Opinion

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Written by: Tim Williams

Published: 01 December 2009

In my youth, I participated in every manner of protest.

My father told me, “Fine – if you’re sure you have a better way then work for it, get involved. But, if all you do is complain” – which is how he viewed protest – “I have no use for it.”

In 2004 I worked on Democratic campaigns (but voting green in California) and after Bush was elected, I protested the Iraq war. But later it was just the occasional vigil and letter to the editor.

What I felt happening was a growing uselessness, especially with the tendency of the media to marginalize our actions – and play up the violence of anarchists (I sympathize with their ideas, if not their methods – they would say I miss the point) and I tired of being apart of the division politics, the “I’m right - you’re stupid!” mentality, and so lately I’d withdrawn.

I often worried, as I do now, that these actions can have regrettable results – memories of the 1968 Democratic National Convention come to mind. The Democratic party was torn asunder, Nixon was elected – twice! – and our country devolved into a conservative, even fundamentalist bastion of idiocy!

The politics of division have been used to weaken us all ever since and the wars we protest today are the direct result of our wrong action and wrong thought then and since!

I respect President Obama’s attempts to balance his actions within the tides of opinions. He wants to be a uniter and that is a good place to come from. But, like Johnson before him, he is beset with experts telling him that we cannot fail in Afghanistan (eventually those same experts will tell him it can’t be won), and those that say we can not afford to fundamentally change health care or impede the profits of insurers and banks.

And so, like many of us, he has lost sight of his purpose and meaning. He is, in this time, the agent of change – but does not trust himself, his party or the people, to make that change.

We must help him to rediscover, himself – and we must rediscover ourselves!

To effect lasting change we must make commitments, we must all pledge to think and act with love and compassion. We must not allow our mission to be undermined by negativity, anger, violence or character assassination.

We must not be a party to the politics of division – we must be party to a great turning, of minds and hearts – we must demonstrate a better way, we must be better and we must act with truth, love and intelligence!

Please join us in San Francisco this Wednesday afternoon and evening for a candlelight vigil at Nancy Pelosi’s office or other events – as you can find them. I will be at the 29/53 intersection in Lower Lake, leaving at 1 p.m. and can bring two to three people, maybe others could bring their vehicles and carpool. You will also need BART money – about $10 I think – if we run late, we may head into SF and split the parking charge.

Tim Williams lives in Clearlake.

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Written by: John Daniels

Published: 27 November 2009

Many people are concerned about the poor performance of our elected representative. Many point to how campaigns for public office are currently financed as major contributing factor to poor government. These well meaning people support public financing of political campaigns as a solution.

This option brings about increased cost, unqualified candidates (get on the money train) and other various fraud schemes. Additionally the Supreme Court's concern is that any new rules can not limit speech.

The following four simple steps will limit cost and meet the Court's objection. Please support this for a California initiative.

1. No individual may contribute funding and/or services to a political/election campaign of another individual for public office unless he/she is eligible to vote for that individual candidate.

2. Political parties, companies, labor unions, political action committees and groups of individuals cannot vote, and therefore they cannot contribute to the election campaign of an individual for public office.

3. No individual can contribute to election campaign(s) in any one year, an amount exceeding his/her reported federal income tax adjusted gross income for the previous tax year. This includes candidates themselves. Contributions to political campaigns are not tax-deductible.

4. Political parties, companies, labor unions, political action committees and groups of individuals may provide any amount of financial or other support, to educate and inform their employees, membership and the general public on any issue in public discussion. All communications must identify the sponsor. In addition, no mention will be made of any public office holder(s), and /or candidate(s) position(s) on or related to any issue(s) under public discussion.

John Daniels lives in Lakeport.

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Published: 26 November 2009

Every November since 1975, Indian people have gathered on Alcatraz Island, in the San Francisco Bay, on what they call “Un-Thanksgiving Day,” to honor the occupation and those who participated and still fight for Indian rights today. This year was the 40th anniversary of the American Indian Movement occupation of Alcatraz, and was commemorated in a two-night event in San Francisco titled “Indigenous renewal: Alcatraz occupation Remembrance + Ohlone Presence Celebrated.”

“Before AIM (the American Indian Movement), Indians were dispirited, defeated and culturally dissolving. People were ashamed to be Indian. You didn’t see the young people wearing braids or chokers or ribbon shirts in those days. Hell, I didn’t wear them. People didn’t Sun Dance, they didn’t sweat, they were loosing their languages. Then there was that spark at Alcatraz, and we took off. Man, we took a ride across this country. We put Indians and Indian rights smack dab in the middle of the public consciousness for the first time since the so called Indian wars…AIM laid the groundwork for the next stage in regaining our sovereignty and self-determination as nations, and I am proud to have been part of that.” – Russell Means, Oglala Lakota

In Nov. 20, 1969, until June 11, 1971, more than 5,600 Indians joined in the occupation of Alcatraz, from many different backgrounds and nations, claiming it as Indian land under the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, which promised Lakota people surplus Federal land.

In a background of US policies of Relocation and Termination, of the government attempting to dissolve all remnants of Indian cultural and racial identities in America’s “melting pot” and to end all treaty rights in order to grab the little land and resources Indians still had, fed up with economic, social, political neglect and with widespread racist policies of harassment and abuse, the Indian youth of the sixties was ready to take a stand and make a difference, and they did.

They ignited a spark that fed many fires of activism, and that reasserted Indian identity.

No longer were Indians going to submit to the dominant culture’s ideas of what an Indian should think, how he should act, what she should feel … specifically, no longer were Indians going to let themselves be coerced into pretending to be White.

“If you wanted to make it in America as an Indian, you had to become a hollow person and let them (the government and White American society) remold you…Alcatraz put me back into my community and helped me remember who I am. It was a rekindling of the spirit.” – John Trudell, Santee Lakota

A few years after Alcatraz, Congress passed 52 legislative proposals on behalf of Indians to support tribal self-rule. They included passage of the Indian Self-determination and Education Act, revision of the Johnson O’Malley Act to better educate Indians, passage of the Indian Financing Act, passage of the Indian Health Act and the creation of an Assistant Interior Secretary post for Indian Affairs.

Mount Adams was returned to the Yakima Nation in Washington State, and 48,000 acres of the Sacred Blue Lake Lands were returned to Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.

During the occupation Nixon quietly signed papers canceling the policy of termination, which was designed to end federal recognition of tribes and of all treaties.

“Indian lands were being drained. Indians were marked for destruction so that the government could take over the lands and the coal, uranium, timber and water on them.” – Fortunate Eagle, Red Lake Ojibwa

While the FBI busied itself with its secret anti-dissident operation COINTELPRO and in listing Indian activists as “enemies of the state”, popular support for their causes poured from many quarters ... many wanted to see them succeed, and went out of their way to help them.

After the occupation, AIM began a series of national protests, among them the takeover at Wounded Knee in 1973 and the Longest Walk in 1978, demanding that the government honor treaty obligations. Since then, Indian activists have fought on many fronts, for fishing rights, land and grazing rights, for sacred sites, protesting athletic teams Indian mascots, working for the repatriation of sacred objects taken from Indian lands, of thousands of Indian remains kept in museums throughout this nation. And in an era of energy crisis, Indian are still forced to resist the corporate takeovers of their natural resources and the pollution or draining of water tables under their lands by industry.

The yearly reunion and ceremony at Alcatraz is meant to honor and give thanks to the individuals who, by taking such a stand, helped Indian people remember who they are, and paved the way for the revival of the Indian spirit. It is officially an “Un-Thanksgiving” as far as the dominant culture’s holiday is concerned, yet is it truly an Indian Thanksgiving.

Raphael Montoliu lives in Lakeport.