Although many will say 2007 was the best year ever (although I don't know anyone making that claim), some say this has been their worst year in memory. I am certain it is all who you are talking to and about what.
I must be privileged because I have had several of both and many run-of-the-mill nothing-major-goin'-on years. They say all that good and bad, up and down stuff builds character and from what I am told, I have plenty of that.
I think character comes partly from keeping an open mind. Having an open mind enables you to change your mind, be proven right or wrong, move forward, to the side or even backwards, look at the bright side while keeping one eye on the dark side, realize that life is too short to be unhappy and finding a way to change it.
I have had my feet firmly on the ground and the rug pulled out from me so many times that I am developing wings...makes the landing softer. But I am not complaining because I truly am an optimist and even when things appear bleak, I know that if you don't give up there is sunshine on the other side of the fence. All you have to do is leave the clouds and storms behind and keep pushing forward.
Although it's not always easy leaving it all behind and may not even be possible, just remember that not everything is your fault and perceptions some others may have of you mean nothing if your perception of them is equally as dim.
My New Year's resolution will probably be to continue being who I am. I will love almost everyone except those I don't like, play by the rules as long as they are fair and continue to spout off about things that aren't. I am also going to stop trying to counteract the sweet tooth with vitamin and health food overload and just eliminate the sweet tooth...or maybe I will wait for next year.
A better year is coming in many ways so enjoy and have a Happy New Year!
Lynne Weaver
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The B.O.D. and the C.of P.
The actions of the BOD, with the exception of a few, are indicative of desperate attempts to force their will, regardless of the law, to obtain complete power over the tribe and it's assets.
On the bright side, they will never get reelected in an honest election.
They know they have lost the confidence of the average tribal member and must take measures that go beyond that fine line of being called the questionably corrupt to the no-question-about-it-corruption. The resolutions this bunch have attempted to pass in the last several months is proof.
To review just a small sampling...
Resolutions to:
- Investigate tribal members for voicing their opinions.
- Stop email communication between the Chairman and the tribal members....but not their own.
- Stop the use of tribal buildings for meetings between the Chairman and the members and employees....but not their own use of tribal properties for meetings, free of charge.
- Investigate the Chairman for moving the employee picnic by a few days so that more employees could conveniently attend.
- Remove the Chairman's authority over the Chief of Police in order to prevent the C of P from suspension after being accused of the physical assault on a women who refused his sexual advances, as reported in the Detroit Free Press.
- Illegal changes to the organizational chart by 8 members of the board were to protect Paquin from an actionable offense and, of course, were invalidated by the Chairman when he reinstated the original chart. Now those 8 directors want to remove the Chairman and his pay. Taking away his paycheck and destroying his livelihood to disable his ability to continue to fight for the members is something several board members have had lots of practice at, having already done this to many tribal members who spoke up.
With Chairman Payment out of the way, they will likely go after the remaining voices of the members of this tribe. Then...it will be all theirs. They can roll around in their ill-gotten gains like Pigs in Mud....or so they think.
Lynne Weaver
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Hot Air or Hot Water
The attempts to take over the tribe by several members of the Board of Directors are being met with more opposition than they are prepared to handle.
Members of the Sault Tribe are fed up with these directors trying to shuffle what remains of the tribe into their own pockets.
For more than two decades, we have been held hostage by the former chairman, Bernard Bouschor, and his lawless band of renegades. The current constitution and tribal code were manipulated and interpreted to meet their needs and to put the shaft to the members of the tribe.
There are those that will argue "but look what we have....a medical facility and crappy jobs with meager wages and housing that is difficult to heat with much of it in slum condition. We have a couple of casinos with more low wages but at least we have jobs and free medical."
Bouschor's friends and family did well receiving free college educations after they were hired for well paying jobs they were unqualified for. Some are said to not even have attended university but only registered. They were placed in supervisory positions so they could control and keep a watchful eye over those members that relied on the tribe for their livelihood and medical needs.
Express an opinion that did not comply with Bouschor's corrupt regime and out the door you went. Some claim they were even denied health care when appointments were cancelled or dates changed without notice to the patient, giving the health service the option to suspend service to the member for not showing up for their appointments.
The day came when the election process was closely monitored and Bouschor was sent packing by the voting members of the tribe. Those extra 'misplaced' ballots bearing the name Bouschor could not be submitted as valid votes. The person in charge of the ballot counter was also monitored very closely eliminating any opportunity to make a few 'adjustments'. Two years later the members were given the opportunity to tell Bouschor they were not taking the chance to let him even run in the next election. 84% of the voters said "not a chance"....for both Bouschor and Paul Shagen who took an illegal payoff when he quit his job.
Since the day Bouschor was run out and Aaron Payment stepped into the chairman's position, Bouschor has retained his own form of corrupt power by using his loyal remaining directors and well-placed stooges to do his dirty work for him.
Bouschor has been up against honesty, integrity and strength of character. Payment and Todd Gravelle have proven to be a tough team to fight and a force that corruption has found impossible to penetrate.
The Bouschorite directors have made every attempt imaginable to destroy Payment and Gravelle and have now resorted to complete lawlessness. Meanlingless resolutions in violation of the Tribal Constitution, Code and Bylaws are consistently presented. Violations of civil rights are being used to threaten the honorable remaining board members as well as members of the Sault Tribe that dare to speak up in support of the current Chairman or against the Bouschor regime.
There have been resolutions to investigate tribal members who state their opinions or even ask the "wrong" questions of the Bouschorists. DJ Hoffman threatens members regularly with lawsuits. Cathy Abramson has used the power of her seat on the board to intimidate and influence employers to take action against members with a voice and an opinion she didn't like. DJ Hoffman, Cathy Abramson, Lana Causley, Joe Eitrem and Fred Paquin have proven to be tyrants in the worst possible way.
Paquin's reputation as a sexual predator and an accused woman abuser has not swayed their loyalty because they seem to fit right into the same lawless mold. Family members of Paquin's accuser have been threatened with retaliation prompting the watchful eye of the public onto his activities. Eight directors on the board have shown strong support for Paquin's unscrupulous activities by contributing their vote to ridiculous resolutions.....one being to investigate the date change of the Tribal employee picnic by Payment (so that more members could conveniently attend) and the misappropriation of hot dogs. Paquin and Hoffman have come up with one stupid plan after another to stop Payment.
The only directors that seem to still maintain their integrity is Gravelle, Miller and Chase who have stood firm against the Bouschorites. Shirley Petoskey, according to several of her constituents, was warned against her involvement with the Bouschorists as was Causley. Former Lapoint loyalists are also expressing their disappointment in his odd, newfound loyality to the Bouschorists. I can't help but wonder if his greatest fears have affected his decisions which are the threats that he has received in the past. Could be he just wants to survive his term without any further stress and the resulting harmful affects on his health.
Regardless of the logic, all the hot air blowing out the mouths of eight wayward directors full of retribution and retaliation is jeapordizing the financial success of our tribe. While they are playing their board games of who can successfully achieve the most power, who is watching out for the real business end? They are leaving us wide open for anything, from misappropriation of funds to flat out embezzlement because they are the wrong people for the job and incapable of doing the right thing. All their hot air is just putting the tribe in hot water, but on the bright side....their hot water is deepest.
Members of the Sault Tribe are fed up with these directors trying to shuffle what remains of the tribe into their own pockets.
For more than two decades, we have been held hostage by the former chairman, Bernard Bouschor, and his lawless band of renegades. The current constitution and tribal code were manipulated and interpreted to meet their needs and to put the shaft to the members of the tribe.
There are those that will argue "but look what we have....a medical facility and crappy jobs with meager wages and housing that is difficult to heat with much of it in slum condition. We have a couple of casinos with more low wages but at least we have jobs and free medical."
Bouschor's friends and family did well receiving free college educations after they were hired for well paying jobs they were unqualified for. Some are said to not even have attended university but only registered. They were placed in supervisory positions so they could control and keep a watchful eye over those members that relied on the tribe for their livelihood and medical needs.
Express an opinion that did not comply with Bouschor's corrupt regime and out the door you went. Some claim they were even denied health care when appointments were cancelled or dates changed without notice to the patient, giving the health service the option to suspend service to the member for not showing up for their appointments.
The day came when the election process was closely monitored and Bouschor was sent packing by the voting members of the tribe. Those extra 'misplaced' ballots bearing the name Bouschor could not be submitted as valid votes. The person in charge of the ballot counter was also monitored very closely eliminating any opportunity to make a few 'adjustments'. Two years later the members were given the opportunity to tell Bouschor they were not taking the chance to let him even run in the next election. 84% of the voters said "not a chance"....for both Bouschor and Paul Shagen who took an illegal payoff when he quit his job.
Since the day Bouschor was run out and Aaron Payment stepped into the chairman's position, Bouschor has retained his own form of corrupt power by using his loyal remaining directors and well-placed stooges to do his dirty work for him.
Bouschor has been up against honesty, integrity and strength of character. Payment and Todd Gravelle have proven to be a tough team to fight and a force that corruption has found impossible to penetrate.
The Bouschorite directors have made every attempt imaginable to destroy Payment and Gravelle and have now resorted to complete lawlessness. Meanlingless resolutions in violation of the Tribal Constitution, Code and Bylaws are consistently presented. Violations of civil rights are being used to threaten the honorable remaining board members as well as members of the Sault Tribe that dare to speak up in support of the current Chairman or against the Bouschor regime.
There have been resolutions to investigate tribal members who state their opinions or even ask the "wrong" questions of the Bouschorists. DJ Hoffman threatens members regularly with lawsuits. Cathy Abramson has used the power of her seat on the board to intimidate and influence employers to take action against members with a voice and an opinion she didn't like. DJ Hoffman, Cathy Abramson, Lana Causley, Joe Eitrem and Fred Paquin have proven to be tyrants in the worst possible way.
Paquin's reputation as a sexual predator and an accused woman abuser has not swayed their loyalty because they seem to fit right into the same lawless mold. Family members of Paquin's accuser have been threatened with retaliation prompting the watchful eye of the public onto his activities. Eight directors on the board have shown strong support for Paquin's unscrupulous activities by contributing their vote to ridiculous resolutions.....one being to investigate the date change of the Tribal employee picnic by Payment (so that more members could conveniently attend) and the misappropriation of hot dogs. Paquin and Hoffman have come up with one stupid plan after another to stop Payment.
The only directors that seem to still maintain their integrity is Gravelle, Miller and Chase who have stood firm against the Bouschorites. Shirley Petoskey, according to several of her constituents, was warned against her involvement with the Bouschorists as was Causley. Former Lapoint loyalists are also expressing their disappointment in his odd, newfound loyality to the Bouschorists. I can't help but wonder if his greatest fears have affected his decisions which are the threats that he has received in the past. Could be he just wants to survive his term without any further stress and the resulting harmful affects on his health.
Regardless of the logic, all the hot air blowing out the mouths of eight wayward directors full of retribution and retaliation is jeapordizing the financial success of our tribe. While they are playing their board games of who can successfully achieve the most power, who is watching out for the real business end? They are leaving us wide open for anything, from misappropriation of funds to flat out embezzlement because they are the wrong people for the job and incapable of doing the right thing. All their hot air is just putting the tribe in hot water, but on the bright side....their hot water is deepest.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Constitution For The People
From: Bob Menard >Date: Monday, December 10, 2007, 8:14 PM
I respectfully point out that to put to the vote of the people anything less than the final document, as drafted by the Constitution Committee, would be to trivialize the many hundreds of hours of effort and sacrifice of the tribal members that worked on this project, as well as to subvert the original intent of the Board of Directors, who incidentally, all voted to undertake the project, recognizing that our present constitution was no longer a viable document. Sending the proposed constitution to the people piecemeal would be the ultimate recipe for Machiavellian politics. It would empower those demagogues currently stirring up all the fuss in our Tribe to craft a government that purely suits their purpose.
I recognize that the Board of Directors has a legislative right to make the decision as to whether the proposed document will go to a vote of the people. However, I sincerely believe that they have a moral and ethical responsibility to see that the people get the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, not on a watered down version of the document, but on the final draft, in its entirety, as presented by the Constitution Committee. After all, it is a document of the people, for the people and should be by the people, not the product of a self serving few.
I respectfully point out that to put to the vote of the people anything less than the final document, as drafted by the Constitution Committee, would be to trivialize the many hundreds of hours of effort and sacrifice of the tribal members that worked on this project, as well as to subvert the original intent of the Board of Directors, who incidentally, all voted to undertake the project, recognizing that our present constitution was no longer a viable document. Sending the proposed constitution to the people piecemeal would be the ultimate recipe for Machiavellian politics. It would empower those demagogues currently stirring up all the fuss in our Tribe to craft a government that purely suits their purpose.
I recognize that the Board of Directors has a legislative right to make the decision as to whether the proposed document will go to a vote of the people. However, I sincerely believe that they have a moral and ethical responsibility to see that the people get the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, not on a watered down version of the document, but on the final draft, in its entirety, as presented by the Constitution Committee. After all, it is a document of the people, for the people and should be by the people, not the product of a self serving few.
Whose Constitution Is It?
I would like to hear from the individual directors what their feelings are about the Constitution, which parts concern them and why? The 'why's and why not's' are my biggest concern because it defines their motivation. I am certain all sorts of reasoning can be applied for the purpose of trying to convince others, but is there logic and who benefits the most from such logic?
We, the members, need to determine which portions of the Constitution are most important to us, which will have the most benefit to all members while still being in the best interest of the tribe. Just because someone has the title of director does not make them an expert in this field. The constitution is about all of us....not just 12 people on a board. I do not feel properly represented by the entire board......does anyone? Whether or not the constitution, or parts of it, passes should be up to the members and not by those whose paycheck is affected by it's passing.
Lynne Weaver
We, the members, need to determine which portions of the Constitution are most important to us, which will have the most benefit to all members while still being in the best interest of the tribe. Just because someone has the title of director does not make them an expert in this field. The constitution is about all of us....not just 12 people on a board. I do not feel properly represented by the entire board......does anyone? Whether or not the constitution, or parts of it, passes should be up to the members and not by those whose paycheck is affected by it's passing.
Lynne Weaver
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