Sleeper cells of status quo treachery.

When will these status quo people quit selling us out, and quit buying into the overpriced ideals their obviously to morally bankrupt to afford? The people that lack the resiliency to actually resist the absurdities conditioned against the will of our people really have their work cut out for them. Feeding into ideals of the predomant white premium that in reality doesn't keep their needs in mind just to feel validated against those of us realistically approaching, challenging the broke system they take comfort in. They create a false bravado to make it seem as if their current on the needs of our people, when in actuality their just trying to gain acceptance from those directly threatening their self centered interests in order to infiltrate and sabotage the movement against their inherent, status quo treachery. They do their best to deny their status quo, when in fact that is all they reflect is status quo ideals and values. Once they realize those they are unable to Abate from their principles Are too keen to their obsolete, self centered ideals, they become resentful, demeaning, spiteful, degrading and stand offish. They'll try to demonize, vilify you in the company of other self centered treacherous status quo cowards. Them and their co-conspirators form a coalition of treachery just to maintain their status quo jobbery, this is the core root of their motivation to "be involved" and get" organized". A lot of inconsiderate, short sighted, instant gratification taking place, over shadowing the actually needs of those they try to utilize for their own opportunistic endeavors. Some of these obviously treacherous, corrupt people give themselves more credit then the deserve. Delusions of grandeur. Fact is, they've been involved for years with no progress made in favor of those they try to represent in order to exploit just so they might gain opportunity and audience with those that utilized them to maintain status quo oppression over the matters of our people. That's why I am fine with not having the approval or acceptance of all those claiming their involved, because most are only involving themselves for the wrong reasons. These people are only making fools of themselves trying to covertly uphold their devious, narrow, self centered ideals against us. These people are some of the biggest hypocrites you'll encounter if you decide to genuinely take a position in the interests of our people. They'll welcome you with open arms just stab you in the back while their condescendingly embracing you in a false sense of fellowship. This might not even have been their conscience decisions. They might just be conditioned, indoctrinated, assimilated into thinking this is how we go about matters. That's why I say inherently treacherous, they might be carrying on a legacy of shame they try to shroud with their supposed dedication to our people. That's why I think qualifications and credentials are overrated. Who wants to be qualified or have credibility to uphold broken ways of thinking diminishing our way of life as Anishinasbeg? Educate yourselves to their broken ideals so we can dismantle them, don't dedicate and condition them into your own. Don't let them disconnect you or make you fall out of touch with our people. I'm not condemning these people to their treacherous ways, I just want them to come to terms with themselves so they can achieve their potential to becoming a actual asset to our struggles. The counterproductive individualistic ideals polluting our tribal issues has to eventually be discarded if they want to become effective in helping our people rise out of hopelessness and despair. But first they need to quit thinking they can rise to opportunity on the backs of the downtrodden. Their worse then the drug dealers that keep our people accessible to their treachery, their the gate keepers, the agents of oppression, sleeper cells of treachery that activate when a probable threat emerges to confront their broken way of thinking robbing us of the solutions we deserve. They have compromised far too much to realize they have inadvertently made themselves a enemy of our people, or way of life. They have convinced themselves they are beyond reprisal, or being held accountable for their selfish ways. They broken system we take a stand against empowers these traitors, gives them the means to enforce it's oppressive bureaucracies against us. These people need to become aware of their treachery, or aware we know they knowingly operate from treachery. That's not hard to determine. Whats hard is facing these people on the battlefields in front of us. Yeah they might be at a systematic advantage, but we have virtues at our disposal They think treachery can compensate for. We are the guerrillas of this war to reclaim our integrity, our dignity from these individuals that have decided to take advantage of our situations. We have watched them, studied them long enough. The time for action is now. The odds might not be in our favor, but when has that ever stopped our people from achieving what we require for survival?

Undeserved apathy of the Anishinaabeg

Oh I'm sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone who genuinely cares, someone who appreciates the truth, someone I can count on when I need your support on confronting issues that effect us all. I thought you'd realize the importance taking a stand, defending our rights, taking initiative to improve them, not settling for what little we are allowed. As first Americans we should be the most privileged, acknowledged, the first to be considered when policy and legislation are being handed down. Why? Because we have lost, sacrificed, bestowed the most in regards to any race of people in america that has of yet not been compensated in the value of rights, nor equality that we have all paid, and continue to pay so dearly for.


It is not as if we have outrageous demands that can't be met with compassion and consideration. No, we have to endure insensitivity, dehumanization, apathy, relentless attacks on what remains of our dignity, our integrity, our sovereignty. And most times these attacks come from our very own people. The agents of oppression indoctrinated, and administered to uphold the continuing onslaught against our humanity. It's nauseating, discouraging, disheartening to witness our own people selfishly dedicating themselves to the injust system pit against us. As first Americans they should be the most conscience, the most compassionate, the least subordinate of the bureaucracies intended to diminish what little we are forced to fight for to obtain.


How can anyone who identifies themselves as Anishinaabe lose sight of who we once were, dishonoring our ancestors, and most of all our children by feeding into the absurdities Intended to suppress us into even more disparities and disadvantages. I don't understand the mentality that leads these people to believe they were doing right by any assumption when they made themselves knowingly available to justify the intolerances and ignorances that are blatantly intended to injure our struggle to regain our composure in today's hostile world. They even feed their ignorances on the fallacies that help them justify their self centered, unwarranted self preservation that they take at the expense of our already besieged, and diminishing opportunities. They feed into and try to adopt the ideals, the standards, the premiums, and absurdities of the status quo. Allowing themselves to become bitter, cynical, pessimistic, intolerable, incompassionate, justified, loathing, and mostly, hopelessly out of touch with their own people.


What caused these Anishinaabeg to lose or pervert their identity, their dignity, their compassion for their countrymen? What's going to bring them back from the brink of nihilism to where they reinvest in their self worth, their precious energy to will of their people? Each and everyone of us are very valuable to our plight to reassert ourselves as human beings that have a right to participate equally within the society. that has discriminately held us hostage with it's inherent ignorance long enough. The ideals most of those that are vulnerable to these absurdities are out of date, obsolete. We are no longer to be romanticized or depreciated as the noble savages challenging the colonization of the territories of our wilderness. We are not conquered, culled, Defeated unless we insist on being. Together we are disenfranchised, discriminated, degraded by the predominant standards that rejects us for being who we are.


We need to return to those visionary, bold, compassionate models of stalwart defenders of our people like our ancestors. We need to quit taking the easy way out and embracing colonization, assimilation, indoctrination, and surrender. We were born into this struggle, perhaps for a reason beyond our comprehension. Yet we are here, and we have a responsibility to one another as Anishinaabeg. Maybe it's time we start living up to these responsibilities instead of looking for excuses to dismiss them. That individualistic mentality does not belong to tribal people such as ourselves. We are not that far removed from our tribalistic ideals to lose sight of who we really are and our purpose to one another. Yes their are some that are hopelessly far too invested into this broken thinking that is only meant to contribute to our decline and eventually the disappearance. But we can not let the casualties to these ideals discourage us from our goals to reignite our potential as Anishinaabeg. We need to prepare ourselves for the tasks in front of us and quit handing over our worth to those that have no use for it.


It is time to reject and abandon the ideals forced upon us that are preventing, and discouraging your potential. We haven't come this far as a people just to let opportunist saboteurs infiltrate our movements for their own selfish benefit. the ideals I share are considered racial, drastic, and unacceptable amongst those that abide by the status quo's demand of our lack of humanity. It's time to revolt, rebel, uprise and break those chains they have shackled to your mind. It is time to reclaim our self worth from those that devalue us. The person responsible for your undeserving depreciation of yourself might just be yourself. Some of us have been forced to think our entire lives we are no use to the society that constantly refuses us our dignity. We must use the momentum of these anti wall street movements to assure our demands are going to be acknowledged and confronted as well. Those non-Anishinaabeg people courageously taking to the streets in disapproval of this broken system are honoring the vibrant tradition of resistance that our ancestors assured our survival with more then most of us are. Their making you look bad people, just keep that in mind when apathy overwhelms you like I witness it doing to you all everyday.

The Broken ones.

Some can not fathom the call for change the younger generation is calling for. Most of us have as of yet indoctrinated, lost hope to the bureaucracies, To have dedicated ourselves to this broken system much of the older generation has forced itself to take comfort in. The bureaucratic and politicians call us confused, misdirected. They would like to think we have no demands or purpose. Well, let’s set the record straight. It’s not that we don’t have demands; it’s that we speak them in a different language. We speak them with our struggle. Our movement is made up of people fighting for jobs, adequate education, for financial stability, housing, as well as adequate healthcare. We are resisting oppression, ecological destruction, imperialism, racism, patriarchy, and capitalism. We are doing it all in a way that is participatory, democratic, fierce, and unwavering. There is nothing very vague, confused, or misdirected about it.
 
 
But we will not stop there. That, perhaps, is what sets us apart from those who wish to use our tremendous and growing power for small selfish gains or modest reforms. We want more. We want it all. Not for ourselves, but for OUR children. Some self serving individuals can not comprehend this because they have been simply self centered, opportunistic, and self absorbed. You can not tell anything of rationality to those that selfishly insist on themselves against the will of the people.


We want a political and economic system that we all actually control together, one that is equitable and humane, one that allows for people to self-manage but act in solidarity, one that is participatory and democratic to its core. We want a world where people have the right to their own identities, communities, and cultures, and the freedom from oppression and constraint. We want a world with institutions that take care of our youth, our elderly, and our families in ways that are nurturing, liberating, and consensual. We want a world in which community is not a hamper on individual freedom, but rather an expression of its fullest potential. We want identity those that take comfort in this broken system and poor leadership will not recognize. Sure they will claim we reflect their old ways of broken thinking, but that is only because they no longer have the desire to see it any other way. They try to inconsiderately simplify a very complex matter that deserves more then their willing to give the predicaments that we now face. They only do this in order to try to discourage the less incline of the next generation with their pessimism and cynicism, to rob their energy from the solutions our children deserve. Greedily, selfishly clinging to their broken ideals they take comfort in against the needs of the next generation, all the while trying to justify and excuse corruption assimilated themselves into. They think they have taken the easy way out against the problems we face together, little do they know that not only are their compromised ideals obsolete, but so is their ignorance's as well.
 
 
As we keep fighting, we will continue to ask ourselves difficult questions as these broken people only ask what they can get out of their participation in this broken system. We will ask what world do we envision? What kind of world does our children deserve. What values do we want to live by? What institutions do we need in order to live those values? What structures will we build to protect what we’ve won and create a platform for continued struggle? What will we win for generations to come? How will we fight these enormous battles in a way that is both effective and reflective of the new world we are ushering in that those broken people are doing everything within their selfish power of prevent.
 
 
Make no mistake about it though, we are not aimless; we simply speak a different language – a language of mutual respect(even if it is not reflected by our opposition that enjoys provoking unneeded conflict, and when we re-act to their treachery, they find it convenient to perpetuate their behaviors on anyone unfortunate enough to engage their ignorance), participation, self-management, and action. We make our demands in this language that screams that we are here for the long-run, that our goal is not merely reform, that our vision is deep and radical, that we will not be bought off or co-opted, and that we are prepared to struggle in order to win not only those gains we can pronounce now but also those we can’t even fully articulate yet. We claim our space through actions that shout that we are here to stay, that this movement isn’t going home, that we are winning already, and that there is no turning back. We build this movement through the firm and fearless declaration that another world is possible, and that anything less is unacceptable.
 
 
You will see our demands plastered on facebook walls, scrawled on hanging banners, tweeted across oceans, marched on the shoulders of hundreds of thousands, shouted in unison from millions of streets, windows, and computers screens. You will see them all over the world, from post-industrial cities to the ghettos of our reservations, from capitals to the country side. You will see them expressed in the streets, out in front of the institutions of oppression that has colonized our communities and minds of these broken people and their broken system and we will re-decorate it with our humanity. The world is revolting against the repulsive, inconsiderate, self serving behavior of the broken. Now is their opportunity to return to their drawing-board and re-evaluate their worth to the inevitable change they will soon witness and fail at preventing.
 
 
 
Yes, we speak a different language they can not understand, a fearless and visionary one. We are shouting, with every ounce of passion and strength we can muster: Of course there is an alternative. It is us. Victory is certain.

Moccasin Mockery and their hypocritical hyperbole

By writing this response to cowardly attacks against my reputation and character I have gone against the advise and wisdom of my elders. I have been experiencing some serious verbal attacks from people(some anonymous)hiding behind a keyboard,some of these people don't even have the guts to stand on their supposed own words. Yet I wear as a badge of honor their insults because that means I am doing something right or they wouldn't be attacking me. Some people just don’t have the self-awareness to recognize how out of the realm of acceptability their thoughts really are, so they put them all over the Web. Most that have seen my work over the last four years, and judging my work it should be clear that my life is committed to fighting for justice and against injustice. But recently these individuals that have been effectively identified for what they really are have paid money to publish my criminal record and post it on their slanderous, defamatory site dedicated to protecting the corruption of our tribal government, The Leech Lake band of Ojibwe. I also wear as a badge o honor most of my criminal record because it reflects my dedication of clearing gangs out of my community. Back in 1998 I embarked on a vigilante campaign to confront gang members that were lawlessly terrorizing the community of the Mill lacs Indian Reservation. The law enforcement agencies eventually could no longer turn a blind eye to my extreme violence against these individuals disrupting the safety and harmony of this community and charged me with multiple acts of violence. The courts in my eyes showed me leniency for succeeding where these agencies where failing us as a community and I was convicted and repaid my debt to society. Years later, with more knowledge and more self restraint I returned home to the Leech Lake area to continue my campaign against gangs in our Anishinaabe communities. I was welcomed with open arms by many that were fed up with these criminals running a muck, and endangering the safety of our children. So I worked with whom ever was willing to help us rid our communities of these people putting us all in danger and putting our youth a risk. Including the very same law enforcement agencies that criminalizing me for the justice they were unable to provide for the communities I took up to protect. Although I am still very leery of certain law enforcement agencies because they have been supposedly working in effort to remedy this problems that are still very prevalent within our communities. I figured I would help empower these agencies to work in our favor instead of further damaging the relationship they have with Native people. I'm aware of the stigmas and paradigms of authority against native people, but I gave my assistance over to these agencies to now help them help my people. Yet our chairman, Arthur"Archie"Larose has systematically dismantled the relationship between the Band and the Gang/Drug task force agencies funded to approach these problems so he could protect his position within our tribal government he obtained by utilizing these criminal organizations. My colleagues and I started to confront these blatant acts of treachery against our people by our elected officials(mainly Arthur Larose, yet he used the criminal organization of the "Native Mob" to ensure a few other of his hand picked candidates into office as well)But in 2006 our efforts were disrupted by the untimely loss of my best friend who was more like a brother to me, who also worked in effort with other and myself against this treachery against our people. He was violently killed due to the very gang violence we were confronting. Grief stricken I fell back into my alcoholism worse them ever before. The following year I hit rock bottom. Stricken by the loss of yet more close friends, relatives and a spiritual advisior I fell even harder. At the end of a year long binge I woke up in a jail cell. I was guilty of trying to scare my fiance out of a van I owned by violently rocking it because I was blackout drunk trying to drive myself to the liquor store. Neighbors of ours witnessed this and called the police to intervene, I later thanked them(our neighbors)for saving my life. I incriminated myself by admitting I was attempting to scare my fiance out of the van so I could commandeer the vehicle, that alone was enough to convict me of domestic violence which I take full responsibility for. This final incident helped me out of the grief stricken rut I couldn't have gotten out of on my own, so it came as a blessing in so many ways. Now these despicable people are trying to use these valuable life lessons against me to sully my reputation because I speak the truth against their treachery the corruption against our people they have some how have come to appreciate. These people are being encouraged and enabled to Attack me by the powers that be that we have been directly confronting and threatening to dismantle against our people. This stinks of John McCarthy and Randy Finn because Archie lacks the intellect to orchestrate such cleverly, sinister attacks against those of us that are effectively working to overthrow their oppressive hold on the Leech lake people. This treachery goes much further than reservation politics, these pawns will twist and pervert whatever they can get their slimy hands on to discredit those working against their well established, status quo corruption. So don't allow yourselves to be distracted and drawn in by such sinister, petty acts meant to disrupt the progress we have all been making against this corruption. Miigwech for your time and consideration. Our victory is certain.

Do yourself a favor...

Some people can not comprehend the urgency of our situation, they have some how become too complacent with this broken system that was never intended for our survival. Some people have willingly surrendered their inherent indignation, only to find they are disingenuous, and superficial to anything we should be standing for as a tribal people. Sometimes this is beyond conversation, it's requires confrontation. I for one get tired of seeing my people so pathetically colonized, and assimilated to the point were they only misdirect, and harbor hypocritical judgement outwardly against their fellowman instead of saving some of that judgment to constructively resolve their own inward shortcomings preventing us all from moving forward. Some of us are more critical of ourselves then we are of others. Yet some of our very own people have the audacity to intentionally misconstrue, misrepresent one another's valid frustrations to try to demonize one another,and sabotage us all further from solutions. This in itself is a act of treachery against us all, our children, our nation. Instead of tryings to lash out, or putting up our unwarranted defensives against one another, we should be evaluating ourselves first and foremost to identify were we as individuals are failing each other and betraying our children. In my opinion this is what I see more then anything else. Excuse me, but its getting sickening. And I have of yet to encounter an excuse to justify any of this treachery. The divide and conquer mentality is well conditioned within some of our people, do them a favor if you happen to overcome it and confront them on it and hold them accountable for it before their children inherit it and continually infect our communities with it. It's very frustrating when other perpetuate Their shortcomings on others as if that's suppose to distract us from the source of misunderstanding of the situation. Or they try to over exaggerate claims against others because their threatened, and are not ready to come to terms with these shortcomings. Only if they had the ability to be honest with themselves and confront these shortcomngs that might cause our ancestors to rejoice in them once again instead of abandoning them to their own demise. This country is erupting in revolution, why are some of us still sitting around acting naive to it? Sometimes revolution starts from within, so do yourself a favor and revolt against your ignorance, and bias. Those of us paying witness to you squandering your abilities would appreciate this more then trying to defend ourselves from these shortcomings you admire more then the reality and truth put before us all. I really do hope some of you find some clarity and come to the self revelation you could serve our people more effectively by finding the courage to confront your own bullshit before you force someone like me to do it. But here I am, at your service. Some people don't deserve consideration of those of us unable to help them deal with their inner demons devouring their spirit. They require ceremony, or maybe a psychiatrist, heavy medication, or perhaps institutionalization to help them from further damaging their own reputations or themselves and most of all our struggles. I don't know, I'm no authority on mental illness. I think banishing these people to the wilderness might have been the only remedy available to our ancestors if these people were beyond the help of ceremony or medicine, and I could understand this conclusion. But I'm suspious that some might be using a fabricated mental disorder to guise genuine treachery, and corruption. Passing themselves off as crazy so they can't be held accountable for their obvious sinister duplicity, ignorance, and treachery. But yet some of us operate on higher levels of conscience, some on lower levels of ignorance. To each their own, but these foolish people will soon find out they have sold out their own dignity and honor for all the wrong reasons. But I doubt there's even a good reason to betray these virtues, least most of us have too much self respect to ever find out.

This isn't about you, this is about all of us.

I been very impatient lately, grinding my ax, waiting for some of these phoney bastards to slip up and fall out of their costumes. All these disengenuous people acting as if I'm stupid enough to fall for their half assed bullshit don't even understand their own ignorance let alone the dynamics of our problems, yet they insist on imposing themselves just to sabotage us even further from solutions. Shit pisses me off. Why in the hell would I want to identify with someone who isn't ready to be realistic about anything? Let alone themselves? I been accused of "having all the answers" so the fuck what. If I was empowered to change the world, I wouldn't be consulting flimsy, self centered assholes that are currently fucking things up or not doing anything at all. I don't know who made these morons a authority on anything they obligate themselves to. The system is built for these fuck ups, thats why they waste their lives indoctrinating themselves into it. Cowards. Ain't even got the fucking courage to stand up for themselves or perhaps their children. They might as well be hand delivering their kids to these assholes so they can raise your kids to be the fools they enjoy you being for them. I'm not going to sit here and candy coat turds for you chicken shits that like being lied to to feel better about yourselves, this isn't about you, never was. So don't get all bent out of shape thinking I'm picking on you. It's not you, it's your stupid ass ideals you shelter yourselves in, it's your dumb fucking actions or lack there of, or those stupid fucking words you let fall out of your mouth. Why don't you put your energy into something constructive rather then promoting your self serving bullshit. And you know what, don't flatter yourself thinking I'm telling you these things because I have somehow found a reason to hate you. I don't hate you, I pity you. I feel sorry for your punk ass. Get the fuck up off your ass and quit trying to find convenient excuses to be the self preserving coward you some how have convinced yourself your not. Quit acting as if your the king or queen of assholes, because your not, your just a peasant like the rest of us. Quit trying to help others for recognition, help them because you genuinely care for fucks sakes. Sorry I don't have the patience to give you the fancy words to make you feel enlightened n shit. I'm at my wits end, and I plan on staying here until the rest of you assholes get real with yourselves and wake the fuck up.

The Lodge Mirage.

It is very disheartening when I witness my people trying to claim a false sense of pride in artificial rights or freedoms that only serve as condescending gestures to fill up empty people that have been gutted out by the capitalist market culture. They try to adhere to labels and let those labels consume all their worth, their dignity, their identity, their integrity. We allow ourselves to be subjected to a inadequate standard, and use this standard to justify our fellow Anishinaabeg failures to live up to these absurdities. Individualism has overthrown the tribal mentalities that has weathered our ancestors through the harshest of storms. Now that we have allowed ourselves to be stripped of our survival instincts, we have regressed even further from the valiant, virtuous people we once were. We have given the spirits of our ancestors little to nothing to rejoice in us, how can they even recognize us? Because we today do not resemble anything they were familiar with. We have lost sight of that. And some selfishly misconstrue our teachings into cultural constructivism with backwards ideals that only serves to hamper or prevent us from making the progress our children require. Why do our people try to conform to political ideals that haven't their interests in mind? Why do our people surrender their dignity to ideals that comprise the essence of who we really are? Why do they invest and dedicate themselves to overcomplicated ideals that rarely if never keep them in mind when decisions are made? These overcomplicated ideals are meant to keep us confused and distracted. Are they just trying to play the game? If so, they would have been disqualified for being unprepared before "the game" ever commenced. I am not trying to discourage my people from taking a stance on matters that effect us, only trying to inspire them to innovate and improve their stance against the issues we face together. We have a lot of Anishinaabeg that allow themselves to misrepresent us and re-enforce stereotypes against us. These so called Anishinaabeg are more a threat to us them those utilizing them as tokenism. Once you comprise your dignity in the name of conformity, what use is it to consider yourself Anishinaabe? I don't believe there is a premium established in determining this, but if you knowingly betray the ideals of our ancestors and the reality of our situation today, shouldn't that discount you as someone who is supposedly upholding the honor of our people? A lot of people are only exploiting our teaching to gain status. I have witnessed time and time again undeserving people misuse and abuse our teachings only to elevate their status or credentials. They obviously haven't absorbed these teaching for their true meaning when they walk around constantly disregarding them. Yet holding them over their heads as if their actually going to live up to them one day. And they can, those teachings are within their reach, all they need is the courage to apply them to where they are needed. It's sad to watch others try and market our culture as some sort of commodity to use against others that are too bankrupt to afford these teachings. These teaching are available to us all regardless on how exclusive some try to promote them. All we need is to support and dedicate ourselves to helping others find their way back to these teachings. Some might use our teaching for self promotion, self indigence, but we all have the ability to resist these seductive abominations perverting our teachings amongst these people. These teaching hold all the answers we require, whether they be political, spiritual, emotional or whatever. So don't sell out to the glamorization of the falsehoods these people utilize to misdirect you or take advantage of you through. We are all pitiful people, some more them others. And we mustn't allow ourselves to be utilized as a opportunity for some of these more pitiful people that do hold teachings but misuse or abuse them. This is a way of life, not a religion, so don't feed into others misconceptions or self induced fundamentalism's of our teachings as well. They'll feed you lies or self serving propaganda to mislead you from the true essence of our teachings. The solution is simple, put out your asemaa ask for help and follow your heart. For it will not mislead you from the path on who you must be for the people that desperately need your direction. We must inspire other to find their way back to the true meaning of our teachings to find their own true meaning for themselves. Anyone trying to prevent or take advantage of this is not only doing a disservice to you but also to themselves.Once you let others interfere with your personal relationship with these teaching, we lose sight of who we truly are. Once others start dictating teaching to you they have obviously lost sight of those teachings as well. Not everyone's problems are the same, so be warry of those that insist upon themselves for supposedly knowing the direction others must venture. Yes, some might need help or encouragement of embarking down that path, and there are those who will genuinely put you on your path. But it is those that impose and try to drag you to, or try to force you to see the path as they see it that offer only a test to you and your sense of direction. It is very bothersome when I witness others taking advantage of our people only to foster their own pitiful egos or false sense of worth. Gathering around the abundance vulnerable, broken spirits of our communities and deifying themselves by the misuse of our teachings. These people have earned my contempt regardless of their holier them thou attitude they operate from. I am immune to their falsehoods and to situations to were they might exercise them. I am not fooled or even a bit amused by their charlatanism. And I am helping and encouraging my fellow Anishinaabeg to become resistant of these pitiful people as well. Hopefully we can inspire them to become the Anishinaabe that they actually believe themselves to be. Or at least deter them from their bad habit of trying to take advantage of people or situations by purposely misinterpreting or misconstruing our teachings for their selfish benefit. The authentic Anishinaabeg are out there, we will all encounter false one's just to be shown how not to conduct ourselves. But be thankful for them as well, for they are serving their purpose as well if they like it or not.

Revolution born of fire.

There has to come a time in everyone's life when they realize they have been either lied to or come to terms their living a self induced lie. Some might resent this moment of clarity and reject it only to spiral further into fear and ignorance, jealousy or envy. Once your morally bankrupt, whats the use of trying to recuperate from a default on your integrity and dignity? The truth is restricted, diluted, tailor made, compromised, and altered. The truth today is a recipe for destruction. Destruction of the broken order subconsciously pandering to your fears, your desires, your greed, your unwarranted ego. In this world where the media controls the truth though the process of exploiting vulnerable minds that have all flocked to the television screen to help them cope with their insecurities, its frustrating to witness those you care for fall casualty to ignorance. Most times its hard to work within the experiences of the people when they have restricted, and have found reasons or inane justifications to shelter themselves from whats out their waiting for them, wanting to devour their inept, naive, scared little souls. Knowledge is power, and its sad to say some don't want us to empower ourselves so that those they prey on then reject and refuse to rely in these peoples misinformation that has conjured up our dependency in their charlatanism. So that is why I am very grateful for those that have inspired me to embrace truth and use it to cast out the darkness consuming my people. I to now carry this torch, and I will light the fire my people need to warm themselves by in this cold world of lies and propaganda laying waste to them. Embers in the ashes, that is what we are today. It's time to refuel this fire with hope and fan these embers to get this fire blazing once again. It's time to douse yourselves in truths and set yourselves ablaze, run into the crowd of those adorned in their combustible garments of lies. This fire will consume any and all who are fortunate enough to be caught in its path, because it is we who are the eighth fire.

Inconspicuous Indians

Instant gratification, That is where most of our people operate from these days. Why? because they want everything right then and now or else they don't want it not all. We have lost the ability to struggle and strive for progress we deserve, we are too quick to compromise, to give up and give into simplicity or the illusion of it. We have lost sight of our radiant tradition of Resistance and traded it in for a life of assimilation, and the conditioning of ourselves into internally oppressive behaviors for the pursuit of selfish benefit of our own comfort. People rather take comfort, defend and re-enforce their flaws rather then exert energy to correct them or even prevent the passing down of these flaws to their children or grandchildren. The spurious grand tradition of self inflicted, self loathing oppression and comprise all in the name of personal achievement and self preservation. No longer a tribal mentality, but a every man for himself attitude imposing itself obnoxiously to sabotage, and damage the progress of our struggles we currently face today, at this very moment. The urgency to improve our stance to defend ourselves against these assaults more effectively has been upon us for quite some time, perhaps prior to the existence of most of us embattled in theses enduring struggles we are fighting today. We live in a society of convenience, why disrupt it right? And most take this fact for granted rather then appreciating the ability we are afforded today to confront our perpetuating problems more effectively. The older generations show more envy and resentment against us then consideration and compassion. They call us down and try to belittle us for our youth and energy because we refuse to take comfort in their backward, stubborn, ignorance of solving our problems from their now obsolete, out of touch point of views. The world has passed them up and they refuse to addapt to the requirements it is now calling upon us. Information is practically free and ready at our finger tips if we're only but to notice it. But the fact of the matter is the problems we face today as Native people are unprecedented, we were raised into a more hostile world that they have failed to prevent from desensitizing us from its brutality. This rift in the generations is a costly consequence to the problems we face today. Because from one end of the spectrum we have those of us trying to innovate the solutions our children require, and on the other we have those trying to conserve and promote the ineffective ways that have contributed to further pushing our communities to the brink. When no wisdom, but only criticism remains from these cynical individuals, I have found in my short years on this earth that it is wiser to continue forward to the next glimmer of hope rather then trying to breath life back into defeated and diminished spirits. Even if they might not be wise as of yet to realize I struggle forward for them as well, with the strength of wisdom they were able to spare us. Each day we grow stronger, more aware, more intelligent, more effective, more astute. Are these not reasons to rejoice and invest your approval of this fact of our potential? Or am I not yet wise enough to no longer believe in myself as well? Maybe I to will become an inconspicuous Indian as well one day, but not until they break my spirit as well or kill me. I prefer the latter of my options. Not for glory, but for the assurance my children might live better lives then I was afforded.

To those trying to turn our struggles into their stage.

Empowering the masses to allow them to access information they are normally excluded from will allow the oppressed to become being for themselves rather than enslaved to the dictates of others. We must all envisage a society in which people are liberated and are able to mold their world. This requires some ability to criticize and make decisions. Decision making will require access to information with the use of critical thinking. Many people make decisions without criticism. Many are trapped within the dogma which belonging to or originated from an would be elite group. These would be elitist then in turn purloin our struggles under the hypocritical false bravado of a nationalist sentiment to close ranks around their egotistical mannerism, all the while promoting a predominantly oppressive influence of the academic that tries to put a premium on intelligence to protect their own self serving interests. They do this to demoralize and stifle aspiring activists they assume are threatening their status. One who is effected daily by the rigors of racial inequality does not require a degree to understand the common knowledge of oppression we are all subjected to. That would be as if a citizen of central American pursued a degree in Spanish, we as oppressed people are all fluent in the language of discrimination no matter what problematic paradigm egotistical saboteurs try to place in front of us. These threatened egotistical hypocrites simultaneously attempt to legitimize their accomplishments in academia in order to enhance their self image as a objective inquiry of relentless criticism all the while trying to disarm or empty out the more political and worldly substance of radical critique. We should all want the oppressed to make decisions which will change the world, not just maintain the current status quo. We are all objects created by history, once we realize this, we can begin to be apart of it and change it. Also once an individual realizes that they are products of their education and society, they will be able to participate objectively and effectively within it. The process of change towards liberation is a conflict and doesn't accept any partial solutions. The media is than used as a tool of alienation utilized to divide us all. It is responsible for filling empty and receptive minds with propaganda of the dominant culture. Teachers and students will become jointly responsible for the education process in which all will grow. This process is not teacher centric with imposed knowledge used to domesticate others into the status quo. The content should originate from the learner, no participial method is the best, rather we should all be concerned with the ways in which knowledge is presented and processed, and be wary of misinformation as well. Students of liberation should be given the necessary tools to act decisively. We must educate each other through the meditation of the world. A community based interaction should produce a two way flow of education between the student and the teacher, the school and the community. to recreate/reform our society to meet our needs as oppressed people we must also realize we are in fact subjects of this process ourselves. In other words, the people involved must know about themselves and the processes that shaped them as well. Community education should provide local input to any organization created to represent the plight of the subjected populous. This will provide a knowledge based in which individuals in the organization learn about the community they are apart of, and how they are influenced by it. At the same time members of the community will learn about the impact of education on their own development. A community aspect of the institution should help unite, rather then alienate it from society. Unification is an aspect of liberation against oppressive minority rule, community focused education within a democratic society(not just government) is a more viable solution. Social engineering and the conception of human society should not be determined by a minority of educated theorists. However education is required so that every individual is equipped to make logical decisions without accepting other's dogma. We all have emotional needs: the need to love, to beloved, to be accepted, to feel a sense of accomplishment, to feel a sense of self-worth, to feel important, to feel needed, to protect ourselves, to attain status in our own eyes and in the eyes of others, to be secure. These needs in turn conceal other fragile and sensitive emotions. These emotions are easily tampered with and manipulated. One who knows how to appeal to these vulnerable emotions can deceive us, manipulate us, and get us to accept things as true that which is untrue. What is important is that you recognize that the emotional appeal may reflect some unstated feeling or belief, that there may be a bottom line that is not being articulated or a hidden agendum that is not being acknowledged. Perhaps the person is trying to cajole you into buying into their interests. So always try to find the bottom line or to ascertain that hidden agendum before your invest yourself to the audience of this pitiful person that refuses to acknowledge their humility. Feelings are important, but one should not act on feelings alone. One should have reasons for acting. It is in the obfuscation of reasons that emotion appeals are dangerous. 'Liberation leaning can not be standardized. to be dynamic it must be experimental and creative' Paulo Freire.

Hypocritsy and duplicity.

As everyone else gives into their self centered egos, their obsolete theological ideals, low self esteems, and inherent confirmation bias. I feel desensitized to disingenuousness, and the genuine lack of enthusiasm demonstrated and spoken of amongst ‘My People,’ of our ever urgent situations effecting our lives. Soon there will be destructive and self destructive consequences to when our people realize the ever degrading quality of life our humanity will further erode to. Yet today they do not care, their too distracted by or too comfortable with their shallow lives to give a shit about ever getting to the bottom of anything. When will we have revolution? A psychic conversion to steer us away from the cliff we are hurling towards? When it’s too late? Never? Tomorrow? I have been demonized and slandered by those jealous of my clarity, resiliency, righteousness, strength, and furious rage that boils in the blood of my ancestor that pumps strongly through my heart. But this is not about me, and it sure the hell isn’t about YOU! People have alienated me out of intimidation or envy of my stalwart dedication to my people, and my ability to not feed into the superficial ignorance or naiveness that most constantly find themselves vulnerable to in compromising and selling out to and constantly going bankrupt, morally, intellectually, and spiritually. Yet if these selfish people ever needed help, I’d be there to give them my hand. Most ideals and perspectives these individuals hold are rarely ever evolving, improving or gaining consensus because these people are to self absorbed and shallow to give a shit about what anyone else has to say, even if it is said or done selflessly for the sole benefit of others like themselves. But if matters affects their precious money or belongings, then they’ll make an effort to show their self serving disappointment. People don’t give a shit about consciousness or morals; especially if it does not interfere with their comfort zone they established for themselves and assimilated themselves into amongst the corruption and ignorance devouring our communities, culture and teachings. What good are teaching when everyone holding those teaching over their heads at us are some of the biggest hypocrites you could ever meet. Demonstrate cognitive dissonance, become a heretic and speak blasphemy at these poor scared fools that gather around and tell each other lies and fairy tales, because they are scared of the dark. what else can a person who has been systematically, and institutionally indoctrinated to hate themselves see beyond the bullshit they are being forced to live in? So go ahead and de-friend Curtis Buckanaga, speak of me in private company of other like cowards that fear my strength that YOUR gods and spirits have given me (I'm being sarcastic). I am but a mere man with bold, courageous, intelligent, prophetic ideals, ideals that will scare the broken, jealous, envious, treacherous spirits like the ones that those that resent me harbor out of the struggles our people endure. These poor souls are currently tainting and overwhelming our struggles, trying to suffocate the chance of a constructive confrontation to the corruption and ignorance they secretly appreciate, because it allows them to create the facade they put on their facebook page so people can friend them and they can feel important to a bunch of other superficial people out there. Thanks for bringing the shallow folks together facebook, thanks for showing me who all these people are as well. And sometimes when I log in, I feel myself getting pissed. Rage boiling in me at the ignorance captivating the minds of 'my people.' This rage is not destructive no matter how any feeble minded coward wants to demonize it as hatred. This rage is contained and channeled into sharp, constructive confrontation of any obstacle those opponents (intentional and inadvertent) try to place in the way of people such as myself. I have an audacious sincerity to my people, and it is because of my chronic refusal to give into the sheer absurdity that confronts an Anishinaabe person in this country. The incessant assaults on my intelligence, my beauty, my character, my possibility has created a profound commitment in me the help my people affirm their humanity at any cost, even against the odds, even in the face of our oppressors, internal and external. My actions will not perpetuate nor accent the hypocrisy I speak against. The love I have for my people is neither abstract nor ephemeral, it is concrete to the connection with the degraded and devalued people that are in dire need of psychic conversion, I know because I was once one of these people. I hope one day my people will love themselves as much as I love them. This love will convert and motivate our misdirected rage to produce a psychic conversion. One day this conversion will allow us to affirm ourselves as the Anishinaabeg once again, no longer viewing our bodies, minds, spirits through white lenses, and we will believe we are capable of taking control of our destinies together, once again as a tribe..

A lot of people only discuss the corruption we're up against to a degree, and when it gets too overwhelming or too much effort for them, Then they often times try to belittle those predicaments to conform them to their Willingness to confront or their understanding of these issues dynamics that are very costly on my peoples quality of life. Then we have the individuals that try to authenticate themselves through cultural and racial teachings or values as if that is suppose to compensate for their lack of understanding or their lack of courage and commitment to engage these issues adequately. Then these intolerant people project the most condescending, disingenuous, duplicity of the corrupt hypocritical ideals their conditioned not to see, and most time, a corruption that is ingrained into their lifestyles. Their ignorance reminds when I was younger and went to school with kids that worked their parents farm before coming into school. I admire these hard working young individuals, but the obnoxious odor of their farm work was unbearable at times, but they were oblivious to the fact their odor conflicted with the learning environment because they have become accustomed to the odor. That is until the more crass children started making fun of them for their smell. And now in the same sense, this obnoxious ignorance is conflicting with the struggles set before us here in Indian country today. A lot of these people have good hearts, or good intentions, but most times they suffer from a conceited, Self centered, delusional, bloated self worth that interferes with any attempt of intelligence or solidarity they try and put forth. Are these people really that oblivious to the loathsome manner in which they insist on carrying themselves in? In some cases more then likely, people do become resentful of things that are out of their reach, like for example; a genuine insight to the problems we are up against today in Indian country. Yeah they might initially start their days off with good intentions, but the but the overwhelming reality of their hypocritical lifestyles throws all those good intentions out the door at the end of their unproductive day. Then we have those that only take on things they know they have little chance at failing on. These people fear humility, rejection, confrontation, then these people give themselves a false sense of accomplishment and let these accomplishments get to their heads. They then act as if we all owe them something for playing it safe. These are the people that don't realize there is no struggle. without blood, sweat, and tears, and without struggle there is no progress. Without courage, their is no engagement of the matters that have been neglected on confronting. Without confrontation, there is no real effort or struggle to correct these matters weighing heavily on the lives on my people. So, you really need to ask yourself, are you really even one the people? Or are you just conditioned to being distracted trying to be the Indian our oppressors need you to be? Or are just your own oppressor?

Without struggle, there is no progress.

A lot of people only discuss the corruption we're up against to a degree, and when it gets too overwhelming or too much effort for them, Then they often times try to belittle those predicaments to conform them to their Willingness to confront or their understanding of these issues dynamics that are very costly on my peoples quality of life. Then we have the individuals that try to authenticate themselves through cultural and racial reasonings, teachings, or values as if that is suppose to compensate for their lack of understanding or their lack of courage and commitment to engage these issues adequately. Then these intolerant people project the most condescending, disingenuous, duplicity of the corrupt hypocritical ideals their conditioned not to see, and most time, a corruption that is ingrained into their lifestyles. Their ignorance reminds when I was younger and went to school with kids that worked their parents farm before coming into school. I admire these hard working young individuals, but the obnoxious odor of their farm work was unbearable at times, but they were oblivious to the fact their odor conflicted with the learning environment because they have become accustomed to the odor. That is until the more crass children started making fun of them for their smell. And now in the same sense, this obnoxious ignorance is conflicting with the struggles set before us here in Indian country today. A lot of these people have good hearts, or good intentions, but most times they suffer from a conceited, Self centered, delusional, bloated self worth that interferes with any attempt of intelligence or solidarity they try and put forth. Are these people really that oblivious to the loathsome manner in which they insist on carrying themselves in? In some cases more then likely, people do become resentful of things that are out of their reach, like for example; a genuine insight to the problems we are up against today in Indian country. Yeah they might initially start their days off with good intentions, but the but the overwhelming reality of their hypocritical lifestyles throws all those good intentions out the door at the end of their unproductive day. Then we have those that only take on things they know they have little chance at failing on, then these people give themselves a false sense of accomplishment and let these accomplishments get to their heads. They then act as if we all owe them something for playing it safe. These are the people that don't realize there is no struggle. without blood, sweat, and tears, and without struggle there is no progress. Without courage, their is no engagement of the matters that have been neglected on confronting. Without confrontation, there is no real effort or struggle to correct these matters weighing heavily on the lives on my people. So, you really need to ask yourself, are you really even one the people? Or are you just conditioned to be distracted trying to be the Indian our oppressors need you to be? Or are you just your own oppressor? Or a little of both?

A democracy that will meet our standards.

I'm trying to demystify our predicament here. I understand a conservative perceptive, or a traditional, fundamentally, theological, authoritarian view, which is not new in Indian country. But I'm trying to confront the vulnerability of a inadvertent, pretentious Native conservative bid to hegemony Native political based issues. If the elimination is necessary for the condition of poverty amongst Native people, it is substantive to confront it presence in order to achieve Native progress. The affirmation of our humanity, especially amongst ourselves as Native Americans, is a sufficient condition of such a progress. Such affirmation speak to existential issues of what it means to be a degraded Native person in a racist society. You need to ask yourself how do you affirm yourself without reenacting negatively to Indian stereotypes or overreacting to white supremacist ideals? The difficult and delicate quest for Native identity is integral to any talk about racial equality. Yet it is not solely a political or economic matter. The quest for Native Identity involves self-respect, and self-regard, realms inseparable from, yet not identical to, political power and economic status. The flagrant self-loathing amongst some Native working and middle class bears witness to this painful process. Unfortunately, conservative minded Natives more commonly focus on the issues of self-respect as if it were the one key that will open all doors for Native progress. Most times they illustrate the fallacy of trying to open all doors with one key: they wind up closing their eyes to all doors except the one that fits their particular key. But even the Natives that consider themselves progressive(democrat) for the most part must take up a serious quest for self-respect, even as we train our eyes on the institutional cause of Indian social misery. The issues of Native Identity -both Native self love and self contempt sit alongside Indian poverty as a reality to confront and transform. The uncritical acceptance of self-degrading ideals that call into question Native intelligence, possibility, and beauty not only compounds Native social misery but also paralyzes Native working and middle class efforts to defend broad redistributive measures. This Paralysis takes on two forms: Native bourgeois preoccupation with white peer approval and Native nationalist obsession with white racism. The first form of paralysis tends to yield a navel-gazing posture that conflates the identity crisis of the Native working middle class with the state of siege raging in the more commonly Native working poor and very poor communities. That one dimensional view obscures the need for redistributive measures that significantly affect the majority of Natives, who for the most part are working people that fell into or are on the edge of poverty by little fault of their own. The second form of paralysis precludes any meaningful coalition with white progressives because of an undeniable white racist legacy of the modern western world. The anger this truth engenders impedes any effective way of responding to the crisis in Indian country. Broad redistributive measures that will give us a say in environmental issues that effect our way of life require principled coalitions, including a multiracial alliance of like minded people.Without such measures, Indian countrys suffering will deepen. And white racism does indeed contribute to this suffering. Yet an obsession with white racism often comes at the expense of a more broad based alliance to effect social change and borders on our tribal mentalities. The more xenophobic versions of this viewpoint simply mirror the white supremacist ideals we are trying to survive by opposing and it preclude any movement towards redistributive goals. How one defines themselves influences what analytical weight one gives to the Native predicament. Any progressive discussion about the current and future of our racial equality must speak to Native poverty and Native identity.

Do you deserve to call yourself a leader?

Few have the courage to speak out publicly when there is a act of cynical tokenism used to conceal outright corruption amongst our people. We have all these mediocre leaders, often their qualifications only represent how captive they are to white racist stereotypes. Yes they might have intellectual talent, but the point I'm trying to get at is our Native leaders sometimes only entertain the possibility that the racist stereotypes may be true. Hence the attempt of those tokenizing these poor victims of circumstance to try cover these leaders mediocrity with silence. Of course there are those that privately admit the mediocrity in our leaders, but white mediocrity is not justification for Indian mediocrity what so ever. Our people are constantly victims of double standards, but a argument might be presented in defense to excuse an unqualified Natives by appealing to other unqualified white men of power. This cynical tokenism rings true of the lowest common denominator, with little to no concern for breaking the racist stereotypes or investing in the public interest of our community. This also renders qualified Indian leaders invisible who deserve serious consideration to be selected and supported by our people. How did our people get into this bind? Why did so many of them capitulate to this cynical strategy? First and foremost, these leader claim their racial authenticity, the complex relation of this claim to racial authenticity is utilized to increase their closed ranks mentality that they rely their careers on. They use the notion that America's will to invest in racial justice is weak in order to belittle relations with the white community. This allows utilization of closing ranks for survival in this racial hostile country, this rests solely on claims of racial authenticity. This is a way in which native nationalist sentiment promotes and encourages native culture conservatism, especially amongst the native patriarchal powers. The idea of Native People closing ranks against hostile white America reinforces Native male power exercised over Native women. These men act as if to protect, regulate, and subordinate in order to preserve contemporary Native social order under circumstances of white literal and symbolic attack. Most of our leaders are lost in the thicket of corruption and therefore got caught in the vulgar form of racial reasoning: Native closing ranks mentality, Native authenticity,Native subordination of Native women in interests of the Native community in this hostile white racist country are examples of this corruption. Such a line in this racial reasoning leads to question,"are these people really Native?" "Are they Native enough to be defended?" Or is this just the Native on the outside effect? Questions like this have been asked and debated; unfortunately, the very frame work of racial reasoning regulates Native thoughts and actions. As long as racial reasoning regulates Native thought and action, The constant failures of these token Native leaders will continue to haunt Indian country. Conservatives and spineless liberals sit back, watch and prosper as these tokens perform the act they have become admired for amongst these racists that have been conditioned to overlook our humanity they use to justify their entertainment and capitalize on. How does one undermine the framework of racial reasoning? By dismantling each pillar slowly and systematically. The fundamental aim of this undermining and dismantling is to replace racial reasoning with moral reasoning, to understand the Native freedom struggle not as an affair of pigmentation and racial phenotype but rather as a matter of ethical principles and wise politics we've abandoned for these IRA governments, and to combat the Native nationalist attempt to subordinate the issues and interests of our people. Therefore the failure of the nerve of Native leadership is its refusal to undermine and dismantle the framework of this racial reasoning. After centuries of racist degradation, exploitation, and oppression, being Native means being minimally subject to white supremacist abuse and being a part of a rich culture and community that has struggled against such abuse. All people with red skin and a native phenotype are subjected to potential white supremacist abuse. Therefore, all Native Americans should have some interest in resisting racism, even if their interests are confined solely to themselves as individuals rather than to a larger native community. Yet how this "interest" is defined and how individuals understand vary. Therefore any claim to Native authenticity-beyond the potential objectification to racist abuse and our heir to a grand tradition of the Native struggle, it is contingent on one's political definition of native interest and one's ethical understanding of how this interest relates to individuals and communities in and outside of indian country. In short "indian-ness" is a political and ethical construct. Appeals to native authenticity ignore this fact; such appeals hide and conceal the political and ethical dimensions of "indian-ness" This is why claims to racial authenticity trump political and ethical argument-and why racial reasoning discourages moral reasoning. Every claim to racial authenticity presupposes elaborate conceptions of political and ethical relations of interest, individuals, and communities. Racial reasoning conceals the presuppositions behind a deceptive cloak of racial consensus-yet racial reasoning is seductive because it invokes undeniable history of our racial abuse and racial struggle. But if claims to native authenticity are political and ethical conceptions of the relation of native interest, individuals, and communities, then any attempt to confine Native authenticity to native nationalist politics should warrant suspicion. Native leaders that constantly fail to highlight the problematic polices, polices that help them get appointed or elected into office that they have come to take comfort in these failures of their predecessors should concern all, especially those that vouched and voted for these individuals. The undermining and dismantling of the framework of racial reasoning- most importantly the basic notions of native authenticity, closed rank mentality, and native cultural conservatism can lead towards a new framework of Native thought and practice. This new framework should be prophetic one of moral reasoning with its fundamental ideas of a mature native identity, coalition strategy, and native cultural democracy. Instead of cathartic appeals to native authenticity, a prophetic viewpoint bases mature native self-love and self respect on the moral quality of native responses to the undeniable racist degradation in the American past and present. Prophetic framework encourages moral assessment of the variety of perspectives held by native people and selects those views based on native dignity and decency that eschews putting any group of people or culture on a pedestal or in the gutter. Instead, "Indian-ness" is understood to be either the perennial possibility of white supremacist abuse or the distinct styles and dominant modes of expression found in native culture and communities. These styles and modes are diverse-yet they do stand apart from those of other groups, even if they are shaped by and shape those of other groups. And all such styles and modes stand in need of ethical evaluation. Mature native identity results from an acknowledgment of specific native responses to racist abuse and moral assessment of these responses such that the humanity of native people does not rest on deifying or demonizing others. Instead of close ranking mentality, a prophetic framework encourages a coalition strategy that solicits genuine solidarity with those deeply committed to our struggles. This strategy is neither naive nor opportunistic; Native suspicion of whites runs deep for historical reasons. Yet there are slight antiracist traditions among whites that should not be cast aside. Unfortunately, most Native leaders remain caught in the framework of racial reasoning-even when they oppose the corruption they are exemplifying for their platform. Rarely do we see a Native leader highlight the moral content of a mature Native identity, accent the crucial role of coalition strategy in the struggle for justice, or promote the ideal of native cultural democracy. Instead, the debate is overlooked or it has evolved around glib formation of a native “role model” based on mere pigmentation, an atavistic defense of native-ness that mirrors the increasing xenophobia in American life, and circles around the silence of the ugly authoritarian practices in Indian country. Native leadership must share some of the blame. As long as native leaders remain caught in a framework of racial reasoning, they will not rise above the manipulation currently ravaging our quality of life in Indian country. Where there is no vision, the people perish; where there is no framework of moral reasoning, the people close ranks in a war of all against all. The growing gangsterization of our communities results in part from a market-driven racial reasoning that links the white house to the ghettos of our reservation. In this sense, Barrack Obama, Archie Larose, and many gangster rappers speak the same language from different social locations-where they think racial reasoning will save us. Yet there is a cloud of witnesses from afar but very connected to the struggle of our people. The many anonymous others who champion the struggles for freedom and justice in a prophetic framework of moral reasoning. It is we who understand the pitfalls of racial reasoning that are very costly to the mind, body, and spirit of our people-especially for the downtrodden and despised people like us Native Americans. The best of our leadership needs to recognize the valuable truth-and more must do so very soon if Leech Lake is to survive with any moral sense.

Native Americans need to be considered when Redistricting Occurs

This is in response to the article in the Bemidji pioneer on the independent panel on redistricting. Amongst the who’s who of Minnesota’s political past, there wasn’t one member of this “panel” that consisted of any tribal leaders or members to provide a representation or insight of our presence and our concerns here in Minnesota (mainly northern Minnesota) what so ever. Once again we are subjected to inconsideration and refused a seat at the decision-making tables that might open doors for us to regain a voice in matters that concern the policies that effect our natural resources and the Minnesota environment, which we have right to by treaty of law. By discretely disenfranchising our communities, we, as Native Americans do not have an equal opportunity to be elected to local offices, Congress, or the Minnesota House and Senate Districts.
The right to effectively participate in the political process was never negotiated as part of the Treaties that enabled the stealing and exploitation of our native land. I think the moral, conscious decision these ‘High-powered officials’ could make is to designate a Congressional District, State House seats and State Senate Districts that include Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth Indian reservations that will enable the Anishinaabeg Nations to take our rightful place amongst the decision makers of our state as part of the redistricting process. When will we have the democracy that meets our standards as well as those we helped and enabled to thrive here? When will our leaders stand up and fight for the equality their people deserve?

Uprise Minnesota?

We who are frustrated with deceit should all distrust the authoritarian rule of this IRA government polluting our tribal interests. With these corrupt casinos we have limited economic prospects, we're too politically emasculated to press for the change we need for our children. Why are our people allowing themselves to be intimidated into stagnant oppression? We need a positive outlet to demonstrate our dissent with this current diluted value system that has become a formative element in dispossessing our people. Do you want to remain as the silent, moderate majority that is contributing to our constant social, economic, and political decline? We need a de facto opposition to reign in new models for the type of leaders our people deserve, not these 'sit around the fort' indians that take comfort in this broken system that they entrust their self centered aspiration towards. We need to reveal to those that think they are weak and its meaningless to stand-up how much power they actually have. We have the power to demonstrate the type of activism that WILL change the entire system, it is our generation that will put a end to this oppression and abuse that is handed down to us by way of our corrupt tribal leaders. Our tenacity will yield change if we call upon that energy that is within our blood that is attributed to our ancestors resiliency. As our tribal governments refuse to intervene in the mistreatment of our people, they greedily cling to their power ignoring the justice our people yearn for. It is time for all of our people who suffer from oppression in one way or another to reconcile and become more efficient and productive in confronting this treachery that only promises to victimize our children. We must brush aside the failed policies of our elders. They refuse to help us find the answers we need because they are stuck in their ways, we need a new vision, new energy to achieve what our children need, not what our stubborn, corrupted elders refuse to give us. We need this movement to be for our youth and the next generations and them alone, we need to recalibrate polices that have our children interests in mind. The state of Minnesota, under the direct advisement of the united states enables our tribal oppressors. The state is aware of the injustices it encourages upon our people, yet they continue to show support for these corrupt, greedy, tribal leaders. When are our leaders going to be concerned of the needs and aspirations of our young people that are calling for change? We need to crumble this old order so new relationships will be formed that will strengthen our hope and opportunities for our people. We don't need the U.S. on our side to get what we need, the protests in the middle east and north Africa is proof of that. I believe it is our duty, in solidarity to honor those that were killed in the uprisings in the middle east and north Africa that are seeking the same sense of freedom we are refused as well.

STAND UP!

Well fine.... But what if the revolution is going on right outside YOUR door?! Because it is you that finds comfort in oppression. It is you who takes advantage of your people's(maybe even your own families) disadvantage! When are you people going to wake up! But not even for your selfish selves? But for your children? Can't you see them pulling the strings on your leaders? Can'tyou see your children drowning in their greedy interest? DO YOU EVEN CARE?! Wake the fuck up! That goes for all of you 'playing along with their agenda to exploit us' Because 'we the people' do not appreciate you enjoying yourselves to our misery, we do not appreciate YOU squandering MY children's chances of a productive life. Quit sedating yourselves with lies, propaganda, and religious controversy. Wake the fuck up to the revolution!

Constantly disappointed

Jealousy and envy provoke most men to proclaim some pretty bold bullshit. Simple minded charlatans that delude the struggles of our people with their weak minded over-exaggeration of their own under developer spiritual comprehension in attempts to undermined the reality of our predicaments of those that are yet unaware of these individuals lack of mental capacity pisses me off. They utilize their spiritually to distract people from their stupidity, immaturity and and selfishness. These people are just as much a opponent of ever constructively finding progressive enduring solutions for our people that they try to pathetically discredit because their too lazy or obtuse to put effective effort forth, so they demonize and give in to their ignorance proclaiming their feeble spiritual authority over matters they are not in any way or form entitled to suppress with their inadequate stance or lack of genuine concern on matters they try to pontificate their opinion of. When threatened they revert to their unwarranted claims of enlightenment that are deluded in their self centered ideals that they try to defend with their selfish aspiration to power or prestige with. These peoples discursive opinion will often not match reality, their perspectives and living are ephemeral and temporary. Their emotions always interfere with the truth, it's hard to say whether or not that we should act based upon these dirty truths that some men can simply just not handle. I was lucky enough to be raised and perpetuated the notion that accepting any form of limit was a weak act of resignation. No matter how deep we penetrate any issue, or what we do to improve ourselves, our environments, our existence, there will always be an infinite number of steps before us. The process is one that never ends, yet these charlatans try to purloin the struggles of our people by trying to grasp the reigns of our struggle in their weak hands(or weak mind/spirit). They reject the known and try to be free from the known. Ignorance is a bliss because Knowing about the dynamic of the oppressive infrastructure is frustrating, so some will preserve their sense of bliss by not knowing anything about politics. Why do you think little children are happier than older children and adults? because they don't know all of the troubles of the world. This is also very true for many so called adults that spew claims of responsibility and accountability, ignorance frees them from worry. If you don't have knowledge of something that could be bad you have no reason to concern yourself of it and that presents the state of ignorance. Inconsideration is the general existential flaw, for remaining ignorant is lazy and selfish. Misery is contagious, knowing your place in society goes a long way towards creating a pleasant existence for all. Life is about Balance, some of us will keep analyzing almost every thing we stumble upon trying to rationalize or link it to logic in which will provide others with the balance we attained by letting go of everything preventing us progress and embracing everything that is at our disposal to overcome our misery as oppressed people regardless of what these charlatans want to believe or not. We need to celebrate our survival by continuing on in the persistent nature our ancestors struggled forward. We shouldn't use our ancestors as excuse for not finding solutions for our children. We should be focusing our energies on the problems we face today instead of stirring up negative emotions of the pains our ancestors carried all the while trying to uphold bias notions of our inept perspective of what we know little of pertaining to how our ancestors would thrive in todays world that is drowning out our memory of their teachings. Many will misconstrue the teaching that our ancestor blessed us with to conform to their own pitiful down falls they constantly fail to confront because they lack the virtue to do so. These charlatans selfishly romanticize our culture into a corny or corrupt insignificance which distracts others from every finding enduring solutions for the reality of our problems within our community. Drunk off their own delusion of grander they stumble about trying to sturdy themselves on other that have the conscious forth right ability to stand. Selfishly pulling others to the ground with them because their legs are not yet strong enough to support the burden of the truth they constantly try to run and hide from, they are incapacitated by their ignorance. And all the while claiming their sponsored by the spirits of our ancestors? The nerve of some of these out of touch men trying to compromise our struggles astounds me. We all have gifts that were given to us to share with our people, we have to free ourselves from ignorance, hatred, jealousy, envy, greed, deceit, and haughtiness. These teachings are not our way, these teaching have lead our communities into an chaotic era of uncertainty. The teachings of our people will provide us with direction once again, but only if we find the courage to conjoin them with other teaching that were not available to our ancestor to assist them in preventing the horrific tragedies that befell them. Today we have much medicine(knowledge) to combat the various disease society infects our people with. We must use this medicine to heal our people so we can be strong in our ways once again. Because our direction has shifted, but we still have those following a selfish path that they are too hypocritically blind to admit their marching to their demise on and their trying to urge others to follow this path to no-where. These people to are my enemies, because if they want to try to stand in the way of the solutions my children require by utilizing theological ignorance, then we have a problem.

To Ojibwe or to not to Ojibwe.

Nobody is an authority on being Ojibwe, and if there is someone that claims this, they are in need of mental help because they are delusional. There isn't much difference between narrow minded republicans that refuse to adhere to facts of science or the law of nature because they tailor make truths to validate what the bible says they can and can't do compared to the stubborn obsolete authoritarian views some of our so-called spiritual leaders who pontificate to those that are vulnerable to the racial reasoning they ignorantly find comfort in. Theology is dangerous to any form of government, including tribal governments. Our leaders must transcend the racial reasoning our ancestors were taken advantage of under to critique the system that is victimizing all that have failed to prosper under oppression. I say this because so many Ojibwe culture elitist usually undermined anybody else's opinion that has the courage to look for solutions outside of the strict influence of the cultural/racial reasoning they have invested themselves to. I can see how they would be threatened by anyone attacking Problems of Ojibwe people from a wider plectrum of influence, but it's nothing more Then disappointing when these highly educated scholars of our culture ignorantly refuse to acknowledge anyone else's opinion in finding solutions. Yes we have some valuable elders to learn from but these elders most times don't give their effort to realistically solving our problems we face as Ojibwe people. Some times we just can't let go and have faith the manidous will take care of everything, if that was the case then everything would work out the way we wanted them to. If anything, these manidous our ancestors relied on abandoned us along time ago, why? Because today we are very disappointing as Ojibwe people, there is little to no reason for these manidous to rejoice and assist in our happiness as a tribe, because for the most part, we are no longer a tribal people. Some will say 'we are pitiful' and then allow this pity to become their excuse for their shiftlessness and lack of concern of real issues. I personally do not subscribe to any religion not even the religion of my people, yet I do carry some of those beliefs and teachings as well as other teachings of various other religions. Does this make me more or less Ojibwe, I don't feel any less Ojibwe then anyone that dedicates themselves to the lodge or the language. I guess what I'm getting at is there are people that use our heritage as an excuse, I live by the teachings my ancestors laid down for us to live by and some of these people that try to live anishinaabe just don't think anishinaabe.

Too many 'Indians,' not enough chiefs

Leaders today of Indian Country rarely respond to the needs of the people. Most times, they catapult themselves to the forefront of situations to gain audience with those that they seek to allow utilization of themselves to undermined and exploit our situations for their own personal gain. Most of these so-called, 'leaders' are more concerned of conforming with the broken, insensitive, inadequate government system rather then confronting it to improve or repair quality of life for our people. Most of those that have aspirations of leadership tend to nurture their leadership skills under the strict influence of colonization, and assimilation to the capitalist market culture devouring humanity here and abroad. Leaders of our people today, lack the bold and defiant energy that is accredited to preserving our communities and way of life. Today we haven't anyone that deserves to be considered a leader in regards of the survival and prosperity we are pursuing as indigenous people. We have too many false leaders that are appointed positions of power under the guise of compassion for the less fortunate that in reality uses the less fortunate as their means to rise to opportunity. These so-called, 'leaders' are just examples of how this broken system works for those who are willing to sacrifice and compromise dignity, integrity and compassion in the name of personal advancement. So I have concluded the term, "Indian Leader" as overrated, it has been distorted and debased under the control of these traitors that constantly betray the needs of our people. Today our leaders are but mere tokens to the systematic, disenfranchising establishments that are intended to victimize our people. Those that are brave enough to confront this treachery amongst our leaders are undermined, condemned, demonized, and belittled because we directly threaten to expose these so-called, 'leaders' and their cohorts that are enjoying themselves at the expense of our misery. White men of position that utilizes these Indian leaders to the means of their financial stability or advancement in their political careers that find ways to make our predicaments economically viable are fully aware of the vulnerability they encourage and delude our so-called leaders with. Many organizations are established to undermined the reality of our situation and deprive us of solutions that will remedy our predicaments that they have utilized to justify funding or sponsorship of their intended programs. These people require us to be discriminated and impoverished, dysfunctional and directionless so they can bring home a pay check and own a false sense of accomplishment that they don't deserve. Not only do they ineffectively confront situations, but they obviously mishandle and misappropriate attention of these matters purposely in the name of funding. These inept people believe they are obligated to confront our predicaments without having genuine insight or understanding to our situations. The disappearance of genuine public dialogue is a testimony to the painfully distressing lack of engagement on our lack of genuine leadership. Not only is it intellectually debilitating, but it is morally dis-empowering to witness pretentious individuals and Organizations reduce my people's attempts to rise out of despair disappear at the hands of their intentions, which in my opinion are not entirely good. Realization of this treachery boils rage within me, but I channel that rage towards my desire to liberate my people from the emasculating bondage these individuals enjoy themselves to. For my rage is primarily fueled by the love for my people, and this love is neither an abstract nor ephemeral. Rather, it is solid to the connection to the degraded and discriminated people. A people that need immediate conversion from the path these leaders are misleading us down.

This isn't politics. This is tactic.

There is little to no democratic accountability in many organizations that are founded to meet the racial predicaments of our area. Most of these organizations leaders/figureheads are rarely a product of struggle or resistance, rarely are they genuinely concerned of the urgent conditions of our community. Most are too concerned of status or acceptance to be bold or defiant, for those leaders or figureheads of Ojibwe background that transcended the conditions of our people, they tend to routinely reach out more to the white constituency rather then those they have been charged to serve or have taken up on their own accord to finding equality and justice for. These individuals carry themselves in a pretentious sense of sophisticated vocation, yet they use their race to authenticate their inept or invalid opinion of the struggles they have socially and economically distanced themselves from. The cynical tokenism they subject themselves to is then used to conceal the reality of any and all situations they are cast upon. Any claim to Indigenous authenticity is a construct that ignores the facts, racial authenticity then assumes this elaborate concept of moral and ethical relation to the interest of individuals and communities victimized by racism and discrimination. Some of these individuals rely on a authoritarian sensibility of cultural conservatism they utilize by racial reasoning as means to promote their authenticity, yet they will compromise these supposed values at the drop of a dime to appease those they selfishly wish to seek audience with. The flowery rhetoric of these 'authentic' individuals most time successfully moves them into office or positions that overshadows the reality of the racism they have allowed themselves to then become apart of. The indoctrinated discrimination within our lethargic electoral system must be shaken to its core then if we are to ever overcome racism. We must organize and utilize the electorate as a means to raise our people out of discrimination and poverty, we must enlighten and uplift our people to the forefront of our despair. We must give back the voices of those that have been oppressed into silence. We can only remedied the lack of genuine leadership if only we can confront it, we must grasp the disfiguring dynamics that has devastated Indian country into this morally underdeveloped wasteland that has been used to justify discrimination for far too long. With serious strategic and tactical thinking we can create new models of leadership. These new leaders must not only confront the silence of our current corrupt Indian leaders, but we must also question the iconic figures of the past. In looking in all direction to those that have triumphed over oppression, because we are not alone when it comes to discrimination. We must hold on to our heritage, because that is what dignifies us in this multicultural society we are all subject to. We must transcend race to criticize the power that be, including the Indian component of the establishment. We must put forward a ideal fundamental social change for all who suffer from injustice and inequality. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Blurred Visions.

Racism will thrive and encourage our cultural decay as long as we as native people allow the double standards and the paralyzing conceit of white supremacy to dominate the social Framework of our communities here in 'Ojibwe country'. Bemidji is the pinnacle of racism here in northern minnesota, here where the dominant narrow minded views of the conservatives renders our social misery invisible and unworthy of public attention. Their obnoxiously overt racism has become too obvious and vulnerable to attack, so they are forced to become more covert with their discrimination. Here where liberals integrate only those of us they deem to well behaved enough to be accepted and acknowledged by their exclusive and most times executive social circles. These liberals then believe they can relieve their guilty conscious by supporting overrated and misappropriated public programs that devalue any significancy to solutions they are too weak willed to confront with decency that they allow to be suppressed by their deluded criticism they subject my people to. The problems of Indian people should not be the focal point of discussion, it should be the historic flaws that our society has allowed itself to be nurtured of. Our burden to assimilate ourselves into American society is met with extreme insensitivity, resistance of accepting the humanity of my people has become a paradigm. Classism has encouraged division in Indian country, where working class Indians are considered wealthy in comparison to the poverty most Indians are subjected to. This most times results in a very uncompassionate Attitude towards ones fellowman who is overwhelmingly victimized by the rigors of discrimination. Ones success should not validate intolerance of any kind towards disparity, economic dimensions are disregarded as well in the eyes of racism. So those of my people that think their 'too good' to endure discrimination and prejudice give themselves this false sense of security, they then in turn obliviously make themselves vulnerable to the infectious ignorances that ravages the social image of our people simply because of the color of our skin. The apartheid of reservation life should not dictate our value in society, the drug invasion has turned our once proud tribal communities into ghettos. Yet our personal integrity, and self respect should not be held captive by the reciprocating discrimination that our white counterpart has failed to take accountability for. Each and everyone of us are a testimony to the resiliency of our ancestors, yes some of them were debilitated by the overwhelming disempowerment to effectively confront our oppressors. But we today have the tools at our disposal to overcome systematic institutionalized racism, we can honor those ancestors by providing our children with the equality and justice they died pursuing.