Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

November 12, 2014

Top Most Censored in Indian Country Nov. 2014

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Vicam Yaqui Traditional Authority organizes water rights resistance
Photo Brenda Norrell Sonora, Mexico
Water rights protests: Navajo, Paiute, and Yaqui in Sonora/ Censored News


By Brenda Norrell
Censored News

Here's the Top Most Censored Issues in Indian Country:

Theft of Indian water rights by non-Indian attorneys, Congressmen and corrupt tribal officials
This is why we need more whistleblowers: Former Sec. Interior Ken Salazar resigned after this memo was leaked, exposing the scheme to steal Navajo water rights in Congress. It wasn't the Navajo government that halted the theft -- it was the Dineh people. Non-Indian attorneys, Congressmen, and corrupt tribal officials have been in this game for a long time. The states and US are desperate for Indian water rights to keep unsustainable cities and dirty coal-fired power plants operating.
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/11/leaked-documents-mainstream-media.html
Many Native American tribes in Arizona have already signed the so-called "water rights settlements" presented by their non-Indian attorneys. Currently, Paiutes are fighting to save water rights to Pyramid Lake in Nevada. Here's one of the rights that states and the US fear the most: Water rights guaranteed under Winter's Doctrine. It ensures water rights for future generations on Indian lands and the water mongers want those rights waived. In Sonora, Mexico, the Yaqui Traditional Authority has maintained a water rights blockade on a major highway on their land as Mexico steals their water.

Truth about cartels and the murdered and disappeared
While remembering the dead and 43 disappeared students in Guerrero, Mexico, remember that it was the US ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) who provided the cartels with assault weapons. Project Gunrunner began in Texas in 2005, according to US documents, and continued based in Tucson with Fast and Furious and Operation Wide Receiver. There was no outcry in the US when it was people in Mexico being killed, including innocent women and children. It was only when a US Border Patrol agent was killed with one of those weapons in Arizona that there was a public outcry. Indigenous Peoples in Mexico and along the border are victims of the heavily-armed cartels. The so-called drug war is just one more of the United States wars created with the aid of spin and fabricated news reports. Meanwhile, the US Border Patrol agents continue to be arrested for smuggling drugs, and continue to shoot through the border and kill citizens of Mexico.
Read more about the United States' role in weapons and drug running at www.narconews.com

Coal-fired pollution on Navajo Nation
With President Obama's announcement in China that the US will cut power plant emissions, the question remains: Will the Navajo Nation take action? The coal-fired Navajo Generating Station is one of the top polluters in the world. Will the Navajo Times cover this issue? The power plant uses coal that Peabody Coal rips from Black Mesa in Arizona. Peabody Coal's genocidal scheme to remove Navajos from Black Mesa is the real motivation for the so-called Navajo Hopi Land Dispute. The dirty power plant provides electricity primarily to southern Arizona, and the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. Another dirty coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation is the Four Corners Power Plant in New Mexico.

Indian country news infested with plagiarizers and profiteers
National Indian country news is dominated by plagiarizers and profiteers. The victims -- besides those who do the original work and pay the expenses themselves -- are the readers. For years, Indian Country Today armchair reporters have been staying home and plagiarizing. When they don't want you to know who is doing the plagiarizing, they put as the byline at the top "ICTMN staff."
Further, the owners of indianz.com received a multi-million dollar contract from the US for domestic and international spying this year, with an office at the US Pentagon. What this means for readers is this: There aren't really reporters present on news stories and reporting the facts. Just ask those reporters if they have been present on the news stories they pretend to be covering.
Read Censored News: "Media Pimps: Hollywood isn't the only place where people sleep their way to the top." http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/10/media-pimps-hollywood-isnt-only-place.html

Homeland Security gives US border security contract to Israeli firm, includes US spy towers on Tohono O'odham land
Homeland Security gave the border security contract this year to the Israeli defense corporation Elbit Systems, responsible for Apartheid security on the Palestine border. The contract includes the US spy towers on sovereign Tohono O'odham land. See Censored News exclusive coverage of those spy towers on O'odham land: Tohono O'odham government approves 15th spy tower, more land for US Border Patrol: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/07/tohono-oodham-council-approves-15th-us.html

Bill Gates profiteering from private prisons
The power and money mongers are profiteering from the imprisonment of migrants, American Indians and other people of color in private prisons. The US system fills these prisons with the aid of the media hysteria about the border, and police officers targeting people of color.
Both GEO and CCA are prison for profit vulture corporations. Bill Gates is among the top investors in GEO and G4S.
Earlier, the notorious Wackenhut split into GEO, and Wackenhut Transportation -- for maximum profiteering from misery. Wackenhut Transportation was then bought by G4S, an international prison for profit contractor. Now, G4S has contracts for detained migrant transportation on the Arizona border.
Arizona and Texas are two states where prisons-for-profit vultures are making millions, while the rapes, tortures and murders increase.
See Native American protest in Washington state over Gates prison investments:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/04/seattle-natives-protest-and-support.html

The long arm of US Censorship
John Robles was censored at the Voice of Russia after his profound interviews, including those with Mohawk elders Kahentinetha Horn and Mark Maracle. Read the Censored News exclusive:
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/11/long-arm-of-us-censorship-reporter-in.html

Boarding School Tribunal
Reporters in Indian country were a no-show for coverage of the Boarding School Tribunal in Green Bay, Wisconsin in October. See the original series by Censored News, with videos by Govinda at Earthcycles. Yes, we were there. http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/10/day-3-boarding-school-tribunal-watch.html

Behind closed doors, there is much more happening now, from the threat of the Keystone XL Pipeline and fracking, to drones and the militarization of US universities. There's far more truth hidden about Indian casinos and where the money really goes. That's why we need you, the grassroots public, the public, and more whistleblowers.

Do you have a most censored issue to add to the list? Contact us at brendanorrell@gmail.com

Brenda Norrell has been a news reporter in Indian country for 32 years. She lived on the Navajo Nation for 18 years and was a reporter for Navajo Times, and stringer for AP and USA Today. After serving as a longtime staff reporter for Indian Country Today in the Southwest, she was censored and terminated. As a result, she began Censored News, now in its ninth year with no advertising or grants.


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