Sioux tribe sues brewers for alcohol woes

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The Oglala Sioux Tribe is suing some of the world's largest beer brewers, saying they knowingly have contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Nebraska, seeks $500 million in damages for the costs the tribe has incurred in dealing with crime and providing social services and health care as a result of rampant alcoholism among the 20,000 tribal members.

The suit is on behalf of the tribe, however, and no individual tribal members are plaintiffs and eligible for money.

It also targets four beer stores in Whiteclay, Neb., a tiny town in northwest Nebraska at the South Dakota border near the reservation. Despite only about dozen residents in town, the stores sold almost 5 million cans of beer in 2010 -- almost 250 cans per Pine Ridge tribal member. Alcohol is not legal on the reservation.

Tribal leaders and activists blame Whiteclay businesses for chronic alcohol abuse and bootlegging on the reservation. They say most of the stores' customers come from Pine Ridge.

"In a town of 11 people selling 4.9 million 12-ounce servings of beer, there is no way that alcohol could be legally consumed. It's just impossible," said Thomas White, a former Nebraska legislator and Omaha, Neb., lawyer who is representing the tribe.

Equally as important as the damage award the tribe wants is that the lawsuit seeks a ruling on how much beer Whiteclay retailers can sell, White said. This is the key to stopping beer trafficking at Pine Ridge.

"We are not saying you can't sell beer," White said. But he points to the large amount of beer sold in Whiteclay in 2010 and says, "you cannot sell in volumes you know will be illegally transported and sold. You have to reduce sales to a responsible level."

The lawsuit alleges that beer makers and stores sold to Pine Ridge residents knowing they would smuggle the alcohol into the reservation to drink or resell. Beer makers supplied the stores with "volumes of beer far in excess of an amount that could be sold in compliance with the laws of the state of Nebraska," tribal officials allege in the lawsuit.

Most of Whiteclay's beer store customers have no legal place to drink alcohol because it's banned on the reservation, state law prohibits drinking outside the stores and the nearest town that allows alcohol is 20 miles south, said Mark Vasina, president of the group Nebraskans for Peace.

Owners of the four beer stores in Whiteclay were unavailable or declined comment Thursday when The Associated Press contacted them. A spokeswoman for Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide said she was not yet aware of the lawsuit, and the other four companies being sued did not immediately return messages.

The lawsuit's defendants include the distributors and brewers and Whiteclay retail outlets because those higher up the sales and distribution chain exert pressure to maximize beer sales, White said. In hearings before the Nebraska Legislature in the past, distributors have argued their contracts with brewers require them to sell all the beer they are supplied.

"If the brewers say that to their distributors, then they all deserve it," White said of including brewers in the lawsuit. "These guys have an obligation to control their distributors."

Frank Pommersheim, a University of South Dakota law professor, is not sure the federal government can oversee the way Nebraska regulates beer sales.

"There is no doubt of the incredible harm caused by the actions in Whiteclay," Pommersheim said. "The question is whether that translates into an actionable claim of federal jurisdiction."

The tribe sees the lawsuit as a last resort after numerous failed attempts to deal with the abuse through protests and public pressure on lawmakers. Oglala Sioux President John Yellow Bird Steele said the tribal council authorized the lawsuit in an effort to protect the reservation's youth.

"Like American parents everywhere, we will do everything lawful we can to protect the health, welfare and future of our children," he said.

Nebraska lawmakers have struggled for years to curb the problem and are considering legislation this year that would allow the state to limit the types of alcohol sold in areas such as Whiteclay. The measure would require local authorities to ask the state to designate the area an "alcohol impact zone."

Nebraska's liquor commission then could limit the hours alcohol sellers are open, ban the sale of certain products or impose other restrictions.

Thomas Horton, a USD law professor who has a lengthy career litigating federal antitrust and civil cases, said the tribe's case could have national significance.

And Horton knows the beer business. "I was the lead attorney on the Miller-Coors merger," he said.

"This sounds like a very interesting lawsuit that is going to have some legs," Horton said. "I would think the tribe's jurisdiction over alcohol sales is protected, and this sounds like a scheme to circumvent that.

"I imagine this is going to be a spectacular battle."

Menominee Seventh Grader Suspended for Saying "I Love You" in her Native Language

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SHAWANO, WISCONSIN - What's love got to do with it? Not much, especially if you say the words "I love you" in the Menominee language in front of a certain Wisconsin teacher.

Seventh grader Miranda Washinawatok, Menominee, found this out.
Miranda speaks two languages: Menominee and English. She also plays on her basketball team. However, two Thursdays ago she was suspended for one basketball game because she spoke Menominee to a fellow classmate during class.
Miranda attends Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Shawano, Wisconsin. The school body is over 60 percent American Indian. The school is approximately six miles from the south border of the Menominee Indian Tribe Reservation.
"On January 19 I was told by Miranda she was being benched from playing that night. I found out at 4:20 and we were back at school at 6:30 pm so I could get to the bottom of why she could not play,"
said Tanaes Washinawatok, Miranda's mother.
"Miranda kept saying she was only told by her assistant coach she was being benched because two teachers said she had a bad attitude. I wanted to know what she did to make them say she had a bad attitude."
At the school, the teachers and coaching staff seemed to want to cast blame on each other, according to Miranda's mother.
"I wanted to talk to the principal, but he was not there before the game started,"
stated Tanaes Washinawatok. Being a persistent concerned parent, Washinawatok was back at the school by 7:30 the next morning to speak to the principal.
The principal told Washinawatok that the assistant coach told him she was told by two teachers to bench Miranda for attitude problems.
The alleged 'attitude problem' turned out to be that Miranda said the Menominee word

“posoh”
that means
“hello”

and said

“Ketapanen”

in Menominee that means "I love you."
Miranda and a fellow classmate were talking to each other when Miranda told her how to say "Hello" and "I love you" in Menominee.
"The teacher went back to where the two were sitting and literally slammed her hand down on the desk and said, "How do I know you are not saying something bad?"
The story did not end there. In the next session, another teacher told Miranda she did not appreciate her getting the other teacher upset because "she is like a daughter to me."
By the time, Miranda was picked up by her mother she was upset for being suspended.
"Miranda knows quite a bit of the Menominee language. We speak it. My mother, Karen Washinawatok, is the director of the Language and Culture Commission of the Menominee Tribe. She has a degree in linguistics from the University of Arizona's College of Education-AILDI American Indian Language Development Institute. She is a former tribal chair and is strong into our culture,"
states Tanaes Washinawatok.
Washinawatok has had a total of three meetings with school officials and was promised Miranda would receive a public apology, as would the Menominee Tribe, and the apologies would be publically placed.
"On Wednesday, a letter was sent to parents and guardians. A real generic letter of apology, that really did not go into specifics as to why there was this apology,"
Washinawatok told the Native News Network Thursday evening.
"I still don't think it was enough,"
Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is operated by the Diocese of Green Bay, which ironically has an option on its answering machine for Spanish, but not Menominee. A call put in late Thursday afternoon by the Native News Network was not returned by press time.

Pipeline rejection is a huge Native American victory

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First, make no mistake: It was Native Americans who spearheaded and bore the brunt of the campaign against the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline.
The news media continue to engage in loathsome racist marginalization by ignoring Native involvement in this struggle, touting the opposition of environmentalists. With all due respect to our environmentalist allies, they were following the Indian lead, but it was Native Americans of Canada and the U.S. in the forefront of this protracted struggle, which is still far from over. Nonetheless, a major battle has been won.
The rejection of the pipeline by President Obama was a tremendous victory for tribal nations of the U.S. and Canada. Obama listened to the voices of this land’s first peoples. In early December, Native leaders presented the president with the “Mother Earth Accord” that outlined the unique U.S. Tribal and Canadian First Nations objections to the pipeline.
In Alberta province, for example, it was pointed out that the extraction of tar sands oil had already been linked to a 30 percent elevated rate of rare cancers and autoimmune diseases in First Nations communities downstream from the project. The Mother Earth Accord was developed this past September at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Emergency Summit. More than 20 tribal nations and private landowners, private citizens, environmental organizations and Canadian political parties endorsed the accord in opposition to the pipeline.
There were, of course, the naysayers to this decision, led by Republicans with inane, vociferating, hypocritical temerity. Perhaps, the Obama administration is finally realizing that attempting to work with them is akin to entering a Faustian compact.
Republicans contended that the project would have produced tens of thousands of jobs. Balderdash. With the exception of possibly a couple of thousand temporary construction jobs along the pipeline route from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, there was little prospective job creation. Further, latest studies estimate that the pipeline would create fewer than 100 permanent jobs.

Pundits continue to downplay the massive coalition led by Native people with such comments as Obama is “pandering to a small environmental constituency.” They deny that Native people are a political force to be reckoned with.
There had recently been massive demonstrations against the pipeline at the White House. In a two-week, August-September protest mostly by American Indians, 1,253 were arrested. On Nov. 6, more than 12,000 demonstrated in a “human chain” protest that encircled the White House! Incredibly, neither massive protest was reported by the TV or newspaper media, a woeful commentary on the stranglehold exerted on news by corporate moguls.
The proposed pipeline would have been deadly for Canadian tribal nations and at least five U.S. Native American reservations and six states. President Obama is to be lauded for his disapproval of this heinous enterprise. Further, this rejection represents a history-making Native American victory over the mammon-obsessed jackals of corporate greed.

Hollywood Racism and WhiteWashing: Johnny Depp playing "Tonto" a Native American in remake of "The Lone Ranger"

 Racist Hollywood continuing their white washing of non-white characters


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Jerry Bruckheimer, Walt Disney Studios and Johnny Depp may just supply the proverbial silver bullet for the flagging New Mexico film industry.

On Friday, the Governor's Office announced that Disney/Bruckheimer's film version of The Lone Ranger will indeed shoot in and around Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Shiprock and other locales in the state starting in February.

Gore Verbinski of Pirates of the Caribbean fame will direct Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger.

"It's great news," said Nick Maniatis, director of The New Mexico Film Office. "This is a large-budget, major film that is putting faith into the idea of coming back to the state of New Mexico to make movies.

"I think a major production like this coming here shows signs that we are looking pretty healthy for film and TV production in the state."

He said the production will probably utilize Albuquerque Studios. He did not think it would be shooting at the newly built Santa Fe Studios.

The producers reportedly cut the original budget of some $250 million down to the $215 million range to get the go-ahead to film this new version of the fabled story of a mysterious masked man who rode the West, righting wrongs with his faithful Native American pal, Tonto.

Online blogs and entertainment venue reports have indicated that the venerable Western hero and his partner would face off against American Indian shamans and werewolves in this new version.

One such blog, citing Hollywood-Elsewhere as a source, noted that the script is laden with special effects and described it as a kind of an "Indian-spirituality werewolf movie — a.k.a., The Lone Ranger Meets the Wolfman."

Which makes sense, given The Lone Ranger only uses silver bullets in his guns, rides a horse called Silver and makes Silver wear silver horseshoes. (Werewolves shy away from silver stuff.)

In a very early episode of the old Lone Ranger television series, the Lone Ranger asks a miner pal of his to melt down silver ore into bullets. "Silver bullets will serve as sort of a symbol," the Lone Ranger explains. "Tonto suggested the idea ... a symbol that means justice by law."

Created by George W. Trendle and written by Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger originated as a radio show in 1933. In 1949, ABC turned it into a long-running television series starring Clayton Moore as the title character and Canadian Mohawk actor Jay Silverheels as Tonto.

The 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger — a notable critical and commercial failure — also utilized New Mexico locales.

The new version was canceled and restarted over the past year while the issues of budget and locale were reworked.

Last autumn, Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter that in trimming his budget he had to consider the film incentives that various states offered.

"We found that Louisiana gave us a better tax incentive than New Mexico — that was another $8 million," he said. "We're still shooting in New Mexico, and we might go to Louisiana."

Last year Gov. Susana Martinez urged state lawmakers to revamp the state's film-incentive program, putting a $50 million cap on what the state will pay out in one year to qualifying productions.

Though the $200 million production The Avengers shot in New Mexico last year, the state attracted few other big-budget films in 2011.

Two longtime television series anchored in Albuquerque, Breaking Bad and In Plain Sight, are slated to stop shooting this spring after completing their final seasons.

The state played host to several television pilot shoots in 2011, including A&E's Longmire, starring Australian actor Robert Taylor, Lou Diamond Phillips and Katee Sackhoff. A&E has announced that it has picked up Longmire as a series, though it has not yet announced where it will film.

Maniatis said he couldn't yet confirm any possible upcoming film or television projects, but noted, "I hope to announce a TV show shortly, a project that's been here already, and we are excited it is coming back."

He said he's a fan of the old Lone Ranger television show. "Now I have a couple of boys and they will get to see the film shot in our state. The fact that it will be shot in and around New Mexico will be great for us. The production will hire over 300 New Mexico crew members, about 30 actors and 1,200 extras. It will have a big impact on the state."

Asked whether he knew anything about the werewolf angle, Maniatis laughed and said no.

Because it's important to remember that the Lone Ranger never shot to kill, preferring to wound his adversaries and bring them to court instead. How this humanitarian approach would work with werewolves, should they remain in the new script, remains unclear.

Attawapiskat: Firing back at the racist rants and ignorant responses with facts

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I still intend to get a series of posts out clarifying issues like First Nations housing, health care, education and so on, but I have a confession. I haven't been staying away from the comments sections of articles about Attawapiskat.
I know. It's not healthy. There are so many racist rants and outright ignorant responses that it can bog you down. Where do you even begin, when the people making these comments do not seem to understand even the bare minimum about the subject?
Well, I try to answer questions with facts. Here are some of those facts, if you're interested.
Harper said Attawapiskat got $90 million, where did it all go!?
Yes, Prime Minister Harper is apparently scratching his head about where $90 million in federal funding to Attawapiskat has gone. Many commentators then go on to make claims about lack of accountability, and no one knowing what happens to the money once it is 'handed over' by the federal government.
Let's start simple.
First, please note that $90 million is a deceptive number. It refers to federal funding received since Harper's government came into power in 2006. In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Attawapiskat received $17.6 million in federal funds. The document linked to shows the breakdown of federal funds in case you wanted to know how much is allocated to things like medical transportation, education, maternal health care and so on.

Thus, $90 million refers to the total of an average of about $18 million per year in federal funding since 2006.
As an aside, you will often see the figure of $34 or $35 million in funding given to Attawapiskat a year. This actually refers to total revenues. As noted, federal funding was $17.6 million, and provincial funding was $4.4 million. The community brings in about $12 million of its own revenue, as shown here. So no, the 'government' is not giving Attawapiskat $34 million a year.
Okay fine, but where did it go?
Attawapiskat publishes its financial statements going back to 2005. If you want to know where the money was spent, you can look in the audited financial reports. This document for example provides a breakdown of all program funding.
Just getting to this stage alone proves false the claim that there is no accountability and no one knows where the money goes.
But $90 million could have built the community 360 brand new houses!!
Assuming, as Grand Chief Stan Louttit of the Mushkegowyk Council has stated, that a new house costs $250,000 to build in Attawapiskat (with half of that being transportation costs), then yes, 360 new units could have been provided by $90 million.
However, this money was not just earmarked for the construction of new homes.
An important fact that many commentators forget (or are unaware of) is that section 91(24) of the Constitution Act of 1867 gives the Federal Crown exclusive powers over "Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians."
You see, for non-natives, the provinces are in charge of funding things like education, health-care, social services and so on. For example, the Province of Ontario allocated $10,730 in education funding per non-native pupil in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. For most First Nations, particularly those on reserve, the federal government through INAC is responsible for providing funds for native education.
How is this relevant?
It helps explain why the entire $90 million was not allocated to the construction of new houses. That $90 million includes funding for things like:
• education per pupil
• education infrastructure (maintenance, repair, teacher salaries, etc)
• health care per patient
• health care, infrastructure (clinics, staff, access to services outside the community in the absence of facilities on reserve)
• social services (facilities, staff, etc)
• infrastructure (maintenance and construction)
• a myriad of other services
These costs are often not taken into account when attempting to compare a First Nation reserve to a non-native municipality. In fact, many people forget that their own health-care and education are heavily subsidized by tax dollars as well.
What's the point here?
How much money was actually allocated to housing in 2010-2011? Page 2 of Schedule A shows us that out of the $17.6 million in federal funds, only $2 million was provided for housing. Yes, even $2 million would be enough to eight brand new homes, if those funds were not also used to maintain and repair existing homes. The specific breakdown of how that money was spent is found in Schedule I.
Now, I admit I am confused about something. The Harper article states:
According to figures providing by Aboriginal Affairs, the Attawapiskat Cree band has received just over $3 million in funds specifically for housing and a further $2.8 million in infrastructure money since 2006.
That is actually less than I estimated it would be, going by the 2010-2011 figures. I estimated $10 million for housing, but INAC (now Aboriginal Affairs) is saying it was $5.8 million.
Anyway, that isn't too important. The point is, if INAC is correct, only $5.8 million has gone towards housing for Attawapiskat. At most that could have built the community 23 new houses, if Attawapiskat had merely let the older houses go without any repairs or maintenance for five years. Letting existing homes go like that is not a great strategy, however.
The point here is, $90 million sounds like a huge amount, but the real figures allocated to housing are much, much smaller.
Fine, they got $5.8 million for housing, surely that is enough?
Again, assuming 23 new homes were built, and all older homes were left without maintenance and repairs, and the people in charge of housing worked for free and there were no other costs associated with administering the housing program, Attawapiskat would still be experiencing a housing crisis.
It is estimated that $84 million is needed for housing alone to meet Attawapiskat's housing needs (you'll find those figures in a small table on the right, titled "Attawapiskat by the numbers").
The Feds are just handing that money over and the Band does whatever it wants with it!
Many people seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that First Nations have self-governance and run themselves freely. This is far from the truth, but given that most Canadians are familiar with the municipal model, the confusion is actually understandable. It isn't as though Canada does a very good job of teaching people about the Indian Act.
Section 61(1)(a-k) of the Indian Act details that: "With the consent of the council of a band, the Minister may authorize and direct the expenditure of capital moneys of the band" for various purposes.
What this means is that Ministerial approval is actually a requirement before any capital expenditures can occur on reserve. In practice, a Band will generally pass a Band Council Resolution (BCR) authorising a certain expenditure (say on housing), and that BCR must be forwarded to INAC for approval.
That's right. Most First Nations have to get permission before they can spend money. That is the opposite of 'doing whatever they want' with the money. Bands are micromanaged to an extent unseen in nearly any other context that does not involve a minor or someone who lacks capacity due to mental disability.
Any claims that INAC has no control over what Bands spend their money on is false.
I would hope by now you'd ask the following question:
If INAC has to approve spending, why is Harper so confused?
There is a tendency to believe that our government officials do things in a way that makes sense. This, despite the fact that most of us don't actually believe this to be true. We want to believe. I know I do.
So upon learning that the federal government is the one in charge of providing services to First Nations that are provided to non-natives by the province, we might assume that the provision of these services are administered in a comparable manner.
Not so! And it actually makes sense why not, when you think about it for a moment. Have you ever seen a federal hospital, for example? No, because hospitals are built, maintained, and staffed by the provinces. Thus, when a First Nations person needs to access healthcare, they cannot access federal infrastructure. They must access provincial infrastructure and have the feds rather than the province pick up the tab.
If only it were as easy as federal funding via provincial structures.
The Auditor General of Canada speaks up
The Auditor General of Canada released a report in June of this year examining Programs for First Nations on Reserve. A similar report was published in 2006. This report identifies deficiencies in program planning and delivery by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), Health Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
The reports also provide a number of recommendations to improve these deficiencies. The 2011 report evaluated the progress made since the 2006 report, and in most areas, gave these federal agencies a failing grade.
Don't worry, there is a point to this, stay with me.
The 2011 report has this to say:
In our view, many of the problems facing First Nations go deeper than the existing programs' lack of efficiency and effectiveness. We believe that structural impediments severely limit the delivery of public services to First Nations communities and hinder improvements in living conditions on reserves. We have identified four such impediments:
• lack of clarity about service levels,
• lack of a legislative base,
• lack of an appropriate funding mechanism, and
• lack of organizations to support local service delivery.
I know this is going to look like mumbo jumbo at first, so let me break it down a little for you. This will help explain why millions of dollars of funding is not enough to actually improve the living conditions of First Nations people, particularly those on reserve.
Lack of clarity about service levels
As explained earlier the federal government is in charge of delivering services that are otherwise provided by the provinces to non-natives. The Auditor General states:
"It is not always evident whether the federal government is committed to providing services on reserves of the same range and quality as those provided to other communities across Canada."
Shockingly, the federal government does not always have clear program objectives, nor does it necessarily specify specific roles and responsibilities for program delivery, and has not established measures for evaluating performance in order to determine if outcome are actually met.
What!?
That's right. The federal government is not keeping track of what it does, how it does it, or whether what it is doing works. The auditor-general recommends the federal government fix this, pronto. How can a community rely on these services if the federal government itself isn't even clear on what it is providing and whether the programs are working?
Lack of a legislative base
"Provincial legislation provides a basis of clarity for services delivered by provinces. A legislative base for programs specifies respective roles and responsibilities, eligibility, and other program elements. It constitutes an unambiguous commitment by government to deliver those services. The result is that accountability and funding are better defined."
The provinces all have some sort of Education Act that clearly lays out the roles and responsibilities of education authorities, as well as mechanisms of evaluation. There is generally no comparable federal legislation for the provision of First Nations education, health-care, housing and so on.
As noted by the AG, legislation provides clarity and accountability. Without it, decision can be made on an ill-defined 'policy' basis or on a completely ad hoc basis.
Lack of an appropriate funding mechanism
The AG focuses on a few areas here.
Lack of service standards for one. Were you aware that provincial building codes do not apply on reserve? Some provincial laws of ‘general application' (like Highway Traffic Acts) can apply on reserve, but building codes do not. There is a federal National Building Code, but enforcement and inspection has been a major problem. This has been listed as one of the factors in why homes built on reserve do not have a similar ‘life' to those built off reserve.
Poor timing for provision of funds is another key issue. "Most contribution agreements must be renewed yearly. In previous audits, we found that the funds may not be available until several months into the period to be funded." This is particularly problematic for housing as "money often doesn't arrive until late summer, past the peak construction period, so projects get delayed and their costs rise."
Lack of accountability.
"It is often unclear who is accountable to First Nations members for achieving improved outcomes or specific levels of services. First Nations often cite a lack of federal funding as the main reason for inadequate services. For its part, INAC maintains that the federal government funds services to First Nations but is not responsible for the delivery or provision of these services."
The AG also refers to a heavy reporting burden put on First Nations, and notes that the endless paperwork often is completely ignored anyway by federal agencies.
Lack of organizations to support local service delivery
This refers once again to the fact that there are no federal school or healthboards, no federal infrastructure and expertise. Some programs are delivered through provincial structures, while others are provided directly by the federal government, with less than stellar results.
As the auditor-general states, "Change is needed if meaningful progress is to be realized." There is extreme lack of clarity about what the federal government is doing, why, how, and whether it is at all effective. No wonder Harper is confused!
Tired yet?
Don't worry, the commentators aren't finished, and neither am I.
The Chief of Attawapiskat made $71,000 last year while her people live in tents!!!
Apparently we are supposed to be outraged at the excess involved here. This of course follows on the heels of a report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation about 'jaw-dropping' reserve salaries. It's become fashionable to rant about Chiefs making more than premiers (though no one could make that claim here).
Attawapiskat publishes its salaries, travel expenses and honorariums (again, nothing being hidden here). Chief Theresa Spense was paid $69,575 in salary and honorariums in 2010-2011, and had $1,798 in travel expenses for a total of about $71K.
If you are like most people, you don't spend a lot of time looking at what public employees actually make. What number wouldn't shock you in the absence of such context? $50,000? $32,000? I suspect any amount would be offered as some sort of proof of... something not right.
Well okay. Why don't we take a look at some other salaries? But first, note that Ontario Premier McGuinty made $209,000 in 2010, and apparently over 100 public service executives made more than he did.
It is difficult to do a really accurate comparison of salaries, because Ontario's Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act of 1996 only requires that salaries over $100,000 be reported.(in addition, if the salaries are reported elsewhere, they are not necessarily included in this report) However, the annual reports a fantastic resource. Here is the list of various public sector employees making over $100K a year. I offer this merely in order to ask... were you aware these people were making this amount of money?
I sure wasn't. These are salaries paid by tax dollars, too. I have no idea if the Director of Quality Services for the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation should be paid $147,437.58 a year (sorry to single you out, sir, I chose randomly). If this Corporation were in the news and having financial difficulties, I have no doubt this salary would be brought up as somehow relevant... but is it?
I don't know if it is. That's the point. I don't think the people bringing it up know either. I haven't been able to find a source listing the salaries of mayors of municipalities in Ontario to compare to Chief Spense's salary. Then again, I doubt anyone would seriously claim that if she worked for free, the housing crisis in Attawakpiskat would be over.
The more you know...
I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the common accusations and arguments being made about Attawapiskat on various forums and comments sections of online news articles. I might update if necessary to address them, but I think you now have at least a base to begin with, whether you honestly just want to understand the situation a little better, or want to fight those comment battles.
If you would like an on-the-ground perspective, please check out Smoke Signals from Cree Yellowlegs. (Note: A song starts playing automatically)
Above all, my relations, don't let it get you down.
You will see people call for the abolition of the Indian Act, for the abolition of reserves and the 'assimilation' of First Nations into 'Canadian society'. You will see horrible things said about aboriginal culture. What you will rarely see are people responding to facts. Don't be discouraged when facts are brushed off in favour of accusations. We do have the power to educate those around us, and even if we can't reach the most vocal of bigots, we can reach the 'average' Canadian who is merely unaware rather than necessarily outright hateful.
Âpihtawikosisân is Métis from Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. She currently lives in Montreal, Quebec, and is working on a BCL. Her passions are education, Aboriginal law, the Cree language, and roller derby.

The Kardashians have a problem with Native Americans

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Kris Jenner made headlines earlier this week after saying that she “hate[s] an Indian giver.” The comment came in response to a “Good Morning America” host asking if her daughter Kim Kardashian would be returning an expensive engagement ring to soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries. Now, the National Congress of American Indians has gotten involved, saying that the comments were “wrong and hurtful.”
“I hate an Indian giver, don’t you? It’s a gift … keep your gift, ” Jenner said on Thursday about the $2 million dollar ring.
In a statement made to RadarOnline, the National Congress of American Indians called Jenner’s comments “wrong and hurtful.”
“Once again American Indians and Alaska Natives have been misrepresented by a single misinformed statement. Native American people serve in our country’s military at disproportionate rates, are respected business leaders, citizens of the United States, members of Congress, professional athletes, musicians, teachers and active participants in civic life,” Jacqueline Johnson Pata, Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians, told RadarOnline.
The phrase “Indian giving” is wrong and hurtful,” she added. “The cultural values of Native Americans are based on giving unconditionally and empowering those around them. Instead this cultural value is forgotten when negative stereotyping of Native people occurs.
“November is Native American Heritage Month and this moment calls for a reflection on the contributions of America’s first peoples to this great country. There are over 5 million US citizens identified as American Indians or Alaska Natives and 565 federally recognized tribal nations. This November we’re focused on celebrating 1.7 million Native youth under the age of 18 that face many challenges. There are many hopeful solutions and we invite the Jenner and Kardashian family to join with the country in learning more during Native American Heritage Month.”.



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 The Kardashians don't exactly have an awesome track record with sensitivity towards Native issues. Khloe wore a headdress a few months ago, twice, and for Dancing with the Stars on Halloween, Kourtney (and Mason, her son) wore Indian costumes. Though they claim Native heritage (vomit).

Harmony Korine's Weird, Racist Ad for Fashion Designer Proenza Schouler

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This short-film ad spot for designer Proenza Schouler is probably the most racist, disturbing, and bizarre thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough took a trip through the southwest and came up with their fall line of clothing inspired, apparently, by Native Americans they had seen on the road.
Then they asked indie-filmmaker Harmony Korine – of Kids fame - to produce a short film promoting the new designs, and Korine came up with this:

Maybe it’s just me – maybe I just don’t get pretentious art-house avant garde indie films or something, but the whole thing creeps me out. I know a lot of Native Americans, and I would feel really uncomfortable watching this with them – I feel uncomfortable watching this anyways, and would even without the blatant racism.
This is the opposite of advertising. Not sure what you call it when a company sets out to chase customers away, but whatever it’s called this is it.

Twilight: Promoting abusive relationships and female submission

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Kar3n went to see New Moon and she noticed a few similarities between the movie and this checklist...

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According to the National Domestic Violence hotline, these are some signs that you may be in an emotionally or physically abusive relationship.

Does your partner:
* Look at you or act in ways that scare you?
Check.

* Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go?
"Stay away from the werewolves. I love you."

* Make all of the decisions?
Check.

* Act like the abuse is no big deal, it’s your fault, or even deny doing it?
"If I wasn't so attracted to you, I wouldn't have to break up with you."

* Threaten to commit suicide?
"I just can't live without you. In fact, I'll run to Italy and try suicide by vampire if anything happens to you."

* Threaten to kill you?
On their first date.

These are some more signs of an abusive relationship.
Has your partner...
* Tried to isolate you from family or friends.
Bella doesn't have time for anyone else!

* Damaged property when angry (thrown objects, punched walls, kicked doors, etc.).
Check.

* Pushed, slapped, bitten, kicked or choked you.
Does tossing her through a glass table count?

* Abandoned you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place.
"We're breaking up. And I'm leaving you in the forest."

* Scared you by driving recklessly.
Check.

* Forced you to leave your home.
She had to run away with him to flee from the other vampires in the first movie, and she had to drop everything and run to Italy in the second.

* Prevented you from calling police or seeking medical attention.
Check. Even in the hospital, nothing is a big deal.

* Views women as objects and believes in rigid gender roles.
Well, they are Mormon... (I know, I know, cheap shot.)

* Accuses you of cheating or is often jealous of your outside relationships.
Check, wolf-boy.

Now I'm pissed. According to the NDVH, "If you answered ‘yes’ to even one of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship." This list is fifteen.

In addition, Bella is quite literally a blank slate, an empty vessel. This created much mirth from our group-- "I can't read her thoughts." "That's because there AREN'T ANY!" "Heeheeheeheeheehee." "Shhhhhh!" But Bella seems to have no purpose, other than to be loved by someone, anyone. When she isn't around either Edward or Jacob, she mopes around and does... nothing. I was actually excited when she actually took initiative and yelled back at the werewolves.

Then I was pissed again, since the werewolves apparently also go for abusive relationships. The main wolf-dude lives with his girlfriend, who he fucking mauled once, because she provoked him into turning into a werewolf. "Well, he lost it, and she still has the scars."

Really. Let's go back to our list... actually, I don't need the list. FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU SO HARD. Domestic violence is not romantic, and I don't care how much you say she started it, you don't hit your girlfriend. EVER. If the other women in your tribe had the sense that God gave mayonnaise, wolf boy would be lucky to *only* go to jail. Wait-- there don't appear to be any other women in the tribe. *sigh*

And this movie is the one that made $140 million bucks in one weekend. Bigger than Dark Knight. Maybe it's just that I'm older and (hopefully) wiser than the characters and thus out of this movie's target demographic, or maybe I'm a humorless feminist, but knowing that zillions of girls are seeing this getting the idea that a seriously unhealthy relationship is somehow the equivalent of true love -- that is profoundly disturbing. Far scarier than a werewolf.




This movie also portray negative stereotypes of Native Americans as superstitions, shadowy, mystical, folks

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Ex-NBC technician sues in NYC, says colleagues harassed him over his Native American heritage

Ex-NBC technician sues in NYC, says colleagues harassed him over his Native American heritage

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By Associated Press, Updated: Friday, August 5, 8:59 PM


NEW YORK — Workers at NBC maligned a Native American colleague about his heritage by taunting him with a doll in traditional dress and making insulting comparisons to him, he said in a lawsuit Friday.

Former studio technician Faruq “Peter” Wells sued NBC Universal and some employees, saying he was ultimately forced to quit because of the employees’ behavior and the company’s inaction.


“They told him nothing was coming of this, just go back to work” alongside the same people, said Wells’ lawyer, Matthew Blit.

But NBC Universal said it had indeed acted on his July 2009 complaint.

“The company conducted a thorough, independent investigation and disciplined employees who behaved inappropriately,” and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed the matter and declined to take further action, the company said in a statement.

“We believe that NBC Universal took appropriate actions and the lawsuit is without merit,” the company added. EEOC representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email Friday evening.

When Wells returned from a July 2009 vacation, a co-worker pointed out the doll on another colleague’s desk, and colleagues showed him photos of the doll hanging by a noose-like string and labeled “Baby Wells,” the lawsuit said.

Later that day, a worker lobbed the doll at Wells, described it as “your long-lost daughter,” plopped it on his desk and said, “Look, it’s got your DNA, skin color, and you both have the same hair. It’s braided, just like yours,” according to the lawsuit.

He alerted supervisors and human-resources officials, who told him the next month that the company had investigated, the matter was closed and he should get back to work and never speak of it, the lawsuit said. He left in August 2009 after about three years with the company, his lawyer said.

Wells has since done temporary work, but he’s been unable to find a permanent job, Blit said.

He’s seeking reinstatement to his job and unspecified damages.

Native Family Allegedly Attacked by Skinheads

news article


Johnny and Lisa Bonta, a Native family from the Reno Sparks Indian Colony, became the latest victims of an apparent hate crime on May 24 when they were allegedly attacked at a gas station along I-80 in Fernley, Nevada, a border town between the Fallon and Pyramid Lake Indian reservations.

“I was pumping gas at Quick Stop on our way to Reno to look for another job when these skinheads in a blue car drove by real slow and checked us out. The driver jumped out with a baseball bat, and I asked them ‘why you holding a bat?” said Bonta. “He said ‘let’s do this’ and tried to pick a fight. I don’t know how to explain what happened—we didn’t do anything to them.”

Bonta, a Paiute member of the Reno Sparks Indian Colony, says he tried to avoid the confrontation by telling them he didn’t want to fight. He got back in the car, with his son-in-law Shane Murray at the wheel, and they quickly drove away with the carload of skinheads in close pursuit.

As they approached the freeway ramp, they were cut off as the blue car swerved in front of them, then slammed on the brakes, causing Murray to crash into it. Murray said he recognized one of the attackers as Jacob Cassell, a former classmate and son of retired Lyon County Sheriff officer Jim Cassell.

“They all jumped out of the car with baseball bats, knives and a crowbar, and we knew they were going to hurt us,” said Lisa Bonta, in an interview from Washoe Medical Center, where she was in treatment for seizures she suffers.

The fight broke out on the highway after 1 p.m. and while traffic was passing by, no one would stop to help them. Lisa and her daughter, Alyssa, were terrified watching the brutal and bloody fight as her unarmed husband and son-in-law tried to fight off the three young men in their 20s.

“I saw one of them hit my husband in the head with a bat, and the other one was trying to cut off his braid with a knife. Johnny was covered in blood and they just kept hitting him with a crow bar. They even tried to slit his throat,” she added.

“Jacob Cassell had my son-in-law on the ground in a chokehold and Shane was turning blue. My daughter was sobbing ‘they’re killing him’ and somehow she found the strength to hit Jacob in self-defense so he would release Shane.”

It was then, Lisa said, that Cassell turned his anger on her and her daughter, jumping on the hood of their car while swinging a baseball bat and cursing at them.

“I’m a 46 year-old woman with serious health problems, and I tried to defend myself, but he hit me across the lower back with his bat, calling us ‘niggers and river monsters,” said Lisa, who is Anglo. “He pointed at Alyssa and said he would rape her the next time he saw her in Fernley, where she lives.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Bonta was knocked unconscious with a bat, his nose and sinus cavities broken and bleeding, with stab wounds on his neck.

Lisa said Jacob Cassell taunted the family as the sirens approached, telling them, “You hear those cops coming? They’re not going to help you. My daddy is a cop in this town, and nothing is going to happen to me. You fucking niggers are going to jail.”

When Lyon County Sheriff’s officers arrived, they took statements and began filling out police reports with Cassell and his friends, but they did not take statements from any of the victims. When Lisa asked why they were not being questioned for a statement, no one responded. “They ignored us,” she said, before she suffered a seizure and required medical attention.

Three ambulances responded to the scene and took Lisa, Alyssa and Murray away for treatment; Murray’s injuries included a crushed elbow and broken hand.

Johnny Bonta, bleeding and barely standing after being hit in the knees with a bat, was arrested on the scene and taken to jail. He said he was not allowed medical treatment for six days while he was in the county jail, all the while uncertain about what charges had been filed against him.

Assuming he was on his way to the hospital, Lisa Bonta had no idea her husband had been arrested. She finally located her husband in jail after calling other facilities repeatedly, and was very upset that he was not given medical treatment for his extensive injuries.

“I asked them to tell me what charges he was being held on and no one would say. They said they gave him the information, but he can’t read or write, so I needed to find out. At first they said there was a bench warrant for an unpaid $367 fine, and when we made arrangements to pay that, they charged him with battery with a deadly weapon, even though it was those boys who had the weapons. The booking papers say we owe $30,367.00. ”

Lisa Bonta is outraged that their attackers were all released at the scene of the crime and were not charged despite the fact they bragged about it on Facebook on May 24, the day of the attack.

Two hours after attacking the Bontas, Josh Janiszewski of Fernley wrote, “Just laid the fists and boots to some 6′ 5” tongan dude. what you got on little guys?” at 3:13 p.m. When asked if they gave them hell, Josh responded. “Oh we did. That’s for sure!” at 3:48 p.m. “Amen,” said Jacob Cassell at 4:07 p.m.

Jacob’s mother Dee Cassell also commented, “So…who has blood? You guys need to come home to mom?” at 4:48 p.m. She later added that she gave them First Aid. “Better have ur asses at home after I did 1st aid. Don’t piss off women – they r worse than men!” she wrote at 8:00 p.m.

When asked if they got “some good licks” in, Josh said, “sent em to the hospital, they got fucked up man, thats for sure.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Bonta stayed behind bars while Lisa and her family called the jail each day, asking if Johnny had been treated for his injuries. No one would tell her his condition. One morning, she says a surly guard told her “he’ll have to get his Indian doctor if he wants treatment,” then hung up on her.

Lisa appealed to the Reno Spark Indian Colony and said she was able to get two Indian Health Service doctors to agree to visit Johnny in jail, but was told by jail officials that could not be allowed. It was not until tribal police pursued Johnny’s release that he was finally released after six days and was able to see a doctor.

The family also lost their car following the attack. The Bontas could not locate their car after the Lyon County Sheriff’s office had it towed from the scene. When Lisa called to ask about their car, she was told the police had no information. She found the car two weeks later in a small towing yard, tires flattened and in need of repair. Since Johnny has not been able to work, they cannot afford to pay the impoundment fees or have it repaired. They are now walking to all of their medical appointments in Reno. The situation has created great hardship for them and their children.

“We lost everything as a result of this attack, and now we’re homeless since we can’t go back to Fernley,” said Lisa. “The FBI took our statement last week and we know they got a copy of the video from the gas station parking lot. We are asking for a full investigation into this hate crime.”

The Bontas said since this happened, at least four other Native families have told them they too were harassed and attacked by skinheads in nearby border towns. But people told her they don’t report the incidents because they don’t believe police will help them. These follow an April 2010 attack on Vincent Kee, Navajo, in Farmington, New Mexico, where three men took Kee from a McDonald’s and shaved a swastika symbol on the back of his head and branded him with the symbol using a coat hanger.

“Someone could have died that day,” said Lisa, “and the only reason this happened is because my husband and son-in-law have brown skin. We have a 10-year-old daughter, and I have to speak out about what happened for her sake. I just don’t understand why these young boys think they have the right to randomly beat others. We have to put a stop to this kind of behavior.”

Lisa also said they are hiring an attorney. “I want the police to know they can’t deny people medical treatment just because they feel like it. Johnny could have died from a head injury, and they violated his civil rights. They should be held accountable.”

Since the story broke supporters have started a petition at change.org for the Governor of Nevada to address the situation along with other hate crimes in Nevada. A Facebook page was also created in support of the Bonta family.

Indian Country Today Media Network will continue to follow this story and is looking into any fundraising information there may be for our readers. The case is currently under investigation by the FBI. Calls to the Reno office of the FBI were not returned.

Quebec bottled water company pulls ads after outcry

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Thursday Jul. 7, 2011 7:28 PM ET

A Quebec-based bottled water company is bringing its ad campaign to an early end following public criticism over its use of native imagery.
Jim Delsnyder, Eska Water's president and CEO, said in a statement Thursday that his firm "is bringing an immediate halt to its current advertising and marketing campaign" due to "concerns that have been expressed over the past few days."
The ads appeared on television and in print and featured three men wearing headdresses and war paint, and carrying spears and blow guns, who are said to be defending the purity of the company's product.
Those ads would be removed "as quickly as possible," Delsnyder said, adding that he "wishes to apologize to all those who may have found the campaign and its images disrespectful."
newstory

Native Group Wants ‘Racist’ Water Ad Pulled

Update: The Quebc based bottle water company is pulling the ad after public outcry

blog update





A Toronto-based bottled water company has come under fire for a TV commercial that has representatives of the Algonquin Nation demanding a retraction of the ad, which they say feeds “old prejudices” about aboriginal people.

The ad, by Eaux Vives Canada Inc. for its Eska brand of bottled water, shows three men dressed as aboriginal warriors, so-called “Eskan Warriors,” who have been charged with “protecting the purity of Eska water for 8,000 years.” The legend is made up for the purpose of the ad.

In the 30-second spot, which can be viewed on YouTube, actors of dubious aboriginal background fire an arrow toward a Caucasian man about to mix orange juice with Eska, the message being that the juice would tarnish the purity of the water.

The Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, representing the Algonquin Nation in Quebec, says the ad is offensive to them.

Link to news article

Citizen journalist and Mohawk from Kanehsatake, Clifton Nicholas, discusses his reaction to a new advertising campaign by Eska Water, a Canadian bottled water company. Nicholas is leading a boycott of Eska water because of a culturally insensitive ad called "Eskan Warriors" which has three non-aboriginal men, dressed as natives, with menacing faces, trying to protect the water's purity.