February 5, 2010
Navajo Council's New Green Economy Commissioners
IGR committee confirms Navajo Green Economy Commissioners
By Navajo Nation Council
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- Hon. Lawrence T. Morgan is proud to announce the formation of the first Navajo Green Economy Commission. The five commissioners who have been selected and confirmed by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee include Wahleah Johns, Samuel Woods, Keith Betsuie, Anna Rondon, and LeVon Thomas.
"Each of the Commissioners is highly qualified to carry out the intended goal of creating green jobs on the Navajo Nation," said Speaker Morgan. "Today, there are more opportunities than ever before to move towards the development of a green economy and the creation of green jobs. These Commissioners are passionate about bringing green opportunities to the Nation, and I look forward to the work they will accomplish on behalf of our people."
The Navajo Nation Council became the first American Indian tribe to pass legislation supporting green jobs on tribal lands: Legislation No. 0179-09, enacting the Navajo Nation Green Economy Commission (NGEC) Act of 2009, and Legislation No. 0180-09, enacting the Navajo Green Economy Fund Act of 2009. Both were passed during the summer session of 2009.
"On the same day we were confirmed, President Obama declared that clean energy will be the driver of our economy for the long-term. With enormous solar and wind resources, our Diné can benefit from and lead the way towards this clean energy future," said Johns.
The five Commissioners are tasked with seeking appropriate federal, state, and other funding for the Navajo Nation Green Economy Fund, and networking with local, state, national and international groups to advocate and build Navajo Nation green economy strategies. They will also be working with Navajo Nation divisions and entities to coordinate these efforts and help bring green funding to the programs. The Commission will focus will be on small-scale, community development projects for economic development to empower local communities.
"In the years to come, and as we begin to transition toward more alternative renewable energy forms as a Nation, it is my vision that chapters will be able to sustain their own local green projects, and the Commission will become tasked with coordinating large scale green projects throughout the Navajo Nation," said Speaker Morgan.
The passage of the Navajo Green Economy Commission and the Navajo Green Economy Fund
started with a shared vision. Partnerships with various non-governmental organizations were
instrumental in moving the vision of a green economy forward. The Navajo Green Economy Coalition, which consists of various non-profit organization representatives, garnered 23 Navajo Nation chapter resolutions and two agency resolutions in support of the Navajo Green Economy Legislation and Navajo Green Economy Fund, ultimately helping to turn ideas into legislative action at the Navajo Nation Council level.
"The input, guidance, and expertise from non-governmental organizations will continue to be of incredible worth as we move forward in our planning for a sustainable green economy," said Speaker Morgan. "I want to thank them again for sharing this vision with me."
The Navajo Green Economy Commission has received numerous inquiries since its passage and will begin its work immediately.
"Serving on this commission is a tremendous opportunity to lead the Navajo people to a greener and cleaner energy future," said Thomas. Thomas will serve as the youth representative on the Commission.
"I'm humbled to have been selected to this commission, and I look forward to seeing community-based green economies growing in the near future," said Rondon.
Speaker Morgan believes the concept of 'going green' is not a foreign concept to the Navajo people.
"Our livelihood has always depended on our intrinsic relationship with the land," said Speaker Morgan. "By moving towards a green economy, we will be re-shifting into a way of life that has always reflected our core values as Navajo people."
February 4, 2010
Rodriguez: 'We wanted a Nelson Mandela, We got a Clarence Thomas'
We Wanted a Nelson Mandela; We got a Clarence Thomas
By Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez
Photo: Roberto Rodriquez walking for migrants who died in the Sonoran Desert/Photo Brenda Norrell
President Barack Obama is an enigma. No one quite seems to know what
he actually stands for.
Most progressives saw in the election of Obama, a Nelson Mandela
figure. Based on his first year in office, many are understandably
disillusioned.
Conversely, much of the right wing of this country demonize(d) him as
a Joseph Stalin figure, this in a “right-center” country
The context of the 2008 election is important in making sense of these
views; it was a landslide. Obama garnered 54% of the electorate
compared to 46% for McCain (Apparently, someone forgot to tell the
electorate that we live in a “right-center” country).
Understanding this, the 2010 analyses of McCain/Palin and their
supporters matter little because it is their views that were
thoroughly repudiated in the 2008 elections. And their hostile
opinions of the president have not actually changed. If anything,
they’ve been emboldened by now having 41 votes in the senate –
compared to 59 for the Democrats (Apparently neither party can count
as Bush never needed 59 votes to govern forcefully, albeit for the
wrong causes). They would be quite happy with a Torquemada figure,
someone who governs from a place of fear, with an iron fist, who is
not afraid to employ torture.
The Obama enigma has more to do with the expectations of those who
swept him into office. In truth, those who thought they had gotten
Mandela – a liberator – were few because most understood that Obama
was elected head of an empire, not head of the UN Human Rights
Commission. Many more Democrats and Independents thought they had
elected a Martin Luther King figure – someone who would fight for the
rights and dignity of all human beings. Unquestionably, Obama indeed
can speak like MLK, but his actions, especially on matters of war and
peace and human rights, have been much closer to Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas.
The Obama/Biden administration is clearly different than a
McCain/Palin administration would have been. Obama has set a different
tone worldwide, but he has not substantively altered the Bush-Cheney
doctrine. And rather than investigate former administration officials
for their roles in carrying out an illegal war, Obama unilaterally has
given them “get-out-of-jail free” cards. Worse, he’s embraced most of
Bush’s extra-legal policies in court. The only substantive difference
has come in relation to Guantanamo. For conservatives, Guantanamo is
Nirvana – a place outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. While he
has moved swiftly to close it down, he has not repudiated its most
reprehensible feature: indefinite detention of suspects without
charges.
The context of the 2008 election was a clear repudiation of all things
Bush-Cheney. Bush argued that September 11, 2001 had given him the
right to ignore the U.S. Constitution, Congress and the U.S. Supreme
Court, and international law. Beyond that, he crafted a circular
argument for his assertion and exercise of dictatorial powers; we were
a nation at war. That assertion depended upon a condition of permanent
worldwide war.
That’s why people had hoped for an MLK figure. That instead we got a
Clarence Thomas is not hyperbole. Time and again, the Obama
administration has upheld virtually every Bush war policy in and out
of court, including the notion of an all-powerful unitary executive,
the right to permanent worldwide war, the right to hold prisoners
indefinitely without charges and to rendition them and to illegally
spy on Americans.
At home, Obama has bungled his electoral mandate, especially on health
care, the economy and immigration. Rather than govern with a clear
moral authority, he has instead governed weakly from “the middle,” as
a naïve politician, appeasing the same right wing opponents that
detest his every move. Ironically, Bush did not receive a decisive
electoral mandate, yet he governed decisively. Contrarily, Obama was
given a massive electoral mandate, only to govern timidly as though he
owes his victory to the sore losers Tea Party Movement.
There are several precedents for governing from the middle. One came
in the early 20th century in Mexico after the ouster of dictator
Porfirio Diaz. The naïve new president, Francisco Madero, thought he
could reconcile the nation by ignoring his own supporters while
appeasing Diaz’s allies. He left them in power where they soon deposed
him.
Hopefully Obama will not suffer the same fate. However, unless and
until he begins to act upon his stated convictions, he will continue
to find himself proverbially in the middle of the political highway as
roadkill. He doesn’t have to be Mandela; the 2008 Obama will suffice.
Rodriguez, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, can be
reached at: XColumn@gmail.com
By Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez
Photo: Roberto Rodriquez walking for migrants who died in the Sonoran Desert/Photo Brenda Norrell
President Barack Obama is an enigma. No one quite seems to know what
he actually stands for.
Most progressives saw in the election of Obama, a Nelson Mandela
figure. Based on his first year in office, many are understandably
disillusioned.
Conversely, much of the right wing of this country demonize(d) him as
a Joseph Stalin figure, this in a “right-center” country
The context of the 2008 election is important in making sense of these
views; it was a landslide. Obama garnered 54% of the electorate
compared to 46% for McCain (Apparently, someone forgot to tell the
electorate that we live in a “right-center” country).
Understanding this, the 2010 analyses of McCain/Palin and their
supporters matter little because it is their views that were
thoroughly repudiated in the 2008 elections. And their hostile
opinions of the president have not actually changed. If anything,
they’ve been emboldened by now having 41 votes in the senate –
compared to 59 for the Democrats (Apparently neither party can count
as Bush never needed 59 votes to govern forcefully, albeit for the
wrong causes). They would be quite happy with a Torquemada figure,
someone who governs from a place of fear, with an iron fist, who is
not afraid to employ torture.
The Obama enigma has more to do with the expectations of those who
swept him into office. In truth, those who thought they had gotten
Mandela – a liberator – were few because most understood that Obama
was elected head of an empire, not head of the UN Human Rights
Commission. Many more Democrats and Independents thought they had
elected a Martin Luther King figure – someone who would fight for the
rights and dignity of all human beings. Unquestionably, Obama indeed
can speak like MLK, but his actions, especially on matters of war and
peace and human rights, have been much closer to Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas.
The Obama/Biden administration is clearly different than a
McCain/Palin administration would have been. Obama has set a different
tone worldwide, but he has not substantively altered the Bush-Cheney
doctrine. And rather than investigate former administration officials
for their roles in carrying out an illegal war, Obama unilaterally has
given them “get-out-of-jail free” cards. Worse, he’s embraced most of
Bush’s extra-legal policies in court. The only substantive difference
has come in relation to Guantanamo. For conservatives, Guantanamo is
Nirvana – a place outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. While he
has moved swiftly to close it down, he has not repudiated its most
reprehensible feature: indefinite detention of suspects without
charges.
The context of the 2008 election was a clear repudiation of all things
Bush-Cheney. Bush argued that September 11, 2001 had given him the
right to ignore the U.S. Constitution, Congress and the U.S. Supreme
Court, and international law. Beyond that, he crafted a circular
argument for his assertion and exercise of dictatorial powers; we were
a nation at war. That assertion depended upon a condition of permanent
worldwide war.
That’s why people had hoped for an MLK figure. That instead we got a
Clarence Thomas is not hyperbole. Time and again, the Obama
administration has upheld virtually every Bush war policy in and out
of court, including the notion of an all-powerful unitary executive,
the right to permanent worldwide war, the right to hold prisoners
indefinitely without charges and to rendition them and to illegally
spy on Americans.
At home, Obama has bungled his electoral mandate, especially on health
care, the economy and immigration. Rather than govern with a clear
moral authority, he has instead governed weakly from “the middle,” as
a naïve politician, appeasing the same right wing opponents that
detest his every move. Ironically, Bush did not receive a decisive
electoral mandate, yet he governed decisively. Contrarily, Obama was
given a massive electoral mandate, only to govern timidly as though he
owes his victory to the sore losers Tea Party Movement.
There are several precedents for governing from the middle. One came
in the early 20th century in Mexico after the ouster of dictator
Porfirio Diaz. The naïve new president, Francisco Madero, thought he
could reconcile the nation by ignoring his own supporters while
appeasing Diaz’s allies. He left them in power where they soon deposed
him.
Hopefully Obama will not suffer the same fate. However, unless and
until he begins to act upon his stated convictions, he will continue
to find himself proverbially in the middle of the political highway as
roadkill. He doesn’t have to be Mandela; the 2008 Obama will suffice.
Rodriguez, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, can be
reached at: XColumn@gmail.com
February 2, 2010
Onodonga Leaders Speak on Treaties and the Environment
Onondaga Nation leaders to talk of land rights, treaties, the environment in yearlong lecture series in Syracuse
By Mike McAndrew / The Post-Standard
February 02, 2010, 12:17PM
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/onondaga_nation_leaders_will_t.html
Syracuse, NY - “Onondaga Land Rights & Our Common Future II” will begin Feb. 8 with Tadodaho Sid Hill, Clan Mother Audrey Shenandoah, and other Onondaga leaders talking about treaty commitments. The series of free lectures is being organized by Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, an organization affiliated with the Syracuse Peace Council.
By Mike McAndrew / The Post-Standard
February 02, 2010, 12:17PM
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/onondaga_nation_leaders_will_t.html
Syracuse, NY - “Onondaga Land Rights & Our Common Future II” will begin Feb. 8 with Tadodaho Sid Hill, Clan Mother Audrey Shenandoah, and other Onondaga leaders talking about treaty commitments. The series of free lectures is being organized by Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, an organization affiliated with the Syracuse Peace Council.
Leonard Peltier: Alive and Kicking in the Iron House
From Leonard Peltier
Greetings from the Iron House. It has come to my attention that a rumor has been circulating about my death. Sorry to disappoint the Trimbachs, Ed Wood, and all the other vermin, but I am still alive and kicking. I continue to struggle for the truth about my case-much of it hidden in the 6,000 documents they are afraid to release-to see the light of day.
I have been monitoring the case with the Crow Creek tribe’s land issues, and have been asked my opinion. As in nearly all things, I come down on the side of the tribe. Sovereignty and self determination are the lynch pins to Indian freedom. I want the people of Crow Creek to know they have my fullest support in their endeavors. This case affects all Indians, and should matter to all people of conscience. Everyone should monitor this case to its fullest conclusion, and know it is yet another example of Indian people’s daily reality. The Indian wars are not over; they just are fought more in the courtrooms and the boardrooms these days. But the issues are mostly the same-the land, resources, and freedom. Freedom to think. Freedom to live as we wish. Freedom to be who we are. Don’t for a second allow yourself to think that the conspirators aren’t working. They’re out there, and as always they’re plotting ways to dispossess and marginalize Indian people at every opportunity.
We were all sad to learn of the passing this past week, of Howard Zinn. A brilliant author, researcher, activist, not to mention a fine human being and a friend to my cause, his loss is a blow to all of us who struggle against oppression. Please send up prayers for his family and loved ones, and that his spirit has a good journey.
As always, a big thank you to my family and everyone else helping out at the office, and all my supporters’ world wide. Through your efforts, one day we’ll win my freedom.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
--------------------
Greetings from the Iron House. It has come to my attention that a rumor has been circulating about my death. Sorry to disappoint the Trimbachs, Ed Wood, and all the other vermin, but I am still alive and kicking. I continue to struggle for the truth about my case-much of it hidden in the 6,000 documents they are afraid to release-to see the light of day.
I have been monitoring the case with the Crow Creek tribe’s land issues, and have been asked my opinion. As in nearly all things, I come down on the side of the tribe. Sovereignty and self determination are the lynch pins to Indian freedom. I want the people of Crow Creek to know they have my fullest support in their endeavors. This case affects all Indians, and should matter to all people of conscience. Everyone should monitor this case to its fullest conclusion, and know it is yet another example of Indian people’s daily reality. The Indian wars are not over; they just are fought more in the courtrooms and the boardrooms these days. But the issues are mostly the same-the land, resources, and freedom. Freedom to think. Freedom to live as we wish. Freedom to be who we are. Don’t for a second allow yourself to think that the conspirators aren’t working. They’re out there, and as always they’re plotting ways to dispossess and marginalize Indian people at every opportunity.
We were all sad to learn of the passing this past week, of Howard Zinn. A brilliant author, researcher, activist, not to mention a fine human being and a friend to my cause, his loss is a blow to all of us who struggle against oppression. Please send up prayers for his family and loved ones, and that his spirit has a good journey.
As always, a big thank you to my family and everyone else helping out at the office, and all my supporters’ world wide. Through your efforts, one day we’ll win my freedom.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
--------------------
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