Censored: O'odham relief, Wikileaks, US spying and mining

The Face of Mining:
RT news: South African miners killed by police.

In the news, O'odham emergency relief, Wikileaks, US spying, School of Assassins, the bloody face of mining, and Indigenous heroes

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

TUCSON -- The monsoon storms in southern Arizona destroyed homes on the Tohono O'odham Nation. But why aren't the millions in casino revenues providing for O'odham emergency needs? If the lucrative Desert Diamond casino is really a Tohono O'odham enterprise, there should be funds ready and available to rebuild homes and provide for O'odham children, instead of the continued desperation.
In global news, Ecuador granted Wikileaks' Julian Assange asylum. As the United States pursues Assange and Bradley Manning, the US continues its dragnet for whistleblowers -- while killers and corporate thieves exposed by Wikileaks remain free.
The past week's top story at Censored News was the result of months of research into the US diplomatic cables exposed by Wikileaks, and the espionage of Indigenous Peoples. A key exposure revealed that the US and five other countries organized to secretly promote mining on Indigenous lands, as Natives in Peru were dying to protect their lands.
The largest number of cables on spying on Indigenous, revealed the US targeting Mohawks in Canada and Mapuche in Chile. The US cables also revealed the attempts by US diplomats in Iceland and Ecuador to halt support for, and passage of, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In other news, Joan Roelofs at Counterpunch exposed how the New York Times got it wrong on the US School of Assassins. The School of Americas changed its name,  it did not close. http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/17/the-nyt-and-the-school-of-assassins
Here, in southern Arizona, the Army's Fort Huachuca is the place where the US torture manual of the School of Americas was published, a fact made public in 1996. Torture training resulted in assassinations, rapes and disappearances of Indigenous Peoples. Fort Huachuca personnel was also involved in torture at Abu-Ghraib, leading to protests and arrests at Fort Huachuca.
Fort Huachuca, at Sierra Vista, Ariz., is now a top US training center for drones, which launch there for the border.

Protests begin over Keystone XL southern
route as construction begins, after
endorsement from President Obama.

RT exposed South African police opening fire on miners near Johannesburg and killing at least 30 protesters. The platinum mine, owned by Lonmin PLC, has been the focal point of strikes and violence. The scene of horror is the face of mining globally as people of color are considered expendables for mining companies. http://rt.com/news/south-africa-mine-violence-862/
The Guardian exposed a new surveillance system on the streets in Seattle and DC, as revealed by Wikileaks. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/13/trapwire-surveillance-system-exposed-leak?

Now, if only the Guardian would expose the secrets of the Queen of England and how much of the royal wealth was illegally extracted from the resources and life blood of Indigenous Peoples around the world.
Tarsands protests began as pipeline construction started on the southern route of the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama was earlier on hand to launch in Cushing, Okla.

Censored News this week honors Dine' Kris Barney of Rough Rock, Ariz., who walked across the Navajo Nation to San Francisco Peaks for the protection of the sacred mountain.
Kris said, “The holy San Francisco Peaks is under attack. Our culture, our traditions, our ceremonies, our very existence as Dine' (Navajo) people is under attack by the Arizona Snowbowl and its plans and ongoing construction on top of the Holy Mountain Dooko'o'sliid. This mountain is sacred to more than 13 Indigenous Nations and at this moment they are committing genocide through environmental ecocide on this holy mountain where we gather medicinal herbs and pray."

Censored News honors Protect the Peaks and Indigenous Action Media in Flagstaff, Ariz., for organizing and protection of San Francisco Peaks. Today, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, Indigenous Action Media is reporting on the Tree Sit that has halted Snowbowl pipeline destruction: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/08/tree-sit-halts-snowbowl-pipeline.html

Why aren't Tohono O'odham casino funds providing for O'odham emergency needs?
Storms have destroyed homes in the Santa Rosa community on the Tohono O'odham Nation. But the question remains, why aren't those millions in casino funds ready and available to rebuild homes, and provide for the children, on the Tohono O'odham Nation?
It is sad to see children and families in need. Still, very sad to pass by and see the huge crowds at the Tohono O'odham Desert Diamond casino, then drive across O'odham land, and wonder where all those millions, possibly billions, have been going for the last decade. Non-Indian management firms, non-Indian attorneys and non-Indian lobbyists have received large sums of money, as well as non-Indian charities for publicity reasons (like the fire truck for Peoria), and there's the cut for the state of Arizona, yet most O'odham suffer in need.
People pour into this casino thinking their money is going to the O'odham. At times like this, there should be plenty of money to replace the O'odham homes destroyed by the monsoon storms, and provide for the children, if this casino is really a Tohono O'odham enterprise.

Wikileaks exposed US espionage of Indigenous Peoples

Wikileaks exposed the US corporate schemes, espionage, promotion of mining and efforts globally to halt passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Wikileaks revealed extensive espionage of Indigenous Peoples, including the Mapuche and Mohawks, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, who ushered in a new Indigenous global rights campaign.
The release of the US diplomatic cables of the US State Department confirmed that the US feared the power of Indigenous Peoples, specifically their claims to their traditional territories, a right stated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Further, the Declaration states the right of free, prior and informed consent before development proceeds and protects intellectual and cultural property rights.
The United States and Canada, as revealed by Wikileaks, worked against the rights of Indigenous Peoples, by engaging in espionage and the promotion of mining, while violating Indigenous autonomy, self determination and dignity.

The United States was part of a coalition to promote mining and fight against Indigenous activists in Peru. A core group of diplomats from U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Switzerland and South Africa formed an alliance with mining companies to promote and protect mining interests globally.

The collection of DNA and other data, makes it clear that US Ambassadors are spies abroad. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton states that the Intelligence Community relies on biographical information from US diplomats. In cables to Africa and Paraguay, Clinton asked US Embassy personnel to collect address books, e-mail passwords, fingerprints, iris scans and DNA.
Read more:

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/12/wikileaks-revealed-us-espionage-of.html

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