Why should my HARD EARNED tax dollars go to support the welfare lifestyle in Toronto

Occasionally (who am I kidding...constantly)I will see in the paper or on various news sites (usually CBC) stories about First Nations people getting a free ride. Usually this is accompanied by the usual "angry taxpayers" who are tired of all their money going to support the welfare lifestyle all of us "Indians" are used to living. Perhaps if these taxpayers would spend a little more time getting the facts instead of believing every biased piece of new they hear, they would understand just a bit more of the reality. According to Stats Canada, there are 1,172,785 people in Canada who identify as Aboriginal. There are 623,780 First Nation people in Canada, of which 237,000 live off-reserve (386,743 on reserve) Of these 623,780 First Nations people, 249,970 have working income of an average of $23,273. That works out to 40% The national average at the same time is $36,616 with a population of 17,662,915 working (57%) Now keep in mind that the average age for non- First Nation is 44, and 40% of the First Nation population is under 25 years of age and normally would not be working. So, when you subtract the 245,575 people who are under the age of 25, AND the 249,970 people who have a working income, you are left with 128,235. Also keep in mind that First Nations people living off reserve would not qualify for "native welfare" anyway. According to the real numbers, a lager amount goes to non-aboriginal welfare than does to native welfare. For example in Toronto alone there are approx 400,000 recipients of Social Assistance. If every First Nation person living on the reserve were to get welfare, that would be only 623,780 people. However, only approximately 128,235 would even qualify. Please consider these numbers the next time you complain about YOUR tax dollars going to support welfare in First Nation communities.

Honour Who?

Here are the words to a poem I wrote a couple months back for a workshop I am developing on the use of FN images by sports teams. Once I figure out how to post a video on here, I will put that on too..


Honour Who?

Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins.

Names to honour the gladiators of the day, powerful names.

Names to make you picture the Brave First Nation, the powerful Native American, the strong Indian.

Mascots wearing fluorescent yellow, orange, blue, and green feathers in their headdress, leftover acid trip hallucination, or was it the mushrooms?

Dancing wildly, wielding that ever so famous foam-filled tomahawk, a weapon that makes you…well…giggle, just a bit

Dancing, beating its mouth making that familiar sound that draws you back to your childhood, you know the sound, think back to Saturday mornings and the Bugs Bunny show.

The stands come alive.

Thousands and thousands of nerf tomahawks cut the air up and down in unison,

as the tens of thousands of fans for a brief second, relive the fond memories of playing cowboys and Indians in their innocent youth.

Guess which one I always was!!!

Cowboys and Indians, funny the games kids play.

As I look back in vaults in which I keep, catalogue, and categorize my own childhood memories, I wonder…

Funny how I can’t seem to recall the neighbourhood kids playing

Blacks and KKK,

little white caps made from newspaper,

Mom’s best white bed sheets,

knotted up skipping ropes for a noose.

Nope, can’t recall that game at all,

but I do remember kids coming back from K-mart with those

GOD DAMNED fluorescent feathers, guns and hats.

Remember the rolls and rolls of red ticker-tape caps….mmm…mmm…mmm the sweet sulphur scent of our youth.

But I digress.

The sea of fans with their cute toy tomahawks,

and there is always that one person, scratch that…

hundreds of people,

with the fluorescent face paint, that would make a clown jealous,

matching headdress from birds caught just a little too close to the latest nuclear fallout, that somehow instantly are transformed into the almighty brave,

after all,

isn’t that how it worked with the REAL INDIANS?

News flash folks.. don’t tell anyone, but,

that’s all make believe.

Seriously, now this might be hard for you to get through your media, no SOCIETAL, brainwashed melon, but picture it.

How the hell could a Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, or Mohegan walk trough the dense brush wearing a nuclear reactive turkey on their head?

But wait…

There is one nation that looks like the brave, the warrior, the noble savage, of whom you idolize.

He is from the most well known tribe in the Americas,

as seen from coast to coast, the tribe that’s known the world over.

This brave you so eagerly honour and strive to be is from the Hollywood Tribe.

Yes, that fictitious character created from the imagination of two popular Americans we all know,

famous “what sells”

and his older, more famous brother, “Let’s keep a race down”

The racial stereotypes these two brothers have perpetrated and perpetuated

have caused a rip in the fabric of time,

in the quilt of culture,

in the identity of…us

I have seen these stereotypes weave their way into the collective culture of my people, my Mi’kmaq Brothers,

Mohegan sisters,

Walula, Tillamook, Coos, and Tututni cousins.

Cultures implanted, borrowed, and shared,

impregnation, assimilation..working just fucking fine.

You want to honour us?

Remove these names from your teams.

Begin to realize, using them,

the Braves, Indians, Redskins,

is no honour..

DISHONOUR!

Forget the Hollywood tribe, the circling of the wagons made popular by movies,

first introduced by the great showman and metal of honour winner

Buffalo Bill Cody.

Back in his day, white folk would dress up as the Hollywood Tribe

and circle the pioneers’ wagons in the show.

Not because that’s how it was, but because

that’s how it HAD to be.

You see… they performed in a ring, horses going round and round.

Amazing how Hollywood blurs the line between fact and fiction…

culutralistic facts, naw..Eurolistic fiction.

White guys, dressing up as Natives, 100 years ago,

interesting how time stands still when you want it to.

So,

next time you stand in line,

tomahawk in one hand,

ticket in the other,

fluorescent face paint with matching headdress,

pounding on you face to make that goddamn sound,

do me a small favour…pound just a little bit harder,

cause you sure as hell are not honouring me.H

Happy Canada Day

Happy 143 birthday to our free country. Free, let us look at this word. I live in a country where if I wear traditional regalia to a gathering or any other public place I can be assured one out of three people I meet will say "nice costume". However, bluenotes and teeshirts are considered clothes. Any clothing not considered mainstream is relegated to costume status, something one might wear on Halloween. I live in a country that embraces other cultures. Embraces them for a weekend in various cities around the country, usually for a weekend, but only if the 5 D's are involved; dress, dinner, dance, dialect, and drum. We call them multicultural festivals. They are a time where people can go and watch the entertainment and feast on exotic foods..because anything outside of mainstream has that exotic label. In other cultures, it is called just food. A country where if my children qualify for a scholarship targeted for strictly their culture, I can be assured that the comments in the audience will consist of "great use of MY taxpayers dollars" or "where are the scholarships for the white students?" Based on a the systemic and institutional racism that plagues not only our schools, but the curriculum itself, the majority of scholarships are designed for whites only (but to come out and say that would be considered racist, but the comments of taxpayers dollars and on designated scholarships is not...it is freedom of speech. A country where, speaking of freedom of speech, our federally funded broadcasting corporation, will allow racist comments to be posted on any story relating to minorities, but refuse to post comments from someone who points out the truth about topics such as racial profiling, racist attitudes to minority communities, the abuse our elders faced in the government sanctioned residential schools, and the continued legacy they carry. A country where the government loves to announce the billions of taxpayers dollars that goes towards the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, without mentioning the majority of that money goes to the bureaucracy that it is. That money goes to White folks who run the department, not us. And it is not only you tax dollars, mine go there too. A country where a racist action from a white youth can be brushed off as a confused person, who in most circumstances, was just carrying on..kids will be kids. But when a Black or Native youth lashes out because they have dealt with upwards of 40 racial incidents...by lunch, they are considered violent, dangerous to society, angry, disrespectful, criminals, and example of whats wrong with their race. A country where if a white community has water problems, it is a disaster and the government will help right away. After all, clean water is a basic human right. However, we still live in a country where over 112 First Nation communities do not have access to water clean enough to wash their hands.
Happy Birthday Canada, you do not look a day over one when it comes to racism. Do not get me wrong, I love my country, I only wish it would love me back

Does not quite fit, but too funny to pass up

Ok, rule number 1 when you write a blog is only add things that pertain to the subject. However, I have to break that rule because of something I read this morning that puts all of my other CBC blogs into crystal clear perspective. I have been writing for some time now about the ignorant and racist comments to article on the CBC website. After a reader's response to an article about the government's new rules for mink...yes...mink farms, I started to think "Ahh..this explains EVERYTHING!" Are you ready for this? I am still shaking my head at this one:
"I am so glad that chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish etc that I purchase at the supermarket don't cost the lives of any animals like happens if I purchase from a farm. All farms that raise animals for food or any other reason should be outlawed, they're not needed in this modern world when we can just go to one of the bigger stores and purchase our meat there."
I had to read this 3 times, go have a shower (to make sure I was awake and not dreaming) and come back to read it once more...yup..still there, I am awake. This sheds a little more light on where all these other comments are coming from

For those who say racism is a thing of the past, please stick you head deeper in the sand

Recently in Winnipeg and add went up in the classifieds that, I am hoping, will be investigated as a hate crime. There is no excuse for it.

Native Extraction Service
Have you ever had the experience of getting home to find those pesky little buggers hanging outside your home, in the back alley or on the corner???Well fear no more, with my service I will simply do a harmless relocation. With one phone call I will arrive and net the pest, load them in the containment unit (pickup truck) and then relocate them to their habitat.It doesn't matter if they need to be dropped off on Salter (Street, in Winnipeg's North End) or the rez, I will go that extra mile. The North End of Winnipeg is where many city dwellers of First Nations descent live.My service is free because I want to live in the same city you do, a clean one.

I am sure many will agree there is no excuse for this ad, no justification for the treatment of aboriginal youth as nothing more than animals. But wait, maybe there is. After all, our government still produces maps with two distinct features. If you look closely you will notice on government produced maps, the symbols WRxx and IRxx (where xx are numbers). These stand for Wildlife Reservation and Indian Reservation. Our communities are identified THE SAME as wildlife reserves. If our government still sees us as animals, maybe that is an excuse for such a hateful ad.
Thankfully, there are good people out there. Folks at UsedEverywhere.com removed the ad after complaints. They also issued an apology and will be turning over all information to the police. To them, I say thank you

Avatar and the perpetuating myth of White Supremacy

So I finally broke down after down right refusal and went to see Avatar. It was extremely difficult for me to bring myself to walk into the theatre and buy the tickets. As a matter of fact when I was at the ticket booth, the words "two for Avatar" took just a bit longer to roll off my tongue. I have been talking about the underlying messages of this movie for some time now, but figured I better see it so I can justify my reasoning. I was told going into the movie that I was coming into the experience (movie watching) with a predetermined mindset. With this I agree. However, every white person going to see this movie is going into it with a predetermined mindset as well. One carved out with such media events as Pocahontas, The Lone Ranger, and Indian in the Cupboard. The completely false and damaging movie Disney put out in 1995 depicted a love affair between Pocahontas and John Smith. The movie shows a beautiful, tanned woman (who seemed to look very Mediterranean) and the tall fit John Smith. The entire movie focused around the love between the two, leading up to the white guy (Smith) becoming somewhat of a savior to the "savage natives". No mention of the fact that Matoaka (Pocahontas' real name) was only 11 at the time and was indeed captured, raped, etc. The Lone Ranger was friend and protector of the "savage native". They can not protect themselves so a white hero (ironically wearing a white hat, after all, white is good and black is evil) has to do the job, because his mastery of their skills is so much better. As Pocahontas helped seal the false story, so too did the Lone Ranger seal the countless people I have met over the years who put their hand in the air and say "HOW". Which leaves the Indian in the Cupboard, a children's movie based on the book of the same name. This books takes things one step further in the whole natives can not take care of themselves mindset, by creating a scenario whereas a very young white child becomes more than a protector to the native, but in a sense a deity. He, after all, provides Little Bear (a name that sounds of inferiority) with all of his needs for survival. If you are familiar with Maslow's hierarchy, you can follow the pyramid from the bottom to the top throughout the movie, without missing a step.
So that is how white folks too are going into this movie with a predetermined mindset. Back to Avatar. As everyone knows, this movie reeks of colonialism. In particular, the colonialism that has been felt on the shore of North America for over 400 years. Some of the script in the movie used "savage natives" "we have given them education, drugs, what more do the want" "this place is covered in trees, they can move to another one". I found as I got deeper into Avatar, I got more and more angry. Not so much because of the colonialism and forcible taking of the land from an indigenous people (that is all too familiar and ingrained in my mind already) but from the deity role once again given to a white guy over the people. Amazingly, he was able to master all the skills of Na'vi in just three months, pulling on the strings of white superiority. Not only did he master these skills with ease, but he went one step further and excelled to the point of mastery that only 5 Na'vi have ever achieved in the collective history of the people (once again, an even harder pull on the white superiority strings) In the end the movie turns out dramatically different that the colonialism faced here in North America, the one positive note to the movie. However, as the Na'vi homeland is being destroyed for the ever precious unobtanium (how corny is that??), the natives/Na'vi quickly realize they are unable to defeat the colonizers with out the help of their new white deity. Ironically this is after a speech where he declares himself "one of them" and refers to the place as his homeland.
So after losing so much sleep last night due to the thoughts running around my head, here I am. Angry? yes. Saddened? yes. Surprised? no. Did I go into this movie with a predetermined mindset? Absolutely. Has it changed? Drastically. This entire movie is a package. It has all the beautiful adornments one might expect from a package, beautiful wrapping paper and bows in the form of a lush beautiful scenery with glowing flowers, scantly clad slim native women, wonderful 3-d animations, and amazing special effects. But like any package, it is what's inside that matters. And if you unwrap this package to its core, it is all about white supremacy and the dependence of all others cultures/races on them.

First Nation University, well worth saving

As you may or may not know, First Nation University in Regina may be forced to close its doors due to the down right nasty spending habits, ok, let's just say it, theft of "tax payers money" The board has since been disbanded because funding has been cut at multiple levels. Let me start out by saying let's cut funding to all levels of government. If you have been following the news lately here in Nova Scotia,you will get what I mean. After all, $8000+ generators wired up to your home is not exactly above board, nor are the plasma televisions, $2000+ digital cameras, or 3 ipods all bought on the same day. Anyhow, this university is well worth saving, as it is providing the same thing each and every university out there provides, education...and yes culture. This culture comes in a slightly different package and here is where some of the public problems start. Comments I have been reading include verbal diarrhea such as "get an honest education that is actually recognized world-wide"(interesting seeing how the writer spelled recognized wrong), "why should my tax dollars go to help someone learn their culture?" cash in your child tax credits and welfare cheques to pay for it" What people forget to realize, or are so oblivious to the ocean of whiteness we live in, is that this school is teaching the exact same things. One can go to school at FNUC and get their education while at the same time, learn about their culture. They can read FN authors, learn about FN music, ceremonies, and traditional elder teachings. This is the same stuff that is taught, as one poster put it, at "normal" universities. Think about it, at say, Acadia, you learn about white writers, white music, white history, white thinkers, but we do not names these white, we simply call them music, literature, history, philosophy. We have all read Shakespeare, Longfellow, Blake, etc. These are considered classics. I ask, classics to who? Personally I find them quite boring and stuffy...but some folks like them. This university has gone through hell due to its leadership, we all know that, but do not knock the education provided, just because it does not fit your culture, does not mean it is not good. Who is to say one is better than the other, other than being better for the individual. Please save First Nation University.

Reality check

I wanted to do a fact sheet so people would know exactly what First Nation people of Canada live through, but figured why reinvent the wheel (which by the way is less than half as old as the current oldest evidence of people living in Nova Scotia). Thanks to the Assembly of First Nations, here is a breakdown of facts that very few Canadians know:

The Reality for First Nations in Canada

First Nations people in Canada…

Live in Third World conditions:

· First Nations living conditions or quality of life ranks 63^rd, or amongst Third World conditions, according to an Indian and Northern Affairs Canada study that applied First Nations-specific statistics to the Human Development Index created by the United Nations.[1]

· Canada dropped from first to eighth as the best country in the world to live primarily due to housing and health conditions in First Nations communities.

· The First Nations’ infant mortality rate is 1.5 times higher than the Canadian infant mortality rate.[2]

· A study by Indian Affairs (the “Community Well-being Index”) assessed quality of life in 4,685 Canadian communities based on education, labour force activity, income and housing. There was only one First Nation community in the Top 100. There were 92 First Nations in the Bottom 100. Half of all First Nations communities score in the lower range of the index compared with 3% of other Canadian communities.

Die earlier than other Canadians:

· A First Nations man will die 7.4 years earlier than a non-Aboriginal Canadian. A First Nations woman will die 5.2 years earlier than her non-Aboriginal counterpart (life expectancy for First Nations citizens is estimated at 68.9 years for males and 76.6 years for females).[3]

Face increased rates of suicide, diabetes, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS:

· The First Nations suicide rate is more than twice the Canadian rate. Suicide is now among the leading causes of death among First Nations between the ages of 10 and 24, with the rate estimated to be five to six times higher than that of non-Aboriginal youth.[4]

· The prevalence of diabetes among First Nations is at least three times the national average, with high rates across all age groups.[5]

· Tuberculosis rates for First Nations populations on-reserve are 8 to 10 times higher than those for the Canadian population.[6]

· Aboriginal peoples make up only 5% of the total population in Canada but represent 16% of new HIV infections. Of these, 45% are women and 40% are under 30 years old. HIV/AIDS cases among Aboriginal peoples have increased steadily over the past decade.[7]

Face a crisis in housing and living conditions:

· Health Canada states that as of May 2003, 12% of First Nations communities had to boil their drinking water and approximately ¼ of water treatment systems on-reserve pose a high risk to human health.

· Almost 25% of First Nations water infrastructures are at high risk of contamination.[8]

· Housing density is twice that of the general population. Nearly 1 in 4 First Nations adults live in crowded homes.[9] 423,000 people live in 89,000 overcrowded, substandard and rapidly deteriorating housing units.

· Almost half of the existing housing stock requires renovations.[10]

· 5,486 of the 88,485 houses on-reserve are without sewage service.

· Mold contaminates almost half of First Nations households.[11]

· More than 100 First Nations communities are under a Boil Water Advisory for drinking water.[12]

· Core funding to support on-reserve housing has remained unchanged for 20 years.

· Almost half of First Nations people residing off-reserve live in poor quality housing that is below standard. Most First Nations homes off-reserve are crowded.

· First Nations have limited access to affordable housing: 73% are in core need, most are spending more than the standard of 30% of their income on rent.

Are not attaining education levels equal to other Canadians, even though most First Nations are under the age of 25 and represent the workforce of tomorrow:

· There has been literally no progress over the last four years in closing the gap in high school graduation rates between First Nations and other Canadians. At the current rate, it will take 28 years for First Nations to catch-up to the non-Aboriginal population.[13]

· About 70% of First Nations students on-reserve will never complete high school.[14] Graduation rates for the on-reserve population range from 28.9%-32.1% annually.

· 10,000 First Nations students who are eligible and looking to attend post-secondary education are on waiting lists because of under-funding.

· The number of post-secondary students has been declining in recent years. In 1998-99, participation rates of Registered Indians was at a high of 27,157 but dropped to 25,075 in 2002-03.

· About 27% of the First Nations population between 15 and 44 years of age hold a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree, compared with 46% of the Canadian population within the same age group.[15]

Lack jobs and economic opportunities:

· Unemployment rates for all Aboriginal groups continue to be at least double the rate of the non-Aboriginal population. Registered Indians have the highest unemployment rate of any Aboriginal group, at 27%.[16]

· Registered Indians have the lowest labour force participation rate of any Aboriginal group, with a rate of 54%.[17]

Yet First Nations receive less from all levels of government than non-Aboriginal Canadians:

· The average Canadian gets services from the federal, provincial and municipal governments at an amount that is almost two-and-a-half times greater than that received by First Nations citizens.

· In 1996, the federal government capped funding increases for Indian Affairs’ core programs at 2% a year, which does not keep pace with inflation or the growing First Nations population. A recent Indian Affairs study found that the gap in “quality of life” between First Nations and Canadians stopped narrowing in 1996.

---

[1] Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), 1998. The Human Development Index examines per capita income, education levels and life expectancy to compare the world’s countries.

[2] Statistics Canada; Health Canada, Healthy Canadians, A Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators, 2002

[3] INAC, 2002

[4] Health Canada, Health Sectoral Session Background Paper, October 2004

[5] Health Canada, Diabetes Among Aboriginal People in Canada: The Evidence, March 2000

[6] Health Canada, A Statistical Profile on the Health of First Nations in Canada, March 2003

[7] Health Canada, FNIHB Community Programs Annual Review 1999-2000, August 2000

[8] Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

[9] First Nations Centre, National Aboriginal Health Organization, Preliminary Findings of the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey 2002-2003, November 2004

[10] 2003 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

[11] Regional Longitudinal Health Survey, National Aboriginal Health Organization

[12] Health Canada

[13] 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

[14] INAC, Nominal Roll 1994-2000

[15] 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

[16] Statistics Canada, DIAND Core Census Tabulations, 1996, T-11

[17] Ibid.

First Nations help out Haiti

As events still unfold in Haiti, people around the world are helping on however they can. This past weekend Aboriginal Nations for Haitians was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The event featured Aboriginal performers and all money raised ($60,000) is going directly to those most in need, the children. What bothers me is all the negative comments around this event. On the CBC website, some of the readers comments include: "I guess it was a loss, since it cost more to fly the cheifs in", "Why don't they fundraise money for themselves", "maybe you could say this Haitian fundraiser was an attempt by Indian bands to appear more national by giving international aid but". This truly show the feelings that are just below the surface of Canadian society. Please do not net me wrong. I am not saying this is every Canadian who thinks this way, but when people express feelings like this towards one group, it is considered hate. It saddens me to read these comments every time there is a story about First Nations in the paper, even positive stories. Congrats to the organizers in Manitoba

Why?

Why is it that if there is a crime in Preston, when you look at the article in the Chronicle Herald, right after the heading, the town is identified as Preston? Why is it when there is a crime committed in Millbrook, when you look right after the heading, the town is identified as Millbrook? Why do you find the same thing with Membertou, Pictou Landing, Wagmatcook, and Eskasoni?
Why is it when there is a crime in Cole Harbour, when you look at the article in the Chronicle Herald, right after the heading, the town is identified as...Dartmouth? Why is it that when a crime is committed in Porter's Lake, when you look right after the heading, the town is identified as Dartmouth? The same is true for many other areas. What got me thinking about this...once again is an article in the paper today. Turns out a great deal of stolen goods had been recovered in Debert and the article, right after the heading, said Truro. For those of you who do not know Debert is located approximately 14 kms Northwest of Truro and has a population of 1422. I remember looking at an article about a crime that had happened in Millbrook First Nation a couple months back and found it, well, not surprising, that right after the heading, it was actually identified at Millbrook. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Millbrook is located on Truro's side doorstep and has a population of 1345. One only has to take a look at the racial makeup of these towns that are identified in stories and the racial identity of those towns that are not identified to see what the "real" story is behind the reporting of crime in the media. Shame on you

Good bye CBC, you racist organization

So for at least the 12th time in a couple weeks, I have gotten the boot from CBC. This time, as a report comes out that once again hides the truth behind a murder of a First Nations man by the RCMP. I know the inquiry has found that Chase McKay of the White Bear FN committed suicide by police back in June 2008. However, how can one conclude a person has committed suicide if (1) they are not around to ask, (2) they left no note, and (3) it was not self-inflicted. Comments made by readers assume those suffering from mental illness are just random idiots, etc. To me, this is an all to typical finding when it comes to violence to First Nations from police. RCMP Shooting was death by suicide. Want another example, look here Ceramics to find the story behind Elwood Friday and his treatment for looking drunk, while actually having medical issues. There is very little information on this story, but you can find some. I suggest you look him up to find out how stereotypes promote racism towards FN people by the public and the police.

My latest letter to CBC, please check the link above to the cbc story to see if it gets posted. My name in the comments is justkickin.
I am so sick and tired with cbc and whoever it is moderating these postings. Everytime I post anything that somewhat brings up the topic of racism against FN, Black folks, and others not in mainstream society, it does not get posted...EVERYTIME. However, any attack on said groups, racist comments and all, are allowed to be posted on here. Everyone is entitled to have their opinions heard, as long as they agree with the CBC's opinions. Shame on you CBC for being a contributor to racism. It is organizations like you that keep me in work. But then I wonder why I am wasting my time typing this, a no one will probably see it. I have posted at least a dozen comments over the last couple months that have not gone published, including one to this article about how it is unfair to call someone a random idiot while assuming they have a mental issue..nothing wrong with that statement.. I dare you cbc, print this so people will know how you folks operate.. my views should be heard...along with the racist ones you allow...I DARE YOU

Welcome to page 9 of the Chronicle Herald

So as a continuation of my blog from September 16 "5 arrested in raid in Preston", my point has once again been proven. Today in the Chronicle Herald, an article ran on the drug raid yesterday in Cole Harbour and Dartmouth. Get this... ON PAGE 9! Please read the previous blog if you are unsure about what I am talking about. I checked the CBC website and found exactly what I expected...nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There were three comments:

• Put them in prison for life (11 disagreed)
• Unspecified(small amount), no weapons, what a waste of officers time and tax payers money (11 agreed)

• So what? The government is a big drug dealer anyway (18 agreed)

As predicted, CBC did not even run the names of the communities in the headline "12 charged in Halifax-area Drug raids" News flash, none were in Halifax. Last time I checked, Dartmouth and Cole Harbour were part of HRM, but not part of Halifax, nor is Preston, but they ALWAYS make sure that is known.
Amazing, and proves my point. A couple months back when a raid happened in Preston, people were all over this site wanting to get rid of the neighborhood, saying how it was such a horrible community. When I mentioned these raid happen all over the place, not specifically in one community and dared to even mention to check with your neighbors, as they may be dealers (think about it, what a great cover, selling drugs out of a middle class white community, police will never think of looking there), people were all over me. Correct me if I am wrong, but this raid was in Cole Harbour, and those names don't quite seem to fit the names people on this comment site THINK..yes THINK fit the names of people who should be charged in these raids. If you want to see then names, try not to get too tired flipping all the way to page 9, but they are there. Let me tell you, that Cole Harbour is nothing but a slum and crime community...sound familiar?

Do I want to Speak on Columbus Day...let me think about it!

First I want to personally thank Glenn Singleton and the staff at Pacific Educational Group for organizing once again an amazing Summit for Courageous Conversations in Baltimore. The feeling you get attending such an event with 500+ people passionate about anti- racism is, for lack of a better word, overwhelming. I was excited enough to be presenting my Historical time line workshop, on Columbus Day... in the US, and sharing the truth about terrorists like Columbus and Cornwallis to 25 or so people. However, on Monday, the day of the national celebrations of a glorified boat captain (I do not use the word explorer to describe these men. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Alrdrin are explorers, the others more like tourists visiting a place where someone already was/is), I was asked to speak to the entire conference for a couple minutes about Columbus. Talk about a dream come true...but only a couple minutes? Sure that is all this history deserves in a classroom, in the curriculum, but 2 minutes to to undo 517 years of lies...hmmm... I got it let's focus on present day

Here is a copy of what I said:

Columbus, South Carolina
Columbus, Missouri
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Wisconsin
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus State University...in Columbus, Georgia
Washington, D.C.
There is actually a statue of Christopher Columbus right here in Baltimore on the Inner Harbour, next to Christoper Columbus Building. Yesterday there was a parade through this very city to celebrate Columbus. Now I am one who loves geography, so I got out my maps and looked:
Hitler, Montana
Hitler, Arizona
Miloshevich, Kansas
Aldof Consolidated School
I could not find any of these places. If we are ok to name places after one person who committed genocide, why not others?

I would like to read you a few statements from the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948:

Article 1
The contracting parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace on in time of war, is a crime under international law.

Article 2
In the present convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such:

1. killing members of the group
2. causing severe bodily or mental harm to members of the group
3. deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
4. imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
5. forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
   

Were Canada and the US guilty of genocide? In Canada, First Nation children were forcibly taken, sometimes by gunpoint by the police, from their homes and sent to Residential Schools, in order for them to learn how to assimilate into a society that did not want them there in the first place. If they made it through alive, which many thousands did not, where could they go? Home? No, they no longer spoke the language or knew their culture. Into the dominant society? No, they were still not wanted there. The destruction is still being felt, generations later. Our students are disengaged from school at grade 3 and dropping out on average at grade 9. Many generations destroyed by one act. I ask you, where did this start and when will it end? Our Prime Minister, this year, stood up in the House of Commons, actuallystood up and issued an apology for the treatment of children at the Residential Schools, which was the first time in our history a group representing First Nations was allowed on the floor of the House of Commons...FIRST TIME. However, just a couple weeks ago, this same Prime Minister actually stood on the floor on the United Nations and said (Canada)"...we have no history of Colonialism" I guess that apology was nothing more that words.
As we observe Columbus Day today, I ask you, when did this genocide start, should it be celebrated, and when will it end? Thank you


I did not have enough time to finish my thoughts, so here it goes. This convention was written in 1948, after WWII. That year there were 72 residential schools open in Canada. The last federally run residential school officially closed its doors in 1996. Should Canada be held accountable for this genocide? Today, in 2009, Canada and the US still practice genocide through our biased judicial systems. A disproportionate number of Black, Latino, First Nation, men and women are being incarcerated as compared to Whites. For identical crimes, the first group is more likely to receive higher sentences, at higher security levels, for no other reason, except for the colour of their skin. In many of these cases, in relations to drugs, you will see the first group sentenced to federal time, while the second group is given a chance at rehab. Now, what happens when these folks have kids? The province/state steps in, removes the kids and puts them where? Many, many times, they are completely removed from their own cultural and racial identity., please see Article 2(5) above

What is media, I mean, who owns media and why they say what they do

Media is more influential today than it has ever been, even more so than the reports from the mid seventies on the cold war and the general hatred spread towards Russians. Canadians, the same as Americans, have always depended on the media to tell us what to think, how to think, and how to judge others. When I look at the media, I do not look so much at the message, but first and foremost, at whom the message is coming from. I am not talking about the picture of “whiteness” that is on the screen, but the people you do not see. The people who have the say in what is put out there, those with the deep pockets, those who have the privilege to tell society what is the norm.

Up until the election of Obama as the 44th president of the US, the only time (generally speaking) you would see a person of colour in the news was if he was gunned down by the police for threatening them not with a weapon but with a cell phone. Instead of reporting the MURDER as done by the police, the focus is on the previous records of the victim. This happens all too often. One of the big offenders of this portrayal of people of colour as violent is the show COPS. Do you ever see them following an officer in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut? Do these areas not have crime?

The portrayal in sitcoms is even worse than the news. The recent hiring of Adam Beach, a First Nations actor, to the cast of Law and Order was a big day for FN people everywhere. Finally a FN actor not being type cast. After only a season, the last scene he was in saw him getting hauled away in the back of a police car. What does this tell society? First Nations people have always had a rough go with the media, from the cartoon antics of Bugs Bunny, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, even up to current children (teen) cartoons like the Simpson (who have a license to attack everyone it seems) to children programming on YTV that portrays the “noble savage” otherwise known as the Hollywood Indian. These are shows, produced by the dominant society, for, get this, their children! If these negative stereotypes are a thing of past generations and if society continues to let the media dictate what the dominant society believes and holds true, then how far have we truly come, where did we really come from, and where are we heading next?

5 arrested in East Preston drug raid

Ok, so there was a drug bust in Preston today (Sept 16) Not a huge haul 147 plants, a bit of coke, and so forth. Typical raid as far as raids go. What pisses me off, is not so much how this is being reported, but once again, the asinine, ignorant remarks coming from the readers of CBC's web site, who feel it is their life purpose to show their bigotry and ignorance towards a specific community that they have never been to nor probably ever will. Every community has its criminals, not just black communities. How many raids have there been in Colby Village? What about Portland Estates? Lawrencetown? Ross Road? how about the South end of Halifax? If you can't remember, you are not alone. These hit the news, usually page 4, 5,...of section B and disappear just as fast. When these raids take place in a community other than they typical white community, seems "those people have no sense of community" or "those people have no respect for anyone". Umm, what about the grow-ops that are happening next door to you as you read this, stealing YOUR power, or how about the meth lab you neighbour has in their basement? can you imagine the damage if that thing explodes? talk about no respect for your neighbours! So if all this is happening in YOUR communities, why is it the CBC readers think black communities have the monopoly drug raids and criminals? Does Jimmy Melvin live in Preston? I thought not. Speaking of which, it seems a lot of these folks get their misconceptions from a select few. They see a black guy arrested for drugs and suddenly all black folks are drug dealers. If this logic held true, all white males would could be either, say thugs with no respect for those around them, aka JM, or say terrorists, as Timothy McVeigh, or all old white males are pedophiles thanks to the actions of a few priests. Or perhaps all corporate white males are theives because of the actions of Conrad Black. See, this logic does not make sense. So if it does not make sense and you still believe it, what exactly does that make you?

Beat Obama with the GREAT WHITE HOPE

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins has found a way to defeat the political agenda of the Democrats. According to remarks she made during a forum in Hiawatha, Kansas, "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope". She also named three colleagues who could possibly be the next party leader, all three are white. In 1908 Arthur John Johnson, aka, Jack Johnson, won the World Heavyweight Boxing title, and the term "Great White Hope" was born in search of a white boxer who could actually beat Johnson. Congresswoman Jenkins, I would like to ask you what rock you have been living under, or are you so wrapped up in your own white privilege that you had no idea that the term "Great white hope" could be so offensive? Now I know you have been backpedaling, saying that it was taken completely out of context, however, unless you can please send me a picture and location of that rock you have been living under for your whole life, I do not believe you. Then again, maybe you are telling the truth. Maybe you honestly did have no idea that the term is offensive. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in your own white privilege you can not see the true meaning of the words that spew from your own mouth. I would personally like to thank you...thank you from the bottom of my heart, for once again providing the undeniable proof white privilege exists. Unless, of course, you can email me the picture of that rock

Townhall meetings, healthcare, Rosa, and Hitler..who would have thunk it

So I have been watching, reading, listening to pretty much everything I can about the goings on in the US of A as of late regarding the town hall meetings and Health Care Reform. To recap, a Black woman attending this meeting was sitting in her chair with a rolled poster sitting on a chair in front of her. A reporter approached her inquiring as to the contents of the poster. Turns out it was a picture of Rosa Parks. A White gentleman ( and I use that term to be polite)...to hell with it, this asshole, gets up, walks over to the Black lady, destroys the poster and sets back down. As the police or glorified security roughly escorted the lady from the premises, the audience had the audacity to cheer them on. For those of you who may have watched this incident on any channel OTHER than CNN, what you saw was a vocal, agitated Black woman being escorted out of the hall. you did not get the whole story. What you did not see is the footage of the police confronting a White male, female, and child holding signs, then laughing and walking away...as the signs stayed. What you did not see were the posters being held by White folk showing Obama as Hitler. What you did not see was the White folks holding signs calling Obama the "n" word. No, what you saw was the Black lady being escorted out after SHE was assulted by the White male. And for what? Having a poster with Rosa Parks rolled up on a chair in front of her...how dare she!
So what does this tell us? White privilege exists...of course. Why did the police treat a Balck lady..who was assulted remember, as a criminal and escort her...no forcibly remove her from the premisis, and at the same time, say nothing to the asshole who assultes her..or nothing to the assholes holding signs using the "n" word or the Hitler posters? So what else does it tell us? People, no those who fear they have something to lose with the Healthcare Reform (the haves vs the have nots) are not impressed with the idea of giving a little to help those in need. After all, is it not many of the haves that have been helping themselves to what little the have nots have for years? People no, the privileged, have an issue helping those who need help (taking from themselves to help others. No, because as I recall there was a special on ABC back in February where Diane Swayer went to visit the poor of Appalachia (everyone interviews was White) and low and behold, the day after the special aired, offers of money, scholarship, and all came pouring in for the poor White folk. So what does this prove? The haves do not mind helping out the have nots...as long as the have nots look the same.
By looking closely at what is happening and what is being said during this volitile time in the US, it is so easy to see that race is not just playing a part in the current atmosphere of heathcare reform, it is playing first, second, third, catcher, pitcher, outfield...and umpiring. This is so obvious, someone as dense as Rush Limbaugh should even be able to get it...but oh yeah, I forgot, now that there is a Black President, racism is over...WHATEVER

The Bear Facts

First of all, I apologize. This is so off topic. I must start by saying I am by no means against hunting. It has long been a means for my ancestors to survive for thousands and thousands of years. I for one, do not partake in the annual hunt as hundreds of thousands of folks in Canada and the US do each year. The closest I get to hunting for my own food, is fighting over the marked down steak at Superstore with twenty other hungry bbq warriors. My fish either comes in a beautiful garment made of beer, flour and a few other ingredients...or laying on a cedar bed with a quilt of dill, red onions and little bit of olive oil. I do, however, love the wilderness. When I am out walking through the woods, trail or no trail, I always keep one thing in mind. No matter how much I feel at home surrounded by the trees and animals, I am trespassing in their backyard. So when I read an article like the one on the CBC website August 14 "12 killed bears were a threat to public", I am sadened. As the urban sprawl continues throughtout Canada, we have to keep in mind, for every foot we expand, two feet are taken from the homes of wildlife. We take our garbage, dump it right in the middle of the bear's livingroom and when they come around because of all the food smells, we consider them dangerous and kill them. We all seem to suffer from the not in my backyard mentality. News for everyone, it is the bear's backyard as well. Over the past number of years, the number of bear attacks are increasing. Are the bears to blame for this? Or are we to blame for taking away the bears territory. Now I know, a lot of people are going to disagree with this and say that we are human, the bears are animals, we have a right to the land. I can not remember seeing a story about a group of bears clearcutting a forest to make way for a new bear mall. I can not remember a story of a new bear open pit mine opening up. And I sure as hell ca not rememeber a story of a group of bears wanting to bury toxic chemicles in the Canada Shied area. I ask you, who is the smater being, us or the bears?
Speaking of woods, have you ever noticed how unhealty a forest of only one type of tree looks? Let's say for example, you take a wood lot and cut down everything but red spruce. Notice what happens. The ground cover starts to change. Eventually there will be no low ground coverage to hide the small animals, no will there be anything for the small animals to eat. Everything will be covered with a blanket of moss, with an occassionla fern. Is t his a healty forest? No. So what does this tell us? In order for a forest to be healthy, there needs to be a large mixutre of trees, some softwood, some hardwood, and all the various ground covers. When forests are mixed like this, you end up with a more balanced environment. Hmm...sounds a lot like us. Let's take our lesson for the day from trees. If we have only one homogenous group of people living together, is this a good thing? How boring would that be if everyone was the same? Would we survive? Probably. Would we thrive? Probable not. Would we be missing something? Absolutely...what that is, is for you to figure out. I know. (I guess this was not as off topic as I thought)

Opps, they did it again

For a long time now I have been talking about the bias and racist reporting coming form newspapers across the country. Many people look at the paper and just don't see the things myself and many others do. It is so easy to see, and I would like to thank Lynn Barr-Telford from Statistics Canada for calling the Canadian Press to task on such an issue. On July 22, 2009, papers across the country reported on a study recently released. The article was entitled "Native poverty, jail linked" The article goes on to link Native poverty as a result of high incarceration rates. However, according to Stats Canada, "Our analysis did not examine income levels, and the word poverty did not appear in either our news release or in our report" as per Barr-Telford's letter buried on page A7 Opinions section (I would put a link to the letter, but I can not seem to find it on the Chronicle Herald website) Since the word "poverty" was nowhere in the study...OR the press release, why did Sue Bailey of the Canadian Press feel it was her responsibility to embelish the story? Is this what we can expect from the empolyees of the Canadian Press? I do think this has helped prove my point. While I am on it, should the papers also need to print a retraction instead of hiding it on page 7????

Honour killing...question for you

Not much to say, but one question to ask yourself:

• Gabriela Babineau smothered her child, 3 years old, 1995
• Susan Smith strapped her two toddlers in the car and pushed it into a lake. For nine days she told the world they were kidnapped by a black carjacker. Why? Her boyfriend didn't want kids
• Eric Crutchfield killed his 6 year old daughter with a shot in the back
• Socorro caro shot and killed her three sons while they slept
• Feb 2002, Texas, mother drowns her 5 children in the tub
• Marilyn Lemak, Chicago, smothered her 3 children...with her bare hands
• Manuel Gehring, killed his children and buried the bodies "somewhere" along the highway, never been found
• Mohammad Shafia, allegedly killed his daughters in Kingston

This is just a very small list of children who lost their lives by their parents own hands. In 97 alone 62 children under the age of 12 were killed by their parents. My question is, why is it that only one of them has been automatically been deemed, by the public and the press, and honour killing?
This is a horrible crime, makes me sick just thinking about it, but please, do not make judgments until all the facts are known