Monday, August 28, 2017
NCAI Lambasts WA AG
We haven’t seen an attack on tribal treaty rights like this by the State of Washington in a very long time… [Attorney General] Ferguson has gone out of his way to attempt to undermine our treaties and our way of life…We will fight him with all the strength we have. — Brian Cladoosby, president of the National Congress of American Indians
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Opposing Tribal Rights
In an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of tribal sovereignty and cultural resource protection, the Seattle Times editorial board conflates treaty fishing rights of Northwest Indians with undue political influence. Rather than acknowledge the jurisdictional interest pertaining to land and water use affecting salmon reproduction--retained by the tribes in the treaties with the US--the Times board adopts the anti-Indian position promoted by former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, himself known for his inflammatory, racist remarks.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Honoring Dick Gregory
In 1966, a Black entertainer named Dick Gregory went to jail for six months in Olympia WA for supporting Northwest Indians in their fight to keep their treaty-reserved fishing rights. A Puyallup elder recalls Gregory's sacrifice.
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
The Hippie Vision
With mainstream media promoting American Empire 24/7, it might seem like we have entered a New Dark Age, but American culture--distorted as it is--is more nuanced.
When the hippie counter-culture movement emerged in the 1960s, it represented a rejection of militarism, racism and sexism. The demonization of the hippie movement by mainstream media since then was a reaction to the radical restructuring of American society that the hippies envisioned.
Now, a half-century later, hippie values have attained a cultural influence that the ruling elite appears unable to stop. Witness the vast support for the Sanders campaign, that nearly defeated the warmongering Hillary Clinton.
When the hippie counter-culture movement emerged in the 1960s, it represented a rejection of militarism, racism and sexism. The demonization of the hippie movement by mainstream media since then was a reaction to the radical restructuring of American society that the hippies envisioned.
Now, a half-century later, hippie values have attained a cultural influence that the ruling elite appears unable to stop. Witness the vast support for the Sanders campaign, that nearly defeated the warmongering Hillary Clinton.
Tuesday, August 08, 2017
Civilized Life
Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez says, “Our platform requires that we honor, fulfill and strengthen the federal government’s trust responsibility to American Indians. We take this responsibility seriously. That means we will stand with Indian Country and resist Trump’s disastrous policies.”
Saturday, August 05, 2017
Punjabi Cowboy
Violence against Sikhs in America — a faith based on equality with a heavy emphasis on social justice — can be attributed to a combination of ignorance about non-Christian religions, and a long history of racism. Sikhs wear turbans, but they are neither Hindu or Muslim; they are Sikh.
In the aftermath of 9/11, a Sikh in San Francisco’s Mission District stood at a bus stop in front of me wearing his turban with a ten-gallon Stetson hat on top. To me, this signified a dark humor about bigotry in the US.
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Aid to the Poor
Medicaid now serves one out of every five Americans, more people than Medicare, covering 40% of all children in the US.
