Ready for an infuriating story?

After a 3000 mile chase, Chief Joseph is ready for anything...

Say hello to Bryan Fischer, Communications and Policy wonk at The American Family Association, a paleolithic Right-wing organization so hard-bit by the crazy, so fundamentally rotten with fascistic Christian racism that it, quite frankly, defies description.

How crazy? How racist? How Christo-fascistic?  Let his own words, at the AFA Blog, do the talking

The Amorites, or Canaanite peoples, practiced one moral abomination after another, whether it was incest, adultery, sexual immorality, homosexuality, bestiality or child sacrifice, and God finally said “Enough!”

By the time he brought the nascent nation of Israel to the borders of the land flowing with milk and honey, he had already been patient with the native tribes for 400 years, waiting for them to come to the place of repentance for their socially and spiritually degrading practices.

Hmmm...Sounds good. Please go on, Mr. Fischer.

Okay, Fischer, we get it. You don't like Jews and clearly believe that everything got prior to the theft of Palestine foundation of Israel was on their own heads. But, what the fuck does that have to do with us?

The native American tribes at the time of the European settlement and founding of the United States were, virtually without exception, steeped in the basest forms of superstition, had been guilty of savagery in warfare for hundreds of years, and practiced the most debased forms of sexuality.

Huh?

Many of the tribal reservations today remain mired in poverty and alcoholism because many native Americans continue to cling to the darkness of indigenous superstition instead of coming into the light of Christianity and assimilating into Christian culture.

What?

Sadly, this column will likely generate a firestorm of nuclear proportions among wingers on the left rather than the thoughtful reflection the thesis deserves.

Holy. Shit.

So, now we have clearly deranged, mentally unstable, militant Dominionist, Nazi-clones telling us to give their vile screed "thoughtful reflection". Okay, Fischer, here's the thoughtful reflection you deserve, also from an alleged man of God, Fr. Bartolome De Las Casas, who traveled with the Spanish progenitors of the genocide inflicted on MesoAmerican Indians. 

These are the actions of the "enlightening" Christians that Fischer would have us emulate.

• And never have the Indians in all the Indies committed any act against the Spanish Christians, until those Christians have first and many times committed countless cruel aggressions against them or against neighboring nations.

• We can estimate very surely and truthfully that in the forty years that have passed, with the infernal actions of the Christians, there have been unjustly slain more than twelve million men, women, and children. In truth, I believe without trying to deceive myself that the number of the slain is more like fifteen million.

• After the wars and the killings had ended, when usually there survived only some boys, some women, and children, these survivors were distributed among the Christians to be slaves.

• These people are the most devoid of rancors, hatreds, or desire for vengeance of any people in the world.

• Their reason for killing and destroying such an infinite number of souls is that the Christians have an ultimate aim, which is to acquire gold, and to swell themselves with riches in a very brief time and thus rise to a high estate disproportionate to their merits.

• They attacked the towns and spared neither the children nor the aged nor pregnant women nor women in childbed, not only stabbing them and dismembering them but cutting them to pieces as if dealing with sheep in the slaughter house.

• They made some low wide gallows on which the hanged victim's feet almost touched the ground, stringing up their victims in lots of thirteen, in memory of Our Redeemer and His twelve Apostles, then set burning wood at their feet and thus burned them alive.

• They made a grid of rods which they placed on forked sticks, then lashed the victims to the grid and lighted a smoldering fire underneath, so that little by little, as those captives screamed in despair and torment, their souls would leave them.

So, Mr. Fischer, we've been down this road before. We've seen what happens when we yield to the temptation of "assimiliation" and the cheap murderous, totalitarian thrills of a "Christian Nation".


Please, die horribly, painfully and slowly now.

Perhaps by being given to priests?

-d.s. 

Let's take a minute to think about "circle sentencing"

I presently do complex civil litigation, typically involving land use, ocean access and construction work: Usually, it's rich developers suing rich companies and bringing in rich insurers. Not too much black-hat/white-hat stuff, usually.

However, my first love has always been tribal law. It's the reason I went to law school, and that's what brought me to the Great Plains. One of the fascinating things about indigenous law is the over-arching concept of "punishment" as much more a community shunning than it is one of vindiction as in Anglo legal traditions (yep, was a philosophy guy in college, why do you ask?). Particularly interesting is the concept of "circle sentencing"

 "John Marshall" of the Lakota.

What is circle sentencing? Interesting really, it's a form of "restorative justice" that takes into account all of the needs and concerns of the interested parties and victims of a particular crime. The State of California describes it pretty well.

A sentencing circle is a community-directed process, conducted in partnership with the criminal
justice system, to develop consensus on an appropriate sentencing plan that addresses the
concerns of all interested parties. Sentencing circles — sometimes called peacemaking circles —
use traditional circle ritual and structure to involve the victim, victim supporters, the offender,
offender supporters, judge and court personnel, prosecutor, defense counsel, police, and all
interested community members. Within the circle, people can speak from the heart in a shared
search for understanding of the event, and together identify the steps necessary to assist in
healing all affected parties and prevent future crimes.

Sentencing circles typically involve a multi-step procedure that includes: (1) application by the
offender to participate in the circle process; (2) a healing circle for the victim; (3) a healing circle
for the offender; (4) a sentencing circle to develop consensus on the elements of a sentencing
plan; and (5) follow-up circles to monitor the progress of the offender. The sentencing plan may
incorporate commitments by the system, community, and family members, as well as by the
offender. Sentencing circles are used for adult and juvenile offenders with a variety of offenses
and have been used in both rural and urban settings. Specifics of the circle process vary from
community to community and are designed locally to fit community needs and culture.

It sounds dirty hippy, but trust me; it's not.

Seems a fascinating concept, doesn't it? And one which would definitely be more at odds with the notion of punishment as a mechanism for restitution and rehabilitation, doesn't it? 

Well, imagine my surprise, when I was reading the local paper today, and the concepts of "circle sentencing" were brought to bear on the tragic story involving a 1-year old killed by a drunken driver:

Cradling a photo of his little girl, Wayne Braden sat in court with a heavy heart. A happy child who loved dogs and the ocean, 17-month-old Aliyah was the apple of her father's eye.

"There's thousands of girls that look just like that, beautiful, who are out there waiting to be smashed by drunks who have no consideration whatsoever," Braden said.

* * *

"I stand before you today with my head down in shame and with guilt for what I have taken from you," Kaleohano-Knittle said through tears. "You may never be able to forgive me. I have deprived you of your child."

"I acknowledge the devastation that I have caused in your life," Kaleohano-Knittle said. "Your continuing pain and sorrow are in my heart forever."

* * *

The 51-year-old says she no longer drinks, attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and wants to speak about her experience to schools and community groups.

"I will work tirelessly to keep drunk drivers off the road," she said through tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

* * * 

Wayne Braden then stood up and hugged his daughter's killer, bringing others in the courtroom to tears.

* * *

"What I just witnessed was one of the most extraordinary acts of compassion and contrition that I have seen," Elizabeth Strance, Circuit Court judge, said.

So, when you hear the concept of circle sentencing and restorative justice; this is what we're talking about: Not a group kumbaya, but the best interests of the victim, his/her family, the state, and the offender. FWIW; this lady was then sentenced to ten years in prison, financial restitution and community service relating to her already-prolific anti-drunk driving public service work.

A tragedy not compounded by punitive measures is the point.

-d.s.

Sad day for human knowledge...

 

The Andaman and Nicobar Island chain, nestled in the Bengali Bay, are the site of some of the oldest, continuous human habitation. There are less than 250 Native Andamaran tribesmen left today.

Via several sources, but notably A Blog About History, comes some sad news. Boa, the last known native speaker of the Bo or Aka-Bo Language, has passed away. The loss of any indigenous langauge, plant, people, animal is always a bad thing, but this one was particular devastating, as this language was sort of a linguistic missing link; spoken for nearly 70,000 years. 

Globalization's unforeseen effects: Losing our cultural patrimony throughout the world.

Sadly, the situation across the globe is not just like losing the dodo or the carrier pigeon or the panda; according to UNESCO there are literally 6000 indigenous languages that are on the verge of being extinct. Every time we lose one of those, we lose not only a link to our past, but another piece of the puzzle in reconstructing our habitation and migration on this lonely planet.

To hear the haunting, lilting melody that was the now extinct Aka-Bo language, check out the BBC's article on this story.

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Friday ain't got no soul

But, it does have Soulfly. I love this song. And I love this video.

 Probably the coolest video made in that last 5 years.

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Remember Wounded Knee: A rez story

 

 No, Russell, we won't forget what you did, and have done, for us. But, we also can't condone what you've done to us, to your loved ones, and the cause either.

This is a hard, very fucking hard, post to write. You've likely deduced from some other posts, that I am an enrolled member of an indigenous Amer-Indian tribe.*  And, it is one of the few things in life that I take quite seriously. It is the obligation of history, of consanguinity, of blood and soul and soil.  This is, to put it frankly, our land to hold and our obligation to remember and our traditions to treasure and preserve. It is a racial memory, and -even if you can't remember it, in my family, at least- it is one beaten into everyone's heads, hearts and consciousnesses upon birth.

 

From my tribe.

Beautiful, but so, so fraught with emotional landmines.

I've done my best by my People that I can: I tell my daughter the stories I learned, and try to learn the old ones supposedly forgotten. I've sweated and danced and cracked nails and busted bones and built fires and shed blood on the Mountain. I endeavor in my professional activities and personal life. In short, I try to find and fight for our family. I fight for our land, and I fight for our sovereignty...not just for "us" but for all of us...not merely the tiwahe, but the tiospaye. We are all family. And, you let us down again...

 

 Waste

(pronounced Wa-Shtay)

As though I could ever, ever forget my People? As though there is not some goddamned gene imprinted upon my psyche that makes me scream like an crazed falcon when I reach the open plains? As if there is not a gut-level mistrust of all things Anglo-Saxon? As though there were not a deep-seated sense of oneness with this world, with this life, that Christianity could ever conquer? As if there weren't a deep and wholly spiritual connection with my surroundings? You can kill a people --we are just bodies--  but you can't kill a meme.

  

As if Sitting Bull could be  killed by a fucking bullet?

 

And, this, Russ, is what brings me to your newest low. I had grown accustomed to the grand-standing, to the rock-star demands, to selling the movement out, to self-aggrandizement. But, now, really? You're going to advertise your advocacy, your good works, as fucking mysticism to sell to wasichu?

  

This isn't fucking mysticism, Russ..this is tiospaye.

Remember Wounded Knee? I do, I've been there...maybe more recently than you, perhaps. And, I've seen my ancestors in their ditch, cut down by Hodgkins guns. The dead women and children and wounded and lame and defeated...all butchered in the snow. And, I've met my ancestors there. And I carry their names, chiseled upon the chapel stone, with me. And no, Russell, no cash contribution from hippies, Europeans or guilty liberals is going to ever...fucking ever...make that right.

 

A new jet, or paying the bills after you beat your latest wife, makes up for this child (my child, our child) being deprived of his legacy? 

Remember Wounded Knee? I do. Every day. It was my great, great grand aunt and uncle who were left to freeze after being shot. You suffered. We all suffered. You've worked. We've all worked. The difference is, some of us don't want to be rock stars, don't want notoriety, don't want to set ourselves up as Tunkasila. We want what's right.

Think, cousin, think. And then shut the fuck up.

 

It wasn't just Oglala that died there, Russell...

 

* Proud enrollee, rez dweller and half breed; born and raised. But, you know what?. Ethnic Gaels who touched down after the Civil War go rather well with pissed off fucking Indians. Not only do we know the woods better, fight better, but, by damned, we carry a grudge that lasts centuries...and, we can outdrink you.

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Apology NOT accepted...

I'm betting the blankets the nice Christians gave to the Lenape tribe looked a lot like a Snuggie (tm) (as seen on TV!)

One of the oldest Protestant churches in America, the Collegiate Church, had an interesting Thanksgiving. It seems that 400 years after murdering, torturing, starving, poisoning and displacing the Lenape tribe of NY, that the Christian spirit moved the congregation to apologize.

"We consumed your resources, dehumanized your people and disregarded your culture, along with your dreams, hopes and great love for this land," the Rev. Robert Chase told descendants from both sides. "With pain, we the Collegiate Church, remember our part in these events."

Hmmm, apologies might be in order....

The Collegiate Church, considered the "conscience" of the Colonies, was a Dutch Reform sect, akin to the stultifying Puritans who raped, pillaged, starved and otherwise treated Indians as subhumans, chattel and an obtacle. To claim that their "conscience" in 1698 got the better of them is disingenuous, as any student of American Colonialims and Indian history knows. The elimination and forced emigre of these tribes was the Christian thing to do (see also De Las Casas).

 

The Seneca, Wampanoag, Mic Mac, Oneida and other Iriquoian tribes...still waiting for an apology. Not that they are at all beholden to accept it.

Predictably, not everyone is pleased with this post hoc apology, treating it with great skepticism. Notably, the Chairman of the Sand Hills band of the Lenape Indians,

"After 400 years, when someone says 'I'm sorry,' you say, 'Really?'..."There was some kind of uneasiness. But then you've got to accept someone's sincere apology; they said, 'We did it.' We ran you off, we killed you.' " 

And this brings me to the nature of apologies. What purpose does an apology or plea for forgiveness exactly accomplish? Some, may argue that an earnest apology has to be accepted. I am not one of those people. An apology offered with no chance to actually redress the damage serves but one purpose: to assuage the conscience of the guilty party. They do not seek absolution for their own sins, rather palliation of their guilty hearts and minds...and our ancestors, who felt the Christian caress of their new neighbors, are not here to provide it. And, as descendents, we emphatically do not owe it to their progeny to make them feel better.

Some things can not be forgiven, nor should they be....

w

In addition to biological warfare, add to the ledger wholesale murder and civilian massacre....

 

 

The physical, emotional and sexual torture of children at Indian "schools"....

 

The planned proscription (and eventual extermination) of Native language, religion, culture...

 

Planned starvation and dependency of Indians through elimination of fauna and diminishment of hunting grounds...

 

 

The systemic theft of Indian Country through Allotment, broken treaties and the Reservation system.

 

The continued denigration and minimization of Indians as humans worthy of respect, dignity, or at the least, not being a fucking cartoon for the amusement of others...

So, no, your apology is not accepted, nor does it have to be

- Indian #3183 an Unalloted, Enrolled Member of the_______ Tribe

 

 

Have some more militancy kids....

"Prophecy" by Soulfly.

This is the seventh generation, just an FYI.

This NEVER grows old either...

Tommy Seebach's rousing "Apache". Behold the molestache, the Swedish Apache maids, the cheesy synth lines, the "ahhahahahahahaaaaa", the perm-mullet, those sexy moves, the white overbite, and the smile...dear god, the smile.

Warning: Goes best with the hallucinogen of your choice.

In today's Irony alert

Yesterday, a group of about 70-ish white nationalist fuckknuckles hosted an anti-immigration rally in St. Louis, chanting "Immigrant go home" and "seig heil". Where to start? The fact that the off-spring of immigrants were chanting "immigrants go home"? Perhaps the fact that as these blustering fuckos were chanting "USA USA", they were also giving praise to a foreign leader? in a FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

Sitting Bull approves of the Nazis anti-immigration stance and invites them to immediately take actions according to their rhetoric and just go home.

Lawya': Ft. Sill, Skull & Bones, and Geronimo Part One

Excuse me, have you seen my democracy? I seem to have misplaced it.

Dramatis Personae:
The Skull & Bones Society: Yale's worst-kept secret, where the children of privilege rub shoulders, allegedly thwart democracy, and perpetuate an incestuous Ivy power hierarchy. Among its members (allegedly) are John F. Kerry, Sen. Prescott Bush, Bush 41 & 43, Rockefeller (all of 'em), the Heinzes, the Buckleys and the Tafts. Among the more bizarre accusations leveled against the Bones, is that in 1918 a group of these silver-spooned ninnies went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and dug up Geronimo (all or portions, depending on whose tale, and usually involving his skull) for some of their arcana (e.g., "fraternal rites).

Ft. Sill Apache Tribe: The remnants of the Warm Springs & Chiricahua Apache tribes, relocated from SW New Mexico/SE Arizona to Oklahoma (at the time, "Indian country") following the defeat of the luminary chiefs Mangas Colorado and -more well known- Cochise. This tribe is housed in the dusty midden of Ft. Sill, where Geronimo [or Goyathlay--more on him in a bit] who had become their leader, died in 1909 of pneumonia.

This, by no means, is the list of the main players. But, for the time being, the violated (allegedly) and the grave-robbers (allegedly) are the central focus. Also keep in mind that there were several Apache tribes spread over several states (and two nations) with thousands of square miles of tribal land, and not all of the Apache were lead by, or fought with, Geronimo...indeed, there were many internecine battles amongst the Apache people themselves. This will become important in Part Three when the instant lawsuit is discussed.

In the meanwhile, I'll let the Hartford Courant give you the background of the lawsuit, and how this sad farce came to be:



Part Two (forthcoming): A Brief History and the Legal Basis of the Suit
Part Three (forthcoming): Legal Merits and Repatriation of Native Remains