potentially carry division with it as we have already seen in matters such as Peltier and Annie Mae.

It is an event though that I feel should be embraced, as a huge burden will be lifted and an awareness that each is accountable, each has the responsibility to reason and make the decisions that impact them and their nation, rather than surrendering those things to caricatures and lies.

It will be a time to celebrate for the opportunities that will result, if people will only take hold of them. A time to remember and return to traditions, a time to reinstate elders to their positions of leadership, to renew the honor and respect for women that is little more than a ploy now in the videos and sermons given which AIMlessly drone on -and for men to be men, examples to children, and to demonstrate the respect for themselves and their brothers than has long been lacking.

Look to Denver? Assuredly so, but look also to PR, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cleveland,  and anywhere else AIM has been, for the same thread weaves it’s way throughout it all.

Be strong-be the men and women of the nations-remember who you are and what it means.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS IN THIS TIME OF NEED

All this talk now by Banks etal about being under attack by dark forces who seek to divide and conquer is little more than the resurrection of the mantra when any of them perceive a threat related to personal accountability-it is to be expected,  and should be recognized for what it is. They would gather followers around them like so much cannon fodder to blunt the blows.

The fact that he or Means would in any way draw a comparison between themselves and actual true leaders and warriors, or historical events, is not only laughable but entirely without merit.

Previously in the annals of Banks antics he has fled to California to prostrate himself before then Governor Jerry Brown and plead for sanctuary-perhaps it is that with the re election of Brown he might consider doing so again.  Maybe even Onondaga-but that’s probably off the table as having been there and done that, and being asked to leave, it is no longer viable.

That leaves other options though, Venezuela, one of the Middle East countries, or I would suggest Palestine for it’s oft times comparison to a rez as generated by think tanks-possibly one of the communist countries who provided monetary aid and comfort to AIM.

One potential  problem with the Middle East though would be they consider their women to be chattel, and any dalliance could mean big trouble-they wouldn’t care about alibis like elk medicine, or a persona based on literary works of fiction or fantasy films-but then they’ve never had to contend with fictional warriors either so whose to say.

For those who position themselves  as AIM advocates and call for forgiveness, while it is good to forgive it is also good to know that forgiveness is predicated on acknowledging transgressions and accepting responsibility for them- something these advocates never seem to address or feel necessary.

Perhaps they should ask themselves what they think would be acceptable if it was a family member or friend who was the victim? But then they never seem to want to address that either. Lacking such awareness reduces their words to the usual smoke and mirrors that I personally have no time for-and in the end makes them shills and enablers.

Banks and Means-if in a poker game this was the only pair you had to draw to the better part of wisdom would be to fold- that is unless the jokers were allowed-but the pursuit for justice disabuses itself of jokers.

NOT A SINGULAR ISSUE

An important aspect of the Annie Mae case is that the “ownership” of it is spreading among a growing number of like minded people-to me that represents an awareness that it is about more than an singular issue.

It is of course intensely personal to Annie’s family, and I believe everyone has an understanding of that-but by association it is also intensely personal to all who suffer and are abused.

Personal to every raped and abused woman or child in the shared misery, personal to the
suvivors of every murdered person and the victim, whether it be Annie, Ray Robinson, those laying in anonymity at WK, or those who were victims  in other locales. Personal to those abducted and forced into the sex trade.

Personal to every young girl beguiled by an older man to be used and cast aside-with the expectation that they should feel honored and pleased in having been found worthy by those who profess “elk medicine”.

They represent a litany, an unanswered roll call, that all need to assume some degree of ownership in and demand not only answers, but justice. It should be personal to everyone.

Ownership is to say I take offense at these things, they are foreign and unacceptable to me as a human being-and in some manner I suffer, we all suffer, to a degree in knowing that society has not addressed these issues and the knowledge that  justice has yet to be served.

It is a suffering to know that you, your children, your loved ones and friends could be victims as well, if they haven’t already been.

Life is a powerful thing, but also a fragile one that should not be subject to the whims of anyone, or an unrestrained ability to decide who lives and who dies. War is one thing-murder another- and the circumstances that separate the two are the difference between night and day.

Annie Mae was not a victim of war as some would have it-the crimes committed at WK2, in the aftermath, and elsewhere were neither the result of, nor acts of war-they were singularly the commission of criminal acts, by criminals who authored them, with criminal intent as defined by any society of human beings that has ever existed.

The world for the most part looks on in shock and disbelief at the thought of Gadhafi making war on his own people-and yet it was much the same at WK2-ask the survivors who lost their homes and possessions-ask the victims who have yet to receive so much as a penny in compensation from the “liberators”. Ask the family of the old man confined to a wheelchair who was cast into the street.

It is reminiscent of the killing fields in Southeast Asia at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge who made war on their own people, and one can only wonder about the unknown graves and victims scattered about the landscape. It is no less an atrocity-it is only the numbers that differ.

The treatment of indigenous people throughout this hemisphere has appropriately been referred to as a Holocaust-history and the present bear grim testament to that-likewise WK2 was a holocaust. It isn’t enough that we have been killed by others, now our own kill us as well and call it war, justice, service, or an act of liberation-anything but what it  truly is.

This word war has become common in usage- a state of war exists here or there-there is a WAR on poverty, a WAR on drugs, ad infinitum. It is a word often used to mask the truth, to justify what is not justifiable.  If this is the correct application of the word then let there likewise be a WAR against injustice and the lack of closure for all the aforementioned victims and the survivors.  For the missing three thousand plus women indigenous women in Canada alone.

Many wars are based on national interest and what serves it-in their creation they are lacking this key element of justice. A just war would be one that serves a common welfare, that protects, secures, and provides justice and equality for all people.

Such a definition applies to those who would be leaders as well, and whether they are just. A man who has more than those around him who suffer in their need is no leader. A man who makes a career of charitable foundations, scams, and securing his livelihood from donations is no leader.

A man who circumvents justice and denies it to others, while always demanding his version of it for himself is no leader. A man who grows fat and comfortable in lean times, who is warm and sheltered when others are not is no leader. A man who has more than the least of his neighbors and is not willing to give or share it with them is no leader. Neither are those who create websites to prostitute ceremonies and traditional beliefs for their own gain.

Hopefully everyone will spend a moment or two examining their definitions of leadership and justice, and in doing so draw a comparison to what is, and what they think should be. Hopefully they will ask themselves when was the last time they heard  any of these leaders devote so much as a tenth of the time to speak about these issues as they do about themselves, their good works, and their personal spin on things?

These are not leaders-they are politicians first and foremost, cut from the same cloth. They have a “dream” to sell-”change” to offer-as politicians they believe they have an entitlement that excludes them from the same standard applied to others. They are above accountability, and when scales are employed to measure their “good works” against the loss and suffering of others they would have a free pass, a get out of jail card.
There’s a word that- that word is BULLSHIT.

THE INSIDER ?

I would qualify what I have to say by stating it is speculative and would be difficult to prove-that may change though as indictments are issued and someone begins to talk.

For some time now I have felt that among the AIM leadership there exists an inside man-someone who over a prolonged period of time funnelled just enough information to authorities to maintain a free hand and a level of tolerance.

Any who know me know that I don’t indulge in conspiracy theories-I have little willingness to entertain such things as fake lunar landings, the so called 911 truther movement, Oswald or any that.

That shouldn’t be  taken to imply that I out of hand accept official explanations-only  that I make the effort to research, think, and form an opinion based on that.  No implication either that I am above being in error.

This however is a little different for me, and something I haven’t spoken much about-recently though I have seen another on a forum allude to this very thing and it strikes a sympathetic chord in me.

If you look at the history there is an apparent measure of Teflon associated with the AIM hierarchy-some seem to have an abundance of it while others do not and seem to prefer to keep a low profile-that could just as easily be guilt rather than Teflon though.

This suggested insider would be forever linked to his handlers and if it were revealed could create a lot of embarrassment and questions.

By now we know all the players-take a look, examine the history and determine for yourself if the possibility exists-who would be likely candidates and why?  If there is a truth in this they have brilliantly and arrogantly hid in plain sight for decades.

A part of the “reasoning” for the murder of Annie Mae was the claim that people got busted around her. Let’s reverse that process and take a look at who has done what that you or I would have gone to jail for and yet they didn’t. Who is it that has always been the one who in the end remained above it all? Who at best only got the slap on the wrist, and why?

If further indictments ensue, some hint, some small clue, may be represented by who isn’t. This isn’t something that could be determined through freedom of information acts-rather someone stepping forward-even that would be a long shot I think as this most certainly would be a closely guarded secret that even a wife or husband may not be aware of.

As I say it is speculation, but one I think with a certain logic to it and something I will address again at a later time-in the meantime think about it.

BELA AND ANNIE MAE

Like everyone I am the product of my personal experiences, there have been a lot of influences in my life-some positive, some negative.

In my previous blog I wrote about not choosing to be silent about the things we believe, and that has led me to think about some of the people who have influenced my life.

One of these was a grandfatherly old man named Bela. He was Hungarian and grew up during the time of the Soviet invasion and oppression. As a very young man he fought in the streets against better armed and disciplined troops.  Suffered numerous wounds, was imprisoned, and routinely beaten.

Through it all he took a stand for what he believed in, and ultimately one could say he “outlasted” his adversaries.

With Bela you had no doubt he was a man-you knew where he stood and where you stood-what you saw was exactly what you got, and it was refreshing for it’s honesty and lack of guile. He was what many would refer to as a simple man-he had simple beliefs, a thing was either right or wrong and there was no middle ground-that too was refreshing.

He treated women and children as though they were a gift, something special, delighted in their company, and woe to the man who would abuse one them.

While I am not familiar with Hungarian customs I often thought he embraced many of the nations traditions without knowing them or attempting to. He was a warrior in every sense of the word and could have given lessons to many among us who claim to be.

A lie was a foul and abhorrent thing to him, as were self advancement at the cost of others, betrayal of your own, or accepting any transgression upon what he considered to be the sovereign right of himself or any people.

Ultimately the SunDance is about sacrifice for one’s people-that may not always be the case now when many consider it a resume builder or a book title, but unknown to him Bela’s life could truly be said to be his Sundance in the context he lived it.

He passed away a few years ago after a courageous battle against insurmountable odds and I recall a conversation with him at one point where he described a visit he had from a son-in-law.

Seems this son-in-law was one of those new age crystal wavers and in his misguided attempts to assist(?) Bela told him not to fear death and just “go to the light”.
I had to laugh when Bela told him where he could put that light. He asked me if I thought he was afraid of dying and I replied I didn’t think he feared anything.

He went on to explain to me that he wasn’t afraid but he just didn’t run from a fight, and he considered his illness a fight-one he had no illusions of winning and no fear of losing. That any illness suffered by anyone was an unnatural oppression, an injustice not to meekly submit to.

Well, Bela has gone to this light now, he did so with the honor and dignity of who he was and left a legacy befitting a man, a warrior.

I don’t employ this term warrior much for a variety of reasons-among them  that in the many undeserved applications now it has become devalued-it isn’t blood that makes a warrior-and liars, con artists, thieves, alcohol and substance abusers, wife and child beaters, and rapists don’t comprise that list-though many who fall into any of those categories would argue the point.

It is a sad commentary in a way that one who was not of the nations was more of a warrior in the finest of the nations traditions than the many who make the claim-one who would never have thought to describe himself in such a manner.

I periodically stop by the place Bela rests to pay respect-a few years ago I placed a feather upon his grave and I find it fitting that it remains to this day.

Bela was an influence in my life, much the same as Annie Mae has been, and I see character similarities between the two. Both understood the difference between right and wrong, and both stood their ground.

In their legacies they outlasted their opponents, and continue to influence others. Neither silent nor accepting in their lifetime and willing to go where the fight was, intent on enduring, I think they both achieved that-Bela with the oppressors in his land, and Annie with the oppressors in ours, who ultimately murdered her, and to this day refer to themselves as warriors.

NO SILENCE

Silence isn’t an option, and often times I think the causes we align ourselves with choose us as much as we choose them.

That having to do with personality, influences, and what we have experienced in our own lives. Sometimes it is enough to see or hear of an injustice that is completely unrelated to us-sometimes it is the result of friendship, education, a social awareness, or a circumstance
visited upon family, friends, and loved ones.

Ultimately the good that can be accomplished is in direct ratio to the dedication we show as individuals. At times frustration takes hold, or impatience, even anger-but that is a thing those who create injustice rely upon-someone once told me if I was in a fight and couldn’t beat my
opponent to outlast them.

Sound advice, as long as we remain on our feet we need to keep punching. No quit, no time out, no ebb and flow-only consistent determination and the will  to prevail in the pursuit of justice and what defines us as human beings.

There is no way I am familiar with to calculate our individual impact as advocates for Annie Mae, and by extension advocacy for issues too numerous to mention-but in the collective effort they are apparent-and that should impel us all to outlast our opponents.

Know this-every voice, be it that of a man, woman, or child, is of value and a worthy contribution-strength comes from unity, common cause and the willingness to make known what we as individual people stand for.

You have a voice, let it be heard.

RAY ROBINSON AND THE NAACP

For all the struggles, failures, and successes of African American organizations like the NAACP, the MLK Center for Non Violent Social Change, or persons like Jesse Jackson, Dexter Scott King, and others, I’m not aware of any active involvement by them in pursuing the truth about Ray Robinson and his murder at WK2.

The Rev. Ralph Abernathy made the statement at WK2 to Means, Banks, and others on 3-8-73 that ” I will do everything in my power to cause the White House to intercede and cause the Secretary of The Interior to reopen negotiations.”

Dick Gregory stood with Marlon Brando in front of the court house at Cedar Rapids, Iowa on 7-8-76-but who stands now for Ray, his widow, and his orphaned children?

Here you have a person who was active, committed, and known in the lodestone that was the civil rights movement-yet seemingly has been all but forgotten and ignored, while other cases from as far back as the fifties and sixties have been pursued.

Ray Robinson was murdered for being an unrepentent  black man who wouldn’t kiss the various AIM “massa’s” asses -that is  not only a criminal act but a violation of his rights, and I fail to see any difference in that he wasn’t lynched, hung from a tree, or dragged behind an automobile somewhere in the South.

If members of King’s own family in their interest and pursuit of justice can announce that they did not believe James Earl Ray was their fathers killer and in turn become advocates for him, surely those in leadership can make an effort to bring justice and closure to Robinson’s family-he deserves something more than laying in an unmarked grave as the victim of a group of xenophobic petty thugs. There is a dearth of modern day heroes and I would think Ray fills the bill.

Whatever legacy the NAACP creates will forever be lessened by their apparent failure to actively pursue and address the issue of Ray Robinson.

I think it was only natural for Ray that in recognizing a familiar misery the nations faced he went to WK2 with the best of intentions, and a sincere desire to assist-I also think that in very short order he saw through the charade that was the AIM leadership, witnessed the looting  and pillaging, spoke out about it, showed his disdain, and that set the stage for his murder.

After all who was this “uppity nigger” to challenge or disrespect such great “warriors”, such revered “medicine men”, such “freedom figthers”?

One of the definitions in looking up the word nigger is “a person of ANY race or origin regarded as contemptible, inferior, ignorant, etc.” I’d say the only “niggers” based on their contemptible, inferior, and ignorant actions present at wk2 were the AIM leadership.

Ray Robinson was anything but a “nigger”, above all other things he was a good and decent man-his history verifies that, maybe some day people will understand that being a man has nothing to do with ethnicity.

My advice to the AIM  brotherhood? Tighten up those sphincters boys, the man’s going to be coming round sooner or later.

One should not forget that in promoting the ravaging and destruction of wk2 as a “liberation” holiday it is in effect also a celebration of every wrong committed there-every abuse, and every murder-whether it be Ray’s, Annie’s in the aftermath, or those in unknown graves-hell of thing that, and speaks volumes about any who either promote or celebrate that event.

Some may be excused for doing so due to a lack of knowledge, or understanding concerning the truth, others most assuredly cannot, and view it only as another opportunity to get some air time.

I find it not only a profound mystery, but a grave disservice to Ray, to his family, and black people in general, that in searching the net you are hard pressed to find any advocacy for him other than in sites like IWJ and NFIC-and yet the net is inundated with AIM and those too familiar “leaders” spinning their tales, promoting themselves, and denying everything but the incontestable fact that the sun does rise and set. They may get around to that though, or take credit for it.

One thing for sure though-neither AIM or the NAACP is leading the charge-understandable for the one-a pity for the other. I never knew Ray, but  with some it isn’t necessary to have known them personally to know the kind of individual they were.

There are songs to be found about Annie on the net, how about one for Ray? How about some justice for Ray and his family-he is no less a victim, and no less deserving.

http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=9&Itemid=66

http://www.jfamr.org/naet.html

http://www.naacp.org/programs/entry/justice

OF WHAT IMPORTANCE?

Since most of the roles of saviors and messiahs have already been taken little has been left for the AIM leadership than to characterize themselves as modern day Magi-they seem to think they  are the ones pointing to the star and leading the way.

The gifts they have borne are something less than precious though, no frankincense or myrrh-to the contrary mostly destruction and increased hardship for the people while their personal situation more closely reflects suburbia than the rez, what with their ranches,
businesses, and the ever present “charitable” foundations.

To view their financial situations it would appear as though the process has been reversed-a sense of entitlement and a belief the gifts are to be layed at their feet.

Whether it was a young girls body to be used and cast aside, frequent flyer miles amassed while going first class, hurried cash  settlements to waive lawsuits against sports teams made on the way  out of town, or the ability to create a movement predicated on a false denial of guilt.

In comparison, of what importance was it that some died along the way like Annie Mae and Ray Robinson-if Nogeeshik burned to death while confined to a wheel chair, or Giago’s newspaper was fire bombed?

Was the cost Riegert, Gildersleeve, or the village of Wounded Knee made to pay of greater value? Is the cost PR pays to this day in the aftermath of greater significance? Or the stereotypical bum rap all the nations face as a result of the Magi?

None of the  nations ever turned to or accepted the tainted money or verbal allegiance of oppressive dictatorships, of communist countries like the former  Soviet Union, but the organization the Magi represented saw only the money, the ever present priority -and prostituted every tradition ever known to chase after it.

To this day the charade continues while they speak of pride in association-Madoff must be green with envy at their success. Don’t forget to send that monetary homage, or purchase one of those books-they have an expectation to maintain the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.

Below you will find a letter written by Barbara Nixon, a former AIM member, addressed to one of the Magi, and also mentions others in the process. I’d say like Lucy, someone’s got some ‘splaining to do.

Barbara Nixon
AN OPEN LETTER TO CLYDE BELLECOURT:
Long one….worth the read……

Clyde
I never knew. I never knew when I danced in support at your sundances
…those 4 years, the kind of man you were. I never knew when I stayed at
your home what you were capable of ….or suspected of………….of
all things conspiracy to murder. The years that I spent as a
supporter of the American Indian Movement, in Pipestone, and at GGC
meetings in Minneapolis, I thought you were a good man…doing good
things for your people….what a joke Clyde. The times that I spent
staying with you and your wife Peggy, and catering to that venomous
tongued brother of yours, Vernon.I never realized, I never knew…
who or what I was involving myself with when I became a member of AIM,
or the dangers that came along with my affiliation. I respected you, AIM
was something that I wanted to be a part of.Those four years that I
spent going to AIM Sundance’, I stood strong, regardless of the
physical, mental, and emotional tests that I was put through, not only
by my supporting and participating, but by the very people that I was
supporting. . I stood strong for AIM, for Derek Whirlwind GGC member who
introduced me to the movement and its leadership, I stood in AWE of
your ceremonies, at the strength, endurance, and sacrifice that was
made for the ‘Oyate’.There
was nothing negative that anyone could have ever said to me about
‘Clyde Bellecourt’. It was truly an eye opener to feel prejudice for the
first time in my life walking in the other guys moccasins…….never the
less a good thing for me spiritually. I had grown so much as a person
those years, and as a woman, my eyes opened from a sheltered life living
in New York.Blessings from Dennis Banks came, on the formation of
AIM in the Northeast that Derek and I founded on behalf of AIM. It was a
time of change we thought …where finally there might be some hope of
‘Solidarity’ between West and East. That Native Americans might move
foreword in this new Native American Civil Rights Movement of a new
millennium.It was the same year that Ingrid Washawuntuck , was
honored at AIM’s Sundance, that I began to hear the whispers through
camp of…Annie Mae. It was the women that whispered when they talked
about her, usually at night when camp became quiet. Words from women
like Lina, Vernon’s ex wife……Flower, Little Buffalo, and even Raven
Bellecourt ( Vernon’s daughter)… crying to me at one point that, she
just wanted to get away from all ‘this’ and anything that had to do with
AIM; begging me to take her back to New York with Derek and I when we
left because she was so ashamed of the ‘things’ her father Vernon had
done…….I just didn’t get any of it then. I didn’t understand…I never
knew……… Because I had ears to listen with, a ‘good heart’
that I came with, and a strong body to endure, I continued on the
struggle for Native rights… this is when everything started to become
tense and confusing. The Mohawks, the Oneida’s the Peaquat’s, the
Mic Mac’s, the Maliseet, Aqwasasknee, to name a few of the tribal
representatives that we met with…. were angry. The Name Annie Mae was
not whispered anymore in the darkness of night …it was being screamed
out by the people….‘WE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH AIM UNTIL WE FIND
OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNIE MAE!’ I still didn’t understand.It was in
2002.…February, right after a GGC meeting in Minneapolis Clyde, that
Vernon went into a vicious verbal tirade, waving his cane at everyone
stating that he should beat the fuck out of us all…Derek had
challenged him of the rumors about Annie Mae.This was the same man
…who when I first met him referred to ALL women, including his wife and
daughter…. as ‘nothing but C_ _TS.’ Now in my direct line of sight
I witnessed the real Vernon…a man who hated women, and displayed direct
acts of violence towards them when either questioned or challenged by
them…..even Your wife Peggy…..your brother threatened. It was the
next morning Clyde when a phone call had come in from Vernon, that we
were being ‘summoned’ to meet him at Pepito’s restaurant in Minneapolis
for an early lunch. The atmosphere was ominous and foreboding, the place
small and dingy. Remember Clyde..you were there. Vernon, Mary Jane
Medrano or MJ… MJ’s son Dave Wilson, Jim Anderson, his wife, myself,
Derek Whirlwind…..wittness’ Clyde……. of how your brother
threatened to kill me…to do the same thing to me that he did to that
‘MIC MAC’ Woman… Vernon yelling at me, something that he was infamous
for, that made several people from the table get up to leave. It
was then Clyde, when your brother Vern looked at me raising up from the
table a bit and said ..’What is your name again….Nixon? You’re a white
woman that does‘t belong in Indian business, you’re an infiltrator, a
fed and a pig….. I was speechless and very confused. ‘I’ll find out
about you too, he said …and take care of you too… the same way I did
that Mic Mac Woman’. Remember Clyde…Grabbing him by the arm to sit
back down, you told him to ‘Shut up…..It was not good to be talking
about this stuff … to be quiet…. so that the people might forget…….!’
I turned to walk out, Derek dragging me by the arm…. Vernon uttered
again his final threat……”’You’ll be lucky if you don’t find yourself
in a ditch too.’ Our affiliation with the American Indian Movement was over.That
was over 8 years ago, and my travels have taken me to many places in
Indian Country in search of answers, from Nova Scotia to Wounded Knee to
find out about this ‘Mic Mac’ woman called Annie Mae.People are
saying that you were involved with her murder Clyde, and that your
brother Vernon gave the order…. and that you carried it out.Clyde…its
only a matter of time until they will come for you. It is time for you
and Dennis to step up… as Dennis once said ‘we will all have to take
responsibility for our actions in the end.’ Clyde…The end has
come…………don’t go to your Creator with this horrible evil on your
soul………. Thank you Clyde for keeping your brother off of me
that day, so that I can be here to speak of my knowledge of AIM, its
internal workings, its member, and about your brother. I know you were
your brothers keeper your whole life, it showed the way he treated
you……but he’s gone Clyde…or is he? Who are you still protecting or
hiding…everybody knows Clyde…everybody. Barbara Nixon
Wall Photos
AIM WILL NEVER EVER GET MY SUPPORT….NEVER!
Id like a answer from AIM, if you think Annie Mae was innocent and
such a good person why is none from AIM supporting action for justice
for her murder, why has Means removed all traces of posts and links
from his web pages.
why was no AIM… hierarchy at Annie Mae’s funeral.
why is it that the same names come up in testimony after testimony,
Peltier, Graham Means Banks.
the links are already their the jig saw puzzle slowly gets put back
together after 34 years of hiding it, John Grahams trial this week is
not the end, its the beginning of the end for lots of people.
AIM WILL NEVER HAVE MY SUPPORT EVER!

And finally a couple of gems from Means:
How do you feel about the accusations of stereotyping that some have made about your movie roles: Pochahontas, The Last of the Mohicans, and Natural Born Killers?

“There are no stereotypes in Pochahontas.. None whatsoever. That’s the finest movie ever done about Indian people in Hollywood. “

What about your role in Natural Born Killers?

“I was the only “good” thing in it. I don’t mean that facetiously. Everything and everyone else in it was evil or bad. That was one of my proudest achievements in acting. [The director] Oliver Stone intercut a couple of my scenes, the dying scene and the singing with the gourd by the fire, throughout the movie. It was a great chance for me as an actor. I had to speak Navajo in the movie, and I know I spoke it very badly, but at least I got to speak [as an Indian], and I also handled a coiled rattlesnake. It was a very satisfying experience, and I like the movie’s statement and so did the rest of America.”

Fails to mention above that the handling of snakes in his great acting job was offensive to the Dine as they believe them to be unclean- but then of what importance is that? And I wonder exactly what statement the movie made in it’s totality of being “evil or bad”? I assume then I am a minority of one, as I thought the movie was a waste of time and money. And Pocahontas is Hollywood’s finest effort? Get real Russell.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LakotaLance#p/a/f/0/Zbkm1lMI0DU

http://legendofpineridge.blogspot.com/2009/07/pbs-accused-of-distorting-indian.html

blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/oldnews/archives/186?elr=…

GHADAFI-THE REPUBLIC, ASYLUM, AND THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

I suppose I should begin by stating that I’m not a foreign affairs expert, nor do I belong to a “think tank”-never even been invited to participate in one. But that suits me, as I believe they are for the most part comprised of arrogant, full of themselves, over inflated gas bags.

I have opinions about things, among them opinions about the Middle East-I think people have a right to be free, to be secure in their person, and to rid themselves of despotic rulers-that’s the gist of it.

A real talking point for some is the “Zionists”, and that Palestine is a clone of the American rez-maybe it is-but terms like Zionist sound too much like something Aryan Nations would say for me, those supremists who are opposed to everyone  who isn’t white, and think Adolph was a stand up guy.

That’s EVERYONE, including the indigenous-but the usage of such a term is popular armchair anarchist fare and I suspect will forever remain in the lexicon of some who call themselves patriots.

In following events in the Middle East, in particular the dystopian society of Libya, and while being aware of AIM’s penchant for going where the dollar is and looking for those “donations” and “investments” from Oberst Ghadafi, I wonder if there is a sense of opportunity?

Maybe Gadhafi could be granted asylum in the faux Republic and transfer all that ill gotten gain to the so called Indigenous Bank-think of the financial windfall- a chicken in every pot, an Iphone in every pocket, and two cars in every garage.

There’s an old saying that a man is known by the company he keeps-more and more that has the ring of truth-but I think nations are also known by the company they keep, and I am of the belief that if some reversal of process eventuates and it is the people who make the decisions as is their right, Gadhafi would have to take his money and go to Venezuela or some other Utopian dreamland-at least in this hypothetical scenario.

The collecting of donations, or so called investments from dictators whose hands drip with blood will not create anything of value, soliciting or accepting what amounts to blood money to facilitate some alleged good is akin to a Mafia kingpin who lives a life of crime and then purchases a dispensation from the church to  absolve it-neither have value, and neither will work.