Harlan goes out with bang on Native America Calling!

Harlan McKotso, Sac and Fox, reporter and radio host, was honored by the Native American National Hall of Fame after his passing.

By Brenda Norrrell

Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Koahnic Broadcast Corp. announced today it is seeking a new host for Native America Calling, the national live daily radio broadcast, and moving headquarters from Albuquerque to Alaska.

Harlan told Censored News on Wednesday, "Going to chase my dream to start a Native TV channel ... stay tuned."

Censored News wants to be the first to congratulate Harlan McKosato, Sac and Fox, for his recent programs with cutting edge truth.

From the poisons of coal fired power plants in Indian country and the banned books by Tucson public schools to the disenrollment of tribal members by American Indian Nations, Harlan’s recent programs have carved a place for him in history. He exposed the hard hitting truths in Indian country that others are censoring.

Censored News would especially like to thank Harlan for featuring Censored News and our guests on the New Years Eve show. The show included Debra White Plume, Lakota of Bring Back the Way; Kahentinetha Horn of Mohawk Nation News; Klee Benally, Navajo of Save the Peaks and Ofelia Rivers, O’odham, of the O’odham Solidarity Project.

Harlan also featured Louise Benally of Big Mountain and Moapa Paiute Chairman William Anderson recently to speak out against the ongoing genocide of coal fired power plants. Acoma Pueblo poet Simon Ortiz was featured on the subject of Native American books banned by the Tucson Unified School District.

Thank you Harlan from all of us! Brenda Norrell, publisher Censored News

KOAHNIC BROADCAST CORPORATION ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN HOST FOR NATIVE AMERICA CALLING AND MANAGEMENT OF DISTRIBUTION SERVICE MOVES TO ANCHORAGE Anchorage, Alaska: Jaclyn Sallee, President and CEO, announced today that Koahnic Broadcast Corporation will be opening a search for a new host for Native America Calling, with Associate Producer, Tara Gatewood to serve as the main host during this period. Sallee said, " we have a strong staff of associate producers who will keep the quality of the program and topics at the level our stations and listeners have come to expect". In addition, the management of Koahnic's NV1 national distribution service, which has been housed in Albuquerque, will be moved to its Anchorage office. Recruitment for the network manager will begin in March. Koahnic sees this as a way of consolidating its oversight of the network, having moved the billing and contracting to Anchorage last year. Serving as Interim NV1 Manager is Nola Daves Moses who has been working with the network's stations and producers as Station Relations Representative since 2008.

Contact: Carol Schatz
 Chief Operating Officer
Koahnic Broadcast Corporation
907-793-3517

cschatz@knba.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Native America Calling: Coal fired power plants poisoning Native Americans

Native America Calling: Coal fired power plants poisoning Native Americans

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

On Native America Calling today, Louise Benally, Dine' of Big Mountain and Moapa Pauite Chairman William Anderson said coal fired power plants are poisoning Navajos, Paiutes and the people of the Southwest. Callers to the national live radio show from across the west agreed and said it is time for the toxic legacy of dirty fuel to end.

Program host Harlan McKosato of the Sac and Fox Nation, asked Benally about the term "clean coal."

“It is a dirty lie. Nothing is clean about coal or extraction," Benally said. "There is no such thing as clean coal. Clean coal is not a reality.”

Benally described Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's current attempts to steal Navajo water rights to the Colorado River and Little Colorado River. She also described the devastation from the Navajo Generating Station at Page, Ariz., fired by coal from Black Mesa, on Navajoland.

"They are killing the earth. There is no respect for the earth, they are killing the earth in the name of greed," said Benally, among those who have resisted relocation for decades on Black Mesa, where Peabody Coal continues to mine coal and poison the air, water and land.


Moapa Paiute Chairman William Anderson said there are widespread health problems, including respiratory problems and thyroid problems, because of the Reid Gardner coal fired power plant in Nevada.

Chairman Anderson said the brown cloud over the power plant "is what we breathe everyday." He described how the dirty industries try to buy off the people with the promises of money, roads and more, while ignoring the longterm and devastating health results of coal fired power plants.

"This is one of the dirtiest power plants in the nation," Chairman Anderson said, adding that "fugitive dust" is what Paiutes breathe from the evaporation ponds.

McKosato said the devastation is described in the new film, "An Ill Wind Blows in Moapa," about the Reid Gardner coal fired power plant and what it is doing to the Moapa Paiutes. http://earthjustice.org/blog/2011-july/an-ill-wind-blows-in-moapa

Benally pointed out that Navajo President Ben Shelly sent Navajo Attorney General Harrison Tsosie to Washington in February to try and do away with US EPA clean air laws on the Navajo Nation.

Benally said jobs are not the reason for these coal fired power plants. "It is the need for greed," said Benally, referring to the leases signed by elected Navajo leaders. Benally said because of these power plants, Navajos on Black Mesa are now the victims, with respiratory diseases, diabetes, heart problems, cancer and birth defects.

"It is not regulated," Benally said. She said those jobs, resulting in poisoning Navajos, could be green jobs. "But the Navajo government opposes that openly." Recently, Navajo President Ben Shelly's line item veto of green jobs in the Navajo Nation budget.

Meanwhile, while elected Navajo leaders block the Dine' movement for green jobs, Benally said the medicine plants are being poisoned by the coal fired power plant emissions. The air in the region, once pristine, is now heavy with the dark haze.

"If you drive over the ridge to look over Navajo country, you see the brown cloud," she said. "It is toxifying the earth like we don't have a future. We want a future."

"We will continue to fight for what we believe, Mother Earth and Mother Nature."

One caller from Zuni Pueblo, N.M., said Zunis are being sickened and poisoned by the nearby Coronado Generating Station in St. Johns, Ariz., because they are in the wind's path from this power plant.

Another caller from Taos, N.M., pointed out that Peabody Coal is "the main culprit," poisoning people across America.

One Hopi caller described how the Mohave Generating Station depleted the Navajo aquifer, beneath the Hopi and Navajo lands, before it was shut down along with one of the two Peabody coal mines on Black Mesa. Pointing out the loss of pristine water and the diseases cause, he described how the Mohave power plant, which depleted the aquifer with a coal slurry to Nevada, was shut down in 2005.

Still, Peabody Coal's Kayenta mine remains open, and sends coal to Navajo Generating Station in nearby Page, Ariz., which poisons Navajoland and the Southwest. The Navajo Generating Station is operated by the Salt River Project in the Phoenix Valley, which was protested by Navajo and O'odham during the American Legislative Exchange Council gathering in November.

McKosato said neither the Navajo Nation nor the coal industry responded to requests to be on today's show.

CALIFORNIA: Jim Brown: Reject settlement agreement for Elem Pomo

Monique Sonoquie (Chumash/Apache),
Jim Brown III (Elem Pomo),
Gail Brown (Yokáya Pomo)

February 20, 2012

PRESS STATEMENT Jim Brown III, Elem-Modun Tribal Member: 2012 DOJ-EPA-ELEM-BRADLEY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

RE: 30 Day Public Comment Period/ DOJ-EPA-ELEM-BRADELY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT:

As a part of the Public Comment period On behalf of the Elem families residing on the Elem Reservation, I will formally submit testimony to the Department of Justice and formally notify the federal government agencies and U.S. Citizen’s that the true living Elem Reservation residents and community members formally reject and totally disagree with the current Department of Justice Settlement Agreement as prescribed, for the following reasons.

If the current settlement agreement is approved it will be a travesty of the Federal Justice System, violation of Indian Civil Rights Act and Indian Self-determination while undermining the protection of natural resources and tribal sovereignty and is a set-back of Environmental Justice, a denial of fair and equal compensation to the living surviving Elem members & families for their lifelong pain and suffering and loss of tribal lifeway’s (Gathering of healthy foods and fish). The 380 acres is only a small fraction of the tribe’s total aboriginal lands that were directly lost due to the Mining operations. Further, the $50,000 thousand dollars is a financial insult, and should be viewed as bribe money, so the tribe will not file another law suit for EPA’s 2006 106 violations, that damages has been estimated at ten million dollars. The Settlement Agreement will cover-up and deny the direct trusteeship of the BIA and the environmental responsibilities of our own so called premier agency the U.S. EPA. Ironically, these two federal agencies, The Bureau of Indian Affairs are formally the tribes Trustee and the EPA is the premier Environmental Agency, must take responsibility for their direct violations!

BACKGROUND:
In 1971, the BIA/Central California Agency while providing the Elem tribe with a new housing, road & water project purchased the toxic mine tailings from the Bradley Mining Company! and in addition did not comply with section 106! The BIA/CCA agency has politically created division in the tribal leadership, for example since 2008 over an election dispute, and audit has shut down all services to the Elem tribal members and Community, We have a newly funded HUD (2005) community center that is totally shut down since 2010, along with no existing Tribal health or social services available to the Elem members residing on the Reservation lands and community.

Note: Most of the current officials who agreed to this illegal settlement agreement don’t even live on the Elem Reservation or even in live in the County and they appear only to want to divide up non-gaming funds. While Elem members who live on the Elem Reservation who disagree, have been formally barred from attending Elem General Council tribal meetings addressing this settlement and have been plus have been formally excluded from exercising their voting rights, excluded from sharing tribal non-gaming funds, which is a direct violation of our tribal and civil rights.  

In 2006, the U.S. EPA’s Superfund Cleanup Project at Elem, Sub-Contractor (CH2MHill) also, did not comply with section 106! 70 cubic yards of pre-historic and historic Cultural soils and cultural artifacts were destroyed. They want us to only except $50,000 to not file another law suit? In, addition the U.S. EPA Superfund manager illegally interfered with tribal sovereignty and government operations, when he created a conflict of interest by hiring the EleAdvocate, NAGPRA Coordinator and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer , in 2005 I was appointed Elem Tribal Historian. I have also served my tribe as an elected official and in 1999 as Tribal Chairman signed the California Gaming Compact. I was the Tribal Administrator (Elem Tribal Member) in 2006, who informed the office of Historic Preservation of the U.S. EPA violation, and then once I exposed the conflict of interest created between the US EPA Superfund Manager and the Elem Tribal Chairman, I was terminated by the tribal Chairman in 2007.  I will be formally submitting and requesting this immediate amendment to the settlement. In addition, I considering requesting formal compensation for my loss of employment that resulted from the EPA Superfund Manager’s conflict of interest!

On behalf of the Elem tribal members and residents of Elem Indian Colony, We formally request the following financial amendments to the Elem settlement agreement.

Respectfully,
Jim Brown III, Elem-Modun Tribal Member

NEW SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT:
$3. Million to purchase Rattlesnake Island (To forever preserve the ancient homeland tribal village and sacred site for the tribe)
$1.5 Million Build Elem Museum/Cultural Center (Fund, operate Museum & Cultural center for tribe & public)
$1.5 Million Elem Health/Wellness Center (Fund Health & Wellness center for Tribal members)
$2. Million for Elem tribal members ($50,000.00 each) financial compensation for lifelong pain, Suffering and loss of life. ($500,000 Higher Education, Employment & Training fund).
$1. Million for Sacred Site protection and development of a tribal land trust organization and for the purchase & operations of Anderson Marsh State/Tribal Park for Public access.
$1. Million to payment to and for the Lake County citizen’s benefit (Food kitchen, Homeless Shelter, Farmers Markets, organic gardens, etc.)
Grand Total: $10,000.000. Million Settlement

Contact Info:

For more information please contact Jim Brown III, Elem-Tribal Member at P.O. Box 610 Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423, E-mail at jbrowneagle@gmail.com

News article: Mining settlement gives land to Elem Colony, pays for cleanup  http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23705:mining-settlement-gives-land-to-elem-colony-pays-millions-for-cleanup&catid=1:latest&Itemid=197

Arizona: Save Oak Flat from land exchange

On Feb. 8, Miss San Carlos, Desirae Rambler (left)
and San Carlos Apache Youth Council President (right),
support the testimony given by Shan Lewis (center),
President of the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona,
 in his testimony against passage of H.R.
Courtesy photo.

ITCA PRESIDENT SHAN LEWIS TESTIFIES AGAINST H.R. 1904 TO SAVE OAK FLAT

By Sandra Rambler
San Carlos Apache

Censored News
WASHINGTON -- On Feb. 8, Shan Lewis, President of the Inter-Tribal Council provided testimony to the members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, in Washington, D.C. regarding opposition against H.R. 1904, also known as the proposed Southeastern Arizona Land Exchange Act.  President Lewis was accompanied by Terry Rambler, Tribal Chairman, Steve Titla, Tribal Attorney, Wendsler Nosie, Sr., Peridot District Councilmember, Vernelda Grant, Tribal Archaeologist, Tanayia White, Executive Assistant to the Chairman, Desirae Rambler, Miss San Carlos and some members of the Youth Council and their parents including Lanea Burdette, Youth Council President.  Other various tribal leaders from tribes within the U.S. were also present, namely Ben Shelly, President of the Navajo Nation.

Mr. Lewis began his testimony, “Good morning, Chairman Bingaman, Ranking Member Murkowski and other member of the committee.  My name is Shan Lewis, President of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and Vice-Chairman of the Fort Mojave Tribe.  On behalf of the 20 member tribes of ITCA, thank you for letting me testify.”

“I would like for all of the tribal leaders here today to stand.  We are here to bring a united front in strong opposition to H.R. 1904.  Tribes from New Mexico, the Great Plains, the Northwest, California, the South, the East, the Midwest, the Navajo Nation, and many other tribes join us against the bill.”

“With the Committee’s permission, I would like to include in the record tribal letters and resolutions opposing this bill.  Also, I would like to include a statement from a San Carlos family about its upcoming sunrise dance t Oak Flat, celebrating a young woman’s coming of age.  This is just one example of great significance of Oak Flat to families who have held ceremonies there for centuries.”

“I have three fundamental points in my remarks, destruction of sacred sites, federal protections that no longer apply if this land becomes privatized and regional water resources that will permanently be altered, depleted and contaminated.”

Since 2004, Resolution Copper has done everything it can to pass this legislation that would direct the Forest Service to transfer sacred land in the Tonto National Forest so that it can develop a massive block cave copper mine.”

“To protect our holy places, it saddens us that we have to defend their legitimacy.  Oak Flat is one of the holy places of Western Apache and Yavapai tribes where Gaan, or spiritual beings reside.  The Gaan are considered Angels.  Just as a Church is a special place to Christians, Oak Flat is the equivalent for Apaches, Yavapais and others.  Many tribes go to these special for prayer, ceremonies, to gather ceremonial items, or for peace and personal cleansing.  These places are holy.”

“Federal laws and policies that protect sacred sites currently protect Oak Flat.  But, if this land is transferred to Resolution Copper where it would become private land, federal protections would disappear and this sacred area will be destroyed.  To give you an idea of the federal land that would be conveyed to the company, I have some maps.  The first map shows the Tonto Forest in relation to the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona.  These lands are ancestral tribal lands.  Here, the second map shows Oak Flat in the Forest outlined in red.  The black outline shows land withdrawn from mining by President Eisenhower.”

“Resolution Copper wants these sacred lands to extract one cubic mile of ore located over one mile beneath the surface.  To give a mental picture, it would take over 1400 Cowboys Stadium to hold a cubic mile of ore.  The company plans to use the block cave method to extract this ore because it is far cheaper than other methods.”

“Here, this diagram depicts what the block cave mining process is.  The company would dig a tunnel downward over a mile long and then dig another tunnel to the ore body.  Once at the ore, they would blast away and extract massive amounts of ore using robotic technology a mile deep – technology that has not been developed.”

“The next diagram shows what happens once they start pulling out all this ore.  At some point, the surface starts to cave in – this is called the “intact zone.”  Given the massive amounts of earth that the company plans to extract, the surface will eventually collapse and the area will become an open pit.  This is called the “cave zone.”  We think the cave zone would be about 2 miles in diameter.  This open pit will be visible from outer space.  We have requested federal or independent studies on this project since 2005 without success.”

“Another grave concern is the permanent damage to surface and ground water.  This mine will deplete enormous quantities of water and pollute it, which will devastate our communities.  This water is a sacred element in tribal religious ceremonies.  Arizona is a desert, and we all have a right to know what happens to our water.  Again, there have been no federal or independent studies on this issue.”

“Here is a picture of a perennial spring at Oak Flat.  Mining here will dry up or contaminate this spring and other water sources at Oak Flat.  Here is a picture of the Oak Flat Campground and an ancient oak tree that has nourished us for centuries with its acorns.  This area is protected under the Eisenhower Withdrawal Order.  This area is in the cave zone and would be destroyed.”

“I would like to make three last points, this bill is a special deal or earmark for one company is foreign-owned.  The company claims that this project will create many jobs.  However, no money can replace the loss of sacred sites.  The company claims that this mine will be an extension of the old Magma mine in the area.  This is not true.  Magma was developed in the 1880’s with a much smaller blueprint.  Nevertheless, Magma destroyed our holy places.  Back then, we were POW’s until the early 1900’s and didn’t have the right to vote in Arizona until 1948.  We can’t turn back the clock, but we can say “NO” to this mine.”

“This bill would violate our government-to-government relationship and result in the destruction of a holy place.  Senators, you simply will not be able to mitigate that this mine will destroy,” concluded President Lewis.

Some of the tribes and national organizations that support the San Carlos Apache Tribe include the largest Indian National Organization, the National Congress of American Indians, which comprises of over 560 federally recognized Indian tribes, the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, the United Southern and Eastern Tries, Jicarilla Apache Tribe, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Zuni, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Susanville Indian Reservation, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Arizona Mining Coalition, Concern Citizens and Retired Miner’s Coalition, Religious and Human Rights Organization, Concerned Climbers of Arizona, Mescalero Apache Nation, All Indian Pueblo Council, Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, Hopi Tribe, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas Association, Tohono O’Odham Nation, Azee Bee Nahagha of Dine Nation, Karuk Tribe, Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest Indians, Navajo Nation, Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, Picuris Pueblo, Ramona Band of Cahuilla and others.

Media Watch: The good, the bad and the ugly, Feb. 19, 2012

Gwich'in Sarah James battling to
protect the caribou during the
Cancun climate summit.
Photo Brenda Norrell.

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

Media promotion of destruction of Mother Earth
While many traditional grassroots Native Americans sacrifice to halt the destruction on their lands, and protect Mother Earth, tribal elected leaders were in Washington last week pushing for more mining and destruction. The majority of the media tells their one-sided story, without quoting Native Americans protecting the land.
Among those pressing for more energy development: Navajo Nation, Southern Ute and Fort Peck in Montana: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/02/16/tribes-back-bill-to-ease-federal-oversight-of-indian-land-energy-projects
In related news, the US House passed a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which Native Americans oppose. The new House bill approves expanding oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the homelands of the caribou which Gwich’in are fighting to protect.
The media fell for a scam this week, a ploy by Arizona Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain to steal Navajo water rights to the Little Colorado River. The paternalistic senators offered Navajos on Black Mesa a trickle of water to give up their water rights to the Little Colorado.
In other news, the hacked e-mails of Mexico's Camimex mining industry reveal Mexico targeting the sacred lands of the Wixarika, Huicholes, with silver mining. Further, the e-mails reveal the efforts in Mexico to manipulate climate change facts so that coal and other dirty industries could avoid taxation in Mexico.
See articles on grassroots Native Americans struggle to protect Mother Earth, and end the destruction, and the Camimex e-mails at Censored News http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

AP exposes New York police spying on students, Muslims, whitewater rafters
AP in the west often fails human rights activists. However, AP’s Chris Hawley exposes the New York Police Department spying on Muslims in the Northeast. It reveals how police infiltrate student organizations, and even go whitewater rafting with students to spy them.
Muslim students across Northeast monitored by NYPD
By CHRIS HAWLEY, Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i8-1HKW_EexxXiQ-9atQirlNU3Ew?docId=a6d3d91ee3ce47adba87959643181c5c

Tucson TV station promotes militarization of high school students, while district bans Mexican American studies and Chicano and Native American books
One Tucson television station’s promotion of ROTC in a local high school reveals how the militarization of youths in the schools is aided by the media.
The Tucson Unified School voted to forbid Mexican American Studies and banned Chicano and Native American books in January. The vote came after Arizona school superintendent John Huppenthal threatened the district with the loss of millions of dollars in funding if the district did not forbid the program. The issue has been a focus in national news.
What did Channel 9, KGUN TV, focus on, and promote, in Saturday night’s broadcast? ROTC and its 200 ROTC students at one of the high schools. It reveals the role of the media in the militarization of schools, and the misconception that it is better to send young people off to fight and die in bogus wars, than provide them with a real education, so they can set their sights on jobs and hope.
Further, military recruiters in Tucson high schools were arrested in a sting operation for drug smuggling in 2006. So many Army, AirForce and Marine soldiers wanted to smuggle cocaine from Nogales to Phoenix, that Operation Lively Green was halted after nearly 100 arrests.


Whistleblower's Conference in Berkeley, Nov. 17 -- 19, 2012
http://www.freshjuiceparty.com/occupy-the-truth-whistleblower-conference-feb-17-to-19/