Just Some Stuff

Guided by The Hand That Holds You

Crow's World Speaks — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:17:54 GMT

Pencils, we just used them to write with ! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. A Pencil Maker told the Pencil 5 Important Lessons : 1.) Everything You Do Will Always Leave A Mark. 2.) You Can Always Correct The Mistakes You Make. 3.) What Is Important Is What Is Inside Of You. 4.) In Life , You Will Undergo Painful Sharpenings, Which Will Make You A Better Person. 5.) To Be The Best Pencil, You Must Allow Yourself To Be Held And Guided By The Hand That Holds You.

Upset Wife

Crow's World Speaks — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:38:24 GMT

She came home early and found her husband in their bedroom making Love to a very attractive young woman. The wife was VERY upset! 'You are a disrespectful pig!' she cried. 'How dare you do this to Me a faithful wife, the mother of your children! I'm leaving you. I want a divorce straight away!' And he replied: 'Hang on just a minute luv, so at least I can tell you what happened. 'Fine, go ahead', she sobbed, 'but they'll be the last words you'll say to me!' And he began: 'Well, I was getting into the car to drive home and this young Lady here asked me for a lift. She looked so down and out and Defenceless that I took pity on her and let her into the car. I noticed that she was very thin, not well dressed and very dirty. She told me that she hadn't eaten for three days! So, in my compassion, I brought her home and warmed up the enchiladas I made for you last night, the ones you wouldn't eat because you're afraid you'll put on weight. The poor thing devoured them in moments. Since she needed a good clean-up I suggested a shower and while She was doing that I noticed her clothes were dirty and full of holes so I Threw them away. Then, as she needed clothes, I gave her the designer jeans that you have had for a few years, but don't wear because you say they are too tight. I also gave her the underwear that was your anniversary present, which you don't wear because I don't have good taste. I found the sexy blouse my sister gave you for Christmas that you don't wear just to annoy her and I also donated those boots you bought at the expensive boutique and don't wear because someone at work has a pair like them..' He took a quick breath and continued: 'She was so grateful for my understanding and help and as I walked Her to the door she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said 'Please.........do you have anything else that your wife doesn't use?''

Berlin, Germany

Crow's World Speaks — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:07:38 GMT

I am going to a special Manifestion in November to Berlin, Germany. 20 years ago was the fall of the Wall. My son is performing with other musicians there. I am greatly honored to see him there, I am traveling along in the same Touring Coach with my son and many of the musician as well. This is a very proud event and moment for me and for many that will attend the ceremony. Its also about freedom and wars must end. The spirits among us are in need for Freedom and Peace as many before us have tried.

Grounding Oursleves

Crow's World Speaks — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:21:36 GMT

February 21, 2008 Daily Om Being A Strong Container Grounding Oursleves We often hear people telling us to ground ourselves, but we may not be sure what that means, and how we might do it. Grounding ourselves is a way of bringing ourselves literally back to earth. Some of us are more prone than others to essentially leaving our bodies to and not being firmly rooted in our bodies. There’s nothing terribly wrong with this, but while we are living on the earth plane, it is best to stay grounded in our body. One of the easiest ways to ground ourselves is to bring our attention to our breath as it enters and leaves our bodies. After about ten breaths, we will probably find that we feel much more connected to our physical selves. We might then bring our awareness to the sensations in our bodies, moving from our head down to our feet, exploring and inquiring. Just a few minutes of this can bring us home to bodies and to the earth, and this is what it means to ground ourselves. We can go further by imagining that we have roots growing out of the bottoms of our feet connecting us to the earth. The roots flow with us so we can we always move, but at the same time, they keep us grounded. We receive powerful energy from the earth, just as we do from the forms of energy we associate with the sky, and our body is a tool that brings these two energies together in a sacred union. When we are grounded, we essentially become a strong container in which our spirits can safely and productively dwell. This is why grounding ourselves everyday, especially at the beginning of the day, is such a beneficial practice. Fortunately, it’s as simple as bringing our conscious awareness to our bodies and the earth on which we walk.

Scary Incident

Crow's World Speaks — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:33:23 GMT

I´m going through some weird times. Days are various and I don´t know why I get up from my nest.. I´m basically a happy person. I had to be at the hospital for an appointment at another hospital than my usual choice a few days ago of the advice of my MD. Anyway my husband drove me early but we had do some errands before we got to the hospital. Traveling by car out of the town we come from, driving into the next town stopped for a traffic light to wait for it to turn green. We drove off passing a gas station thereafter proceeding towards a round about. Just before we drove towards the round about we noticed there were 2 cars the had bumped into each other. The driver of the car had hit the car from behind. It look like fender damage. Both drivers parked away from the road to wait for the police to arrive. My husband took the turn on the round about suddenly the car was out of control, we in the car were helpless the car slipped and made an uncontrolable spin, I held on my seat, we both had our seat belts on. I closed my eyes and pictured only the white in them. My husband held on the steering wheel. The car kept making strange spinning, I was scared we were going to flip over. My husband turned the steering wheel to avoid us going to tip over or hitting a passing car, had to be quick. Time was trying put me / us to our end. Drove away safely looked for a place to stop to have some coffee at a nearby shop for the shock. Afterwards went to the shopping before I was to be at the hospital. Finally got to the hospital to see a Doctor / Surgeon, I´m going to be operated. It was to be expected. We did arrive home safely like nothing never happened. Its an experience I don´t wish to repeat.

Life

Crow's World Speaks — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:18:01 GMT

September 25, 2009 Daily Om Your Perfect Teacher Life Many of us long to find a spiritual teacher or guru. We may feel unsure of how to practice our spirituality without one, or we may long for someone who has attained a higher level of insight to lead the way for us. Some of us have been looking for years to no avail and feel frustrated and even lost. The good news is that the greatest teacher you could ever want is always with you—that is your life. The people and situations we encounter every day have much to teach us when we are open to receiving their wisdom. Often we don’t recognize our teachers because they may not look or act like our idea of a guru, yet they may embody great wisdom. In addition, some people teach us by showing us what we don’t want to do. All the situations in our lives, from the insignificant to the major, conspire to teach us exactly what we need to be learning at any given time. Patience, compassion, perseverance, honesty, letting go—all these are covered in the classroom of the teacher that is your life. We can help ourselves to remember this perfect teacher each day with a few simple words. Each morning we might find a moment to say, "I acknowledge and honor the teacher that is my life. May I be wise enough to recognize the teachers and lessons that I encounter today, and may I be open to receiving their wisdom." We might also take some time each day to consider what our lives are trying to teach us at this time. A difficult phase in your relationship with your child may be teaching you to let go. The homeless person you see every day may be showing you the boundaries of your compassion and generosity. A spate of lost items may be asking you to be more present to physical reality. Trust your intuition on the nature of the lesson at hand, work at your own pace, and ask as many questions as you want. Your life has all the answers.

Choose Your Words

Crow's World Speaks — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:06:24 GMT

September 3, 2009 Daily Om Choose Your Words Failure The word failure puts forward a very simplistic way of thinking that allows for only two possibilities: failure or success. Few things in the universe are black and white, yet much of our language reads as if they are. The word failure signifies a paradigm in which all subtlety is lost. When we regard something we have done, or ourselves, as a failure, we lose our ability to see the truth, which is no doubt considerably more complex. In addition, we hurt ourselves. All you have to do is speak or read the word failure and see how it makes you feel. At some point, the word may not have been so loaded with the weight of negativity, and it simply referred to something that did not go according to plan. Unfortunately, in our culture it is often used very negatively, such as when a person is labeled a failure, even though it is impossible for something as vast and subtle as a human being to be reduced in such a way. It also acts as a deterrent, scaring us from taking risks for fear of failure. It has somehow come to represent the worst possible outcome. Failure is a word so burdened with fearful and unconscious energy that we can all benefit from consciously examining our use of it, because the language we use influences the way we think and feel. Next time you feel like a failure or fear failure, know that you are under the influence of an outmoded way of perceiving the world. When the world failure comes up, it’s a call for us to apply a more enlightened consciousness to the matter at hand. When you are consciously aware of the word and its baggage you will not fall victim to its darkness. In your own use of language, you may choose to stop using the word failure altogether. This might encourage you to articulate more clearly the truth of the situation, opening your mind to subtleties and possibilities the word failure would never have allowed.

Seasons

Crow's World Speaks — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:36:58 GMT

Its been an amazing summer. All kinds of experiences happen. I am flushed with sunshine, yelling kids in the neighborhood, anything that could bring us outdoors. Its almost Autumn....time for renewal.... Death comes in strange ways. We can adjust at what our future can hold for us. The leafs fall off the trees, shedding for a new life. I wish for so many things. But at times the unexpected stops before us. It knocks you out of place and you pick yourself up again, in all season. The trees of the seasons tell our story as we walk our path.

People Who Don't Get It

Crow's World Speaks — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:44:09 GMT

August 24, 2009 Daily Om Living with It People Who Don't Get It You may be someone who understands the true nature of reality, perceiving deeply that we all emanate from the same source, that we are all essentially one, and that we are here on earth to love one another. To understand this is to be awakened to the true nature of the self, and it is a blessing. Nevertheless, people who just don’t get it are seemingly everywhere and, often, in positions of power. It can be frustrating and painful to watch them behave unconsciously. We all encounter individuals of this bent in our families, at work, and in all areas of public life. It is easy to find ourselves feeling intolerant of these people, wishing we could be free of them even though we know that separation from them is an illusion. It helps sometimes to think of us all as different parts of one psyche. Just as within our own hearts and minds we have dark places that need healing, the heart and mind of the world has its dark places. The health of the whole organism depends upon the relative health of the individuals within it. We increase harmony when we hold onto the light, not allowing it to be darkened by judgment, anger, and fear about those who behave unconsciously. It’s easier to accomplish this if we don’t focus on the negative qualities of individuals and instead focus on how increasing our own light will increase the light of the overall picture. When dealing with people who seem very unconscious, it helps to remember that every one must find their own way to awakening and that the experiences they are having are an essential part of their process. Holding them in the light of our own energy may be the best way to awaken theirs. At the same time, we are inspired by their example to look within and shed light on our own unconscious places, sacrificing the urge to judge and surrendering instead to humble self-inquiry.

Understanding All Sides

Crow's World Speaks — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:58:30 GMT

Owning Your Tendencies Understanding All Sides July 31, 2009 Daily Om Whenever we examine our lives, we examine them from a particular side or angle. Most of us tend to favor one side over the others. For example, we may tend to look at things from an emotional perspective rather than a financial perspective, or we may prefer to think in terms of details rather than the big picture, or vice versa. To a certain degree, this is not a problem, and these tendencies add color to our individual personalities. However, they can also make us one-sided, blind to the many other ways of looking at our situation. Even if we have decided that we are most happy when we focus on one particular side of things, it is always worth exploring the other sides. When we do, we become well rounded, more understanding of other viewpoints, and even more solid in our own. Perhaps you are a person who tends to see your life in terms of your spiritual well-being. As a result, other concerns such as financial comfort or social standing may not be prominent in your mind as you make decisions. However, taking just a moment to consider those angles will help you in several ways. One, it will enable you to see more clearly what your priorities are and how they influence your life situation. Two, it will enhance your sense of confidence, because you will see your situation from all sides, even as you choose one. And three, it will help you communicate with others about who you are and what you are doing, because you will come from a place of understanding that your own biases and tendencies are unique as are theirs. Most of us instinctively come at things from a particular angle, and in many cases this is the right way for us. Still, understanding the other angles only strengthens us. When we look at our lives from all sides, we shed light on the big picture, giving ourselves access to many points of view and highlighting more clearly the one we have chosen to take.

I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM

Crow's World Speaks — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:19:21 GMT

Childbirth at 65 With all the new technology regarding fertility recently, a 65-year-old friend of mine was able to give birth. When she was discharged from the hospital and went home, I went to visit. 'May I see the new baby?' I asked 'Not yet,' She said 'I'll make coffee and we can chat for a while first.' Thirty minutes had passed, and I asked, 'May I see the new baby now?' 'No, not yet,' She said. After another few minutes had elapsed, I asked again, 'May I see the baby now?' 'No, not yet,' replied my friend. Growing very impatient, I asked, 'Well, when can I see the baby?' 'WHEN HE CRIES!' she told me. 'WHEN HE CRIES?' I demanded. 'Why do I have to wait until he CRIES?' 'BECAUSE I FORGOT WHERE I PUT HIM, O.K.?!!

Important Women's Health Issue

Crow's World Speaks — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:58:26 GMT

Important Women's Health Issue Do you have feelings of inadequacy? Do you suffer from shyness? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas. Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas. Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include: Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration Erotic lustfulness Loss of motor control Loss of clothing Loss of money Loss of virginity Table dancing Headache Dehydration Dry mouth And a desire to sing Karaoke WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing. WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas. Thank you.

Running Strong for American Indian Youth Needs Runners

Crow's World Speaks — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:23:12 GMT

Running Strong for American Indian Youth Needs Runners Greetings! Have you ever wanted to meet Billy Mills, run a marathon, and make a difference? You can, as part of Team Running Strong! Run in the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 25, 2009 as part of our team! General registration for the race has sold out! But, Team Running Strong still has a few available spots! Team Running Strong is the only group in this Marathon running for American Indian Youth. It can help you cross the finish line! Hear Billy's inspiring message at a unique team honoring ceremony. Be a part of the only team making a difference for American Indian kids. These children grow up knowing poverty and hunger. Be a hero to American Indian kids with your marathon effort! You can do it and we'll help you. Don't forget, you have to register by August 30! For more information, email us [mailto:marathon@indianyouth.org] or call 1-888-491-9859 today. Running Strong for American Indian Youth www.indianyouth.org

Birthday Wishes

Crow's World Speaks — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:37:55 GMT

Today Thursday 25th of June is my son Richard's birthday, he is 28 years old. Richard is my favorite music in my heart.

Hiawatha Insane Asylum Canton, South Dakota

Crow's World Speaks — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:10:35 GMT

Hiawatha Insane Asylum Canton, South Dakota >From the announcement for the Tenth Annual Memorial Prayer Ceremony in Canton in 1998: "In 1898, Congress passed a bill creating the first and only Institution for insane Indians in the United States. The doors of the asylum, located just over the Nebraska border in Canton, South Dakota, were first opened for the reception of patients in January 1903. Department of Interior investigators revealed that during the time the asylum housed patients, many died because they were denied medical care. According to Harold Iron Shield, founder of the Native American Reburial Restoration Committee, patients were "traditional spiritual people or teenagers who misbehaved or people the Indian Agent didn't like." A 1933 investigation conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs determined that "a large number" of patients showed no signs of mental illness. Land was set aside for a cemetery, but the Indian Office decided that stone markers for graves would be an unwarranted expense. Today, the cemetery (121 names) is located in the middle of a golf course in Canton. No one knows the cause of death of the incarcerated or why they were even at the asylum. The National Park Service has recently added the cemetery to the National Register of Historic Places." -courtesy Historic Asylums A Haunting Legacy Canton Insane Asylum for American Indians By Elizabeth Stawicki December 9, 1997 A page is missing from most history books - the story of the federal government's Canton Insane Asylum for American Indians. Located in the tiny town of Canton, South Dakota, it was the first and only federal asylum created solely for American Indians. During its 32 years, it would house more than 350 Indians from tribes throughout North America. The Indian affairs commissioner under President Roosevelt called reports of the asylum "reminiscent of the terrible indictments Charles Dickens leveled against English poorhouses and schools." Documents show some who were confined at Canton had no mental illness at all but were confined there because they fought with a white man or an agency. CLOUDS LOOM LARGE LIKE PHANTOMS over South Dakota's flatland. In the state's southeastern corner: the town of Canton, population 2800. On the town's east end golfers play the city's Hiawatha course. This course contains 121 graves clustered between the fourth and fifth fairways. These graves hold the remains of Indians who died in the federal government's Canton insane asylum. Just how these men, women, and children buried here lived and died at Canton remains a mystery. What does remain of their lives is listed on a beige stone on the burial ground's west side. That stone holds a dark plaque which lists their names and dates of death. Clara Christopher worked at the asylum since its inception. In 1979 when she was 91, a graduate student recorded Christopher's memories of the asylum. Christopher: The first patient in...what was that? what month was that? the first patient that arrived, I remember, was on the first of December in 19-2. Christopher worked at the Canton asylum for 25 years in a variety of jobs ranging from cook to head of supplies. She remembered new patients: Christopher: Some would see that sign "asylum" and it hurt 'em; some were heartbroken. I always felt for em. I felt for them as I would anyone. I could never stand to see them someplace and hold my ears so I couldn't hear 'em. Sometimes you know out on the reservation they had something against an Indian, and he was vicious or something like that, and they'd scribe "insane." The bulk of information about the asylum's operation, patients, and staff comes from the writings of Dr. Samuel Silk - Clinical Director at then the country's premier psychiatric hospital, St. Elizabeth's in Washington, DC. Silk inspected the Canton asylum in 1929 and filed a report: Silk report: Three patients were found padlocked in rooms. One was sick in bed, supposed to be suffering from a brain tumor, being bedridden and helpless...a boy about 10 years of age was in a strait jacket lying in his bed...one patient who had been in the hospital six years was padlocked in a room and, according to the attendant, had been secluded in this room for nearly three years. 32-year-old Frank Hart is a living link to the asylum's history. While researching his family tree he discovered his great grandfather had been held at the Canton asylum. Hart, an Ojibwe who lives in Calgary, Alberta sifts through a small file he's collected about his family; all that remains of his great-grandfather's life are a few government documents. Hart says his great grandfather Marcus served on the Red Lake Tribal Council of the Minnesota Ojibwe: Hart : His Indian name was (Missee-way-guh-noo) which means "like a war eagle flying all over the place in the sky." He was a leader, he was a warrior and he was a good man. He'd tell you just how it is right to your face and doesn't care how it's going to affect you but he wouldn't lie to you. Federal records show a Red Lake Reservation superintendent committed Hart to the Canton asylum after he showed symptoms of senile psychosis during a hospital stay. The records indicate Hart was a heavy drinker who one night lay down in a fire and suffered second- and third-degree burns. Frank Hart says his relatives have never talked to him about alcoholism and his great-grandfather. Records show Indians such as Marcus Hart were stripped of their Indian identities upon arrival at the Canton asylum. authorities would have spoken to him in a language he would've struggled to understand. Hart would've gone from the open woods of northern Minnesota to being locked in a ward where sealed windows held in the stench of un-emptied chamberpots filled with human waste. At night, the only light flickered from an attendant's lantern passing occasionally on rounds. Golfer Arne Lunder is one of the asylum's last living witnesses. He's lived in Canton for 84 years. Today he plays the course's sixth hole. To his left is the Indian burial ground. He remembers accompanying his mother on visits there. Lunder: The women were all in the front laying around on the grass out in front there. One of the head nurses came out and said "Bring her back in." She was laying on a blanket so they took one on each corner (he laughs) and drug her up the steps. It really impressed me; I thought it was kinda cruel. Even for its time, the asylum did not meet minimum standards required of an institution treating the mentally ill. Gerald Grob, a professor of history and medicine at Rutgers University is a leading authority on the history of US mental health policy. Grob: What you had here was an institution you could only define as deviant. It wasn't doing what a lot of other hospitals if you go through state's records, the person running it had no contact with psychiatry. During a subsequent investigation, St. Elizabeth's Dr. Silk concluded many of the Indians confined at Canton were locked up because they had clashed with white men, a school or an agency - not because they were mentally ill. Silk's report: Would not the United States, if it could be held liable at all, be liable in these cases for enormous damages? The records of the asylum itself show them to be perfectly sane. They are known to be perfectly sane, to the director of the asylum Dr. Hummer. But he assumed the position that these people were below normal - mentally deficient - and they should only be discharged after they were sterilized, and as he did not have any means of doing this, there was nothing left but to keep them there. Canton staff restrained many asylum patients in metal wristlets, camisoles, and shackles with iron chains. Silk noted that one girl who suffered from epilepsy miraculously escaped severe burns even though she was chained near a hot water pipe during her seizures. University of South Dakota history professor Herbert Hoover says the creation of the asylum most likely grew out of an ignorance of Indian culture; not an organized plot designed to confine sane Indians. Hoover: The great fault was not in investigating how native Americans dealt with insanity prior to the arrival of whites. So we took western European strategies of dealing with insanity. It really was a well intentioned desire to accomplish cultural imperialism without killing Indian people. And this was a part of it. The Canton asylum was created in 1902, a time when the United States' official Indian policy was assimilation. Hoover's University of South Dakota colleague Leonard Bruguier says whatever the intent behind the asylum, it was a convenient tool for reservation agents. Bruguier is a member of the Yankton Sioux and director of the Institute of American Indian studies at the University of South Dakota. Bruguier: So in order for the agent to feel more comfortable being surrounded by yes-people, it would be very easy for him to say "This person's insane," and have him shipped to Canton to be administered by a whole different set of rules. Basically you'd just be able to get rid of 'em. John Collier, the commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Roosevelt administration ordered the Canton asylum closed and the patients sent to St. Elizabeth's in Washington DC. In response, the residents of Canton waged a federal court battle to keep the asylum open. The asylum was a major contributor to Canton's economy in 1933; a time when the country was plunged deep into economic depression. Members of the nearby Rosebud Sioux also opposed Canton's closing. They didn't want their friends and relatives in the asylum sent thousands of miles east. The fight generated national news coverage from New York to Montana. Collier prevailed in court and closed the Canton insane asylum in December, 1933. Dr. Samuel Silk immediately sent 17 Indians home. Some who were freed had been confined at the Canton asylum as long as 16 years. Another 69 including Frank Hart's great grandfather required hospitalization and were sent by train to St. Elizabeth's hospital. Most of them would spend the rest of their lives institutionalized. A decade after the asylum closed, the federal government sold the property to the city of Canton for one dollar. The county attorney at the time was Craig Brown. Brown says none of the local officials at the time thought it unusual to build a golf course on the land, even if 121 bodies were buried there. Brown: We didn't think a whole lot of it; it was the Indians who found out about the cemetery and they started their religious exercises out there and of course it became a topic of discussion before we did something about it. Harold Iron Shield, a member of the Lakota nation's Yankton tribe, holds ceremonies at the grave site each May remembering those who lived and died at the asylum. Iron Shield believes the federal government used the Canton asylum to jail Indians who wouldn't conform: Iron Shield: These people were victims of the fed government as usual because of their involvement with spiritual ceremonies, because kids didn't really understand the kind of conformity they were to abide by. They didn't understand why they couldn't speak their tribal languages. They didn't understand why they had to go to church. They didn't understand why they had to change. Some representatives of tribes contacted by MPR said privately they didn't want to talk about the Canton asylum because doing so might create more conflict with the federal government. But Leonard Bruguier of the University of South Dakota has another theory why many native people won't talk about the Canton asylum: shame. Bruguier says the Canton asylum attacked a core Indian value that those who were considered different - mentally ill or otherwise - contributed to Indian society: Bruguier: We took care of them, and then all of a sudden we have this insane asylum, and they say this Indian's insane and we're going to move him to Canton, and he's going to be with people like him. A lot of Indian people are ashamed they let this happen to their relatives. That they let someone come in and take 'em away, basically, and in many cases they were never heard from again. The legacy of the Canton asylum exists today, here at the Hiawatha golf course where the graveyard of 121 Canton patients exists between the fourth and fifth fairways. Moving the graves isn't an option. Doing so would be costly and some Indian elders say moving the graves would disrupt the spiritual journeys of those buried here. Meanwhile, the course has moved the fifth hole's teebox 20 yards further away from the graves. On this day, 10 American Indian men including Harold Iron Shield crouch at the base of the stone. They burn sage, smoke tobacco, and pray for the spirits here. Iron Shield has petitioned the state of South Dakota to declare the land a historic site. In the past, Hiawatha golfers sometimes hit balls off the graves. But now they've adopted a rule that if a ball lands on a grave, the player will take a free drop and play the shot outside the cemetery. courtesy - Gail Boke courtesy - Gail Boke Hiawatha Insane Asylum - an American Gulag The perverse history of governmental-Lakota/Dakota relations took a more sinister turn when in 1900 (ten years after Wounded Knee), the Hiawatha Insane Asylum was built. It operated for over thirty years, then was torn down. The bodies of those native people who died there are buried under what is now a golf course in Canton, South Dakota. After the wars against native people, the battle for their hearts and minds moved relentlessly forward. Even in death, the 121 buried on the former grounds are mocked as golf balls whiz over their heads and the president of the Canton Area Historical Society Don Pottranz refers to their bizarre grave as, “It’s something that people are aware of but it’s ancient history now.” With no knowledge whatsoever of native cultures, languages, customs, and spiritual life, South Dakota Senator R. F. Pettigrew introduced Congressional legislation in 1899 to create the nation’s first native insane asylum. Congress appropriated $45,000. In 1900 construction began after U.S. Representative Oscar Gifford (former Canton mayor) arranged for the purchase of 100 acres of land two miles east of Canton. In 1902 the first patient was received and in 1908 Gifford was forced out when a physician charged that the superintendent refused to allow him to remove gallstones from a patient, who later died. Gifford was replaced by Harry Hummel, a psychiatrist. That same year, Hummel was charged by thirteen employees with mistreating patients. In 1926, the matrons who had staffed the asylum were replaced by professional nurses. In 1929 Hummer was finally ordered to be removed. U. S. Representative Louis Cramton intervened and Hummel stayed. In 1933, patients were transferred to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., and in April 1934, Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier closed the asylum. In the interim, Canton and South Dakota congressional delegates fought to keep it open. Hummel had been charged with malfeasance and misfeasance in 1933. He was subsequently dismissed. Averaging four deaths a month over the thirty some years of its existence, the asylum did not seem able to maintain the patients’ physical health very well. Dr. Hummel, famed for his hair-trigger temper, ruled the institution for 25 years. Now, freelance investigative reporter Harold Ironshield has been researching the former asylum and the inmates whose known names are listed as buried at the site. Ironshield is requesting native publications to list the names in the hopes that living family members will recognize them and come forward. He would like to know what the families might want to do about the grave and whether the remains should be moved. He also wants more information on the history of the asylum published, particularly the explanations of what was supposed to constitute insanity and why the individuals were selected for incarceration. From the reports of those who remember the asylum, according to Ironshield, the reasons had to do with not following government rules, and not behaving in school. He suggests that the asylum was more gulag than governmental response to the mental health of natives. The names of those buried in the Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery are: 1. Long Time Owl Woman 2. Juanita Castildo 3. Mary Fairchild 4. Lucy Reed 5. Minnie La Count 6. Sylvia Ridley 7. Edith Standing Bear 8. Chur Ah Tah E Kah 9. Ollie House 10. Asal Tcher 11. Alice Short 12. Enos Pah 13. Baby Ruth Enas Pah 14. Agnes Sloan 15. E We Jar 16. Kaygwaydahsegaik 17. Chee 18. Emma Gregory 19. Magwon 20. Kay Ge Gah Aush Eak 21. Kaz Zhe Ah Bow 22. Blue Sky 23. Louise McIntosh 24. Jane Burch 25. Dupue 26. Maggie Snow 27. Lupe Maria 28. Lizzie Vipont 29. Mary Peirre 30. Nancy Chewie 31. Ruth Chief on Top 32. Mary G. Buck 33. Cecile Comes at Night 34. Maud Magpie 35. Poke Ah Dab Ab 36. Sits in it 37. Josephine Wells 38. A.B. Blair 39. Josephine Pajihatakana 40. Baby Caldwell 41. Sallie Seabott 42. Selina Pilon 43. Mrs. Twoteeth 44. Kayso 45. Josephine De Couteau 46. Jessie Hallock 47. Marie Pancho 48. Ede Siroboz 49. Kiger 50. Mary Bah 51. Cynia Houle 52. Drag Toes 53. Charlie Brown 54. Jacob Hayes 55. Toby 56. Tracha 57. Hon Sah Sah Kah 58. Big Day 59. Fred Takesup 60. Peter Greenwood 61. Robert Brings Plenty 62. Nadesooda 63. Taistoto 64. James Chief Crow 65. Yells at Night 66. John Woodruff 67. George Beautiste 68. Baptiste Gingras 69. Lowe War 70. Silas Hawk 71. Red Cloud 72. Howling Wolf 73. Antone 74. Arch Wolf 75. Frank Starr 76. Joseph Taylor 77. Amos Brown 78. James Crow Light en ing 79. John Martin 80. Red Crow 81. James Blackeye 82. Abraham Meachern 83. Aloysious Moore 84. Tom Floodwood 85. James Black Bull 86. Benito Juan 87. Seymour Wauketch 88. Anselmo Lucas 89. Chico Francisco 90. Roy Wolfe 91. Matt Smith 92. Two Teeth 93. Pugay Beel 94. Merbert Conley 95. Jack Root 96. Charlie Clafflin 97. John Hall 98. Amos Deer 99. Ne Bow O Sah 100.Thomas Chasing Bear 101.Dan Ach Onginiwa 102.Joseph Bigname 103.Falkkas 104.Steve Simons 105. James Two Crows 106. F.C. Eagle 107. Andrew Dancer 108. Apolorio Moranda 109. Harry Miller 110. Herbert Iron 111. Fred Collins 112. John Coal on Fire 113. Joseph D. Marshall 114. Willie George 115. James Hathorn 116. Ira Girstean 117. Edward Hedges 118. Omudis 119. Guy Crow Neck 120. John Big 121. A. Kennedy Native people from all over the country were placed in the asylum. The records show that the physical conditions were horrific. Besides being shackled to beds and pipes, the patients were made to wallow in their own body wastes and clean sheets were not a regular issue. In Dr. Hummel’s opinion, insanity was increasing among natives, and he was perhaps right in the sense that the well documented starvation on reservations during that historical period was causing pain and suffering, and people torn from their cultures were being pushed down narrower and narrower corridors of forced “civilization” and “assimilation.” The full truth about this chamber of horrors may never be fully known, but it was clearly a case of medicine and politics making a most poisonous mix.

....Time stands still for no one......

Crow's World Speaks — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:08:23 GMT

Time stands still for no one, we continue to discover what it has to offer, therefore we should enjoy the pleasures of what we have.

....Excitment and Thrill....

Crow's World Speaks — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:06:44 GMT

Presently being is my excitment and a thrill whatever I do. Future is my greatest wonder ahead.

Living Abroad

Crow's World Speaks — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:29:15 GMT

Living Abroad Boosts Creative Skills By LiveScience Staff posted: 23 April 2009 01:44 pm ET http://www.livescience.com/culture/090423-living-abroad.html Living in another country can make people more adept at solving creative problems, suggests a new study involving several tests. In one study, master of business administration students at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University were asked to solve the Duncker candle problem, a classic test of creative insight. Individuals were presented with three objects on a table placed next to a cardboard wall: a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks. The task is to attach the candle to the wall so that the candle burns properly and does not drip wax on the table or the floor. The correct solution involves using the box of tacks as a candleholder — one should empty the box of tacks and then tack it to the wall placing the candle inside. The solution is considered a measure of creative insight because it involves the ability to see objects as performing different functions from what is typical (i.e., the box is not just for the tacks but can also be used as a stand). The longer students had spent living abroad, the more likely they were to come up with the creative solution. The research was done by William Maddux, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, a business school with campuses in France and Singapore, and Northwestern's Adam Galinsky. The findings are detailed in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In another study, also involving Kellogg School MBA students, the researchers used a mock negotiation test involving the sale of a gas station. In this negotiation, a deal based solely on sale price was impossible because the minimum price the seller was willing to accept was higher than the buyer's maximum. However, because the two parties' underlying interests were compatible, a deal could be reached only through a creative agreement that satisfied both parties' interests. Here again, negotiators with experience living abroad were more likely to reach a deal that demanded creative insight. In both studies, time spent traveling abroad did not matter; only living abroad was related to creativity. Maddux and Galinsky then ran a follow-up study to see why living abroad was related to creativity. With a group of MBA students at INSEAD in France, they found that the more students had adapted themselves to the foreign cultures when they lived abroad, the more likely they were to solve the Duncker candle task. "This shows us that there is some sort of psychological transformation that needs to occur when people are living in a foreign country in order to enhance creativity," Galinsky said in a statement today. "This may happen when people work to adapt themselves to a new culture.' Although these studies show a strong relationship between living abroad and creativity, they do not prove that living abroad and adapting to a new culture actually cause people to be more creative. "We just couldn't randomly assign people to live abroad while others stay in their own country," said Maddux. To help get at this question of what causes someone to be creative, the authors tried a technique called "priming." In two experiments, they asked groups of undergraduate students at the Sorbonne in Paris to recall and write about a time they had lived abroad or adapted to a new culture; other groups were asked to write about other experiences, such as going to the supermarket, learning a new sport or simply observing but not adapting to a new culture. The results showed that priming students to mentally recreate their past experiences living abroad or adapting to a new culture caused students, at least temporarily, to be more creative. For example, these students drew space aliens and solved word games more creatively than students primed to recall other experiences. "This research may have something to say about the increasing impact of globalization on the world, a fact that has been hammered home by the recent financial crisis," said Maddux. "Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programs and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation to stay competitive."

World's Worst Cultural Mistakes

Crow's World Speaks — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:07:30 GMT

World's Worst Cultural Mistakes at Yahoo! Travel Don’t let blowing your nose or taking off your shoes land you in hot water when you travel By Sallie Brady Touching Someone Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Thailand, China, Europe, the Middle East. What’s Offensive: Personal space varies as you travel the globe. In Mediterranean countries, if you refrain from touching someone’s arm when talking to them or if you don’t greet them with kisses or a warm embrace, you’ll be considered cold. But backslap someone who isn’t a family member or a good friend in Korea, and you’ll make them uncomfortable. In Thailand, the head is considered sacred — never even pat a child on the head. What You Should Do Instead: Observe what locals are doing and follow suit. In Eastern countries remember that touching and public displays of affection are unacceptable. In places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, men and women are forbidden from interacting, let along touching. Knowing Your Right from Your Left Where It’s Offensive: India, Morocco, Africa, the Middle East. What’s Offensive: Many cultures still prefer to eat using traditional methods — their hands. In these cases, food is often offered communally, which is why it’s important to wash your hands before eating and observe the right-hand-is-for-eating and the left-hand-is-for-other-duties rule. If you eat with your left hand, expect your fellow diners to be mortified. And when partaking from a communal bowl, stick to a portion that’s closest to you. Do not get greedy and plunge your hand into the center. What You Should Do Instead: Left-handed? Attempt to be ambidextrous — even children who are left-handed in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hand — or at least explain yourself to your fellow diners before plunging in. Keeping Your Clothes On Where It’s Offensive: Scandinavian countries, Turkey. What’s Offensive: Wearing bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts, underwear, or any other piece of clothing into a sauna, hammam, or other place of physical purification. In some cultures, a steam room or a sauna is considered a place of purity and reflection, where the outside world (i.e., your clothes) should be left outside. In some Scandinavian countries it’s common for entire families to sauna together in the nude. What You Should Do Instead: Sitting on a folded towel is considered acceptable. If you’re too modest to appear naked, strip down, but wrap yourself in a towel. Getting Lei'd Off Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii. What’s Offensive: Refusing or immediately removing a lei. What You Should Do Instead: Leis in the Hawaiian Islands aren’t just pretty floral necklaces that you get when you check into your hotel or show up at a luau. They’re a centuries-old cultural symbol of welcome, friendship, and appreciation. Never refuse a lei — it’s considered highly disrespectful — or whip it off in the giver’s presence. If you’re allergic to the flowers, explain so, but offer to put it in some place of honor, say in the center of the table, or on a statue. Note that closed leis should be worn not hanging from the neck, but over the shoulder, with half draped down your chest and the other half down your back. Looking Them in the Eye … or Not Where It’s Offensive: Korea, Japan, Germany. What’s Offensive: For Americans, not making direct eye contact can be considered rude, indifferent, or weak, but be careful how long you hold someone’s gaze in other countries. In some Asian nations, prolonged eye contact will make a local uncomfortable, so don’t be offended if you’re negotiating a deal with someone who won’t look you straight in the eye. If toasting with friends in a German beer hall, your eyes had better meet theirs — if they don’t, a German superstition says you’re both in for seven years of bad luck in the bedroom. What You Should Do Instead: Avoid constant staring and follow the behavior of your host — and by all means, look those Germans straight on. Drinking Alcohol the Wrong Way Where It’s Offensive: Latin America, France, Korea, Russia. What’s Offensive: Every culture has different traditions when it comes to drinking etiquette. Fail to consume a vodka shot in one gulp in Russia, and your host will not be impressed. Refill your own wine glass in France without offering more to the rest of the table, and you’ve made a faux pas. In Korea, women can pour only men’s drinks — not other women’s — and if you want a refill, you need to drain your glass. And if you’re in Latin America, never pour with your left hand — that’s bad luck. What You Should Do Instead: Until you’re culturally fluent, leave it to your pals to pour. Blowing Your Nose Where It’s Offensive: Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, France. What’s Offensive: Some cultures find it disgusting to blow your nose in public — especially at the table. The Japanese and Chinese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief. As Mark McCrum points out in his book Going Dutch in Beijing, the Japanese word hanakuso unpleasantly means nose waste. What You Should Do Instead: If traveling through Eastern and Asian countries, leave the hankies at home and opt for disposable tissues instead. In France as well as in Eastern countries, if you’re dining and need to clear your nasal passages, excuse yourself and head to the restroom. Worst-case scenario: make an exaggerated effort to steer away from the table. Let’s hope you don’t have a cold. Removing Your Shoes…or Not Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii, the South Pacific, Korea, China, Thailand. What’s Offensive: Take off your shoes when arriving at the door of a London dinner party and the hostess will find you uncivilized, but fail to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands and you’ll be considered disrespectful. Not only does shoe removal very practically keeps sand and dirt out of the house, it’s a sign of leaving the outside world behind. What You Should Do Instead: If you see a row of shoes at the door, start undoing your laces. If not, keep the shoes on. Talking Over Dinner Where It’s Offensive: Africa, Japan, Thailand, China, Finland. What’s Offensive: In some countries, like China, Japan, and some African nations, the food’s the thing, so don’t start chatting about your day’s adventures while everyone else is digging into dinner. You’ll likely be met with silence—not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtimes are for eating, not talking. Also avoid conversations in places a country might consider sacred or reflective—churches in Europe, temples in Thailand, and saunas in Finland. What You Should Do Instead: Keep quiet! Road Rage Where It’s Offensive: Hawaii, Russia, France, Italy, around the globe. What’s Offensive: Honk on Molokai or fail to pay a police officer a fine, a.k.a. bribe, on the spot when you’re stopped for speeding in Russia, and you’ll risk everything from scorn to prison time. Remember, too, that hand gestures have different meanings in other countries — a simple “thumbs-up” is interpreted as an “up yours“ in parts of the Middle East. What You Should Do Instead: When driving abroad, make sure you have an international driver’s license; never, ever practice road rage; and keep your hands on the wheel.

....Please do not judge me....

Crow's World Speaks — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:12:16 GMT

....Spirit In Time.... As I am in this physical shell here on Earth Mother, there will be many experiences for me to conquer and climb. We all travel our paths at our own paces,we are here to learn, not to travel on our paths in races. My path I travel,I travel like no other. I see and feel many things like no others,I am entitled to these illusions,realities and dreams. No one has the right to take this from me no sister or brother. For all of these things make up my spirit here while on Earth Mother. I am unique as each and every individual sun or moonbeam. I will take these experiences back with me to the Great Campfire and share these experiences with others there that went before me. One day I will shed this shell and once more be free and on that day I will fly and soar higher and higher. I am A Spirit In Time many understand,many do not. What I am...I am me....This is of no crime... What I have inside me can never be stolen,sold or bought, I do not ask anyone to understand how I feel and why I am to be forever free. Each of us travel our paths the way we are shown, just as the way the clouds in the sky are to be blown. What I search for now my heart will reveal to me, just as the flower slowly reveals itself to the honey bee. We each have our responsibilities in life, mine is what is revealed to me when it is time, this does not mean we have the right to push or shove our ways and thoughts onto others, for that is the crime. We can not hurt each other with words as if cutting through fog with a dull or sharp knife. All have a special life of learning here on Earth Mother. All of my sisters and brothers. So you see my brothers and sisters...Please do not judge me... Just think of me up in the sky as a single star helping and making up one of the many stars of clusters. For I will soon be free once again. For I am A Spirit In Time. ~ Written by an Unknown Author ~

Obama appoints ND tribal member to post

Crow's World Speaks — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:27:01 GMT

Obama appoints ND tribal member to post http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=rss&ArticleId=329327 Feb 6 2009 6:05PM Associated Press Eds: APNewsNow. Bismarck, N.D. (AP) President Barack Obama has appointed a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to serve in his administration. Jody Gillette was selected on Friday to be the deputy associate director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, where she will help oversee tribal, local and state relationships with the federal government. Gillette is the director of the Native American Training Institute. She also served as Obama's North Dakota vote director during the 2008 presidential campaign. Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 02-06-09 1756CST |

Dear Dogs and Cats

Crow's World Speaks — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:21:48 GMT

Dear Dogs and Cats: To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door-pet nose height. The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run. I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm. For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is NOT necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required! The proper order is... kiss me, THEN go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough! To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door: To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets: 1. They live here. You don't. 2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'niture. 3. I like my pets a lot better than I like some people. 4. To you, they are an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. Remember: Dogs and cats are better than kids because they: 1. Eat less 2. Don't ask for money all the time 3. Are easier to train 4. Normally come when called 5. Never ask to drive the car 6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends 7. Don't smoke or drink 8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions 9. Don't want to wear your clothes 10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college. AND...... 11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children!! Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://newkeeperofstories.com/

A Heroes Welcome

Crow's World Speaks — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:07:36 GMT

Statement from Leonard Peltier: A Heroes Welcome 01/31/2009 I want to thank each and everyone of you for your efforts in my urgent time of need, you cannot imagine how much my spirit has been lifted from the cards and letters, the phone calls and how everyone kept up the pressure. My gratitude is really more than I can express. My return to Lewisburg was met like a hero’s welcome, and many people came to assure me of my safety there. It is so ironic that the prisoners in a federal maximum-security prison can guarantee my safety, but the Bureau of Prisons will not. I did not say, “cannot”, but “will not” do so. You have to remember the BOP is a little brother to the FBI and they came from an illegitimate mother called the JUST-US (Justice) Department. Do I sound a little angry? Well, I am angry that many of my friends have died in assuring my survival while I’ve been in prison. All the men who were involved in my escape at Lompoc, all died mysteriously soon after: Dallas Thundershield at Lompoc, Bobby Garcia at Terre Haute, and Rocky Duenas, whose body was never recovered. And Standing Deer, he gave away his life when he revealed the assassination plot against me. He lived under the shadow of death for years, waiting to be killed for defying the government, until he was eventually paroled to Texas. He was murdered soon after the same person who contracted him to have me assassinated warned him about his involvement with my campaign. Surviving this attack brought back memories of those losses, and it is with tears of more gratitude in my eyes and in my heart that no one died this time. I don’t ever want to lose another brother in protecting me; a human life is precious and important. I know in other countries, prisoners who have been held by their government have been placed in house arrest after they have attained international support as I have. If the BOP cannot guarantee my safety to the extent the prisoners here can, then I demand to be returned to my nation, Turtle Mountain, where I can be assured of my safety! Turtle Mountain has issued a resolution to transfer me into their custody, and they have asked to meet with Obama on a nation-to-nation basis. This has to happen and it will when a lot of energy is placed behind it. In the past 18 days your efforts brought me out of the hole and to where there is a measure of safety. The FBI has said that I will never leave prison alive, and we should not accept that as an idle threat. There have been a few times that my life was targeted by the FBI in the 33 years since my capture, and each of those who have helped me to survive are now dead. The transfer and attack at Canaan is just a warning to me of what is to come. The warden’s know of the psychological make-up of their inmate population in their prison, and they clearly knew that placing someone who is well known, as I am, with connections to many famous people and at my age, I would be subject to predatory attacks. This was deliberate by the BOP, and as far as the motivation for the attack, it could have been ordered by any prison official at the request of the FBI, or someone trying to curry favor from the feds. It could have also been a tactic to beat me into submission for purposes of extortion or something as stupid as trying to make a reputation. We know they are afraid and Trimbach’s smear letter support that. They see pressure, in the form of your letters and calls, growing and they know that my committee has been tirelessly developing plans to set up a wave of activity. The FBI is now afraid that they will fail to keep me falsely imprisoned. We are becoming stronger and we must keep building our network to succeed. I am proud of the brother’s & sisters, the Elder’s and my family who make up the committee; they have all personally sacrificed more than many people may ever know. It is humbling when I hear about the difficulties they have had due to being associated with me, but they do not quit. They are putting in many hours of their lives that they could be spending with their own families, but I hear they are on the phones talking to people, writing letters, and networking through the computers. They have been criticized by a few people and have attempted to create divisions within the committee through spreading accusations about them. So let me say this, I know the people I have invited to serve on my committee, and I’ve known most of them for years. A couple of them are my Sun Dance brothers and I have entrusted my life in their abilities and their commitment to bring about my freedom. The decision I have made to place them in their positions of responsibility is mine, not the critics. I ask all my supporters to ignore those who would have you waste your time listening to or reading petty gossip based upon jealousy or personal dislike. These are activities that the FBI uses to destroy a movement, and they are not the Indian way of doing things. So we need to be aware that those who are bad-mouthing my committee, and talking behind their backs to smear them, may be infiltrators sent by the feds to tear down the committee. Watch out for those people and make some distance from them. I am also asking all of my supporters and allies to follow the directions of the committee when the plans and strategies are presented at the Feb. 6th event in Boulder, CO. It had begun as an educational event and now it will be a very important event because of everything that has happened recently. We had wanted to release it when Obama was sworn in, but my transfer placed it on hold. I am a believer that nothing happens by accident or coincidence. It all happens for a reason, and it feels as if things are coming together the way they should. It is significant that an intense campaign will be begin after 33 years in captivity and with a newly elected President who could be receptive to my clemency appeal in office. We will be making our message stronger in what we do and in how we will do it. I cannot stress how important it will be to increase our numbers after this event because the committee members, spokespersons, and their families will be making more personal sacrifices to help increase awareness. They’ll need your support in organizing other events and networking in your area. Again, I want to thank everyone who wrote, called and emailed. My hand in appreciation is extended to those who have held rallies and protests on my behalf to call attention to the attack on me. I also extend my gratitude to Cynthia McKinney, former congresswoman for her recent letter to President Obama urging him to free other political prisoners and myself. In all these years, there have been so many people who have prayed for my safety and freedom from all faiths. There is power in those prayers and that is what I know will bring about my freedom. I can feel something different this time, and many others have expressed the same thought to me. So when you pray, don’t pray only for me, but the warriors of AIM who have died for our people, the victims of the “Reign of Terror” on Pine Ridge, and other victims who has suffered as we have. Pray for their families as well. They must not be forgotten and they must have justice! In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Dallas Thundershield, Bobby Garcia, Rocky Duenas, Standing Deer, and in The Spirit of Total Resistance, Leonard Peltier

Protect the Life of Leonard Peltier

Crow's World Speaks — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:34:08 GMT

Alert / Call to Action Protect the Life of Leonard Peltier On January 13, 2009, 64-year-old and ailing Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was transferred to USP-Canaan, a maximum security facility in Waymart, Pennsylvania. Not long after his arrival, Peltier was attacked by two young inmates and sustained a number of injuries. Proven to be the victim of the attack via videographic evidence, Peltier is nevertheless being held in solitary confinement and is unable to contact family but once a month. Peltier's attorneys were denied access to their client for four days. A protest in support of Peltier, a member of the American Indian Movement, occurred in San Francisco on January 23. Other protests are being planned in Colorado and elsewhere on or around February 6, the 33rd anniversary of Peltier's arrest in connection with the shooting deaths of two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Peltier's Nation, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, passed a resolution late last year requesting Peltier's transfer into their custody to serve the remainder of his sentence. Family members are supportive of such a transfer. Alternatively, family members want Peltier transferred closer to home, either to FCI Sandstone (MN) or FCI Oxford (WI). Peltier's security rating has been greatly reduced by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in recognition of his model behavior for the past 30 years. "The fact is that Peltier is an innocent man. He should be given his freedom. All that aside, his current security rating means he shouldn't even be in a maximum security prison anymore," said Peltier attorney Mike Kuzma. "In light of this incident, we know that the BOP cannot ensure Leonard's safety in a maximum-security environment." * Take Action * Due to YOUR actions, Leonard has been transferred back to Lewisburg. But we know that the BOP can't or won't protect Leonard from harm in ANY maximum security prison. We must keep up the pressure on the BOP to transfer Leonard to one of the three above locations. Today and every day, make your voices heard. Send letters, call, and/or e-mail the director of BOP. Harley G. Lappin, Director Bureau of Prisons U.S. Department of Justice 320 First Street., NW Room 654 Washington, DC 20534 Phone: (202) 307-3250 Fax: (202) 514-6878 E-mail: hlappin@bop.gov A sample letter (that you can adapt and use for a telephone script, as well) follows. RE: Leonard Peltier #89637-132 Dear Sir: I was outraged to learn that, on January 13, Leonard Peltier was transferred to USP-Canaan in Waymart, Pennsylvania, where he was immediately attacked and injured by young gang members. Your inability to protect Mr. Peltier in this or any other maximum security facility is clearly evident. I understand that last August Mr. Peltier properly submitted a formal application for transfer to an institution close to his home in North Dakota—either the low-security prison at Sandstone, Minnesota, or the medium-security facility in Oxford, Wisconsin. Such an assignment, I know, would comply with Program Statement 5100.08 which states that the BOP is to make every effort to keep prisoners within a 500-mile radius of their homes so that prisoners can maintain ties to their families and home communities. In reviewing Mr. Peltier's places of confinement during the past 33 years, however, I was shocked to discover that he has never received such consideration. Apparently, your rules don't apply to Mr. Peltier and never have. In addition, in late 2008, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians also sent a resolution to you offering a third option, i.e., that their tribesman Peltier be transferred to that Nation’s custody to serve the remainder of his sentence. Leonard has been a model prisoner for the past 30 years. In recognition of this, the BOP has greatly reduced his security rating. Peltier shouldn’t be imprisoned in a maximum security facility anymore. His reduced security rating, Peltier’s application, and his Tribal Council’s request should have been but clearly weren't taken into account in the BOP’s recent decision to transfer Peltier to yet another maximum security prison—and one where his safety and wellbeing were put in such serious jeopardy. The only remedy to the current situation is for you to immediately transfer Mr. Peltier to one of the above, more appropriate facilities. I strongly urge you to do so. Sincerely, (Your Name) (Your Street Address) (Your City, State and Zip Code) Page Last Updated on Friday, 30 January 2009 07:06 PM

Breaking News: Peltier Back at Lewisburg

Crow's World Speaks — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:32:37 GMT

-------Original Message------- Breaking News: Peltier Back at Lewisburg Leonard has been transferred back to USP-Lewisburg and released to the general population. He was welcomed back not only by the brothers at Lewisburg, but by all of the prisoners. Leonard wishes to thank all of his supporters for standing with him during this difficult time. But we need to finish the job. Take Action: http://www.FreePeltierNow.org/transfer.htm. Leonard's address: Leonard Peltier #89637-132 USP-Lewisburg US Penitentiary PO Box 1000 Lewisburg, PA 17837 ----- Time to set him free... Because it is the RIGHT thing to do. Friends of Peltier http://www.FreePeltierNow.org