December 13, 2009

LIVE From Crow Creek




Eric Klein Founder, http://www.can-do.org/ reports LIVE from Crow Creek Sioux, where the IRS has seized Crow Creek Sioux land. More reports form the field over the next week to come- Dec 13th 2009

Earl Tulley, Navajo: Notes from Copenhagen

From Earl Tulley, Navajo, at 4:45 am Monday, Denmark time

Yaah (only Swedee word I know)

Doing well here in this part of the world, wonderful people and location is great. I have passes with the help of our Arctic relatives (Arctic Athabaskan Council of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.) Yesterday heard church bells ring out in the community of Copenhagen am certain it is on CNN. There are protests, but we are keeping our noses clean of this activity, both have heavy fines and jail time which are not within my budget and respect to our host -- Athabaskan's, but the police are nice. The buildings and food are beyond words, everyone is on a bike -- they have more bikes than a Navajo has dogs, in front of stores -- Burger King, 7 to11, McD's are here as well. Need two forms of currency, as we work in Sweden and sleep in Demark. Have a great day, I plan to.

Ruling out the Nuclear Option -- Not Clean or Green

Ruling out the Nuclear Option – Not Clean or Green

The Legacy of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Upon
US Indigenous & Communities of Color
We are communities that, in partnership with the Peace Development Fund, form the Building Action for Sustainable Environments Initiative (BASE). We are citizens who represent some of the communities in the US who bear the legacy of 50 years of nuclear energy and weapons production. We are indigenous nations, we are Latino citizens and farm-workers, and we are African American communities living near nuclear power and weapon production sites. Reducing and eliminating the wasteful and dangerous means of producing nuclear energy and bringing renewable green energy production and jobs to our communities are the goals in which our communities have a major stake.
Our communities suffer from diseases and illnesses that we contend are related to our exposure to the highly toxic processes of mining and milling uranium, the unsafe storage of radioactive materials and the lack of clean-up of sites and facilities, the transportation of highly radioactive waste through our communities, and the lack of safe disposal methods for highly deadly nuclear waste. Cancer, neurological damage, genetic damage, lung disease, respiratory disorders, lupus, and heart problems are among some of the illnesses that affect our communities.
Read statement:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2009/12/ruling-out-nuclear-option-not-clean-or.html

Ben Powless Photos: The Peoples Climate March


Ben Powless Photos: The Peoples Climate March in Copenhagen, Dec. 12.

Ben Powless, 23-year-old Mohawk from Six Nations Ontario, now in Copenhagen, said of the march, "Over 100,000 turn up for the People's Climate March, demanding a real deal and real solutions, in the middle of the COP15 Climate Conference, a march led by Indigenous Peoples."
More photos:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2009/12/peoples-climate-march-ben-powless.html

Cobell Settlement Overlooks Breaches of US Trust for Navajos


FORGOTTEN PEOPLE PUSHES REHABILITATION IN THE WAKE OF THE COBELL SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
By Don Yellowman
Photo: Pavement Pieces: The Forgotten Navajos
TUBA CITY, Navajo Nation, Ariz. -- The United States recently announced a comprehensive settlement in the Cobell trust fund case, but that overlooks other breaches of trust to American Indians and violations of the human rights of the survivors of one of the most massive breaches of Indian trust — the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute. There have been many pronouncements on the need to rehabilitate the former Bennett Freeze lands of Arizona, and to help the people who were victimized by a policy of a fourty-year freeze on all improvements on those lands, but while there is a lot of talk, there is no action. While the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe signed a settlement agreement dated November 3, 2006, fee monies accumulated during the Bennett Freeze to be distributed to those tribes have not been paid out. Other trust funds were set up to benefit people affected by the case that divided Navajo and Hopi lands in the former “Joint Use Area” and allocations to both tribes, the set-aside of an exclusive Hopi Reservation and Navajo-Hopi land dispute legislation, but where is the money?

Copenhagen: Youth Climate Movement

Published by Joshua Kahn Russell
Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement


"... Those of us in the North have colonized more than our share of the atmosphere, and it will be impossible to reach a deal without a serious commitment to repaying our climate debt.

Immediately afterward, Indigenous people inside the UN formed a human chain to demand much stronger safeguards for Indigenous Rights within the treaty. Today is human rights day, and it was a celebration in style. With youth support, Indigenous people led this spontaneous demonstration which became a march throughout the Bella Center. Chants such as “NO RIGHTS, NO REDD!” echoed throughout the building ..."
Read article:
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/12/10/youth-and-indigenous-people-escalate-protests-inside-the-un/