Jurors deadlock on 6 of 7 in Sears plot - Yahoo! News

Jurors deadlock on 6 of 7 in Sears plot - Yahoo! News: "MIAMI - In a stinging defeat for the Bush administration, one of seven Miami men accused of plotting to join forces with al-Qaida to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower was acquitted Thursday, and the case against the rest ended in a hung jury.

Federal prosecutor Richard Gregorie said the government planned to retry the six next year, and the judge said a new jury would be picked starting Jan. 7.

The White House had seized on the case to illustrate the dangers of homegrown terrorism and trumpet the government's post-Sept. 11 success in infiltrating and smashing terrorism plots in their earliest stages.

Lyglenson Lemorin, 32, had been accused of being a "soldier" for alleged ringleader Narseal Batiste. He buried his face in his hands when his acquittal was read."

Labels: terrorism

The Associated Press: U.S. Refuses `Any Wounded Soldier' Mail

The Associated Press: U.S. Refuses `Any Wounded Soldier' Mail: "BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards and letters thanking wounded American troops for their sacrifice and wishing them well never reach their destination. They are returned to sender or thrown away unopened.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the anthrax scare, the Pentagon and the Postal Service have refused to deliver mail addressed simply to 'Any Wounded Soldier' for fear terrorists or opponents of the war might send toxic substances or demoralizing messages."

Media Matters - Imus: "Why don't you like Huckabee? Because you're gay, or what?"

Media Matters - Imus: "Why don't you like Huckabee? Because you're gay, or what?": "On the December 12 edition of ABC Radio Networks' Imus in the Morning, while discussing Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee with radio host* Jay Severin, host Don Imus asked, 'Why don't you like Huckabee? Because you're gay, or what?' Following Imus' comment, co-host Charles McCord exclaimed, 'Oh, come on, what the hell was that?' Sound engineer Lou Rufino added, 'Stand by for the drive-by.'"

Media Matters - O'Reilly to caller: "I don't think your assessment" that Oprah's "voting for [Obama] because he's black" "is wrong"

Media Matters - O'Reilly to caller: "I don't think your assessment" that Oprah's "voting for [Obama] because he's black" "is wrong": "Summary: On his radio show, Bill O'Reilly took a call from a listener who said, 'It sounds like [Oprah Winfrey is] voting for [Sen. Barack Obama] because he's black.' O'Reilly responded: 'I don't think your assessment is wrong.' In a recent speech, after naming several specific actions Obama has taken, Winfrey said: 'We need a president with clarity and conviction, who knows how to consult his own conscience and proceed with moral authority. We need Barack Obama.'"

Ottawa preparing new offer to settle Caledonia dispute

Ottawa preparing new offer to settle Caledonia dispute: "Canada is one step closer to bringing the aboriginal occupation in the southwestern Ontario town of Caledonia to an end with a $26-million offer to settle a 178-year-old claim, the province's aboriginal affairs minister said Wednesday.

Michael Bryant said the cash offer to compensate Six Nations for the loss of 970 hectares of land flooded for the Welland Canal project shows the federal government is serious about resolving the land dispute."

Call for Participants: On the Wings of Wadaduga: Cherokee Two-Spirit Lives.

Cherokee Two-Spirit/Queer activist, poet, and scholar Qwo-Li Driskill
is looking for other Cherokee Two-Spirits to tell their stories as
part of a research project. "On the Wings of Wadaduga" is an effort to

bring the stories and histories of Cherokee Two-Spirit, Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer-identified people to other Cherokees
and to the broader public. This research has a goal of publishing the
collected stories and creating a public performance of and based on
these stories. These stories may also be used in scholarly articles
and publications.

Background:

Wadaduga (Dragonfly) is an animal that enters only peripherally in
recorded Cherokee stories. Wadaduga is a species currently in grave
danger of extinction. Like Wadaduga, Cherokee Two-Spirits are
currently being attacked and erased and our histories ignored. While
contemporary writing and activism has demonstrated the roles of
Two-Spirit people within various Native traditions and histories,
discussions of Cherokee Two-Spirits have largely been left out of
discussion. This project aims to bring our experiences to the center
for both our present for future generations.

Who Can Participate?

This research is for all Cherokees who also identify as Two-Spirit,
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersexed, Genderqueer, or
Queer. For the purposes of this project, "Cherokee" people will be
defined as those who meet at least two of the following criteria: 1.)

Have Cherokee ancestry. 2.) Are enrolled members of the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma, the United Keetoowah Band, or the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians 3.) Are involved with Cherokee community and are
recognized by other Cherokees as being Cherokee.

About Qwo-Li:

Qwo-Li Driskill is a Cherokee Two-Spirit writer and activist also of
African, Irish, Lenape, Lumbee, and Osage ascent, and the author of
Walking with Ghosts: Poems. Hir work appears in numerous
publications including The Crab Orchard Review, SAIL: Studies in
American Indian Literatures, Many Mountains Moving, and in the
anthologies Nurturing Native Languages, Revolutionary Voices: A
Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology, and Speak to Me Words: Essays on
Contemporary American Indian Poetry. S/he performs poetry and conducts

workshops throughout US and Canadian occupied Turtle Island. S/he is a

PhD Candidate in Rhetoric and Writing at Michigan State University.
Qwo-Li?s website is http://www.dragonflyrising.com.

For more information or to participate, please contact:

Qwo-Li Driskill.
Michigan State University
Rhetoric & Writing
5 Olds Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
driskil3@msu.edu
http://www.dragonflyrising.com/wadaduga.php

Labels: kituwah/cherokee, two-spirit

The Struggle Against the Brahmin/The Struggle Against the White Man: Inter-Connectivity Between India/U.S. Struggles

Double Consciousness: "Cross-posted from Blogbharti. I was recently invited by my (blogger) friend Kuffir to blog for Blogbharti in their Spotlight Series, an Indian blog aggregator, whose stated mission is to make sure that 'all voices from the Indian blogosphere are properly heard.' Kuffir, from Hyderabad, India, is an editor at Blogbharti and also blogs here. I was very honored he invited me (along with others) to blog about a topic of my liking. So I decided to blog about the similarities between the Dalit struggle and the struggles of people of color in the United States; as well as on the privileges and ignorances of whites and Brahmins in the United States and India and the system that keeps them up and keeps 'the other' down. For those of you in America and abroad you can read more about Dalit issues on my blog here and here and as well as clicking on the 'Dalit' tag and 'Caste' tag at Blogbharti."

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: HISTORY AS A WEAPON IN OUR PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE!

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: HISTORY AS A WEAPON IN OUR PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE!: "During the next three weeks, we're going to have a series that will be designed to give us a better understanding of the past, I should say a better knowledge of the past in order that we may understand the present and be better prepared for the future. I don't think any of you will deny the fact that it is impossible to understand the present or prepare for the future unless we have knowledge of the past. And the thing that has kept most of us, that is the (African living in America), almost crippled in this society has been our complete lack of knowledge concerning the past. The number one thing that makes us differ from other People is our lack of knowledge concerning the past."

Bill Moyers Journal: Can Only "Screechers" Compete In Today's Political Discourse?

Bill Moyers Journal: Can Only "Screechers" Compete In Today's Political Discourse?: "In his conversation with Bill Moyers on this week’s JOURNAL, MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann addressed critics who liken his brand of editorializing to that of the conservative commentators he decries:

'It's the most vulnerable point because it bothers me, too. The one criticism that I think is absolutely fair [is that] we're doing the same thing. It becomes a nation of screechers. It's never a good thing. But emergency rules do apply... I think the stuff that I'm talking about is so obvious and will be viewed in such terms of certainty by history... I think only under these circumstances would I go this far out on a limb and be this vociferous about it.'

What do you think?

# Do you agree with those who describe Olbermann as a 'Limbaugh for Lefties?' Can 'vociferous' remarks --- either from Olbermann or conservative commentators --- contribute constructively to the national discourse?"

Fresh Intelligence : Radar Online : Document shredding Increased 600 Percent Under George W. Bush

Fresh Intelligence : Radar Online : Document shredding Increased 600 Percent Under George W. Bush: "Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government's brand spanking new database of federal expenditures, shows spending on 'contracts for paper shredding services' going back to 2000. Click here for the full, heartbreaking breakdown. In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the 'Cheney Effect' had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all."

The Raw Story | CBS: Is the military easier on gay soldiers in wartime?

The Raw Story | CBS: Is the military easier on gay soldiers in wartime?: "(via PageOneQ)--This upcoming Sunday, CBS will feature a soldier that says he has been allowed to continue to serve in the United States Army despite being openly gay, in contradiction of 10 USC 654, more commonly known as the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Don't Ask serves to bar any openly gay individual from being accepted into military service, and discharge an active member who is revealed to be gay.

(SLDN) client and Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, currently serving in Kuwait after a tour in Iraq, tells Lesley Stahl of CBS' 60 Minutes that he has been well supported by soldiers and bosses alike since coming out last year.

Stories like Manzella's suggest a climate of indifference to openly gay soldiers, especially in overseas combat. An SLDN survey suggests that members stationed overseas are less likely than those serving stateside to be discharged under Don't Ask; less than 25% of 2005's discharges were revealed to be from units in Iraq and Afghanistan. "

Crooks and Liars » Rep. Steve King Wants Christianity Taught In Schools

Crooks and Liars » Rep. Steve King Wants Christianity Taught In Schools: "I don’t know about you, but I’m really getting tired of having elected officials who appear to have either no knowledge of or respect for the Constitution of this country.

On Alan Colmes’ radio show yesterday, King decides it was time to fully embrace his inner theocrat for the world to hear and said in no uncertain terms that Christianity and its tenets should be taught in American schools"

Hamas denounces PA ban of the movement's festivals in the West Bank - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC

Hamas denounces PA ban of the movement's festivals in the West Bank - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC: "The Gaza-based Hamas movement denounced, in the strongest terms, on Friday the Palestinian Authority's decision to ban expected celebrations in the West Bank, marking the 20th anniversary of the movement's installation."

granma.cu - Fidel sends message to Cuban TV program "Roundtable"

granma.cu - Fidel sends message to Cuban TV program "Roundtable": "PRESIDENT Fidel Castro sent greetings and a message to the Cuban radio and television program 'Roundtable,' which its moderator made public on Thursday."

Venezuela Aotearoa Solidarity Team: After the Referendum- views from activists

Venezuela Aotearoa Solidarity Team: After the Referendum- views from activists: "In 2006, President Chávez won the presidential elections with 62 per cent of the vote, obtaining the support of 7,309,000 people. A year later, the president’s Constitutional Reform only received 4,380,000 votes in favour, which allows the simple observation that some 3 million people who voted for President Chávez in 2006 decided not to vote for his Constitutional Reform proposal."

Narco News: Haiti: Leading Human Rights Activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine Missing for Four Months

Narco News: Haiti: Leading Human Rights Activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine Missing for Four Months: "Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, a prominent Haitian human rights activist, disappeared on the evening of 12 August, 2007. He is co-founder of the Trant Septanm (“September 30”) Foundation, an organization originally formed to help the victims of the 1991 coup in Haiti."

granma.cu - Venezuela-Brazil strategic alliance

granma.cu - Venezuela-Brazil strategic alliance: "CARACAS (PL).— The strategic alliance between Venezuela and Brazil has emerged today as an important element in the development of two of South America’s main economies, supported by their respective strengths and the signing of new commercial agreements."

desert-rock-blog.com :: Daily Times: "Massive water project breaks ground" (Dec 14 2007)

desert-rock-blog.com :: Daily Times: "Massive water project breaks ground" (Dec 14 2007): "WHITEHORSE LAKE — Water may soon be on its way to thousands of Navajo residents who must now haul the precious commodity to their homes from miles away.

Ground was broken Thursday at Whitehorse Lake, located about 90 miles southeast of Farmington, on the first phase of the long-awaited Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. The Cutter Lateral component will enable water to come to more than 6,000 people, at least 3,000 of whom haul their water in pickup trucks or get it from livestock windmills."

informationliberation - Dystopian Madness

informationliberation - Dystopian Madness: "By Tom Blanton

I am disturbed by a certain madness that has taken hold of a significant number of Americans. Jingoism bordering on nationalism has always existed. So has the mindless materialism and conformity to a rigid standard of media induced normalcy. The fact that many people have been dumbed down to a point that renders them child-like, both intellectually and emotionally, is so common that it no longer seems particularly disturbing."

Improvisations: Arab Woman Progressive Voice: Democracy, Libya Style

Improvisations: Arab Woman Progressive Voice: Democracy, Libya Style: "Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, is championing the rights of African women and is all set to save European women from the oppression they suffer under. As an example of European women's oppression, he mentioned during his visit to Paris that they are forced to do jobs they don't like, such as construction!

But that is the least of it. According to him, the word 'democracy' is etymologically Arabic. 'Dem' means 'nadeem' or general public and 'cracy' is, as we all know, 'chairs.' Therefore, 'democracy' is the people sitting on chairs, i.e. people's rule.

This is no joke. I repeat: this is no joke! Those who can read Arabic, can check it here for themselves! He actually said that!!"

P a l e s t i n e F r e e V o i c e©: Abbas Must Step Down From His Self Imposed Pillar

P a l e s t i n e F r e e V o i c e©: Abbas Must Step Down From His Self Imposed Pillar: "Palestinian Security Forces on Gaza Strip, loyal to Hamas Movement conducted today training exercises next to the Zionist - Israeli 'separation barrier', along the Gaza Strip border with Egypt at the city of Rafah, while al Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip and slammed into Israeli homes in the southern town of Sderot causing personal injuries.The Palestinian Homeland Resistance wide scale and massive attacks of rocket projectiles on Israeli settlements, is a retaliation for the Israelis aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The launching of rocket projectiles on targets inside Israel will continue until the Israelis stop their crimes against the Palestinian people and withdraw from Palestinian territories."

Amazon Indians end blockade - News from Survival International

Amazon Indians end blockade - News from Survival International: "The Enawene Nawe Indians ended their protest at the site of a planned hydroelectric dam on Tuesday.

The Indians had blockaded the construction site of the dam in the Brazilian Amazon, and a local highway, for nearly a week. They want to stop the construction of a complex of hydroelectric dams being built on the Juruena river, upstream from their land."

Invisibility of Whiteness « The Blog and the Bullet

Invisibility of Whiteness « The Blog and the Bullet: "Carlo Montemayor, a blogger at Double Consciousness and fellow Blog Bullet editor, blogs on the invisibility of whiteness and on some comments that Oprah “transcends” race since most of her audience is white:

What the writer here implies is that Oprah’s personality as well as her show are “race neutral” because most of her viewers are white. Likewise, Obama has opted for a more “universal” (meaning white) appeal. “Transcending race”, according to the writer, means tailoring your image and persona so that it appeals to mostly white people — as if whites do not belong to a racial group. Because both Oprah and Obama are now reaching out to blacks, their actions are viewed as racial.If we are truly aspiring to achieve racial justice then we need to look at racism (and by that I mean a system of ideas embedded into our institutions which gives whites unearned advantages over people of color) as a white problem rather than just a problem that people of color face."

Iti spends night in jail for breaching bail terms - 14 Dec 2007 - Maori news - NZ Herald

Iti spends night in jail for breaching bail terms - 14 Dec 2007 - Maori news - NZ Herald: "Maori activist Tame Iti spent a night in jail this week for breaching his bail conditions, it was revealed today.

Iti was bailed after being arrested in connection with the nationwide 'terror' raids in October.

He is facing firearms charges."

Wampum: Numbers or Nonsense

Wampum: Numbers or Nonsense: "Yesterday Allan Nairn was on the radio talking about his research on Detachment 88, and his reasonably likely claim that uniformed and non-uniformed members of the US armed forces are performing intercept (wiretap) within the telecommunications infrastructure in Indonesia. Allan's work was published by Counterpunch.

It should come as no surprise that yesterday Paula Dobriansky warmly thanked the Indonesian presidency (and host nation of the Bali Climate Conference) for removing all numbers, in particular those of the IIPC, endorsed by the EU, and the G77, from the 'consensus' text."

Correa ends state of emergency against lunatics and terrorists : Intercontinental Cry

Correa ends state of emergency against lunatics and terrorists : Intercontinental Cry: "Two days ago, Correa brought an end to the state of emergency he declared on Nov. 29 in the province of Orrelana, agreeing with human rights organizations and regional leaders to investigate charges of human rights abuse that occurred while the emergency was in effect.

Correa had called the state of emergency after people from Dayuma started taking over oil wells and cutting communication lines on November 26. Before this, the protesters were peacefully calling for the government to spend more revenue from oil on infrastructure (roads and electricity lines), and to be given more job opportunities. Clearly, they were tired of the avoidance and non-action on part of the government and the oil company."

CENSORED: Next Generation of Indigenous Youths Attend Climate Meeting in Bali

CENSORED: Next Generation of Indigenous Youths Attend Climate Meeting in Bali: "By Indigenous Environmental Network
BALI, Indonesia -- Today marks the end of the 13th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 13) in Bali. Navajo and Mohawk representatives of the Indigenous Environmental Network leave with frustration about the outcomes of COP 13 but also inspiration from Indigenous leaders. Jihan Gearon, from the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation and Benjamin Powless, from Mohawk, Six Nations, have been participating in the climate conference in Bali for the past two weeks. Gearon says, “What scares me most about this COP isn’t that we came out of it with no targets or plan for post-Kyoto. It’s that the atmosphere of the discussions seems to focus less on stopping climate change and more on how money can be made from the climate change problem, at the expense of Indigenous People.”"

Floyd Red Crow Westerman - RIP

Floyd Red Crow Westerman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936 – December 13, 2007) died at 5:00 a.m. PST on December 13 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after an extended illness and complications from Leukemia as reported today by the Native American Times and News From Indian Country. He was a Dakota musician, activist and actor born on the Lake Traverse Reservation, home of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Dakota (Sioux) in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The elder Dakota in the late 20th century became a leading actor depicting Native Americans in American films and television. He is sometimes credited as Floyd Crow Westerman."

Brenda Norrell, Going home ...

Floyd Red Crow Westerman's funeral will be held at Tiospa Zina School Gym in Sisseton, South Dakota. A two night Wake is on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16. Funeral services will be held Monday, December 17, at 10:00 a.m. Flowers may be sent to the Sisseton Flower Shop, Sisseton, South Dakota.

Floyd Westerman 'Goin' back'
"I'm going back to the land I love. I'm going back, where skies are big above me. Back to the land I left behind. Back to the pride I must find. Leave me alone, can't you see I'm goin' home. Back to the mountains and the prairies. Back to the desert and the hills. Catch up to the buffalo. And where the rivers flow. I'm going back, to where the truth began. I'm going back to find the man I am. Goin' back to find my past. And maybe peace of mind at last. Leave me alone, can't you see I'm going' home I'm goin' back and there I'm gonna stay. Goin' back and try to find the way. Goin' back where I belong. To the land that made me strong. Leave me alone, can't you see I'm goin' home."

Labels: floyd red crow westerman, in passing

CENSORED: Nuclear 'Three Stooges' on Algonquin land

CENSORED: Nuclear 'Three Stooges' on Algonquin land: "By Jennifer Tsun
Algonquin Territory Dec. 14, 2007. When something happens at 6 Nations Iroquois territory, there is usually an echo at Sharbot Lake in Algonquin territory [28 miles north of Kingston Ontario ]. What do these two unconnected places have in common? The struggles are both about our land. Since the Cabot Charter of 1496, the common goal of the colonial system has been and continues to be the elimination of the Ongwehonwe/Nishnaabe people. We are seen as mere impediments to the greedy desire to appropriate all our resources. In mid-September, when the Ardoch and Shabot Algonquins and allies were anticipating an invasion, the 6 Nations were attacked by hundreds of police. Nine men and women were beaten and arrested. They face court appearances in January 2008. We can bet they won’t be tried by a jury of their peers. Instead the judge will be appointed by the very same colonial regime that issued the Cabot Charter saying it was okay to “conquer all non-Christian people”. Same old, same old."

Indigenous affairs will remain a state responsibility: Carpenter - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Indigenous affairs will remain a state responsibility: Carpenter - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "The Premier Alan Carpenter says he will not hand over the state's Department of Indigenous Affairs to the Federal Government.

The former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says the Commonwealth needs to take total control of indigenous communities to stop the abuse and neglect of Aboriginal children."

Africa: Leaders Divided on Rights, Says Amnesty Chief (Page 1 of 3)

allAfrica.com: Africa: Leaders Divided on Rights, Says Amnesty Chief (Page 1 of 3): "A group of international figures gathered in Cape Town this week to launch a new global campaign for human rights. One of them was Irene Khan, who as secretary-general of Amnesty International leads one of the world's most prominent mass-based human rights groups. She spoke to AllAfrica's Helen Kilbey.

Zimbabwe has been in the international spotlight as a result of President Robert Mugabe's presence at the Africa-Europe summit and the resulting boycott by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Should Mugabe have been banned from the conference?"

Indigenous land permits to remain unchanged for 6 months - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Indigenous land permits to remain unchanged for 6 months - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "The Northern Territory Government says the permit system in Aboriginal communities will remain the same for another six months.

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin met representatives from the Northern Territory Government and land councils in Darwin today to talk about the future of the Commonwealth's intervention in Aboriginal communities."

Fatah official kidnapped in Gaza | Israel and the Middle East | Guardian Unlimited

Fatah official kidnapped in Gaza | Israel and the Middle East | Guardian Unlimited: "A top Fatah official was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip today, when armed gunmen burst into his family home in the early morning."

New Jersey to become first state in four decades to abolish death penalty | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

New Jersey to become first state in four decades to abolish death penalty | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "For the first time in more than 40 years a US state is to abolish the death penalty.

A 44-36 vote in the New Jersey legislature to abolish executions in the state yesterday followed approval for the measure in the state senate on Monday.

The bill now goes to the desk of New Jersey governor, Jon Corzine, a Democrat who has spoken in favour of abolishing the death penalty. The measure will be replaced with a sentence of life without parole."

Nigeria: Yar'Adua in White House, Ready to Partner U.S. On Africom (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Yar'Adua in White House, Ready to Partner U.S. On Africom (Page 1 of 1): "President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States (US) stated that Nigeria would partner the US/AFRICA Command (AFRICOM) on security on the continent.

The Council of States of which the President is Chairman, recently voiced opposition to the command."

Russell: Cherokees double down with Chad Smith

The constitutional amendment ousting the Cherokee freedmen, which was the issue on which I split with Smith, could not possibly stand before an independent court because it can't be Cherokee law that a treaty can be abrogated by implication when Cherokees claim the United States cannot abrogate treaties by implication. Unfortunately for the Cherokee Nation, lawyers whose chief qualification was personal loyalty to Smith people the only court that could resolve our problems with Congress without damage to our sovereignty. Now that they are on the bench for 10-year terms and Smith is term-limited, they could prove me wrong but I am not holding my breath to see serious jurisprudence. More likely, we will see Cherokee law bent to look like Oklahoma law, the law in which the current court is comfortable.

So now the Cherokee constitutional republic stands without checks and balances, with all power flowing one direction. For the first time this election, I did not support Smith, but that was over the freedmen issue, not because I had any clue that he had bought into the politics of personality. In his defense, what did we expect when that style of politics had been practiced against him without quarter or common sense from the day he took office?

The United States has just spent seven years without checks and balances. Unless Cherokees are better than ordinary Americans, being without checks and balances will bring corruption and further erosions of sovereignty if not another constitutional crisis. This is not about Chad Smith. Next election, we should not look for a strong man or woman on a white horse to clean up the mess. A sweep by the anti-Smiths would have been just as bad.

Restraining order filed against father of murder-for-hire suspects | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern Califo

Restraining order filed against father of murder-for-hire suspects | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California: "A top San Manuel tribe member and community college district trustee has obtained a restraining order against the father of two tribal members charged in a 2006 Mexican Mafia murder-for-hire plot, court records show."

Not Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting, The Skinny: Shaolin Temple Monks Duck Chance To Fight At Beijing Games, Spurring Trash Talk - CBS News

Not Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting, The Skinny: Shaolin Temple Monks Duck Chance To Fight At Beijing Games, Spurring Trash Talk - CBS News: "But their rivals say they're just chicken.

'We are the best wushu competitors,' said 21-year-old Ma Lingjuan, referring to kung fu by its other name. A Chinese world champion, she's been training at spinning and jabbing a spear since she was 10. 'Our goal is the medal,' she said. 'The monks in the temple do it as a hobby.'

Oooh, snap! And how do the monks, who claim they learn the kung fu moves as part of their meditation, respond? The monastery's abbot says they practice kung fu 'with an understanding of Zen Buddhusim and love of the temple. On the other hand, athletes use wushu as a way to find honor. It is easy to tell which one is more sustainable and deep.'

And, a little later, another monk adds: 'We could win that. But we don't want to hurt anybody.'"

CTV.ca | RCMP agrees to changes in Taser-use policy

CTV.ca | RCMP agrees to changes in Taser-use policy: "The RCMP announced Friday it's changing its policies on the use of Tasers. But the changes don't go as far as recommendations made earlier this week by a public complaints commission."

Indianz.Com > News > Cobell: Historical accounting far from accurate

Indianz.Com > News > Cobell: Historical accounting far from accurate: "Something dramatic and important has happened in the class action lawsuit I filed 11 years ago over the government's admitted mismanagement of the Indian Trust.

It should trouble everyone in Indian country because it signals a 180-degree turn in the way the Interior Department plans its long-promised accounting.

Gone are the government's initial, frank admissions of bungling the trust. In their place are new and troubling claims that the trust was actually well-managed. What losses the government says it can find are relatively small, perhaps several million dollars, since the trust was imposed in 1887."

Foreign Policy: The List: The World’s Worst Places to Be a Kid

Foreign Policy: The List: The World’s Worst Places to Be a Kid: "The problem: Malnutrition among children has doubled since the beginning of the U.S. occupation.

The cause: The scarcity of fresh water and the collapse of the Iraqi heathcare system, leaving Iraq’s kids now more undernourished than children in Haiti and Uganda. A decade ago, the biggest health concern for Iraqi kids was obesity. Today, when an empty dinner plate isn’t harming their health, the constant threat of being swept up in the violence does the trick. Reliable stats are hard to come by, but the United Nations estimates that women and children make up 20 percent of all Iraqi casualties."

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government ousted through parliamentary vote

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government ousted through parliamentary vote: "The Solomon Islands government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was ousted yesterday after a no-confidence motion won the backing of 25 parliamentarians, against 22 on the government side. Sogavare remains caretaker prime minister pending a parliamentary vote, which is expected next week, to elect his successor. Opposition leader Fred Fono is one of several candidates vying for the job. Two former government ministers who were among those who defected to the opposition last month, Derek Sikua and Gordon Darcy Lilo, are also expected to nominate."

BBC NEWS | Business | Iraqi oil exceeds pre-war output

BBC NEWS | Business | Iraqi oil exceeds pre-war output: "Iraqi oil production is above the levels seen before the US-led invasion of the country in 2003, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)."

Violent Day in Iraq Begins With Liquor Store Bombings

Violent Day in Iraq Begins With Liquor Store Bombings: "Baghdad - Homemade bombs hit two Baghdad liquor stores early Thursday, and attacks in several other parts of the city killed two people and wounded at least seven others. Eleven more deaths were reported from attacks outside Baghdad, and 19 bodies were found in Baghdad and elsewhere."

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Musharraf assumes nuclear control

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Musharraf assumes nuclear control: "Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has put the country's nuclear weapons under the control of the president, rather than the prime minister.

The president issued an ordinance - which has to be ratified by parliament some time over the next six months - which formalised his control on Friday."

Carbon Copy: a candle in the winds of change

Carbon Copy: a candle in the winds of change: "After a week and a half of reading about climate negotiations, I'm experiencing Bali burnout. I can't imagine what it must be like for the poor sods who are actually there in the ring. But if I feel like switching off, it's not so much because it feels like a ten-day carbon binge, but rather because I find the politics disheartening. Week one was easy, no commitment required. Soften everyone up, issue encouraging statements, feel the lay of the land before delivering a left hook in week two. The IEA said Iraqi crude production is now running at 2.3 million barrels per day, compared with 1.9 million barrels at the start of this year."

Qaeda's Zawahri calls Annapolis meeting a sellout | Reuters

Qaeda's Zawahri calls Annapolis meeting a sellout | Reuters: "DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri has accused Arab leaders in a new tape of betraying the Palestinians by attending the Middle East peace conference in Annapolis and urged Muslims to keep fighting."

Think Progress » Conservative Military Journal Slams Giuliani And Mukasey’s ‘Tacit Support For Waterboarding’

Think Progress » Conservative Military Journal Slams Giuliani And Mukasey’s ‘Tacit Support For Waterboarding’: "When asked about the practice of waterboarding at a recent debate, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani declared that he would allow “every method [interrogators] could think of and I would support them in doing it.” Attorney General Mike Mukasey consistently refused to render a legal opinion on the matter."

Think Progress » Rep. Poe: KBR Gang Rape Was Not ‘An Isolated Case Of Sexual Assault’

Think Progress » Rep. Poe: KBR Gang Rape Was Not ‘An Isolated Case Of Sexual Assault’: "Earlier this week, former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones revealed that in 2005 she had been “raped by multiple men at a KBR camp” in Baghdad. For the past two years, her congressman, Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), has been pushing the federal government to investigate the matter, but he “says neither the department of State nor Justice will give him answers” on the status of the investigation."

Subpoenas for Al Sharpton's aides

Subpoenas for Al Sharpton's aides: "Teams of federal agents swooped down on up to 10 close associates of the Rev. Al Sharpton Wednesday, demanding the flamboyant clergyman's financial records since 2001."

Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm - washingtonpost.com

Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm - washingtonpost.com: "EL CAMPO, Tex. -- Even though Donald R. Matthews put his sprawling new residence in the heart of rice country, he is no farmer. He is a 67-year-old asphalt contractor who wanted to build a dream house for his wife of 40 years.

Yet under a federal agriculture program approved by Congress, his 18-acre suburban lot receives about $1,300 in annual 'direct payments,' because years ago the land was used to grow rice."

Venezuela accused in Argentina campaign probe - 12/13/2007 - MiamiHerald.com

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner greets her Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, Tuesday at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires.
Venezuela accused in Argentina campaign probe - 12/13/2007 - MiamiHerald.com: "Federal prosecutors dropped a bombshell in a federal courtroom in Miami on Wednesday, alleging for the first time that the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez secretly tried to funnel nearly $1 million in cash to the presidential campaign of newly elected Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The accusation came during a hasty hearing for four foreign nationals -- including two wealthy South Florida Venezuelans. Each is charged with being unregistered foreign agents for the Venezuelan government."

Army pays $725 to WWII vet for unfair trial, imprisonment

Twenty-eight black soldiers were sent to prison after an Italian prisoner of war, Guglielmo Olivotto, was found hanged to death following a night of brawling at Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington. Snow is one of just two defendants still alive from one of the biggest military trials of World War II.

read more | digg story

A Gitmo trial beats judgment at Nuremberg - - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

A Gitmo trial beats judgment at Nuremberg - - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "Nearly 100 foreign enemy combatants to be tried at Guantanamo Bay will have more rights than Nazi war criminals who faced the Nuremberg tribunal, a Senate panel was told yesterday. Detainees in the war on terror will have the presumption of innocence and an automatic appeal, the latter not even afforded to U.S. citizens, said Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann, legal adviser to the Convening Authority for the Office of Military Commissions."

Spanish Court rejects to charge Castro over genocide

A Spanish court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit that sought to have Cuban President Fidel Castro charged in Spain over the death of nine prisoners in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

read more | digg story

Indigenist Intelligence Review: Wikileaks busts Gitmo propaganda team - Wikileaks

Omar Khadr, aged 20, from Canada. Guantanamo detainee#766. Detained at aged 15 in July 2002 and held now for 5 years without trial. Omar was one of at least three detainees who had their ID numbers covertly deleted from Wikipedia on Nov 1 and Nov 2, 2007 by Guantanamo staff.Indigenist Intelligence Review: Wikileaks busts Gitmo propaganda team - Wikileaks JULIAN ASSANGE (investigative editor, julian@wikileaks.org)
2007-12-12 (Wednesday)

Omar Khadr, aged 20, from Canada. Guantanamo detainee#766. Detained at aged 15 in July 2002 and held now for 5 years without trial. Omar was one of at least three detainees who had their ID numbers covertly deleted from Wikipedia on Nov 1 and Nov 2, 2007 by Guantanamo staff.
Omar Khadr, aged 20, from Canada. Guantanamo detainee#766. Detained at aged 15 in July 2002 and held now for 5 years without trial. Omar was one of at least three detainees who had their ID numbers covertly deleted from Wikipedia on Nov 1 and Nov 2, 2007 by Guantanamo staff.

Guantanamo Bay deletes detainee ID numbers, labels Fidel Castro "an admitted transexual" and more.

WASHINGTON--The US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has been caught conducting covert propaganda attacks on the internet. The attacks, exposed this week in a report by the government transparency group Wikileaks, include deleting detainee ID numbers from Wikipedia last month, the systematic posting of unattributed "self praise" comments on news organization web sites in response to negative press, boosting pro-Guantanamo stories on the internet news site Digg and even modifying Fidel Castro's encyclopedia article to describe the Cuban president as "an admitted transexual" [sic].

Daily Kos: CIA Torture Jet wrecks with 4 Tons of COCAINE

Daily Kos: CIA Torture Jet wrecks with 4 Tons of COCAINE: "This Florida based Gulfstream II jet aircraft # N987SA crash landed on September 24, 2007 after it ran out of fuel over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula it had a cargo of several tons of Cocaine on board now documents have turned up on both sides of the Atlantic that link this Cocaine Smuggling Gulfstream II jet aircraft # N987SA that crashed in Mexico to the CIA who used it on at least 3 rendition flights from Europe and the USA to Guantanamo's infamous torture chambers between 2003 to 2005."

The Raw Story | CNN legal analyst: Alleged Halliburton rapists may go free

The Raw Story | CNN legal analyst: Alleged Halliburton rapists may go free: "Because of an employment contract signed by Halliburton employees requiring that all disputes be settled out of court, a legal analyst for CNN says employees alleged of gang raping a former employee may go free. Former employee Jamie Leigh Jones is filing a federal lawsuit claiming she was gang-raped by employees of Halliburton in Iraq and held shipping container with a bed, then told she would be fired if she sought medical treatment."

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished In New York – Total Lawyers

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished In New York – Total Lawyers: "In New York, it seems that police officers are trying to entice good Samaritans into breaking the law. Maybe there aren't enough crooks on the street, so they have taken to turning people who are perhaps trying to do a good deed into criminals. Have you ever seen a lost wallet or misplaced purse and picked it up with the intention of returning it to its owner? Well, you should be aware that you may be committing a crime. Plainclothes police officers have been planting purses in department stores and then watching to see who would pick them up. In one Macy's store, three people were arrested when they picked up the purses. These people, who could have easily intended to return the bags, now face being indicted on charges that could send them to state prison. Nine months ago the police orchestrated a similar plot named Operation Lucky Bag, but luckily enough prosecutors and judges had the sense to shut them down. There was great concern that the operation did not take into account the people who intended to return the bags, and that everyone who picked up a bag was considered a criminal, regardless of their intentions."

Japan concerned over planned Israeli settlement activities in east Jerusalem - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC

Japan concerned over planned Israeli settlement activities in east Jerusalem - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC: "In a statement, received by the Palestinian government in Ramallah, the government of Japan called on Israel to reconsider immediately such a settlement plan, saying that once the construction takes place, it would negatively impact current peace-making efforts. 'Such a unilateral action would raise unwanted controversy over the final peace settlement; therefore, we look forward that it would not deject momentum of the peace drive. At any rate, such an action would be unhelpful to peace-making', read the statement."

HEALTH: Native Youth Suicides in Canada Reach Crisis Rate

HEALTH: Native Youth Suicides in Canada Reach Crisis Rate: "VANCOUVER, Dec 12 (IPS) - Suicide rates are now five to seven times higher for First Nations youth than for non-aboriginal youth, according to Health Canada, and among Inuit youth, suicide rates are 11 times the national average. Some aboriginal bands have suicide rates over 800 times the national average."

Palestinian and European Union officials agree on financial support for East Jerusalem - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC

Palestinian and European Union officials agree on financial support for East Jerusalem - International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC: "On Thursday, representatives from the EU and the Palestinian authority agreed to an aid package from the EU worth US$2 million support for the development of social services and education in East Jerusalem. The agreement was signed by Dr Rafiq al Husseini, spokesman for the Palestinian president and John Kjare, head of the European Commission Technical Assistance office."

American musician Ike Turner passes away at 76 - Wikinews, the free news source

American musician Ike Turner passes away at 76 - Wikinews, the free news source: "United States musician and songwriter, Ike Turner passed away Wednesday at his home in San Marcos, California. His wife did not give a cause of death, but mentioned that he suffered from emphysema. Ike Turner was perhaps best known for his work with his former wife, Tina Turner, as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo. During a career that lasted half a century, Ike's repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame."

Grandfather denies body-snatching allegation - 14 Dec 2007 - Maori news - NZ Herald

Grandfather denies body-snatching allegation - 14 Dec 2007 - Maori news - NZ Herald: "The paternal family of Tina Marshall-McMenamin, who spirited her body away from a Lower Hutt funeral home to ancestral land on the East Coast, say she is now resting 'with dignity'. The 25-year-old died of a drug overdose on Monday. Her funeral was to have been held today in Carterton."

AFP.com | Agence France-Presse, a global news agency

AFP.com | Agence France-Presse, a global news agency: "GENEVA (AFP) - Palestinians have become a 'hostage to the conflict' between militants and the Israeli armed forces and are bearing the brunt of the hostilities, the international Red Cross warned on Thursday. 'The Palestinian people are paying an exceedingly high price for the continuing hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions,' said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, head of Middle East operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)."

Wampum: Bye bye CFE

Wampum: Bye bye CFE: "Russia just withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). Its been coming since July 13th. I may as well quote myself, from Evolutions in Doctrine

[...] So not only has the December coup moved 6,000,000 people from one side of the poverty line to the other, wasted over trillion dollars and at least 30,000 lives and limbs (mental health affects not included) in Iraq, inflicted over half-a-million deaths and 2,400,000 evictions among the Iraqis, it has also caused the People's Republic of China to increase its military budget by 15%, and now the former Soviet Union to adopt a new defense doctrine."

Officials concede Narmada dam illegal - News from Survival International

Officials concede Narmada dam illegal - News from Survival International: "A director of the government agency responsible for India’s controversial Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam has admitted that the construction of the dam to the height of 121.9 metres has led to the illegal submergence of houses and farms. The Bhil tribal people are among those affected."

Newspaper Rock -- Dine' Bootlegs...

Newspaper Rock -- Where Native America Meets Pop Culture: "Navajo Nation considering CD/DVD anti-piracy legislation Across the Navajo Nation in stores, gas stations, and especially at roadside bazaars and markets, tables are stocked with duplicated music and copied movies. These 'pirated' items come in two major forms: DVDs and CDs. The breadth and depth of variety of these items is boundless. From new releases and feature films to classics, independently made movies and every type of music imaginable, the merchants stock their tables with everything your heart desires."

Indians release UN rep after authorities agree to study demands :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: World

Indians release UN rep after authorities agree to study demands :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: World: "SAO PAULO, Brazil---- A captive U.N. official and four other hostages were released unharmed Tuesday from a diamond-rich Indian reservation after Brazilian authorities agreed to some of the Indians' demands."

Bolivia Rising: Bolivia: Between politics and violence (Á propos the Constituent Assembly and the recall referendum)

Bolivia Rising: Bolivia: Between politics and violence (Á propos the Constituent Assembly and the recall referendum): "On Sunday, Dec. 9, Bolivia's Constituent Assembly approved in Oruro, by two thirds of the deputies in attendance (about 160), 410 of the 411 articles in the nation's new Constitution, whose process of drafting and ratification was systematically boycotted by the opposition, led by the oligarchy. Only one, the article on land holding, did not earn the necessary votes. The new Constitution contains many of the historic vindications of the Bolivian people, one of the ignored and exploited in the region. Among them is the autonomy of the indigenous peoples, approved recently by the United Nations General Assembly, which restores the rights denied by colonialism to the native peoples of the world."

More Media Disinformation? FCC Proposes Greater Media Consolidation

More Media Disinformation? FCC Proposes Greater Media Consolidation: "On October 17, FCC chairman Kevin Martin proposed lifting the 1975 media cross-ownership rule that forbids a company from owning a newspaper and television or radio station in the same city even though giant conglomerates like Rupert Murdock's News Corp. and the (Chicago) Tribune Company already do. On November 13, he expanded on his earlier plan claiming changes will only allow cross ownership 'in the largest markets where there exists competition and numerous voices.'"

Bolivia Rising: Bolivia at a New Crossroads

Bolivia Rising: Bolivia at a New Crossroads: "Since this article was written (in early summer 2007) Bolivian politics has turned most decisively on the process of the Constituent Assembly (CA). Days before the scheduled completion of the CA in mid-August 2007 it was clear to everyone that it was going to be impossible to come up with a new constitution in time. Elite negotiations between MAS officials and the right-wing opposition groups and parties consequently took place and it was decided that the deadline for writing up the new constitution would be extended to December 14, 2007."

CARDIFF RESPECT: End Postcode Lottery for Female Victims of Violence

CARDIFF RESPECT: End Postcode Lottery for Female Victims of Violence: "Each year, 3 million women across the UK experience rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, trafficking or another form of gender-based violence and there are many, many more who have suffered violence in the past. They deserve specialised support services, such as refuges and Rape Crisis Centres, yet Map of Gaps, published by the End Violence Against Women Campaign and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, graphically shows the postcode lottery in these essential services: - A third of local authorites across the UK have no specialised services at all - Only one in ten local authorities have services for ethnic minority women - Most women in the UK don’t have access to a Rape Crisis Centre"

Both parties supported US interrogation program

Both parties supported US interrogation program: "The revelation last week that the CIA deliberately destroyed videotapes involving the interrogation and torture of at least two prisoners has thrown further light on the criminality of the Bush administration. The CIA has been caught red-handed in obstruction of justice in destroying incriminating evidence and lying to the courts and the 9/11 Commission."

allAfrica.com: Algeria: Nine Staff Members Killed in Algiers, Two Found Alive, Confirms UN Official (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Algeria: Nine Staff Members Killed in Algiers, Two Found Alive, Confirms UN Official (Page 1 of 1): "Nine United Nations staff members are among the dozens killed in yesterday's twin bomb attacks in Algiers, a spokesperson for the world body confirmed today, adding that two others were found alive and removed from the debris, and several others remain missing."

Democracy Now! | Chicago Deal to Pay $20 Million in Police Torture Case Hits Roadblock

Democracy Now! | Chicago Deal to Pay $20 Million in Police Torture Case Hits Roadblock: "The City of Chicago’s landmark decision to pay nearly $20 million dollars to four former death row prisoners tortured by Chicago police has hit a roadblock. The four men—all African American—sued former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and more than twenty officers who worked with him, alleging that they were coerced into falsely confessing to murder in the 1980s. We speak with John Conroy, the investigative reporter who brought the story to the fore eighteen years ago. He was recently laid off from the Chicago Reader"

Raped girl's family hits out at Aurukun sentencing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Raped girl's family hits out at Aurukun sentencing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Relatives of the girl at the centre of the Aurukun rape controversy say they cannot understand why her attackers are not in jail. District Court Judge Sarah Bradley's decision not to jail any of the nine males who gang-raped the 10-year-old in the Cape York Indigenous community sparked outrage this week."

Afghanistan: Climates of Fear - Western Asia Imperialism / War - Anarkismo

Afghanistan: Climates of Fear - Western Asia Imperialism / War - Anarkismo: "Canada has played a minor role in the occupation since the beginning but under Harper’s Conservatives Canada’s participation has intensified. The war shows no sign of slowing down and neither does Harper. Paranoid fear being used to justify a clamp down on our rights, civilian casualties numbering in the 1000’s, and more and more Canadians coming home dead, it seems that any likelihood of a positive outcome has long gone."

2007 among the warmest years on record - USATODAY.com

2007 among the warmest years on record - USATODAY.com: "The annual temperature for 2007 across the contiguous USA is expected to be near 54.3 degrees — making the year the 8th-warmest since records were first begun in 1895, according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center."

CENSORED: Nuclear 'Three Stooges' on Algonquin land

CENSORED: Nuclear 'Three Stooges' on Algonquin land: "Algonquin Territory Dec. 14, 2007. When something happens at 6 Nations Iroquois territory, there is usually an echo at Sharbot Lake in Algonquin territory [28 miles north of Kingston Ontario ]. What do these two unconnected places have in common? The struggles are both about our land. Since the Cabot Charter of 1496, the common goal of the colonial system has been and continues to be the elimination of the Ongwehonwe/Nishnaabe people. We are seen as mere impediments to the greedy desire to appropriate all our resources. In mid-September, when the Ardoch and Shabot Algonquins and allies were anticipating an invasion, the 6 Nations were attacked by hundreds of police. Nine men and women were beaten and arrested. They face court appearances in January 2008. We can bet they won’t be tried by a jury of their peers. Instead the judge will be appointed by the very same colonial regime that issued the Cabot Charter saying it was okay to “conquer all non-Christian people”. Same old, same old."

New Warning On Arctic Ice Cap Melting, Satellite Images Show Volume Of Sea Ice At Summer's End Was Half That Of 2003 - CBS News

New Warning On Arctic Ice Cap Melting, Satellite Images Show Volume Of Sea Ice At Summer's End Was Half That Of 2003 - CBS News: "(CBS/AP) An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One speculates that summer sea ice might be gone in just five years."

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Aboriginal Voices from the NT

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Aboriginal Voices from the NT: "The shocking voices of those who are directly affected by the Australian Governments horrific NT National Emergency Response Legislation 2007"

Postbulletin.com: Study: More than 1,200 homeless, nearly homeless on reservations - Thu, Dec 13, 2007

Postbulletin.com: Study: More than 1,200 homeless, nearly homeless on reservations - Thu, Dec 13, 2007: "DULUTH -- Homelessness is prevalent on American Indian reservations in northern Minnesota, but that doesn't mean you'll find people living under bridges or in shelters, according to researchers with the Wilder Foundation. Using a broader definition of homelessness, researchers found that more than 1,200 people on northern Minnesota's reservations are homeless or doubled up in the homes of friends or family members."

Tokyo trims funding for U.S. forces in Japan - Yahoo! News

Tokyo trims funding for U.S. forces in Japan - Yahoo! News: "TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the United States ended a dispute over Tokyo's funding of U.S. bases on Wednesday by agreeing on a small cut starting in 2009, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said."

Democracy Now! | Anthropologists Up in Arms Over Pentagon's "Human Terrain System" to Recruit Graduate Students to Serve in Iraq, Afghanistan

Democracy Now! | Anthropologists Up in Arms Over Pentagon's "Human Terrain System" to Recruit Graduate Students to Serve in Iraq, Afghanistan: "A new $40 million Pentagon program called the Human Terrain System has begun enlisting recruits with graduate degrees in anthropology to serve in the military. The move has anthropologists up in arms. They point to the ethical implications of renewing a program like CORDS during the Vietnam war that assassinated over 26,000 suspected Viet Cong. We speak with David Price, a founding member of the Network of Concerned Anthropologists."

Gov. Hoeven Fights hard to Save Face forColonialists...

Grand Forks Herald | Hoeven says UND nickname decision shouldn't be rushed: "BISMARCK - Gov. John Hoeven says a decision on whether to retire the UND's 'Fighting Sioux' nickname should not be rushed. 'If you're going to have a thoughtful, inclusive process where you make sure that people have a chance to have a good dialogue, you don't try to set a timeline on that,' he said."

Judge signs agreement in school lawsuit » RapidCityJournal.com

Judge signs agreement in school lawsuit » RapidCityJournal.com: "ABERDEEN -- U.S. District Judge Charles Kornmann has signed an agreement between the Winner School District and American Indian students who said they were systematically and unfairly punished."

Drought leaves nearly 250,000 short of drinking water in Guangdong - People's Daily Online

Drought leaves nearly 250,000 short of drinking water in Guangdong - People's Daily Online: "Almost a quarter million people in south China's Guangdong Province face drinking water shortages as a severe autumn drought lingers, government authorities said."

BBC NEWS | Europe | 'Terror T-shirts' Danes cleared

BBC NEWS | Europe | 'Terror T-shirts' Danes cleared: "Seven Danes who sold T-shirts with the logos of Colombian and Palestinian militants have been acquitted of supporting terrorist groups. They had pledged five euros (£3.50) from each sale to the Farc in Colombia or the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine)."

Native Soldier Dies in Service to U.S. Dominated Afghanistan Occupation...

Argus Leader Media - News: "O'Leary, 23, of Eagle Butte died Sunday in Musa Qal'eh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. He was stationed in Kandahar with the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army."

AFP.com | EU leaders sign landmark reform treaty with British PM absent

AFP.com | Agence France-Presse, a global news agency: "LISBON (AFP) - Leaders of the 27-nation European Union signed a landmark treaty Thursday to revitalise EU decision-making, but the new unity was marred by the absence of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown."

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government in crisis after parliamentarians join opposition

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government in crisis after parliamentarians join opposition: "The Solomon Islands government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been thrown into crisis by the defection of 12 parliamentarians to the opposition last month. Among them were nine ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Toswell Kaua and Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, who triggered the political turmoil by quitting the government after he was demoted to the justice ministry on November 8. Sogavare has since accused Lilo of corruption and mismanagement of public funds."

Truthdig - Reports - The 401(k) Myth

Truthdig - Reports - The 401(k) Myth: "WASHINGTON—The great 401(k) bonanza may well turn out to be a bust for most workers. This is not news to millions who know their account balances, or to low-income workers whose employers rarely offer them the chance to open an account."

Ecuador to Evict US, Offer Air Base to China

Ecuador to Evict US, Offer Air Base to China: "President Jamil Mahuad signed a 10-year lease agreement with the U.S. military in 1999. The Manta base is not geopolitically important for U.S. national security, but the Southern Command (South Com) currently uses it to combat illegal cocaine trade in the 'source zone' of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. The air base shares a common runway with Quito's Eloy Alfaro International Airport terminal, but the air base has a separate office for cargo, while the airport handles passengers. About 475 U.S. military personnel are stationed at the air base under a 10-year agreement signed with Quito in November 1999, which is due to expire in 24 months."

Detachment 88, Kopassus Get Covert US Aid: US Intelligence Personnel Tap Indonesian Phones

Detachment 88, Kopassus Get Covert US Aid: US Intelligence Personnel Tap Indonesian Phones: "(News and Comment) -- US intelligence officers in Jakarta are secretly tapping the cell phones and reading the SMS text messages of Indonesian civilians."

FT.com / Europe - European leaders sign landmark treaty

FT.com / Europe - European leaders sign landmark treaty: "European Union leaders on Thursday signed a treaty designed to strengthen the bloc’s institutions and put behind them the worst crisis in the 50-year history of European integration. The leaders of all 27 EU member-states except Gordon Brown, Britain’s prime minister, put their names to the treaty at a ceremony in Lisbon’s Jerónimos monastery."

Chinese NGO blacklists 4,000 companies for bad air pollution record - People's Daily Online

Chinese NGO blacklists 4,000 companies for bad air pollution record - People's Daily Online: "More than 4,000 companies were blacklisted for their bad record of air pollution in a public database released in Beijing on Thursday. The database, named China Air Pollution Map (http://air.ipe.org.cn), blacklisted more than 4,000 companies, including subsidiaries of Sinopec and Sina-Mars Group APP in China, the China Youth Daily reported."

Al Jazeera English - News - Anger Over Aborigine Rape Ruling

Al Jazeera English - News - Anger Over Aborigine Rape Ruling: "Aboriginal leaders and child advocates in Australia have demanded the resignation of a judge who allowed nine gang rapists to walk free saying their 10-year-old Aboriginal victim 'was not forced and she probably agreed to have sex' with them. The case has sparked outrage across the country after the nine males pleaded guilty to raping the girl last year but escaped jail terms and had no convictions reported against them."

Stop The Second Holocaust: Cross Posted MUST READ

Stop The Second Holocaust: Cross Posted MUST READ: "I'm putting this up twice because it is that important. In light of all other problems in America - and the prosecution of people like 'The Lyrical Terrorist' a bad poet in the UK this is IMPORTANT: Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by: Mike Adams The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It's a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent. All over the internet, intelligent people who care about freedom are speaking out against this extremely dangerous law: Philip Giraldi at the Huffington Post, Declan McCullagh at CNET's News.com, Kathryn Smith at OpEdNews.com, and of course Alex Jones at PrisonPlanet.com"

Happy Nappy Head: 20 Ways To Know You Are Black In Corporate America

Video Hat-Tip: Blue Corn Comics: Happy Nappy Head: 20 Ways To Know You Are Black In Corporate America

20 WAYS TO KNOW YOU'RE BLACK IN CORPORATE AMERICA

1. A coworker sees you and several black colleagues at a casual lunch. Back at the office he/she later asks, "What was that meeting all about?"
2. You arrive at work on time as usual. Your boss, making her rounds, peeks in and remarks with surprise, "Oh, you're here!"
3. A colleague says with a broad smile, "You know, I really like you. When I see you, I don't see color. I don't think of you as black."
4. After a staff meeting, your boss suggests, "you need to work at making others more comfortable with you...why don't you smile more often?"
5. You tell your manager about a problem you are having and the response you get is "You've got to be exaggerating! I find that hard to believe."
6. You are told you are "rough around the edges" despite your completion of many professional development programs and it is suggested you emulate the behavior of a non-person of color colleague.
7. You continually get more responsibility, but no authority.
8. You are being recognized at a company banquet. As you approach the stage to receive your company's highest achievement award, your corporations' top executive exclaims, "Yo homeboy, congratulations". 9. You arrive at an offsite business retreat dressed in business casual attire. Your non-persons of color peers approach and ask why you are always so dressed up?
10. You are told you are decreasing your effectiveness with your aggressive style.
11. You are frequently asked why you change your hairstyle so often.
12. Your first name is arbitrarily shortened to one or two syllables without your permission.
13. You are asked every summer if black people tan.
14. After a coworker returns from a weekend in the sun, they run to you on Monday morning and extend their arms to touch yours and say, "Hey I'm darker than you".
15. Walking through the hall with colleagues, you exchange greetings with two other blacks you pass along the way. Your colleague says in amazement, "My you know so many people." 16. You are told your attitude is affecting others. You are asked to..."lighten up, not be so serious about the work. Smile and laugh more often, to make others more comfortable working with you".
17. You realize that at times you must "dumb down" appearing to be dependent and unaware, so that your manager and peers feel they are helping you...
18. You have to perform at 250% just to stay even.
19. You have to document everything. You've learned the hard way.
20. You assumed that all that was required of you was to work hard and get the job done.

------------------------------------------------

Being Black In The Work Place Of America

1. They take my kindness for weakness.
2. They take my silence for speechless.
3. They consider my uniqueness strange.
4. They call my language slang.
5. They see my confidence as conceit.
6. They see my mistakes as defeat.
7. They consider my success accidental.
8. They minimize my intelligence to "potential".
9. My questions mean I'm unaware.
10. My advancement is somehow unfair.
11. Any praise is preferential treatment.
12. To voice concern is discontentment.
13. If I stand up for myself, I'm too defensive.
14. If I don't trust them, I'm too apprehensive.
15. I'm defiant if I separate.
16. I'm fake if I assimilate.
17. Yet, constantly I am faced with work place hate.
18. My character is constantly under attack.
19. Pride for my race makes me, "TOO BLACK".
20. Yet, I can only be me.
21. And, who am I you might ask?
22. I am that Strong Black Person who stands on the backs of my ancestor's achievements, with an erect spine pointing to the stars with pride, dignity, and respect which lets the work place in America know, that I not only possess the ability to play by the rules, but I can make them as well.

Labels: african-american, american racism, bias

Crooks and Liars » Desmond Tutu: Terror Detentions Like Apartheid Era

Crooks and Liars » Desmond Tutu: Terror Detentions Like Apartheid Era: "Archbishop Desmond Tutu has accused the United States and Britain of pursuing policies like those of South Africa’s apartheid-era government by detaining terrorism suspects without trial. At an event to commemorate the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDR) today, the Nobel laureate said the detention of suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban members at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was a “huge blot on a democracy”. “Whoever imagined that you would hear from the United States and from Britain the same arguments for detention without trial that were used by the apartheid government,” Archbishop Tutu said."

Crooks and Liars » Congress to vote on Christmas’ significance

Crooks and Liars » Congress to vote on Christmas’ significance: "Many congressional Republicans have complained lately that lawmakers aren’t doing enough to tackle the policy issues that really matter. To help highlight his caucus’ concerns, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), easily among the top five looniest members of the chamber, will bring H.Res. 847 to the floor today. It will put the House on record stating that Christmas and Christians are important. Seriously. John Bresnahan noted: As someone with a Christian background, I can safely say this may be the silliest resolution ever introduced by, or voted upon, by Congress, although I am a little curious to see if anyone will vote against it."

blackagendareport.com - Bush and Nagin to Black New Orleans Dispossessed: Merry Xmas! Now Get Lost.

blackagendareport.com - Bush and Nagin to Black New Orleans Dispossessed: Merry Xmas! Now Get Lost.: "A short video by Luisa Dantas New Orleans' public housing stock largely survived Katrina, infuriating the privatizers that control government policy at all levels in the United States. How could the ethnic and class cleansing of the city proceed to its ultimate conclusion while thousands of fundamentally sound public housing units still stood, threatening to shelter and re-anchor the unwanted poor? What rationale could be provided for dispensing billions of dollars to subsidize the entrance of 'new' populations - and to line the pockets of George Bush's and Mayor Ray Nagin's corporate sponsors? The answer came as a Christmas present from Washington: We're going to knock all your houses down before New Years. And we don't need a good reason."

blackagendareport.com - Freedom Rider: Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Neocon in Black Face

blackagendareport.com - Freedom Rider: Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Neocon in Black Face: "The young, attractive Somali woman has become a darling of the American corporate media. Ayaan Hirsi Ali started out as a heroine to a portion of the Dutch public, who rewarded her with a parliamentary seat for denouncing all things Muslim. Apparently, flagellating one's own non-white, non-Christian people is a sure route to success in Europe, just like in the U.S. Ms. Ali lost her halo in The Netherlands when it was discovered she had lied on her immigration papers, but was soon recruited into the self-hating Black grouplet at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, where she pretends to be a 'scholar.' America - what a country! Denounce your own people, and they'll make you a star"

Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions: "Yesterday, the seventh day of Hannuka and the second day of the fast before the Moslem holiday of El Adha, Israeli police accompanied bulldozers in a horrific day of demolitions in the unrecognized Bedouin Villages in the Negev. 27 homes were demolished – 27 families were left homeless, with broken dreams, anger and pain towards the government that does not allow them to live in dignity."

My Private Casbah: Mikhail Bakunin on Educational Disparity

My Private Casbah: Mikhail Bakunin on Educational Disparity: "Nullifidian (Oolon Colluphid) is featuring his first guest blogger on 'Beware! Anarchist!'. It's a speech given by Mikhail Bakunin regarding educational disparity and his words are as relevant today as it was when it was originally written (1869). Of course the person with access to the most education will be able to enjoy more of the 'freedoms' that, theoretically, we all have. I especially like the points he made about the petite bourgeoisie. Even among those of us who have been able to attend universities, there is a hierarchy of education."

Native title tribunal to quiz Gippsland elders - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Native title tribunal to quiz Gippsland elders - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Gippsland's Indigenous elders, in south-east Victoria, are being interviewed by the National Native Title Tribunal this week. Federal Court representatives have already spoken to elders at Lake Tyers and Stratford to clarify a number of native title claims made by the Gunnai Kurnai people."

Double Consciousness: On (White) Feminism

Double Consciousness: On (White) Feminism: "BrownFemiPower blogs about the book Full Frontal Feminism, on teaching it at university women’s studies classes, her own experience as a woman of color in such classes, and the overall arch of teaching feminism in general: It’s time for all of us, but in particular, women’s studies departments, to stop pretending that these interactions between women of color and white women never happened or don’t count. It’s time to stop pretending that the voices of white women speaking about women of color is sufficient enough of a history for women of color. It’s time to stop pretending that universal agreement between women of color is necessary before white people can interact with an engage with a particular critique of women of color. It’s time to stop pretending that any critique by women of color exists within a timeless vacuum that demonstrates some ancient racism of a feminism from time past."

Irom Sharmila, true Gandhian at Blogbharti

Irom Sharmila, true Gandhian at Blogbharti: "Tushar salutes Irom Sharmila and her ‘innovative form of gandhian protest’ as opposed to silly tales of ‘gandhigiri’ that the media keeps circulating: Courage comes in many sizes. Sharmila Irom Chanu is a diminutive woman from Manipur, frail and meek looking. Looking at her one wouldn’t imagine that this woman has embarked upon a courageous mission to save her land and people. But what she has done over the last six years is nothing short of a display of courage of the rarest kind, a courage born out of empathy for the rape of her land."

Sketchy Thoughts: Aqsa Parvez, Rest In Peace

Sketchy Thoughts: Aqsa Parvez, Rest In Peace: "Sixteen year old Aqsa Parvez was murdered by her father, who strangled her to death, we are told, because she did not want to wear hijab. She had already tried moving out of her Mississauga home, ongoing conflicts about how to dress and behave becoming too much to bear. She went home to get some things and ended up on the front page of the Toronto Sun."

CENSORED: BBC World News airs Tohono O'odham border wall show

CENSORED: BBC World News airs Tohono O'odham border wall show: "BBC World News airs a program from the Tohono O'odham border today, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007. The interviews are with Ofelia Rivas and Angie Ramon. Ofelia talks about the new passport laws and how the border wall is slicing through the O'odham ceremonial route and communities. Ofelia tells how construction of the border wall has already resulted in O'odham ancestors being dug up from their final resting place. Angie remembers her son, 18-year-old Bennett Patricio, Jr., run over and killed by the US Border Patrol. The program is reported by Brenda Norrell and recorded by KXCI Tucson's Amanda Shauger."

Centro de Medios Independientes, Chiapas

Centro de Medios Independientes, Chiapas: "Con la participación del Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos del EZLN y un puñado de intelectuales se realizará en San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, el Primer Coloquio Internacional Andrés Aubry, en honor del antropologo recientemente fallecido. El encuentro que se realizará en la Universidad de la Tierra, en San Cristóbal de Las Casas, lo convocan el grupo 'Contrahistorias', la Comisión sexta del EZLN y el CIDECI, será del 13 al 17 de diciembre y el tema es 'Planeta tierra: Movimientos antisistémicos'."

Enawene Nawe blockade dam construction site : Intercontinental Cry

Enawene Nawe blockade dam construction site : Intercontinental Cry: "Continuing their struggle against a large hydroelectric dam project in the Brazilian Amazon, the Enawene Nawe set up a blockade at one of the dam construction sites late last week. According to Survival, about 100 members of the 420-strong tribe occupied the building site, demanding an independent study into the impact they will have."

The Unapologetic Mexican: La Virgen Morena, Our Lady Guadalupe, Oatlaxopeuh

The Unapologetic Mexican: La Virgen Morena, Our Lady Guadalupe, Oatlaxopeuh: "Before the Christmas season 'officially' begins on December 16, day when the first Posada takes place, Mexicans join together for the festivities of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12. This is one of the most important dates in the Mexican calendar. On this date, thousands of the faithful from around the country make the most important pilgrimage of all those undertaken during the year to the Basílica of Guadalupe, in Mexico City, where the miraculous image of la Virgen Morena is kept. [...]"

Survival ‘stands firmly behind Bushmen’ on anniversary of court victory - News from Survival International

Survival ‘stands firmly behind Bushmen’ on anniversary of court victory - News from Survival International: "As the Kalahari Bushmen mark the first anniversary of their landmark court victory tomorrow, Survival has vowed to support them in their continued struggle to return to their land. The Bushmen are considering further legal action against the government, which has failed to implement last year’s High Court ruling, and Survival has said it will continue to offer support."

Thailand: Break Silence on Rights Ahead of Elections (Human Rights Watch, 12-12-2007)

Thailand: Break Silence on Rights Ahead of Elections (Human Rights Watch, 12-12-2007): "(New York, December 12, 2007) – In the run-up to Thailand’s general elections, political parties and candidates have failed to make human rights a campaign issue despite the country’s many pressing rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today. The elections are scheduled for December 23."

P a l e s t i n e F r e e V o i c e©: Nabil Abu Rdainah & Khaled Mash'al Ahead of Negotiations with the Israelis.: "Eight Palestinian resistance fighters from Al Quds Brigade,the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and the An-Nasser Brigades was assassinated during separate Israeli incursions in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.AlQuds Brigade announced that three members of the organisation were killed and sustained serious injuries when Israelis State terrorists fired missiles at a house in Rafah in the southern parts of Gaza Strip.The four were killed when confronting the invading Israelis.Two of the dead are identified as Muhammad Abu Hamra23 and Jihad Al-Aswad 26- a third body was discovered but could not be identified."

Bolivia Rising: Ecuador, Bolivia Call for South American Currency

Bolivia Rising: Ecuador, Bolivia Call for South American Currency: "Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The presidents of Ecuador and Bolivia called for the creation of a single South American currency as a step toward lessening dependence on international financial institutions and the U.S. Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Bolivia's Evo Morales said a regional currency would help the nations of South America assert their financial independence. Correa and Morales spoke in Buenos Aires after helping inaugurate the Bank of the South, a development bank pushed for by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez."

Russell Means On Native Talk Radio (Tune In) - SAVE THE SACRED SITES MySpace Blog

Myspace.com Blogs - Russell Means On Native Talk Radio (Tune In) - SAVE THE SACRED SITES MySpace Blog: "'Nightwolf' .. 'The Truth About What Really Happened to the American Indian' ….the Most Dangerous Show on Radio…. WPFW – 89.3 FM – Pacifica Radio Sunday Evenings – 8 - 9 PM East Coast Time Tune In Online By Going To www.WPFW.org Sunday, December 16th, 2007 'Giving Back the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868 to the U. S. Government – Treaties of Lies and Deceit' Special Guest – Live In the Studios of WPFW Russell Means (Oglala Lakota) Controversial Activist, Stage Screen Actor, Educator, Politician and Speaker"

The Expert Witness Radio Show with Michael Levine

The Expert Witness Radio Show with Michael Levine: "A Gulfstream II jet that crash landed in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in late September bearing a load of nearly four tons of cocaine. This particular Gulfstream II (tail number N987SA), was used between 2003 and 2005 by the CIA for at least three trips between the U.S. east coast and Guantanamo Bay — home to the infamous “terrorist” prison camp — according to a number of press reports."

New travel rules leave Native Americans in limbo | U.S. | Reuters

New travel rules leave Native Americans in limbo | U.S. | Reuters: "LUKEVILLE, Ariz (Reuters) - The U.S. border inspector at this lonely desert crossing with Mexico fingers the tribal enrollment card decorated with a wooden staff and eagle feathers, and glances at the holder's photograph. Tohono O'odham elder Ofelia Rivas, 51, has used the document to cross between the tribe's ceremonial sites in Mexico and her home in Arizona for years, but the inspector tells her that it will soon no longer be valid for international travel."

Arlo Looking Cloud Interview

Arlo Looking Cloud Interview

February 2004
Pennington County Jail
Rapid City, South Dakota

by David Seals

"It was a set-up, Man, all the way," Arlo said, in the first of several 10-minute collect phone calls he made from the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, where he's awaiting an April 23 mandatory life sentence for his February 6 conviction of the murder of Anna Mae Aquash in 1975. "Who were they covering up for? They're covering up for someone."

"Who?" I asked.

"I don't know."

Later that night we were allowed a 20-minute face-to-face talk on telephones with a glass window between us, in Cellblock Two, booth 2B. We got into that all-important matter of "Who" again: for if he didn't kill her then who did? His Trial had shown a police videotape with him confessing to it, and several witnesses swore under oath he told them he'd done it. It was much less clear what he thought the role of John Graham was in all of it, as the U.S. Prosecution claims. Graham is a Canadian Native awaiting Extradition to South Dakota as a co-accused in the 1st degree homicide charge.

"Yeah, so, they were covering up, but who were they covering up for, you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I know who was covering up, my lawyer Tim Rensch. He was in collusion with the Government."

We slowly got around to the damning police videotape that was shown in court, of an interrogation of Arlo in the Denver Police Dept. on March 27,2003, in which he confessed to it and said Graham pulled the trigger. What was noticeable about the tape, as I watched it in horror in the U.S. Federal Court in the 4-day trial Feb. 3-6, was that he was almost incoherent, and the police were asking a lot of leading questions. And he had no lawyer present. "What about the videotape?"

He grinned at me behind the glass, a handsome fullblood Lakota with classic Sitting Bull good looks and long black hair. "I was drunk. They were giving me drugs and alcohol. Abe Alonzo, the big Denver cop who's going around acting like a hero, claiming he captured me, knew where I was every day. He met me at the liquor store every day and bought me the booze, and gave me drugs. I was really into Chiba. You know what Chiba is?" he grinned again, giving me a hard con's eye stare.

"No."

"Heroin. I loved that stuff. He was getting it for me. All I wanted."

"So the videotape and confession ..."

"They were all fucked up. I told Rensch that, but he didn't use it in court. Rensch didn't use a lot of questions I asked him to. I told him a lot of stuff but he didn't use it in the trial. I don't know why. I didn't even see a witness list until the last day, and they had a mock-trial back in December, December 16 I think, to practice everything, but I didn't even get a copy of the questionnaires. I didn't know anything. They didn't tell me anything. "

And how did John Graham's name ever come up?

"That's where Ecoffey perjured himself on the Stand." {Robert Ecoffey is the U.S. Marshall who originally brought Looking Cloud's and Graham's names out 10 years ago, and he testified at the trial} "He said Gladys Bissonnette and Al Gates first told him my name in 1994. No. No. It was Pat Janis, his close relative who told Ecoffey. Pat is married to Angie Begay. Angie Begay is a Navajo woman who was married to John Graham back in the 70s. Maybe it was some jealous woman's thing that got all this started, I'm not sure. There's always a lot of gossip around Pine Ridge and Indian Country. Angie was also married to Dennis Banks, did you know that? They had a daughter, Arrow Banks, she's a grown woman now."

"Angie Begay also testified in the trial, didn't she? Yeah, she's the one who said she saw Annie Mae tied to a board and carrried out of the Denver house of Troy Lynn Yellow Wood."

"Yeah."

"But Troy Lynn herself testified she didn't see Annie tied up or anything. She left willingly on her own. And that's when you and John and Theda Clark took Annie to Pine Ridge?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I didn't know her or John very well." He just shook his head like it was all bullshit. His lawyer said in court Arlo went to visit a friend Tony Red Cloud in Rapid City and wasn't even with Annie after they dropped her off at a safe house on Pine Ridge, 100 miles away from Rapid City. "I never saw her again, or even John Boy, I don't think. I'm not sure."

"You never saw them again, after you dropped Annie off at a house on Pine Ridge?"

"No."

Read on...

Labels: american indian movement, aquash, arlo looking cloud, john graham, ray robinson jr

Guns and Butter for Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

Guns and Butter for Wednesday, November 28th, 2007: "The Bilderberg Group - Rulers of the World Interview with investigator and author, Daniel Estulin, on his book, 'The True Story of the Bilderberg Group', which describes an annual gathering where the European and American political elite, and the wealthiest CEOs of the world, all come together to discuss the economic and political future of humanity. Highly secretive, the press has never been allowed to attend, nor have statements ever been released on the group's conclusions or discussions. Also discussed are the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission."

Quick trial expected for Pictou-Aquash slaying

U.S. prosecutors in the trial of Canadian John Graham, who is accused in the decades-old murder of aboriginal activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, say they are aiming for a fair and speedy trial.

read more | digg story

Quick trial expected for Canadian accused of Pictou-Aquash slaying

Quick trial expected for Canadian accused of Pictou-Aquash slaying: "U.S. prosecutors in the trial of Canadian John Graham, who is accused in the decades-old murder of aboriginal activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, say they are aiming for a fair and speedy trial. A former Yukoner, Graham was living in Vancouver until Thursday, when he was extradited to South Dakota to stand trial in the 1975 slaying of Pictou-Aquash, a Mi'kmaq activist from Nova Scotia. Graham was whisked out of the country hours after the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his appeal of a lower court ruling granting the extradition."

Labels: aim, aquash

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news - Taliban regroup after losing city

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news - Taliban regroup after losing city: "Afghan government troops and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces are patrolling the southern town of Musa Qala after driving out Taliban fighters who had been entrenched there for 10 months. But even as the troops searched for booby traps and stranded militants, the Afghan Defense Ministry said hundreds of Taliban fighters had launched a counterattack in the nearby district of Sangin - an area that includes a road project linked to the reconstruction of the strategic Kajaki hydroelectric dam."

Asia Times Online :: China News - China outwits the EU in Africa

Asia Times Online :: China News - China outwits the EU in Africa: "During the past several years, an increasing number of differences have arisen in the strategic partnership forged between China and the European Union. Among the many critical issues clouding the mutual agenda are differing policy approaches towards Africa."

CCTV International: Chinese President pledges peaceful use of outer space

CCTV International: "BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday that China would adhere to the principle of peaceful development and use of outer space in concerted efforts with other nations."

IDF chief: Major military Gaza offensive becoming more likely

- Haaretz - Israel News

IDF chief: Major military Gaza offensive becoming more likely

- Haaretz - Israel News: "Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that though daily strikes against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip were having a positive impact, a major military offensive was becoming more likely."

allAfrica.com: Botswana: Country Fares Poorly in HDI Report (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Botswana: Country Fares Poorly in HDI Report (Page 1 of 1): "Many Batswana live on less than $2 (P14) a day, the United Nations Human development report of 2007-2008 says. The report was launched in Botswana on Friday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It says 55.5 percent of the population of Botswana or (1.1 million people assuming that the population of Botswana is 2 million) subsist on $2 a day or less than P14. About a third of the population (28 percent) live on $1 or less than P7 a day."

Whalers plead not guilty to tribal charges

Whalers plead not guilty to tribal charges: "NEAH BAY - The five members of the Makah tribe accused of illegally killing a whale will go to trial in tribal court Jan. 22. They also face trial March 18 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. The five - Frankie Gonzales, Wayne Johnson, Andrew Noel, Parker and William Secor Sr., all of Neah Bay - each pleaded not guilty to three counts in tribal court on Tuesday."

Indianz.Com > News > Kickapoo Tribe declares state of emergency

Indianz.Com > News > Kickapoo Tribe declares state of emergency: "HI by a winter storm, the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas declared a state of emergency on Tuesday. Chairman Steve Cadue said most of the 600 residents are without power and phone service. The local power company expects service to be restored within two to three days."

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government in crisis after parliamentarians join opposition

Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua: Solomon Islands government in crisis after parliamentarians join opposition: "The Solomon Islands government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been thrown into crisis by the defection of 12 parliamentarians to the opposition last month. Among them were nine ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Toswell Kaua and Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, who triggered the political turmoil by quitting the government after he was demoted to the justice ministry on November 8. Sogavare has since accused Lilo of corruption and mismanagement of public funds."

Brown prepared to talk to Taliban | The Australian

Brown prepared to talk to Taliban | The Australian: "LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was expected to announce a major policy shift on Afghanistan overnight, saying he's ready to talk to the Taliban. The shift is likely to cause major concern among hardliners in the Bush administration, six years after coalition forces went into Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime."

Israel denies urging Jewish U.S.S.R emigres to quit Germany - Haaretz - Israel News

Israel denies urging Jewish U.S.S.R emigres to quit Germany - Haaretz - Israel News: "Israel is not trying to encourage Jews who left the Soviet Union for Germany to migrate to Israel, its ambassador to Berlin said on Wednesday."

DEBKAfile: Senior Lebanese army officer tagged for next chief of staff among 5 dead in explosion outside presidential palace early Wednesd

DEBKAfile - DEBKAfile: Senior Lebanese army officer tagged for next chief of staff among 5 dead in explosion outside presidential palace early Wednesday: "DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources: The huge explosion outside the presidential palace in the Christian village of Baabde east of Beirut left at least five dead and dozens injured, and was powerful enough to topple buildings and smash many vehicles. The targeted officer was Lebanese army operations chief Brig Gen. Francois al-Hajj, named to succeed as chief of staff after Gen. Michel Suleiman is elected president. A Mercedes rigged as a car bomb detonated as the Brig al-Hajjs’ vehicle passed by."

British to hand over Basra in days despite new bomb blasts | Iraq | Guardian Unlimited

British to hand over Basra in days despite new bomb blasts | Iraq | Guardian Unlimited: "British troops will hand over security control in Basra to Iraqi forces on Sunday despite a major car bomb attack today that left at least 41 people dead and injured 150 others in the south of the country. The first official announcement of the transfer of responsibility for security in the province - the last under British control - came hours after three car bombs exploded in a neighbouring province."

Peru's former president jailed for abuse of office | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

Peru's former president jailed for abuse of office | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited: "The former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, has been sentenced to six years in prison for stealing documents from an investigation into corruption in his former government."

globeandmail.com: RCMP should restrict taser use immediately: report

globeandmail.com: RCMP should restrict taser use immediately: report: "The RCMP should immediately restrict the use of tasers to only the most serious encounters with people who are combative or pose a risk of “death or grievous bodily harm,” the head of the force's public complaints commission says. The recommendation is among 10 made by commission chairman Paul Kennedy in an interim report released Wednesday."

Add This Post To:
Digg|

Technorati Post Summaries

Call for Participants: On the Wings of Wadaduga: Cherokee Two-Spirit Lives.

Army pays $725 to WWII vet for unfair trial, imprisonment

Spanish Court rejects to charge Castro over genocide

Quick trial expected for Pictou-Aquash slaying