Saturday, July 5, 2008

DARFUR? WE HAVE IT RIGHT HERE ON OUR OWN SOIL

This is one of my most important posts I've ever made.  I was shocked and of course, this has NOT been in the mainstream media.  What I'm referring to is the forced relocation of the Dineh tribe of Native Americans.  You may know them as NAVAJO.  What is happening here is a repeat of history.   PL93-531 is being used to force the Dineh people out of their homes and being "relocated" into cities and even onto toxic waste dumps.  You read it right, TOXIC WASTE DUMPS.  Just as in the case of the forced removal of the Native American tribes in the Southeast from 1831-1838, the reason for this removal is, in the words of a minister who addressed Congress concerning the Southeastern removal, "we want the land."  To learn more about the Southeastern removal, click HERE.  That is what is happening now.  The Peabody Western Coal Company, known as PEABODY ENERGY, wants the Dineh land for strip mining.  Peabody Energy is well-known to those who either worked in the coal mining industry or had family members that did for forcing people off their land.  Much like the Federal government's illegal use of imminent domain, Peabody would offer people a small fraction of what their land was worth, and like a government agency, if they refused, they were just forced off.  Many of these lands had been occupied by the same family for generations, so it wasn't just a piece of land.  So it is with the Dineh.  Following are two videos which together are about fifteen minutes in length.  Please take the time to watch them.  This puts faces with what is going on, is very moving and informative.  Here is a link to the webpage where the videos appear as well as an article - click HERE.  If you have a low bandwith connection or dial-up, there are also links to these videos for low bandwith users.  The one thing I disagree with article is that it centers on Senator John McCain.  I've always believed in listing all who are responsible for a particular action.  I don't know exactly how many total are involved in this, but in the article, it does list former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator John Kerry, former President Jimmy Carter, and former Representative Douglas Wayne Owens.

Some things never change.  Native Americans continue to be treated far less than second class citizens.  Treaties with the Federal government continue to not be worth the paper on which they are written.  It's really something when you think about it.  Native Americans are treated like this, but in time of war, they have historically fought and died for this country.  What a way to thank them.

 

VANISHING PRAYER - PART I

VANISHING PRAYER - PART 2

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This IS terrible!  But this is true, that the federal government can and does take what it wants, when it wants for the "greater good."  That's why we are living on a few acres instead of over 400.  Once upon a time there was a steely-eyed cut of a man who lived in these woods and outsiders feared to threaten to take what was theirs......for they knew there would be killing.  That breed is dead and gone.  Makes no difference if they are native or not.  

BArbara

Anonymous said...

This gives me a few thoughts Dirk.  One is that it makes me sad. I read a long time ago- even when I lived in Canada about the trail of tears (Actually it was about Sam Houston, but half on him and half on the Cherokee- as He was a big part of the tribe whenhe was young living in Maryville) Anyway, the whole story broke my heart.  I've read and heard about other "relocations" as well.  My husband is part native american. It's interesting that just this week he was doing a job on the Seminole tribal land and commenting on how nice and wide open it was, and we got to discussing the tolls that many tribes have had to deal with on reservations.
It makes me sad that this is always happening. You would think that people could get along with each other without trying to getsomething over on the other- as in taking what little bit of their land they have left.  I agree with you that I don't like the way they are repeating McCain's name throughout the whole article.  
My other thought is overwhelming.  I see so much going on in the world- with Christians being persecuted all over, to Darfur, Zimbabwe and other countries- that I just don't know what to do about it.  It's too much.  Do you know what I mean?  Like, nothing has been done about atrocities anywhere else, no matter the fact that millions speak out against certain happenings- but still no one who has the ability to do something does anything.  It's like Rwanda all over again.  UN is there, but all they do is witness the slaughter of millions.  It's heartbraking and you just want someone to STOP IT!  I feel badly for these Dineh.  I feel badly for so many- but I am just at a loss of what to do exept prayer.  That's what I can do and I will keep at it.  Please Dirk, keep at what you do too- keep us informed and bring more of these thingsout into the open.  God Bless you dear Brother.  Carolyn

Anonymous said...

I will be back to study these entries.  They need a thoughtful reading.  But am too tired tonight.  They look very compelling.  Gerry  http://journals.aol.com/gehi6/daughters-of-the-shadow-men/  

Anonymous said...

it is a tragedy what the government gets away with. This make me sick for those it affects.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree that the Native Americans have been poorly treated and it's a shame. But you're going to see more of that same imminent domain abuse now that our illustrious Supreme Court decided that land could be taken for private enterprise use if it will result in increased tax revenues for the municipality or state. Now they can take your land in order to build a new Wal-Mart, theoretically.

The constitution allows for imminent domain only for building public facilities or infrastructure such as schools, libraries, roads, bridges, airports, etc. And the government agency asserting the imminent domain is *supposed* to pay the land owner the fair market value of the land, not the discounted amount that they pay. The constitution hasn't changed a bit because there was no amendment added to it to allow for this; only a court decision by five activist justices who like to play "god." This isn't valid law as it doesn't change the wording of the actual constitution itself, but it is accepted as law because nobody in D.C. has the guts and/or desire to stand up to this judicial tyranny. Don't ever expect any Democrat-led Congress to do so, because they love and want their activist judges on the bench, so that their agenda can be forced on us without any accountability to the people.

The real conspiracy is on the left and always has been, for the past 75 years or so.

Larry

Anonymous said...

I must take the time to watch these videos.  I have crossed the navaho reservation many times, so was shocked to read more about the relocating of the navaho. In fact, I saw more development on this issue in the paper just a few days ago, but I am always afraid that special interests will wrangle their way into their territory somehow, so that none of the tribes benefit.  Gerry http://journals.aol.com/gehi6/daughters-of-the-shadow-men/