Gaia Community: Electricbrave's Blog

Who will free Leonard Peltier

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:28:06 -0000

Not promising the earth, ethical banks win custom

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:00:54 -0000

By Ingrid Melander and Lorraine Turner

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - As the financial crisis hit a climax in Belgium with the split-up of its largest bank Fortis in October, new clients were rushing to a small, “ecologically correct” bank.

Triodos — investing not in derivatives but in tangible products such as wind turbines which the general public can understand and even applaud — was not the only alternative institution to benefit in Europe.

Around the world, the mainstream financial sector and its banks are facing flak for having crafted the mind-numbingly complex financial products that helped set off the worst financial crisis in 80 years.

Besides Triodos, Britain’s Ecology Building Society and the Co-operative Bank say they are net beneficiaries, with some analysts arguing they are building a more trustworthy franchise even though the returns they offer depositors are modest.

“The big banks speculate on money which, at the end of the day, I don’t know whether they have or not but it’s got nothing to do with reality,” said 58-year-old Michele Bellay.

Interviewed outside a Fortis branch in central Brussels, she said she would be willing to switch to an “ethical bank” rather than a High Street one: “It corresponds to the real economy, … to what people live every day.”

An average of 60 new accounts a day were opened in the Belgian branch of Triodos in October — five times the usual figure, its managing director Oliver Marquet said.

The bank, with headquarters in the Netherlands and branches in Spain and Britain, says it invests only in green, social and cultural projects, such as wind turbines and medical centers.

“We started seeing something unusual in July … it accelerated in September, and accelerated even further in October with the crisis at Fortis and Dexia,” said Marquet, of the increased business.

Credit rating agency Moody’s analyst Irakli Pipia said “ethical banks” were benefiting to an extent from a trend for people to spread their money around to benefit from capped state guarantees for deposits in each institution.

TRANSPARENCY

The ethically focused groups say they are transparent and invest in tangible projects, and that this explains an increase in deposits and clients at a time of financial turmoil.

“We invest in the real economy — ecological buildings, wind turbines, cultural projects. We don’t invest … (in) purely virtual products,” Marquet said.

“Transparency is absolutely key and explains why we hold on well in crisis,” he said.

Paul Ellis, Chief Executive of the Ecology Building Society said that communicating with clients was key: “Ourselves, Co-Operative and Triodos, we make a point of telling people what we do with their money,” he said in an interview. Continued…

CALL FOR ACTION

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:29:29 -0000

People of Rosebud
Pine Ridge Reservations in Need of Emergency Assistance Following Severe Blizzard & Weather Conditions

Children, Elderly, Disabled, and Sick In Need of Heat and Winter Necessities

“About 60% of the Elders on Pine Ridge have sole custody of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren so there are often small children in the home, also at risk.”

NAMA Committed to Assisting Throughout Winter Season

The Native American Music Association, N.A.M.A.,
a non profit 501(c)(3), (Fed Id# 13-4032761) is heeding the requests of NAMAPAAH Radio and is joining in the effort to provide emergency clothing, and heating/utility assistance for the Elders, children, the disabled, and the sick on the Rosebud & Pine Ridge Reservations in South Dakota throughout this Winter season. N.A.M.A. is calling upon its international membership to make a donation in which ALL funds will go directly to providing clothing to local churches and schools on the Reservations as well as emergency heating/utility assistance determined by the application process of the Link Center Foundation’s primary program. N.A.M.A. is also building a task force consisting of Winners, Nominees & Volunteer Staff in South Dakota to assist in filing emergency applications for those most in need of heat and Winter clothing on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations.

The current goal is to raise over $15,000.00 in donations which will provide all current application approved households with several weeks of emergency propane and winter clothing. Fuel vendors will be paid directly. A list of fuel vendors is available for those interested. Additionally, an open line of communication is available with Propane companies in the event they refer an emergency recipient, i.g, , Lakota Plains Propane Co. on Pine Ridge. Assistance is provided in the order applications are received or in cases of dire or life-threatening emergencies which then take precedence. Propane is currently running about $2.20 to $2.50 per gallon. Fuel costs have risen about 33% in the last year. The various propane companies are requiring $120-$150 minimum purchase per delivery.

Sadly, some of the elders in the back country (many of whom take care of their grandchildren) don’t get into towns or local CAP offices and often miss out on obtaining emergency applications or even knowing about them. We can be of help to them!!! And most importantly, we want to be assured that the assistance goes directly to those most in need.

While need is everywhere, particularly at this time of crisis, there are no greater needs than those of the Elders, children, disabled, and ill on these reservations. They have the lowest income, the least ability to gain funds, and often suffer from such serious health issues as to be severely impaired by the cold. Even worse, for the most part, they are the least able to travel to get assistance or to get someplace that might be warm. Moreover, according to the last Federal census, about 60% of the Elders on Pine Ridge have sole custody of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren so there are often small children in the home, also at risk.

We are depending on YOU, the individual donor, to help us help these families in crisis. DONATE NOW through N.A.M.A.’s website.

FACTS: Average income on the Oglala Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation is about $3,500.00 per YEAR. Jobs are extremely scarce; unemployment hovers around 85% on this 11,000-square-mile reservation which houses about 40,000 people. The other Lakota Reservations face similar economic conditions.

Death by hypothermia is always a concern on the reservations. Each winter (October – March), temperatures drop well below 0*F. Many families must choose between food and heat. In some cases, they have neither.

Federal LHEAP and Tribal Assistance Programs offer each low-income family approximately $300 per year. With the current rate of propane at $2.20 per gallon, this provides only 136 gallons – about enough fuel for 2 to 4 weeks (depending on the harsh weather).

For more information on the LCF Elder heating/utility application process, feel free to visit the Link Center Foundation, www.linkcenterfoundation.org.

A list of ministries, churches and schools to directly send clothing, blankets, boots, etc is available by request via email; Nammys@aol.com

Let’s help ASAP. It is just unacceptable to have third world country conditions in the middle of America! We need to help them not only during this crisis, but throughout the entire Winter Season.

Please make a donation by clicking the donate button on the Native American Music Awards’ website, ”Special Programs” page.

Media References:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com By Kayla Gahagan, Journal Staff November 9th, 2008

www.NDNnews.com by: Tamra Brennan November 15th, 2008

——————————————————————————–

NOTE FROM NAMA’S FOUNDER

The Native American Music Awards & Association would like to assist those on Pine Ridge & Rosebud with their winter crisis.

The inspiration for our entire organization, was given to us by the youth on Rosebud and Pine Ridge over 12 years ago. We are well aware of the difficulties and conditions facing those on Pine Ridge and Rosebud and it would be a wonderful effort for myself and our organization to come full circle and assist those there that are most in need. Not only in this crisis - but on a continuing basis.

It just amazes me at times that the mainstream or others throughout the world do not realize we still have third world country conditions existing in the middle of America. Without Rosebud or Pine Ridge, there would be no NAMMYS today, and it is imperative that we make others aware of the hardships the Lakota face.

We believe we have secured the best possible methods to offer the most direct assistance and reach those most in need, whether its money, diapers, toys, food, water, etc.

We look forward to your assistance. Visit our website www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com the Special Programs Page to make your donation now.

In Unity,
Ellen Bello
NAMA President & Founder
212 228 8300

Astronaut pictures show our changing earth from space

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:31:30 -0000

By Evelyn Yamine

November 15, 2008 12:00am

ASTRONAUTS floating on top of the world are capturing stunning pictures of Earth from outer space - using hand-held cameras to show how the world is changing.

The unique photographic experience shows cities around the world - including Sydney, Tokyo and states in America - from the ultimate bird’s eye view.

NASA astronauts inside the International Space Station, which hovers above Earth, are documenting the environmental and urban changes around the world with the click of a camera button.

Photographs of Bondi Beach, Botany Bay, Nelson Bay and Newcastle are just some of the areas in NSW which are featured as part of the research program.

Out-of-this-world gallery: See more of the pictures

Hand-held cameras have been used to take photos from outer space for more than 40 years but today improved technology and a larger range of locations are being documented as part of the Earth Observation Photography program.

The ISS moves more than seven kilometres per second and the astronauts have mastered ways of taking photos as both the station and the Earth’s surface are moving.

Astronauts look out for geological, oceanographic, environmental and meteorological changes and capture them using the latest technology in photographic equipment from the windows of the ISS.

The Crew Earth Observations team at the Johnson Space Centre send data to the astronauts about which areas they need to target - with an emphasis on urban areas, glaciers, coral reefs and extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions.

The pictures - taken both at day and night - show how the landscape of the land as well as the Earth’s atmospheric layers, are changing over the years.

Leonard Peltier Action Alert

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:54:30 -0000

Friday, October 17 2008 @ 10:49 AM CDT
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 171

As we reported in a previous email, Leonard is once again being uprooted and relocated to another prison. Although this seems to be a strategy by the federal government to disrupt his defense committee, we can take advantage of the limbo Leonard is in right now by demanding that the Bureau of Prisons transfer him to a facility closer to his home reservation. Turtle Mountain is requesting that Leonard be transferred to the reservation’s custody, and in the meantime there are federal facilities in Sandstone, Minnesota and Oxford, Wisconsin which could accommodate him.

Urgent: Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer

October 16, 2008

Please send the following correspondence or similar as soon as possible to:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC)
Grand Prairie Office Complex
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Complex
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051

Re: Leonard Peltier #89637-132

Dear DSCC:

I am contacting you seeking consideration for Mr. Leonard Peltier who will be transferred from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in the near future. Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner and deserves to be transferred to a lower security prison. Also, Mr. Peltier should be transferred to a facility close to his home based on the hardship policy of the Bureau of Prisons, because his family has grown older, is on a fixed income which limits the time they can visit him. Mr. Peltier has served over 32 years in prison and deserves to be close to his family during this crucial time in their lives. For these reasons I ask that you transfer Mr. Peltier to the Turtle Mountain Reservation’s custody as soon as possible. The alternatives that would help satisfy this request are either the federal facility in Sandstone Minnesota or Oxford Wisconsin as both are near in proximity to his
family.

In the name of all things good and humane, I ask you to do the right thing for compassion’s sake in the transfer of Leonard Peltier today. Thank you and may the Creator bless you.

Sincerely,

Mail UPS or E-mail to: GRA-DSC/PolicyCorrespondence&AdminRemedies [at] bop.gov
Or Fax to: 972-352-4395

Please help us get my brother home,
Thank you
Betty Ann Peltier-Solano
Executive Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
http://whoisleonardpeltier.info

Moon better than any space station?

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:34:32 -0000

Indo-Asian News Service

Saturday, November 08, 2008 7:09 PM (Chennai)

Even as Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned spacecraft to the moon, enters the lunar orbit on Saturday, one Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist says the moon is well on its way to becoming the best international space station.

"It will be better than any artificial space station", said P Sreekumar, head of the space astronomy and instrumentation division at the ISRO satellite centre.

"The moon has resources,"Sreekumar said in an interview.

"To any man-made space station, everything has to be carted from Earth," he said.

"If oxygen is available from the silicates on moon (silicon oxide), an oxygen production factory can be set up there. Titanium can be mined and brought back to Earth."

Depending on the fuel, "there can be a factory on the moon for future rocket engines," he said.

Chandrayaan-1 is, however, not directly looking at finding helium-3 on the moon, he explained.

Helium-3, seen as a good fusion reactor fuel, has to be extracted from moon dust by heating it to temperatures higher than 600 degrees Celsius.

One kilogram of helium-3, when burned in combination with 0.67 kg of deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen), yields 19 megawatt-years of energy. However, ISRO points out, "The amount of helium-3 on the moon is yet to be quantified."

"The moon is an ideal short- term location for testing, planning and training for greater space journeys," Sreekumar said. "It is not too far, not too close. Moon is just about 384,000 km from Earth. It is a reachable distance; at the same time, it is outside Earth's various atmospheric influences."

The US is planning to set up sufficient facilities on the moon for it to serve as a "launching pad" for future journeys to Mars. India, too, has a Mars mission on ISRO's to-do list.

"We do need to build capacity to work on the moon," Sreekumar emphasised.

According to science journals, human entrepreneurship will ensure greenhouses in space by 2020.

Experiments are under way in harsh environments like the Canadian Arctic on how to set these up. Such experiments are also under way in high-altitude areas of India, in the rarefied air of Ladakh.

Nutrition experiments are under way deep inside the womb of the Nilgiri Hills. Indian researchers are looking at growing stem cells under zero gravity.

IMS I, the Indian satellite launched in April 2008, is already testing crystal growth and bone material's strength on nano platforms in space. The next Indian satellite is likely to be carrying out an experiment to test the influence of space on living tissue.

The moon is being looked at by ISRO scientists "slightly differently from the people who are looking at it (now). We're looking at the moon very systematically," M. Annadurai, project director for Chandrayaan-1, told reporters at the beginning of India's moon mission. "We're going to make a repository of the whole moon and its contents."

Scientists expect data from Chandrayaan-1 to help create the most detailed chemical map of the moon and comprehensive terrain maps. "Chandrayaan-1 is a chemistry mission," Sreekumar reiterated.

"We will look at very weak matter, of very low density. We will look for volatile elements. See if we can detect radon," he said.

Radon is created by decay of uranium and may have seeped through the crevices on to the lunar surface or can be detected a few metres below the surface.

"We have just started the exercise," Sreekumar said. "We have completed our (ISRO's) primary objective - remote sensing and communications.

"We are now beginning to focus on new areas of space science. This is the right time to focus on the solar system and on exploring it. Studying the origin and evolution of the moon is the first step." The moon is the only natural satellite of Earth.

India's vehicle to the moon Chandrayaan-I was blasted off October 22 on board the 316-tonne polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C11) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota spaceport, about 80 km north of Chennai on India's east coast.

Today's Fire song and prayers

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:36:58 -0000

It is another day on mother earth and we look up to the spirited sky.
Taken one more breath for life to be counted as a token of richness and serenity.
Once felt deep inside our spirited souls, there is a reflection of time
on this beautiful place we call home. Grandfather sun and
Grandmother moon look down upon us and grant us another day
of peace and tranquility in our soulful place. We know we are related
as one another's dream. Taken into conference towards the night.
We secure our place in time as a fire and spirit reaching for more time
to remember our place in the sun. The fire we share is once again lit with love
and respect for one another. I hold a small place in my heart for the one's who do not feel
our soulful place yet. I send out to my brothers and sisters of the fire a big warm hug of life.
We are the one's we have been waiting for. take time to look up to grandfather sun and the creators breath will warm your deepest places with a fire so old you can feel the sand of time change your mind's eye toward to a place that is between worlds. A place where our elders and family that have gone before us. Now is that time we have and then is the memories we cherish. Such beauty and grace by our earth mother we taught how to be with balance and nourishment of one's soul. With this day I say to this world. I am grateful for this time I have here now to be in balance with life's treasures and make me strong enough to see all the greatness in my family and dreams. Let it be and feel the sea. Waves of life flow through me and sand washes my tears away. Pain is the bodies way of remembering the place we once knew. Now the prayers ans ong for a deep fire with in is now in this day and I say to you my friend. I love you and your day is blessed with people who love life as you and your family do so well. May your beauty dreams have power and keep the flame lit for your love one's who walk with spirited souls. Knowing we are the linage of love)'(

Native American Spirituality:FREEDOM DENIED

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:02:18 -0000

Or, Blood Quantum:
Native America’s Dirty Little Secret

By Jim PathFinder Ewing (Nvnehi Awatisgi)

THE KNOT

In Greek mythology, the king of Phrygia had the pole of his wagon fastened to the yoke with a knot that defied efforts to untie it. An oracle stated that he who untied this Gordian knot would rule Asia. According to legend, many tried to unravel the knot to no avail until Alexander The Great simply pulled his sword and cut the knot, going on to fulfill the prophecy.

American Indians and Native American Spirituality are caught in a Gordian knot that began before America’s colonization, tightened with the founding of this country and exists to this day.

Bound within it like interlocking links of chain are the issues of sovereignty, tribal recognition, blood quantum and, at its heart, the free exercise of religion. If this knot is not unraveled, the chains unbound, American Indians and those who follow traditional teachings will never be able to freely exercise their religion. The future is one of increasing restrictions, deepening divisions and, ultimately, the death of Native America.

Those who practice Native American spiritual beliefs are guaranteed free expression of their religion under the U.S. Constitution, under First Amendment rights, but this does not mean there aren’t considerable barriers placed in their way to make those rights in many ways almost meaningless.

THE ROAD TO RIGHTS

Freedom of expression is undeniably guaranteed both as a First Amendment issue and under specific federal statutes, regulations and executive orders. Many Americans don’t realize this was not always the case. Until 1978, American Indians on reservations had no religious rights and were specifically barred from practicing traditional ceremonies. These efforts were driven by fear of uprisings by Native populations, most notably epitomized by the massacre at Wounded Knee, Dec. 29, 1890, when Lakota men, women and children were gunned down while gathering for a Ghost Dance, a spiritual practice.

Historically, the federal government sought to eradicate all forms of traditional spiritual practice and belief on reservations through use of boarding schools (separating children from parents), prohibiting use of Native languages, and making gatherings for ceremonial purposes illegal. The expressed intent was to “civilize” Native peoples; a policy begun under treaties well before The Trail of Tears forced removal marches in the 1830s with Cherokee and other Eastern tribes. The result was a sustained federal policy of social and cultural annihilation.

The justification for this denial of religious freedom, inexplicably enough, was that Native peoples were sovereign nations by treaty and not granted the freedoms that American “citizens” claimed as fundamental rights. Under “sovereignty,” the U.S. government occupied the reservations, kept control of the populations through military might, imposed arbitrary civil orders and prevented them from exercising freedoms guaranteed Americans under the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment freedom of religion that is bedrock to the Bill of Rights.

This changed in 1978 with The American Indian Religious Freedom Act, and subsequent amendment.

It states, that, by act of Congress, Aug. 11, 1978 (U.S. Code, Title 42, Chapter 21, Subchapter I, 1996) it is “the policy of the United States to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise {their} traditional religions . . . . including but not limited to . . . . use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.” See: www.cr.nps.gov/local-law/...lFreAct.pdf

Flowing from the right to worship freely is the recognition that sacred sites, lands taken and/or controlled by the federal government that are traditionally held holy by Native Americans, should not be barred from access. This also includes objects, artifacts and human remains.

From this consideration, more legislation was passed, including:

-- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act -- 104 STAT. 3048 Public Law 101-601 -- NOV. 16, 1990 (www.cr.nps.gov/nagpra/MAN...1etseq.htm)

-- Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 -- Public Law 96-95; 16 U.S.C. 470aa-mm (www.cr.nps.gov/local-law/FH...srcsProt.pdf)

-- Various executive orders, including Executive Order 13007, May 24, 1996, designating “Sacred Sites.”

INTERNATIONAL LAW

The statutes, orders and rules issued by Congress, presidents and federal rule-making bodies give specific directions and remedies so Native Americans have recourse to government to ensure religious freedoms. Religious freedom is also well grounded in international law, with the United States a signatory to more than a dozen conventions.

They include:

-- Draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN 1994) Article 13: "Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation of human remains.”

-- Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (UN 1981)

Article 1(1): “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in pubic or in private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.”

Article 1(2): “No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have a religion or belief of his choice.”

Article 4(1): “All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.”
BLOOD QUANTUM

As the international conventions and agreements amply outline, religious freedom is to be broadly interpreted and fundamentally ensured. As a signatory to these agreements, with its promulgation and support of democracy in the world, as well as its pronouncements of adherence to constitutional mandates, the United States would seem to be a premier international champion of religious rights and foremost in ensuring them. Yet, such is not the case, at least when it comes to Native American Spirituality upon these shores. Where the United States falls short is intrinsically woven in its very history with Native Americans from the start.

Most federal policies directing efforts to ensure religious rights are confined to lists of federally recognized tribes, which specify blood quantum for federal recognition.

This poses several dilemmas. First, if a tribe’s authorization is removed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for whatever reason, members of that tribe are no longer covered by federal rules and regulations protecting their religious rights. Second, even if members of a tribe are historically and demonstrably members of a tribe, the tribe itself determines membership according to federally prescribed guidelines on blood quantum. In recent years, tribes increasingly have tightened blood quantum restrictions as a result of casino revenues, delisting even longstanding tribal members. Third, if an individual is denied tribal enrollment for blood quantum reasons, that person is no longer recognized as “Native American” under federal law and, hence, no longer falls within the scope of federal authority and protection of religious rights as specifically defined for Native Americans.

If, for example, a tribe requires one-quarter blood through genealogy to be an enrolled member, what happens to succeeding generations of descendents? They automatically are disenfranchised, are no longer considered “Native American” as defined by law, and therefore are no longer covered by the statutes, regulations and acts passed by Congress to ensure their rights.

CRAZY SYSTEM

How crazy is this blood-quantum system when used to determine federally recognized tribes?

As one example: "The Osage Nation of Oklahoma has just four members -- all older than 96 -- who are recognized by the federal government. More than 20,000 Osage descendants in several states, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, aren't. A 1906 law gave all those on the rolls before June 30, 1907, a portion called a headright. Those 2,229 people are the only federally recognized members of the Osage Nation. Those members have about 4,000 descendants, 3,000 of whom have voting rights in what is similar to a corporation with shareholders. Only when a person inherits a headright or a portion of a headright does he or she have voting rights. However, those rights don't make those descendants members." (See: www.americanindiansource.com)

Even now, varying from tribe to tribe, there are such anomalies as a non-tribal woman having certain privileges, such as healthcare, while carrying a tribal member’s child, but none before or after the baby is born. The baby will have tribal privileges after it is born if blood-quantum is sufficient.

While some point to the fact that there are over 500 BIA tribes, many if not most are composed of few members; plus, federal recognition is constantly changing. Even traditional, long-standing historic tribes (such as the Delaware, which was the first tribe to sign a treaty with the newly formed United States) have had their recognition removed, for various reasons, leaving their descendents in a quandary.

Lawsuits involving recognition and the revocation of recognition are constant and unrelenting, leading to tribes to care more about BIA rules (to keep federal dollars flowing) than their “sovereignty.”

CASINO CULTURE CLASH

Casinos have accelerated the dis-enrollments, with tribes tightening blood-quantum requirements so that fewer people share more of the profits, even if hundreds of members, even elderly and long-standing families, are summarily wiped off the rolls. Not only are these people no longer eligible for federal protections, but they are no longer legally “Native American.” With casinos, in addition, the imposition of non-traditional ways of thinking and alien social structure are as damaging as the federally imposed tribal government system itself.

Traditional ways are inclusive, the tribe and family first, care of the elderly, women and children. With casinos, greed comes foremost: inequality of the distribution of resources, every one for him or herself first, profits rule, and with it comes graft with government (such as the Abramoff scandal), influence-peddling, cronyism. Whereas the traditional tribal structure (throughout time, among all groups, bands, tribes) has been communal with "giveaway" and shared decision-making, the casino culture promotes separation, fracturing of families, promotion of self-interest and favoritism on reservations that already are fragmented and rife with social ills. Whereas traditional tribal communities were spirit-based, with leaders chosen for the wisdom and the retention of practices favorable to keeping communities together, inclusive and healthy for generations to come, with spiritual values at their core, the modern reservation/casino culture promotes only material values that are, at heart, the worst of short-sighted Western culture.

FEDERALLY IMPOSED ‘BIA TRIBES’

Adding to the confusion is what constitutes a "tribe" legally. Most "tribes" today are a lumping together of bands, in some cases, even separate groups that had warred against each other. Tribal governments reflect federal requirements, not traditional practices either in selection of leaders or administration.

In effect, they are BIA-Tribes, that is, groups of individuals who hold a federal franchise on a legally recognized status designated as a Tribe for legal purposes, defined by treaty, and overseen and held to rules of accountability outlined by the BIA.

In 1978, the BIA enacted administrative procedures governing the administrative process for federal acknowledgment (Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 83) of what it would consider to be a “tribe.”

From 1935 to 1974, the BIA determined tribal existence based on one or more criteria: a) had treaty relations with the U.S.; b) had been denominated a tribe by act of Congress or executive order; c) had been treated as having collective rights in tribal lands or funds; d) had been treated by a tribe or band by other tribes; or e) had exercised political authority over its members through a tribal council or other governmental forms.

The 1978 regulations set seven criteria:

1. The tribe has been identified by reliable external sources on a substantially continuous basis as an Indian entity since 1900.

2. The tribe has maintained a continuous community from historical times to the present day.

3. The tribe has maintained political authority or influence over its members on a substantially continuous basis from historical times until the present day; and

4. Has a governing document which it must submit, or if it does not have a formal governing document, a statement describing its government operations and membership criteria over its affairs and members; and

5. The current members of the tribe, as a whole, descend from a historic tribe or tribes that amalgamated; and

6. Tribal members are not principally members of an already recognized tribe; and

7. The tribe was not terminated by legislation.

This has led to a proliferation of "tribes," but not to what constitutes an American Indian other than defined by BIA-Tribe rules or offering any protection for non-tribal Indians (people of Native descent who have no federal BIA-Tribe affiliation; for example, people who have left the reservation or family group and cut ties for a generation or more; or married outside the tribe and skipped a generation; or cannot document their genealogy). For these individuals, even if practicing Native American Spirituality, and "Indian," by belief, custom, or origin, there is no specific legal protection. The guarantee of religious freedom is not specified and falls under general laws and First Amendment freedoms. While that should be enough to guarantee freedom of expression, in practice it has proven problematic, which led to (among other discrepancies) a move over a decade ago to the writing of the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act of 1993.

MORE:www.manataka.org/page1965.html

supporting positive social change

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:51:01 -0000

I have a gift for your Earth Day family.

Changing the world by providing high quality earth-friendly
web hosting services & supporting positive social change

Our mission..
"We strive to be a constantly evolving and improving socially responsible company, providing the very best green web hosting services and dedicated to playing our part in making this world a better place for all."
Discount offer for you

From our clients..
"It is a daunting task for the average guy to set up a website for the first time. Your website offered "Honesty, Integrity & Trust". You have delivered all three promises to the highest level."

Green web hosting powered by renewable wind and solar energy. Your carbon neutral account supports a more earth friendly future.

GAIAPOD is going GREEN

LIVE tonight ELECTRICBRAVE

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:11:27 -0000

6:30pm Moutnain time
Cultural Revolution
Making a connection to the web of life and broadcasting insight to survival and destiny.

Creation has gifted us another day

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:25:00 -0000

Time has reached out to us again, and life will breath another breath. time for another exhale of our fire and sail thru the vails of humanity! I reach out to GAIA and see small flowers in the sun reaching for a piece of the love for life!

LIVE RIGHT NOW ELECTRICBRAVE

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:39:18 -0000

CONNECT NOW

What is happening here

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:20:01 -0000

I am noticing a big shift in peole out here. What has happened to foplks who thought this was a reat idea. Did commerce and our GOV. financing falling apart and folks are getting angry in the world or stressed out. Man I am seeing it in many online communities. Not good folks. We need focus and prayers before we start swining a E hammer and be so mean with floks we don't even know out here! Please Please. Let us drop the Dung and get along!

Gaiapod is like Gaia with Native Spirit

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:46:58 -0000

We are asking all of you to send out a message to all earthlings.

Gaiapod is live

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:10:05 -0000

GAIAPODCAST
Tune in and watch Native Ameican Broadcasting make history!
Suppport your local tribes and watch us grow with GAIA on our side. you too can make a difference..Tell all your friends...EarthDay Tv is linking with the tribes on Aprill22nd, 2008 nd we will sharing our sotries world wide.

Solar Vending Machine

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:21:31 -0000

Solar Energy Vending has produced a vending machine that runs on both solar or wind power. Solar panels equipped on the roof top keep the machine’s refrigerator running and a rechargeable battery provides power during cloudy periods and night hours. In areas that receive little sunlight, wind turbines are substituted for solar cells.

Some machines have been placed throughout Spain and the UK. The company is seeking additional distribution partners in other areas of the world.

Solar Vending

Popularity: 2% [?
www.solarvending.com/

Silence

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:00:14 -0000

Silence, they say, is the voice of complicity.
But silence is impossible.
Silence screams.
Silence is a message,
just as doing nothing is an act.
Let who you are ring out & resonate
in every word & every deed.
Yes, become who you are.
There's no sidestepping your own being
or your own responsibility.
What you do is who you are.
You are your own comeuppance.
You become your own message.
You are the message.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

Half Man Half Tree

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:50:16 -0000

32 year old Dede lives in a remote village in Indonesia with his two children, trying to care for them. Dede, a former fisherman, has an extraordinary skin condition: he has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body.

He is known locally as ‘Tree Man’ and his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years. In an attempt to earn a living to support his family, he is part of a circus troupe, displaying his Tree Man limbs along with others afflicted with skin deformities in ‘freak’ shows.

Dr Anthony Gaspari, a world expert in skin conditions from the University of Maryland travels to Indonesia to attempt to diagnosis Dede’s mysterious condition. He takes skin samples for biopsies back in the USA. What will he discover?

We go on an intimate journey with the extraordinary Dede, as he tries to eek out a living in a circus troupe to support his family, and as he is given medical help by Dr Gaspari. The identification and possible cure of his condition, could change his whole life.

Half way across the world, in Romania, farmer Ion Toader is discovered to have a similar extraordinary ‘Tree Man’ condition, with growths all over his hands. He has not been able to drive a tractor for five years. A Romanian surgeon offers to give him an operation to remove his growths.

Will it be successful, and how will it change Ion’s life?
links:
www.youtube.com/watch

Today's Outlook:

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:13:15 -0000

February 20, 2008

Today's Outlook: The emotional tension builds to a crescendo today as the Moon waxes full. It enters analytical Virgo at 7:06 pm EST, presenting us with a dilemma as we attempt to remain logical when our moods become more extreme. The Virgo Full Moon Eclipse at 10:26 pm EST may require restraint as its conjunction with austere Saturn limits how we can respond. We could benefit from having a sense of humor, as a serious demeanor only complicates a current situation.

What is an Eco-Friendly Toy?Drawing of planet Earth

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:27:40 -0000

An eco-friendly or "green" toy is both environmentally and socially responsible.

It's accountable to, and respectful of, the places and people that provide and use it.

The development of ecologically safer products, recyclable and biodegradable packaging, energy-efficient operations, and better pollution controls are all aspects of producing a green product.

Our products are manufactured in a facility about 70 miles from us, allowing us greater quality control and lessening our carbon footprint on the planet.

Our products are made from 45% post-consumer recycled materials and are 100% recyclable!

We care a great deal about contributing all we can to sustaining planet Earth for generations to come. So, when you buy, buy green. It's a gift that keeps on giving!