Save the Peaks: Prayer Vigil, March and Rally

Please spread the word. If you cannot make it to Phoenix or Flagstaff please consider organizing a vigil, rally or event in your community! If you would like to help with outreach you can pick up posters at Taala Hooghan infoshop in Flagstaff (1700 N 2nd St. near Rt 66 and 4th St.) or you can print your own from www.savethepeaks.org. Volunteer support is also needed, contact phxrally@savethepeaks.org - Klee Benally
SAVE THE PEAKS!
July 15th - 16th, 2010
PHOENIX, AZ
Prayer Vigil • March • Rally
Arizona Snowbowl is attempting to expand development on the San Francisco Peaks and make fake snow out of treated sewage effluent on our public lands. This wastewater has been proven to contain harmful contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, hormones and cancer causing agents.
The US Forest Service has ignored public health concerns and approved this development without any tests to determine the health effects if our children eat the wastewater snow.
Snowbowl would be the only ski area in the world to use 100% wastewater to make snow. They would use 1.5 million gallons per day, storing and spraying this wastewater on a mountain that is holy to more than 13 Indigenous Nations.
Rideshare available: ride@savethepeaks.org
There is also a rideshare board at Taala Hooghan Infoshop
1704 N. 2nd St Flagstaff, AZ 86004
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, JULY 15TH: Taking Action for Healthy Communities
Free dinner and discussion - 6:30PM - 9:30PM
At Serena Juste (Padilla) Residence
Onk Akimel O'odham Nation (Salt River)
9312 E. Thomas Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Camping available
Please RSVP at www.savethepeaks.org
FRIDAY, JULY 16TH
Sunrise Prayer Gathering for Protection of Sacred Places
At Serena Juste (Padilla) Residence
Onk Akimel O'odham Nation (Salt River)
9312 E. Thomas Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85256
NOON - Rally and March to Protect the Peaks
Wesley Bolin Memorial Park
1700 West Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
1:30 - 3:30 - Rally & Vigil
(Rally to continue outside for those who do not wish to enter courthouse)
Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse
401 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85003-2118
2:30 - Courtroom Oral Arguments
Public is welcome! Bring picture ID
Flagstaff Solidarity Vigil: July 16th -- 2PM - 4PM City Hall Lawn
More information: www.savethepeaks.org
phxrally@savethepeaks.org

Ben Powless Photos: G20 Toronto Arrests and Rally

Photos by Mohawk photographer Ben Powless, 23, at the G20 Summit rally in Toronto. Powless was arrested and jailed. When released, Powless maintained the resistance by speaking out on behalf of those arrested and described the inhumane conditions of imprisonment. Watch the video and read the statement from Digital Journal on Censored News:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/06/mohawk-photographer-ben-powless-whose.html
More Powless photos:

html/www.flickr.com/photos/powless/4745766737/

Mohawk Photographer Ben Powless: Inhumane Imprisonment at G20

Mohawk photographer Ben Powless, whose photos appear on Censored News, describes his imprisonment in Canada, as 900 people were jailed in inhumane conditions during the G20 in Toronto.
The Digital Journal reports:

Ben Powless, a First Nations environmental activist and student at Carleton University, talked about his experience when being arrested over the weekend where he said his treatment was horrid and the detention centre was less than adequate.
“I was one of the hundreds of people scooped up who were standing up for free speech and free assembly,” said Powless. “We suffered from one of the biggest mass arrests in history as we were arrested and witnessed police exercise media blackout so information couldn't get out as to what was happening to the arrestees.”
Powless continued that many people spent between 20 and 46 hours waiting to get out of prison, which were “completely unjust, completely arbitrary and punitive” against those who were presumed guilty instead of innocent.
The activist went onto state that when they were being arrested they were not being told why they were arrested or what they were being arrested for and were just grabbed by undercover police in unmarked cars.
“We were witness to one of the most disturbing detention systems, more of a resemblance to a prison camp, than I’ve ever heard of in Canadian society,” added Powelss. “They stole my bag, my wallet and my camera when I was in jail. When we were in jail, we were subject to 8X10 prison cells where many of 30-40 people were housed in cages. People had to go 12 hours without food and water and the only food we were provided with were food sandwiches, which many people were unable eat and going over 30 hours without any food at all.”
Many women, says Powless, were not given proper sanitary conditions, such as access to tampons and toilet paper. Powless added that police were making sexist disparaging remarks against women when they went to the washroom.
Similar to Canahan’s story, Powless states that people were forced to sleep on the concrete floor and were unable to sleep during their time in jail, “These conditions cannot be allowed to go under Canadian law and Canadian justice system and should be allowed to go free.”
Read article:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293976

Blackwater's New Afghan Border Patrol: The New Sugar Daddy

Blackwater has new names and a quarter billion from its current US sugar daddy

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

The Obama Administration has granted a quarter billion dollars in new contracts to Blackwater, whose operatives committed murder in Iraq. Blackwater renamed itself XE and is now also working under the names of US Training Center and Greystone LTD.

US Training Center is now recruiting online for military and law enforcement to serve as "mentors" to the Afghanistan Border Police, Afghan Police, Afghan Preventive Medicine and other positions, according to the XE website.

"We are seeking senior military and law enforcement professionals to provide individual mentoring services to the executive leadership of various government department heads of the Government of Afghanistan."

Along with mentor positions, XE is seeking contractors for hire as "Narcotics Interdiction Unit/ Operational Support Team Medic."

Jeremy Scahill exposes Blackwater's new contracts in the article, "Blackwater's New Sugar Daddy: The Obama Administration," in The Nation.

"Over the past two weeks, the Administration has awarded nearly a quarter billion dollars in new US government contracts to Blackwater to work for the State Department and CIA in Afghanistan and other hot zones globally," Scahill said.

Scahill names the lobbyist.

"No one is paying any attention to what should be a major part of the story of Blackwater's thriving second marriage to the current Administration: the money trail. Blackwater has spent heavily this year on lobbyists—particularly Democratic ones. In the first quarter of 2010, the company spent more than $500,000 for the services of Stuart Eizenstat, a well-connected Democratic lobbyist who served in the Clinton and Carter administrations. Eizenstat heads the international practice for the powerhouse law and lobbying firm Covington and Burling."

The London Guardian today reports the concern of Congress.

Congressman Jan Schakowsky said: "I'm mystified why any branch of the government would decide to hire Blackwater, such a repeat offender. We're talking about murder … a company with a horrible reputation that really jeopardises our mission in so many different ways."

XE's Greystone security company states it is located in Nairobi, Kenya, Abu Dhabi UAE, Bridgetown, Barbados and Moyock, North Carolina.

Scahill writes that Blackwater owners Erik Prince also owns a private intelligence company, Total Intelligence Solutions. Writing in the The Nation article, "Blackwater for Sale," Scahill said Greystone is an offshore mercenary operation. Prince also owns a construction company, Raven Development and Paravant, which has been used as a shell company to win training contracts in Afghanistan.

The murders committed by Blackwater were documented in Iraq. After Hurricane Katrina, the Bush Administration sent Blackwater into New Orleans.