Balkanize:
1.
to divide (a country, territory, etc.) into small, quarrelsome, ineffectual states.
2.
( often lowercase ) to divide (groups, areas, etc.) into contending and usually ineffectual factions: a movement to balkanize minority voters.
AIM in it’s various incarnations has attempted to balkanize the nations by creating several chapters that usually engage in intra-organizational fighting and attempts to present themselves as THE only real AIM-in doing so they attempt to create and claim “statehood” boundaries as in being independently sovereign and are prone to wave their particular flag in furtherance of that.
In addition they draw up individual “constitutions” and bylaws, designate various ministries and heads of those departments along with appropriately lofty and pretentious title-sounds very “colonial” doesn’t it? I wonder if there is a Ministry of Colonialism whose mandate is to facilitate the transition?
Particularly telling when they also continue each to their own announcing that they are a people’s movement and as such are singularly about being purveyors of unity and service-while their rivals are anything but.
This division, this pursuit of territory under the misnomer of autonomy, despite what the “press releases” may say isn’t completely accurate as they share many things in common, in the most part it is about the acquisition of membership and the influence that accompanies it-it is a game of numbers that will dictate such diverse things as public funding and private donations-the larger the numbers the larger the prize.
As in all such territorial disputes vitriol, accusations, and even threats are routinely exchanged- a classic fight between school yard bullies who find they must confront each other if they are to have any hope of being seen as credible, of expansion.
All that is lacking is to issue a doctrine of Manifest Destiny and an understanding that a land parched by abuse produces little in the way of sustenance for those who live upon it.
The creation of the so called Republic of Lakota was one such attempt taken to the next level-an attempt to deliver a fait accompli to rivals based on grandiose aspirations of leadership and shored up by the following announcement of the IBank and such promotional toasters and door prizes as “citizenship”, no taxation, the issuance of RoL passports and driver’s licenses. Something for everybody indigenous or non indigenous.
Now whether Russell considers himself to be an AIM member or the face of it may presently be open to question following his half dozen resignations and the linked statement made during the 80′s. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/08/us/indian-group-founder-retires.html..
Fully Integrated Russell said-what a bizarre statement.
A certainty though is that both the RoL and the bank have flown a shorter distance than the Wright Brothers plane at Kitty Hawk.
The flight at Kitty Hawk, though short lived in duration, was in retrospect a resounding success that ultimately set a course leading to modern aviation.
The only course set by the formation of the RoL is one that leads to the door of the “chief facilitator”-and it is for this reason that the wings have fallen off.
It requires more than rhetoric to realize a dream-it takes an integrity of purpose, of dedication to the sustained welfare of a people, of nations, but perhaps more than that it takes commitment after the sound bites begin to reverberate only as distant echoes and a lack of ego, or at least the willingness to rise above it.
No single person or group has ownership of the dreams of self rule-neither does any single nation-if such a dream is to be realized it will acquire an unprecedented all encompassing national tribal unity-for none can be free but for all to be free. That is what we are all related means.
It is easier to change local and state government than the national one-as much as we might desire to live without playing the game of politics it has become an onus to do so, and so an emphasis should be placed on electing at least some of our own to local and state positions in a grassroots movement-that will allow access and ability to create legislation that mere inert declarations of republics and banks can never hope to achieve.
I have asked previously if anyone with a story to relate of how either the RoL or the bank has personally improved their life, made any discernible difference would comment-I’m still awaiting a reply and so asking it again.
Surely if there is any viability to either there must be at least one such story to share-and no, if facilitators are the only ones who have benefited that doesn’t count.
Has the “bank” done so much as to fund the repairs of homes, to address that mold problem Russell was so adamant about, assisted anyone with a loan directed towards such a project, or to provide seed money for a small business venture?
Or are they dedicated to the funding of Ranch projects like schools etc that are situated on private property, privately instituted, and therefore privately controlled? No doubt incorporated as well.
Does this bank have an office with a vault, has it deposited it’s highly touted hundred thousand dollars of capitalization in another bank for safe keeping and insurance reasons? Or is it buried in a tin can somewhere known only to a select few, kind of like those unmarked graves of WK2?
Where exactly is the bank located and how does one access it? Does it operate from someone’s home-are the books open to public examination? I’m confident it would accept saving account deposits but does it offer checking accounts, debit cards or direct deposit of public assistance checks as well? I’m kind of doubting that.
So if in fact it doesn’t operate as a full service bank what qualifies the designation of bank-is it just a giant ceramic pig with a slot in the top to drop money into?
Is it an “investment bank”? If so what portfolios does it offer and what are the returns?
Time has passed since the formation of the both the Rol and the bank-seems timely and service oriented to issue a progress report detailing the activities of the bank and it’s current state of solvency doesn’t it?
Not a glib video update, but verifiable facts and figures -I think we can pass on a RoL update as we all know how that is going.
The value of AIM lays solely among the rank and file-the ones who do the work within their communities and whose names you will seldom if ever hear – if they are committed to the work they do it would serve a great purpose to take control of their chapters, promote transparency and responsiveness , to make it a true peoples movement.
Bureaucrats are difficult enough to deal with, but petty bureaucrats are the bane of human existence.
