TO LET THAT GO

At times in the past I have posted a blog centered around a comment I have received, that is the nature of this one.

Below are a couple of comments I received yesterday and this morning in the Philip Nolan blog-they are well written and non confrontational, polite even, something not always the case.

After thinking about it a couple of things stand out to me I want to comment about-one “being whether or not his lineage is true”.

If it exists in the OST records it no doubt exists in other places, and were it not true for a man who went to great links to identify himself not only as Lakota, but as the “chief facilitator” for a non existent republic he claimed to have created for them, then the only reason I can think of for not  addressing it would have been to avoid being outed.

To say that no one is perfect is accurate, but to ignore that there are degrees of imperfection and wanton imperfection as a quasi defense is singularly without merit.

I say wanton in the context of willful, knowing the right or wrong of a thing and doing it anyway. It is something sociopaths are noted for-placing themselves and what they want above all other considerations. Though some would argue sociopaths haven’t the same understanding of right and wrong that others do- that they are without a conscience.

As you can see I was advised to “nit pick” about whatever I wanted, but I for one don’t consider addressing the issues this blog has as nit picking, nor do I consider it to be throwing stones- if it is then at least it hasn’t been bullets or fire bombs and I’ve left no bodies in my wake-but then I suppose I’m nit picking again.

Doing what a person thinks is right as some sort of qualification is a hollow attempt at best to qualify what cannot be qualified- I think rapists must think what they are doing is right, murderers must as well.

If a person cheats to gain an advantage they must also think it is right to do so, as must liars and thieves-but the consensus is that they are not. And that is what defines the individual.

Russell Means defined himself, just as we all do in the choices he made and the things he did, I can’t think of anything that changes that.

db
Submitted on 2012/11/19 at 9:36 pm

Whether or not his lineage is true, or whatever backbiting happens in the community, you have to let that go. No person is perfect. Russell Means was a famous face that could bring attention to the plight of all peoples. It doesn’t really matter what his bloodwork says, or what some documents say, or what other people say about the human behind the concepts. He was a positive influence as much as he was a negative influence. Nit pick about whatever you want, but Russell did what he thought was right, and he preached a lot of great things. Again, not perfect, but I ask that you not throw stones. I doubt you are perfect either.

Rezinate
db-not being perfect myself and never having expected it of anyone, I’ve attempted to live my life with a measure of integrity and principles- I  don’t think that is too much to expect of someone who attempts to portray themselves as a leader or “patriot”.

AIM’s desire has always been for people “to let that go”-to let go and forget the rampage at WK2, the murders of Annie Mae, Ray Robinson, and countless others-all which occurred as they were doing what they thought was “right”.

These things are never right under any pretext-and when what remains of the AIM leadership lets go of the lies and accepts responsibility for their actions, then, and only then, will I let go of what you so cavalierly refer to as nitpicking.

Russell Means was an unrepentant liar and con artist-if you are able to find a “lot of good things in that” it is your choice to do so, but I beg to differ.

db    
Submitted on 2012/11/20 at 1:43 pm | In reply to rezinate.

That is not to say that you have to forgive or forget what has happened in the past, buy it is best to accept it for what it is. There is no changing what happened in any of the circumstances you mention. How does AIM move forward is the real question. Letting go of that past to not let it cloud the present, and working constructively toward a brighter future.

As for Russell, he may have lied, he may have used certain things to his own personal advantage, but name me a leader who has not.

Rezinate
AIM moves forward by becoming a real peoples movement for the first time in it’s four plus decades history. Progress is made by addressing issues, not attempting to bury them as they did at WK2, or taking an abducted woman to a remote area and shooting her in the back of the head after first interrogating and abusing her.

A peoples movement that recognizes and empowers the individual, a movement that seeks direction either by consensus or majority and not by the  arbitrary decisions of a select few sitting at the top.

A novel concept for AIM and it’s leadership, but long past due.

It moves forward by a leadership whose hallmark is truthfulness and integrity, not self enrichment or the pursuit of power and celebrity. Something not a one of the leadership is known for.

If it is merely a matter or forgiving and forgetting then we should all set aside the injustices of the past-we should forgive and forget about the inequities of treaties and the violation of them.

We shouldn’t rail about the rape of our women at the hands of non indigenous while making excuses for such things if the perpetrater is one of our own.

But if we were to do that there would be no forward movement, no bright future, much the same as there will be none until AIM is held accountable.

In the “to accept it for what it is” nothing is remediated, wounds aren’t healed, and the justice graves cry out for is not obtained. It amounts to a free pass, and in a very real sense a license to kill, a continuation of pimping the poverty and misery of the nations.

My understanding of forgiveness is that it is interactive-admissions are made, an act of contrition occurs in doing so, and an understanding that the offense will not be repeated.

AIM and it’s leadership have never done so-they instead have fabricated lie upon lie, never accepted responsibility for anything, and continue in the same vein as they always have.

None of the leadership is worthy of forgiving and forgetting-they are not representative of either the nations or tradition, and have become indistinguishable from the greed and corruption so characteristic of the very system they claim to stand in opposition of.

Accepting this is far from being the “best” choice-it is surrender, an admission of defeat, another bogus treaty made with self serving oppressors.