Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
REPOWER AMERICA
It's easier than ever to send a personal message to your Senators to support clean energy -- and as we build towards a crucial vote on a clean energy and climate bill, it's more important now than ever.
We just launched the Repower America Hotline. It's a number you can call anytime to leave a message for your Senators, and we'll make sure it gets to their offices.
We just launched the Repower America Hotline. It's a number you can call anytime to leave a message for your Senators, and we'll make sure it gets to their offices.
Just call 1-877-9-REPOWER.
Enter your zip code when prompted so we know which Senators should receive your message.
Make sure to say your name, that you are a voter in their state, and that they should support comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that jumpstarts our economy by creating good jobs, lessens our dependence on foreign oil and reduces harmful pollution.
It will only take a few minutes, but a personal message from you can make a major impact.
Your Senators are under immense pressure from well-funded lobbyists for oil, gas, and coal companies, who have already spent more than $200 million this year to block clean energy legislation.
With such unprecedented special interest lobbying already underway, we risk having our voices drowned out if we don't take action to make them heard.
Please call 1-877-9-REPOWER right now. Your representatives are listening.
The Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians supports REPOWER America.
Lynne Weaver
Google Power Meter Analyzes Home Energy Consumption
Google hopes to introduce PowerMeter publicly within the next few months.
National Health Care
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/settingtherecord
What's better for Americans....Political B.S.or National Healthcare that everyone has been pissing and moaning about for years....remember that not so long ago? If other industrialized countries can do it then we can too.
Q.What's the difference between healthcare in the U.S. and national healthcare in Canada?
A. Big money and politics.
U.S. Pharmaceutical companies have a lot to lose. Republicans didn't try to provide Americans with healthcare and they sure don't want the Democrats to succeed in doing what they ignored. Don't take my word for it though...check for yourself which representatives and political party has a lot of backing from drug companies.
What's better for Americans....Political B.S.or National Healthcare that everyone has been pissing and moaning about for years....remember that not so long ago? If other industrialized countries can do it then we can too.
Q.What's the difference between healthcare in the U.S. and national healthcare in Canada?
A. Big money and politics.
U.S. Pharmaceutical companies have a lot to lose. Republicans didn't try to provide Americans with healthcare and they sure don't want the Democrats to succeed in doing what they ignored. Don't take my word for it though...check for yourself which representatives and political party has a lot of backing from drug companies.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A KIND OF HUSH...
By Lynne Weaver
Several days ago, while chasing rainbows in search of sun and a beach with no dark clouds hovering, I was overcome with boredom tinged with a little frustration. I had already gone speed-racing down the St. Mary’s River in my little red kayak but the ominous clouds rolling in from the horizon kept me in close proximity to the shoreline and the shelter of my car. It’s unusual to see the beaches I frequent throughout the summer so devoid of human activity. The waterways, usually alive with boats of all kinds, were silent with only the sounds of waves tossed up from this summer’s endless supply of wind.
Hours spent daily in front of a computer tapping away to the voice of my own thoughts, reading the words of anonymous emails and occasionally responding to the rants of internet trolls left me wanting for real human communication. Deciding where to dine, a companion and I were prepared to drive fifty miles or so in search of people but thought better of it in light of the price of gas and my determination to burn as little of it as possible.
Finally, we decided to stay put in the Soo and check out the buffet at the casino. Surely there would be people there to observe and even talk to. We noticed the quiet from the minute we walked in the door and the lack of people and noise continued as we made our way to the restaurant. Only a dozen or so diners were there but it was still early. There seemed to be no shortage of wait staff prepared to care for the dinner crowd that never came. Still it was good to hear the light chatter of customers and staff interacting.
Suddenly, there was a hush that fell over the room. As I strained to find the source behind the silence, my eyes landed on a table at the front of the restaurant. Making themselves comfortable amid the uncomfortable silence they created were several members of the Sault Tribe Board of Directors. The most notorious of all had invaded our pleasant dinner experience. Within seconds, I knew that I would not get my money’s worth from the buffet because my appetite just threw up.
The stare-down between my eyes and theirs pushed my plans to have a pleasant dinner to the back burner. I wondered how one board member could get her fork to face without spilling the contents onto her shabby chic attire since her eyes were upon me the entire time. One board member peeked over the shoulder of another for a quick look while the baddest of the bad repeatedly turned away when I caught his eyes peering at me.
When the partial board headed upstairs for a meeting, a patron on his way to the buffet said, “Thank goodness they’re gone” and the sounds of happy chatter returned as relief washed away the hush that had permeated the room just moments earlier.
Several days ago, while chasing rainbows in search of sun and a beach with no dark clouds hovering, I was overcome with boredom tinged with a little frustration. I had already gone speed-racing down the St. Mary’s River in my little red kayak but the ominous clouds rolling in from the horizon kept me in close proximity to the shoreline and the shelter of my car. It’s unusual to see the beaches I frequent throughout the summer so devoid of human activity. The waterways, usually alive with boats of all kinds, were silent with only the sounds of waves tossed up from this summer’s endless supply of wind.
Hours spent daily in front of a computer tapping away to the voice of my own thoughts, reading the words of anonymous emails and occasionally responding to the rants of internet trolls left me wanting for real human communication. Deciding where to dine, a companion and I were prepared to drive fifty miles or so in search of people but thought better of it in light of the price of gas and my determination to burn as little of it as possible.
Finally, we decided to stay put in the Soo and check out the buffet at the casino. Surely there would be people there to observe and even talk to. We noticed the quiet from the minute we walked in the door and the lack of people and noise continued as we made our way to the restaurant. Only a dozen or so diners were there but it was still early. There seemed to be no shortage of wait staff prepared to care for the dinner crowd that never came. Still it was good to hear the light chatter of customers and staff interacting.
Suddenly, there was a hush that fell over the room. As I strained to find the source behind the silence, my eyes landed on a table at the front of the restaurant. Making themselves comfortable amid the uncomfortable silence they created were several members of the Sault Tribe Board of Directors. The most notorious of all had invaded our pleasant dinner experience. Within seconds, I knew that I would not get my money’s worth from the buffet because my appetite just threw up.
The stare-down between my eyes and theirs pushed my plans to have a pleasant dinner to the back burner. I wondered how one board member could get her fork to face without spilling the contents onto her shabby chic attire since her eyes were upon me the entire time. One board member peeked over the shoulder of another for a quick look while the baddest of the bad repeatedly turned away when I caught his eyes peering at me.
When the partial board headed upstairs for a meeting, a patron on his way to the buffet said, “Thank goodness they’re gone” and the sounds of happy chatter returned as relief washed away the hush that had permeated the room just moments earlier.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Spiritual Leader Attacks AJC Council Member
By Charles Forgrave
Sault Ste. Marie, Mi...Head of the Sault Tribe Cultural Department, Cecil Pavlat, attacked AJC council member, Nathan Wright, at a recent meeting in the tribal culture building.
Were it not for Mr. Wright's prudent restraint, an ugly physical confrontation would have been the likely outcome.
Tribal employee Pavlat was allowed to continue his attack, without interference by tribal officials who were in attendance...leading this writer to believe that Mr. Pavlat was doing their bidding.
Mr. Wright was correct in his observation that were he the one doing the attacking, while in attendance at a tribal function and while being on the payroll, he would have been fired.
Unfortunately, the political implication here is that director Abramson and the other tribal officials in attendance had a stake in Mr. Pavlat's behavior. While she wouldn't make such a spectacle herself, certainly she was willing to step back and let someone else get away with it..who was doing her bidding.
A sorry situation to say the least.
Mr. Wright certainly has my admiration. He didn't let bullying or delinquency by tribal officials shape his behavior. Sticking to his principles, the council member refused to lower himself to their standards..
..and, because of it, in the end, he will win the day.
Thank you, Charles Forgrave
You can get fired for talking about public information, especially when it is about one of the tribal crooks, but not for violence against another member. After learning more details, it seems that Cathy Abramson, Sault Tribe director, stood by and watched while Nathan Wright was verbally abused, pushed several times and blasted with racial slurs.
Director Abramson did nothing to intervene or remind Cecil Pavlat that he was on the clock. When Wright asked her what she was going to do about what just took place, she gave her usual blank stare.
Lynne Weaver
Sault Ste. Marie, Mi...Head of the Sault Tribe Cultural Department, Cecil Pavlat, attacked AJC council member, Nathan Wright, at a recent meeting in the tribal culture building.
Were it not for Mr. Wright's prudent restraint, an ugly physical confrontation would have been the likely outcome.
Tribal employee Pavlat was allowed to continue his attack, without interference by tribal officials who were in attendance...leading this writer to believe that Mr. Pavlat was doing their bidding.
Mr. Wright was correct in his observation that were he the one doing the attacking, while in attendance at a tribal function and while being on the payroll, he would have been fired.
Unfortunately, the political implication here is that director Abramson and the other tribal officials in attendance had a stake in Mr. Pavlat's behavior. While she wouldn't make such a spectacle herself, certainly she was willing to step back and let someone else get away with it..who was doing her bidding.
A sorry situation to say the least.
Mr. Wright certainly has my admiration. He didn't let bullying or delinquency by tribal officials shape his behavior. Sticking to his principles, the council member refused to lower himself to their standards..
..and, because of it, in the end, he will win the day.
Thank you, Charles Forgrave
You can get fired for talking about public information, especially when it is about one of the tribal crooks, but not for violence against another member. After learning more details, it seems that Cathy Abramson, Sault Tribe director, stood by and watched while Nathan Wright was verbally abused, pushed several times and blasted with racial slurs.
Director Abramson did nothing to intervene or remind Cecil Pavlat that he was on the clock. When Wright asked her what she was going to do about what just took place, she gave her usual blank stare.
Lynne Weaver
Friday, August 14, 2009
ICRA..Indian Civil Rights Act
Tribal members need to be aware of the Indian Civil Rights Act (Title 25, U.S. Code) in particular, Section 1301-03. Beginning in 1962 a U.S. Senate subcommittee began a series of hearings concerning the administration of justice by tribal governments. During these hearings, according to Stephen Pevar, author of the Rights of Indians and Tribes, “tribal members testified that tribal officials were tyrannical and biased.” Pevar also writes that members requested that Congress pass legislation protecting them from further abuse. Amid allegations of misconduct and abuse of tribal authority, thousands of tribal members were living under a government who claimed that sovereign rights allowed them the option not to respect constitutional rights.
The result of the hearings was the passage of ICRA which was intended to ensure that individual Indians were protected by the broad Constitutional rights secured to other Americans from arbitrary and unjust actions of tribal governments. Tribes can discriminate against race when it comes to voting rights but other protected rights are: the right to free speech, press and assembly, so firing an employee because they were overheard talking to someone else about something tribal officials were embarrassed about, is a violation of ICRA. Using a breach of confidentiality as ‘cause’ when the reported breaches were already on the news does not qualify the information as a breach. Political retaliation is closer to the truth when it comes to the many recent firings by Sault Tribe officials.
Other ICRA rights are: protection against unreasonable search and seizure; the right to a speedy trial; the right to hire a lawyer in a criminal case; protection against self-incrimination (this is an important issue for many of the recently terminated tribal employees), protection against cruel and inhuman punishment; the right to equal protection of the laws, and due process of law.
It all sounds pretty good, right? But guess what; in most cases, the federal courts are useless when it comes to ICRA. Tribal members are supposed to be able to seek justice through their tribal courts. Isn’t that a hoot when it comes to the Sault Tribe’s tribal court that has been recently loaded with Bouschorists.
So what are the alternatives? First of all, sovereignty gives tribal members the right to take on their own system. Alternative number 2 is to petition Congress, (who has the ultimate authority over tribes) to pass laws to give tribal members the civil liberties they are entitled to. Finally, American Indians need their voices represented in Congress. Tribal members all over the country need to get behind their candidates and push hard for a bigger and louder voice in Congress to represent the rights of American Indians.
Lynne Weaver
Credit: Steven L. Prevar, The Rights of Indians and Tribes, 2nd ed. (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992). 240-248.
The result of the hearings was the passage of ICRA which was intended to ensure that individual Indians were protected by the broad Constitutional rights secured to other Americans from arbitrary and unjust actions of tribal governments. Tribes can discriminate against race when it comes to voting rights but other protected rights are: the right to free speech, press and assembly, so firing an employee because they were overheard talking to someone else about something tribal officials were embarrassed about, is a violation of ICRA. Using a breach of confidentiality as ‘cause’ when the reported breaches were already on the news does not qualify the information as a breach. Political retaliation is closer to the truth when it comes to the many recent firings by Sault Tribe officials.
Other ICRA rights are: protection against unreasonable search and seizure; the right to a speedy trial; the right to hire a lawyer in a criminal case; protection against self-incrimination (this is an important issue for many of the recently terminated tribal employees), protection against cruel and inhuman punishment; the right to equal protection of the laws, and due process of law.
It all sounds pretty good, right? But guess what; in most cases, the federal courts are useless when it comes to ICRA. Tribal members are supposed to be able to seek justice through their tribal courts. Isn’t that a hoot when it comes to the Sault Tribe’s tribal court that has been recently loaded with Bouschorists.
So what are the alternatives? First of all, sovereignty gives tribal members the right to take on their own system. Alternative number 2 is to petition Congress, (who has the ultimate authority over tribes) to pass laws to give tribal members the civil liberties they are entitled to. Finally, American Indians need their voices represented in Congress. Tribal members all over the country need to get behind their candidates and push hard for a bigger and louder voice in Congress to represent the rights of American Indians.
Lynne Weaver
Credit: Steven L. Prevar, The Rights of Indians and Tribes, 2nd ed. (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992). 240-248.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
HISTORIC POWWOW OF
THE MACKINAC BANDS OF OTTAWA AND CHIPPEWA INDIANS
Even an occasional light rain didn't chase away a much larger than expected audience at the first Mackinac Bands powwow held in Rogers City in the lower peninsula of Michigan.
Renewed interest in the Mackinac Bands future was clearly evident throughout the day with many members and future members lining up for answers to their questions such as "When is the next powwow?" and "How do I find out if I am Mackinac Bands?"
There are many sources of information available regarding enrollment including the Mackinac Bands.org website or you can email me at lynne.mackbands@yahoo.com or weave977@yahoo.com.
Rogers City Nautical Festival also thought it was a Major Success.
Even an occasional light rain didn't chase away a much larger than expected audience at the first Mackinac Bands powwow held in Rogers City in the lower peninsula of Michigan.
Renewed interest in the Mackinac Bands future was clearly evident throughout the day with many members and future members lining up for answers to their questions such as "When is the next powwow?" and "How do I find out if I am Mackinac Bands?"
There are many sources of information available regarding enrollment including the Mackinac Bands.org website or you can email me at lynne.mackbands@yahoo.com or weave977@yahoo.com.
Rogers City Nautical Festival also thought it was a Major Success.
Monday, August 3, 2009
MACKINAC BANDS STORE
Check out our new items at the Mackinac Bands Store (Click here) or you can click on the link in the upper right corner(above Maxine). All proceeds go to administrative costs for the affirmation of the federal recognition process.
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