Umm..that was cute..but not full...here is the Full version ;)
Kept it cos of the Darth Vader helmet.. *grins*

...if this were a plea for $ for another political campaign the $$$ would be Rolling in like a tidal wave...well..This is indeed the aftermath of many campaigns...
so..here is a Great chance to help set things Right..and thanks to the inernets, we can reach Him, the Peoples president, in the manner Obama asked us to..he said: "Talk to me, let me Know"
We have already seen..he is reading us, watching our videos, and waiting...and so we are reaching out to him as asked. Add Your voice too?
How about all those with Native art on their pages & "quotes", etc..is that as far as your passion goes? ..a web page?
Where is that Native Soul..Native Heart...we are all One
Skan Taku Skanskan.........
ishi


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Walks with Wolves, { One Earth Network}
To:
Date: Mar 24, 2009 10:08 PM
Subject: PLEASE S.O.T.Y NEEDS OUR SUPPORT< HELP PINE RIDGE REZ!
-..-..-..-------------- Bulletin Message -..-..---------------
From: GRAYWOLF
To:
Date: Mar 24, 2009 10:39 PM
Subject: 9 out of 4529--- not a very good percentage!

Please Freinds read and repost~!
www.myspace.com/lpsupportva
Walks with Wolves
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Gathering Thunder Foundation
To:
Date: Mar 24, 2009 4:06 PM
Subject: Please Freinds read and repost~!

From: Ta2ed Warrior
From:  S.O.T.Y. SAVE OUR TRIBAL YOUTH
To:
Date: Mar 24, 2009 11:09 AM
Subject: 9 out of 1749 people that care enough.....


Friends - this is the number of people who have responded to our pleas for help for making this documentary about Pine Ridge Rez so we can inform the Obama administration and the world what life is like living in the poorest place in the United States.  Nine people out of nearly 1800 have helped.  I was looking at how many times the bulletins have even been read each time they are put out... often it's ZERO times. 

I've always said that apathy is a killer.  We know times are extremely hard, we know that you read titles for numerous bulletins on Myspace pleading for help for various things--all worthy causes.  We know that in the eyes of many--this doesn't seem like a big deal to make a documentary.  But this statistic--Nine out of 1749 is representative of how few people care about Pine Ridge Reservation in the outside world--and how fewer still, do anything about helping to make a change. 

WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL TO THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED TO THIS EFFORT AND TO THOSE WHO ARE SPONSORING CHILDREN ON PINE RIDGE.  BUT -- as wonderful as those efforts are and continue to be -- unless all our friends and supporters help directly and spread the word...our efforts to bring awareness and education about Pine Ridge won't get any farther than what has been managed thus far...and we that know--know this simply isn't good enough.

Apathy and ignorance will continue to take precious lives on Pine Ridge reservation unless we ALL make it our personal mission to change that fact.  Please help!  Please click on the Chip-In button or go to our website and make a donation now -- anything you can.  And please repost this bulletin far and wide--you can make the difference.

All of us at SOTY

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Rick
Date: Mar 12, 2009 6:44 PM
Subject: PLEASE HELP ME HELP THE LAKOTA OF PINE RIDGE!!!


PLEASE COPY AND REPOST THIS BULLITEN OFTEN, AND WIDELY!!!!<
..

Friends: I am about to embark on what I hope to be the most rewarding and important journey of my life. I am producing a documentary w/ Crawford Multi Media & S.O.T.Y - Save Our Tribal Youth about the devastating third world conditions on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is not going to cost alot to produce this film, and the good it will do will be beyond measure. So far however, I  am personaly invested to the tune of $1,000.00 for travel expenses to get Shaun and I out to South Dakota with our Red One Digital Cinema gear to film for a few days at the end of the month. We estimate it shouldnt be more than another $9,000 beyond that for camera rentals, editing,  and so forth.

TO DONATE SPECIFICLY TO THE MAKING OF THIS FILM PLEASE USE THE ABOVE WIDGET. THE MONEY WE RAISE GOES DIRECTLY TO "SAVE OUR TRIBAL YOUTH", WHO THEN REIMBURSES US FOR COSTS INCURRED. ANY MONEY RAISED BEYOND THE PRODUCTION COSTS WILL STAY WITH S.O.T.Y.

Below you will see two videos. The first depicts life on the res, and there is much more info below. The conditions are beyond horrific. The second video is Pres. Obama shortly before election day, promising the Native Americans a "seat at the table", "a voice to be heard", the honoring of treaties, and yes, CHANGE. We seek with this film to paint for the President, and the world, in graphic cinimatic quality, just how bad it is, so we can bring about change. We will show what a strong, proud people the AMERICANS of Pine Ridge are, along with soultions to the situation such as putting native AMERICANS to work building the "Green Energy Infrastructure" of the future. We aim to give a voice to these voiceless AMERICANS who our ancestors, both ancient and recent, have shoved into a forgotten corner of AMERICA, to be forgotten about by AMERICA. The responsibilities we hold to our ancestors sins, can only be judged by our reaction, or inaction to the consequences of those actions. If I and my father are one, then so must I and my brother be. I believe that if Americans knew, REALLY KNEW the situation in an inescapable way, change would come swiftly. Let's make it happen!
PLEASE GIVE WHATEVER YOU CAN, AND REPOST THIS BULLITEN DAILY, FAR AND WIDE.Thank you all, Rick Kline - 3/11/09.

Life on Pine Ridge





Pres. Obama's Message for First Americans





Info from the S.O.T.Y. Myspace page


myspace. com/saveourtribalyouth ..

WWW. SAVEOURTRIBALYOUTH. COM
Pine Ridge is the largest reservation in South Dakota, so the need is greatest there. The living conditions on Pine Ridge Reservation is our national shame! As a nation of people who, as a whole, think themselves superior to any other country and their concern for others—above all others—we should be ashamed of ourselves!! Apathy is perhaps the single most criminal state of mind that a human being can have. Apathy allows death, disease, crime, hate and just about every other negative emotion known. It’s a killer! By doing nothing—we allow this third world to exist in South Dakota. Apathy is contagious—and we as a nation have become truly apathetic to their plight. It’s never too late to change the tide, but it’s been growing since 1868—when is enough, enough??

>

In 2008, donations from the supporters and friends of SOTY helped us to: • send garden seeds for a youth garden project to the Northern Cheyenne of Montana • send truck loads of new and used clothing, blankets, coats and other items to Pine Ridge • send boxes of clothing, coats, winter gear, diapers, formula, batteries, flashlights, candles and assorted other emergency needs to the Crazy Horse School in November after one of the worst blizzards in decades • send clothing, winter gear, baby needs and other items to the Cangleska Shelter on Pine Ridge. • send school and other new supplies to the Wolf Creek School • send dozens of new caps, thermal gloves, knitted scarves and portable heat to the Big Foot Riders for the annual Wounded Knee memorial ride • pay for several loads of firewood for elders and families on Pine Ridge • find sponsors for nearly 100 children on Pine Ridge Reservation

So..here it is..on my doorstep...Come Home, as we always knew it would.
What a world...so beautiful..so Terrible...so close to rebirthing.

& what a year it's been...well..the last few actually..working with Congress, wading thru some of the most horrific literature i've ever had the displeasure to digest..fighting & winning & loosing again, destruction all over the place..pain & suffering without end, casualties galore..the spirit inside me all but dying..

A serious Revolution we built to stop the madness, came & went like a ship in the night..Success so close we could feel it, smell it, but..not quite touch it, turned into a hopeless rubberised media curcus by a single female clown in a sensationalist braindead heartless move for personal power..i hope she chokes on it..

 Hrm...what else..oh, ya..
The love of my life comes & goes...& comes & goes..like a revolving door...and friends & family fall up & down, up & down, like ping pong balls all around me..try as i might, i can't save any of them....hunger & sickness & exhaustion as accross continents i ran & ran again, only to find more of the same..and so it is now, in the wee hours here i sit..listening to the rattle of sabers in friends & strangers hands alike..whilst slowly turning to stone, pouring over bills like HR 645, HR 785 & S 425 laying about in heaps on my desktop..there must be Something we can do.....there has to be..Something..but..there isn't.

The stage has been Well set, with meticulous care.. the curtain is raising..we are the captive audience.
Collectively, we did nothing when we should have, we didn't do anything when they were certain we would have..and now, tired of waiting, they are making ready to Force us to do something...we are thespians too, you see..as the 4th act of the play begins...it's the final scene...you know the one...slipping & sliding away...the Titanic is arse end up in the air..making ready to sink for the last time..one can actually feel the cold reality of our desperate situation biting deep into our bones
...here it comes friends..how ya gonna wanna do this?


..as i paint my face & lay out my war shirt & feathers & battle finery..i know..
This is how im gonna do it...




Very Fitting Lyrics....

MARCH OF CAMBREADTH
by Heather Alexander

Axes flash, broadswords swing
Shining armors’ piercing ring
Horses run with polished shield
Fight those bastards ‘til they yield

Midnight mare, blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?

Follow orders as you’re told
Make their yellow blood run cold
Fight until you die or drop
A force like ours is hard to stop

Close your mind to stress and pain
Fight ‘til you’re no longer sane
Let not one damn cur pass by
How many of them can we make die?

Guard your women and children well
Send these bastards back to Hell
We’ll teach them the ways of war
And they won’t come here anymore

Use your shield and use your head
Fight ‘til everyone is dead
Raise the flag up to the sky
How many of them can we make die?

Dawn has broke, the time has come
Move your feet to the marching drum
We’ll win the war and pay the toll
Fight as one in heart and soul

Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?

Axes flash, broadswords swing
Shining armors’ piercing ring
Horses run with polished shield
Fight those bastards ‘til they yield

Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?
How many of them can we make die?
How many of them can we make die?


Huka Hey!

what is.....

the dark night of the soul

several people have asked me that.....mainly because they knew i went thru it.
Most of the information i found online was old, flowery, poetic & confusing & did little to help one understand what they were going through..but..one knows deep inside when one is engulfed in such a night all the same.
Here, now, i will try to make clearer sense of this condition,  so others may perhaps have a better understanding.
imho?
No matter what race, creed, gender, or whathaveyou, We all have two sides..one, of Light..one, of darkness....most will "choose" to live in only one and furiously ignore the other...which is a grave mistake, that will come back to haunt us later on in life.
Eventually, but, Always, the ignored side comes back, demanding to be recognised, & usually in the worst ways possible. There must be balance....

When we choose one above the other, we set about to bury the rejected side...most often very deep under the things we like to do..and for a long while this will work. We may even shine in the process.
Finding material Success in the forms we choose as our passions.
But..in so doing...we may loose ourselves..

When we don't like what we see, we ignore that 'little voice' that speaks Truth to us, until it grows weaker & weaker, until it all but disapears, because it makes us feel uncomfortable...we tell ourselves if we had wanted both sides in the first place, we would have no need to choose & ignore, right?
& sometimes..most often, actually,  we buy into popular claptrap of doctrine, or new age bollocks, because they tell us that embracing both sides is wrong...& in some perverse way, this makes us feel justified & "right" in choosing to bury a part of our very nature.

Let me assure you of one thing...those whom tout such dangerous nonsense will also indeed one day face Their 'Dark Night'....no one escapes it, unless they build around themselves such an impenatrable fortress of make believe that they loose touch with reality altogether. & even then..i am not so sure they have escaped it.

ok...well...how to deal with this in-escapable thing...
i would like to say it may be different for every one of us, but evidence leads to the contrary.....it seems to go the same for everyone.

Honesty.
It's the only way.
..we have to be honest with our own selves...bottom line.

We have to admit...those things we hide, even from ourselves...we have to hear what that little voice is saying and we must dialogue with it, reason with it, & come to peace with it...to regain our balance we must reconcile.

No one else can do this for us, no else can make it go away..because it is a part of Us.
Nothing else we do to get out of it will bring us back out of that dark night into the clear light of day.
Nothing.


i can not tell you what to do, but i can tell you what i did...


One loooong dark night...i was so wracked with pain my heart felt like it was on fire, literally burning a hole in my chest...& i began to wish for death.
Of course, it would not come, without some assistance from myself..which..is the Worst place to be..the loss of all Hope.
...if you fail...there is no lower you can go...believe me

Well, this night..life was all confused..nothing made sense anymore. Nothing.

& i was sick & tired of fighting & whining & beating my head against immovable objects & hard places...watching the endless incredible cruelty of man against man..all of it..fell on me like a massive truckload of cowpies.

Feelings were flying about the dark, quiet room like shadow bats...and i was a broken mess...my belly had become a painful pit of raging emotion, which i could no longer make sense of...& when it seemed i was about to be eaten up by some invisible monster lurking in the shadows...i panicked..went searching for anything or body who could help me keep the dread thing at bay....this night..there was nothing, no one....and i felt...fractured..like a glass egg that was full of cracks.
Any moment..i was gonna shatter...

This night..as all will left me..i ceased my pacing..and..slowly, literally, sank to my knees in the near centre of the room..unable to even shed tears...and in this breathless silence the room altered..i saw what was Really there

This night i found myself..staring deeply, mesmerized,  into the darkly glittering abyss...felt it pulling me..and i lost the will to step back. This night..i willingly fell into it.
When i realised i had lost my will ..i actually took the step off the edge.

All around me were dark things swirling..sounds, smells, flashes..it was as a whirlpool, and it made me dizzy & very cold..but....oddly, i did not sink.
After who knows how long..it ebbed away & seemed to take all fear with it...and i was back in this room, alone....with that invisible monster i've felt & feared since childhood...instinct told me there was no escape, so..resolute agasinst the inevitable, i took a deep breath & faced it.
i had absolutely Nothing left to loose.

From the shadows where i could not see, it snarled at me...but..my fear truly had washed away in the whirlpool....and...i felt...blank.

Apparently, the 'monster' sensed this.. the snarling became quieter...until we both became curious, for lack of a better word, and it slowly came out of the darkness..i too moved tward it.

We met...in a sort of twilight...and even before i met it..i knew...just..a feeling..what i would see.
It was a larger than life, anamalistic, dark & menacing, version of myself...
It...had a lot of anger twards me..and i just stood there..letting it roar at me...i knew...it needed to let go of as much as i did.

When it was done roaring...i sliently looked at all the things it showed me...listened to all the thoughts it had ..& though these things pained me, i would not miss a thing....and..when it had finally expunged everything & fell silent.....i reached out & touched it..with a newfound feeling of compassion growing inside, filling the void, where the emptyness given to me from the abyss had been.

This was what it had been waiting for all along appatently,
as it gave a tremendous great sigh..then shrank in stature and stepped into me.

...when i got back up off that floor, feeling completely exhausted, but...ok..for the first time since..i can't even remember that far back....it really was Dawn...and i stepped outside..into the Clear light of day....with No regret

Now...we have a dialogue.....when i hear that voice, or feel those feelings..i take an honest look at the why...and if i disagree (which i usually do) i will still refuse them, but..in an Open way, with reason given.
word to the wise..don't deny yourself..reason with yourself..it's Respectful

we are one

....i am a creature of Great Light..and terrible Darkness....

...and so are You

Own Yourself...or....it's very likely someone else will

"..the truth is..we don't know what time it is.."



..well...i gotta say...the post & video i include below are very good & quite right, for the most part.
Except.............

...i submit to you for consideration....we know "they" fed us enormous lies...since time immemorial....and most of these have been discovered as such. All but..One
And that one is...Timeline

Why...do you unquestioningly accept this, the worst of all lies, because it negates the validity of everything else, perpetuates confusion & lends credence to the greatest lie...in complete blind faith?

Why would they do such a thing in the first place?

Believing false timelines..makes the truth seem impossible...no matter who speaks it.
Change the timeline..and no one can Prove Anything. Genius! What a scam! The Perfect Crime.

Thus, i submit to you...if they whom built the biggest scam of all time...would they not consider this as one of, if not THE most powerful tool, to ensure success?

Change the timeline...bury real events & re-write history....tell the already hurt & frightened people there is only a short past, where man was awake, somehow ignore the glaring fact that Earth is indeed old & so is mankind....have we just been sleeping in some kind of stone age stupors for all that time?

....hide the events of real ages in "supernatural" cloaks of  nonsensical gobbeldygook so that it sounds too absurd to believe...then viciously, loudly, publically, ridicule anyone whom dares to suggest that the acceptable "taught" timeline is wrong...and we meekly shut up & forget about it...?
..and there have indeed been others whom dared speak out on this disturbing likelyhood. Quite a few, as a matter of fact..i certainly do not speak alone.
..Remember...they once had us believing the earth was flat....

People....at least think about it?

...IF.."they" taught us the wrong timelines...would not this  explain why, enmass, we feel so confused when faced with an actual truth, which 'something' in us Knows is truth, but, still we eventually doubt & even reject it...even though deep inside we Know it is something from our Real history, not "legend"..because..History would actually make sense if it really happened.
...there is a Lot of that happening........ever wonder why?

Of course, they could never let us Know these legends were real cos, it would show their fabrications to be nothing more than a web of lies to ensnare us & keep us in their power. Sure worked good for a long time, didn't it?

IF history were much Older than they tell us...and check it, folks..there is Nothing in the bible to suggest otherwise...only a few mentions that folks once lived to be Much Older than they do now & several indications that Time itself was far longer stretching than the Gregorian calender allows.....imho...uhh..this is the answer right there.

What if....all these "legends" & myths actually Happened 10, 20, 30, or even 50,000 years ago?
Someone, please tell me what is so crazy about that?

...imho...believing we walked around mindless, drooling & dragging our clubs for the last 45,000 + years & one day, all of a sudden, for no particular reason, we...woke up!?
.....ZZZzzzz....poof!
Ah..excuse me...that 'story' is a wee bit too much for me to swallow ><

ishi



----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: ~Pardon Me~
Date: Dec 10, 2008 2:43 AM



ALERT! TO "ALL" IN THE TRUTH MOVEMENT! * IMPORTANT*

From: USA FOREVER - Μολών Λaβέ!

This was the TITLE on a series of vid's I found  on YouTube.

If you care at all about seeking out and spreading the absolute

truth,  please take the time to watch all three. 


This guy drives home VERY VERY excellent points

about TYRANNY,  the FORCES OF EVIL, and those TRUTHERS 

truthers who HAVE BEEN and CURRENTLY ARE being

lead straight down the path of deception.


HAVE YOU BEEN DUPED..?


LISTEN CAREFULLY about what he is saying here.

Then take a good hard look and honestly ask yourself..?

"Am I playing right into their game?"


Sadly,  YES..MANY OF YOU ARE...














W  W  W   .  M  Y  S  P  A  C  E  . C O M   /  U  S  A    F  O R  E  V  E  R  R   




Jesus was, and still is The Way, The Truth, and The Light

pardon me,
b

..i can think of no better way to get this blog back into shape..than helping out a brother in Serious Need

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Nell
Date: Sep 9, 2008 9:04 PM





Please repost in bulletins and place in your blogs!



We must not forget that he is not frozen in some world waiting for this day when he is free to begin his life. He is living his life right now!


There are many ways to define free.  There are many committees that have formed to free Leonard's body from the prison. Yet, we can also work to give him ways to free his mind from his prison every chance he gets. To free his heart from much of the pain that keeps him up at night. To free his soul from worry about things we can control.  We can do all this by taking a serious look at the day to day rules and regulations that control his life. Can he practice his ceremonies? Can he buy his art supplies? Can he get the best quality of food available within the prison? Does he have the medical supplies needed?  Is he protected by the knowledge that we will stand by him if they harm him in anyway? Is his cell full of letters from us telling him that we are there with him in the fight? If not, then we are failing him. Not the government but us.  


We buy the shirts and bumper stickers. We post the banners on our myspace page. These are all great but what is he doing right this moment?  What is in his heart that he needs? These are things we can control! We can't forget that this is a real person that wakes up everyday and is behind bars.  How can we make each step of that day better? We can write him and let him know that he is not forgotten. We can send Commissary to him! Not to some group but directly to him! He should never have to think about being able to get the things he needs to have! If he has to think about wanting something that Commissary could buy but does not have the money, then we have failed him! Not the government but us! Facts are facts. If he wakes up and needs for anything that can exist within his prison walls then we are at fault for that!


Let' s take a serious look at the possibilities of Commissary for Leonard and see how we can bring as much as possible to this man to increase his quality of life. This is a system we can control. Let us show him the honor that he deserves!!! Let us also explore what else is possible within the system to send him?

  Send Cards and Letters:
Leonard Peltier
89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837-1000


Q: How do I send funds to Leonard?
A: In 1930, the Department of Justice authorized and established a Commissary at each Federal institution. The Commissary was created to provide a bank type account for inmate monies and for the procurement of articles not regularly issued as part of the institution administration. The purpose of individual inmate Commissary accounts is to allow the Bureau of Prisons to maintain inmates' monies while they are incarcerated. Family, friends, or other sources may deposit funds into these accounts.
Funds may be sent to Leonard via the United States Postal Service or via the Western Union Quick Collect Program.
U.S. Postal Service

Leonard's family members and friends choosing to send funds through the mail must send those funds to the following address and in accordance with the directions provided below:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Leonard Peltier
89637-132
Post Office Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001

Leonard can only receive letters, cards, postcards, photos (not polaroid), and postal money orders for his commissary account.
Leonard can not receive gifts or cds. Books/magazines must be sent from a bookstore. Newspaper articles are not allowed however xerox copies of the articles are allowed.
He loves to hear from all of you!!!. Write! Write often! He will respond as he has time and materials.

The deposit must be in the form of a money order made out to to:  Leonard Peltier 89637-132. The Bureau of Prisons will return funds that do not have valid inmate information to the sender provided the envelope has an adequate return address. Personal checks and cash can not be accepted for deposit.
The sender's name and return address must appear on the upper left hand corner of the envelope to ensure that the funds can be returned to the sender in the event that they can not be posted to the inmate's account. The deposit envelope must not contain any items intended for delivery to the inmate. The Bureau of Prisons shall dispose of all items included with the funds.
In the event funds have been mailed but have not been received in the inmate's account and adequate time has passed for mail service to Des Moines, Iowa, the sender must initiate a tracer with the entity who sold them the money order to resolve any issues.
Western Union Quick Collect Program

You also may send  funds to Leonard through Western Union's Quick Collect Program. All funds sent via Western Union's Quick Collect will be posted to Leonard's account within two to four hours, when those funds are sent between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST (seven days per week, including holidays). Funds received after 9:00 pm EST will be posted by 7:00 am EST the following morning. Funds sent through the Quick Collect Program may be sent via one of the following ways:
1) At an agent location with cash: You must complete a Quick Collect Form.  To find the nearest agent, they may call 1-800-325-6000 or go to www. westernunion. com.
2) By phone using a credit/debit card: Simply call 1-800-634-3422 and press option 2.
3) Via the Internet using a credit/debit card:
Go to www. westernunion. com and select "Quick Collect".
For each Western Union Quick Collect transaction, the following information must be provided:
•    Valid Inmate Eight Digit Register Number (89637-132)
•    Committed Inmate Name (Leonard Peltier)
•    Code City: FBOP
•    State code: DC

http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/features/pay2pray.html
Don't Pay to Pray
by Lorayne Martinez

Praying or remembering our essence is as natural to us as breathing.

Also like breathing, we very often forget to do it. Well as many of us are aware, for many years now and ever on the increase, there are those that wish to "help" us. For a price, however. Most of these "teachers", "gurus", "shamans", "medicine people" are self proclaimed, self taught, or ordained so by someone who is. They have read books, attended lectures, seminars, workshops and/or intensives that are very expensive. They have gone home and practiced and analyzed whatever they were sold. In a moment of ecstasy, they "realized" they were good at it, they, too, had a gift. But far from giving, these people take and take and take. They take peoples money, peoples attention, they take peoples identities. All the while you are being told, "the more you give, the more you receive." This pulls on peoples needs for spiritual connectedness, healing, and power. This is spiritual exploitation.

* Spiritual exploitation breeds genocide at its core.
    
* Spiritual exploitation breeds dependency.
   
* Spiritual exploitation is capitalism at its most manipulative.

It's all about Power and Money, marketed in a magical cape of lavender and rainbows.

In my opinion, one of these supposed medicine people Brooke Edwards, a.k.a. Brooke Medicine Eagle, was here in Sonoma County in March. Many of us were there to encourage others not to support this spiritual genocide and exploitation. Most went in , but several did stay out to discuss this issue, and one person walked by my sign, read it "DON'T PAY TO PRAY", said vehemently "What is this shit?!", and kept walking. After the approximately two and a half hour talk, which cost twenty dollars, Brooke came out and was calmly told by a spokesperson from the Center For The Spirit to stop exploiting American Indian ways, in particular those of the Crow Tribe of Montana.

   

She claimed to conduct what she does in a respectful, harmonious way. However, she did not ask any questions as to who she was offending, why, or to set up a time to discuss any of these issues. She didn't appear to "hear" what was being said. In my estimation she seemed a very gracious brick wall, unwilling to communicate but oh so nice about it. Which is basically how all people of color, including my ancestors here in the western hemisphere, have been and continue to be treated. As they smile and chop off our hands for not giving gold, they ignore our existence, our screams and continue their mantra I WANT, I WANT, I WANT.

Remember, Don't Pay to Pray.




**************************************************************************

Will someone die in a sweatlodge this weekend?

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Beyond all borders
Date: Jun 24, 2008 7:26 AM


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Protect Native Culture
Date: Jun 24, 2008 12:38 PM


Summer Solstice is past now but thought this important to send out.  Also there are more people who have died because of fake ceremonies and people running them who have no right too than are on this list...some food for thought people.....
Education is the key.... when we went to Yellowstone to talk to the Eden event we kept hearing &quot;We had no idea..&quot; over and over again...and thats just it - they  have NO IDEA.... coming from a non-native culture - they dont know a real spiritual leader from the fake down the street..we made a difference in alot of peoples perceptions and beliefs up there and it will spread.... changes are happening....we can all make a difference.  Another key that was discussed is that people dont have to follow native ways to be spiritual people....but that is another whole long discussion ...
Kitty

____________________

Summer Solstice is approaching and so is the chance of someone dying
again in a New Age sweat lodge.



 Please remember the victims of the
New Age commodification of our culture in your prayers this week.




They were all human beings and none of them deserved to die this way.





In Memoriam

Rowen Cooke 37, Melbourne Australia
died in a sweat lodge November 4, 2004
Kylie Watts, 30 Byron Bay in New South Wales
died in a sweat lodge in 2003
Kirsten &quot;Kris&quot; Babcock 34 Redding, California
died in a sweat lodge on June 21, 2002
David Thomas Hawker, 36, of Union City, California
died in a sweat lodge on June 21, 2002
Gordon Reynolds, 43 of Twickenham, West London died in a sweat lodge
on November 21, 1996
Kelly Rice, 35 of Austin, Texas, housekeeper and masseuse, died of
accidental heatstroke inside a sweat lodge in June1993
Ronald Delgado of Santa Barbara California was killed in Archie Fire
Lame Deer's 'Vision Quest' on July 12, 1980

Many of these people died in sweats held on very hot days around the
summer solstice.




 With the popularity of the twinkie sweat lodge ever
increasing there's an increased probability that someone will die
this weekend.




Please don't let these deaths be forgotten.




 If you have time, please
consider grass roots organizing to educate people about the dangers
of these sweats and the harm that they do to native people or to
protest any sweat lodges in your area.




Don't Pay to Pray has been keeping statistics on the number and cost
of non-NDN sweat lodges since 2001.




  We found that the average cost
of sweats reported to us from people across the United States and
Canada has increased from $46.67 in 2001 to $95.




00 in 2007 and it
skyrocketed to $965.26 in 2008.




  The number reported to us has risen
nearly 900%.




  It appears that the sweat-lodge cottage industry is not
a mainstream high-end service.




  This only increases the liklihood
that someone will die this weekend.





  We've noticed that many of the
more expensive sweats now require waivers.





http://www. sotems. com. au/pdf%20files/Waiver. PDF

(Note: SOTEMS is the group that was running the sweat where Rowan
Cooke died. He was only 37 and he had a young son.



)

It tells you a lot about the true character of people when you see
that their primary response to this horrible mistake was to protect
themselves legally in the event of future deaths.




We've noticed that those who conduct these sweats are getting bolder
in insisting on payment for their services and more and more people
are simply taking them at their word.




 Most frauds are now claiming that payment is merely an &quot;exchange of energy&quot; and that it is no
longer appropriate just to give the twinkie shame-man blankets, food
or gas &ndash; we're hearing over and over again that it's appropriate to
give large sums of &quot;energy&quot; (that means money).



 As activists, we can't let our voices be drowned out by those who would commercialize
our spirituality.




Every year we post the solstice sweats and ask for help getting the
word out.




 Today, a cousin pointed out to me that it's probably now
true that more non-NDN people have participated in sweat lodges than
have NDN people.




 Through their numbers and their resources, non NDNs
have barged into our communities and have nearly supplanted us from
our own cultures.




 This weekend millions of people all over the world
will attend twisted versions of sweat lodge ceremonies believing they
are doing something good that is sanctioned by indigenous spiritual
leaders.




 The price of the average twinkie sweat lodge is rapidly
growing beyond the means of the poorest people so the frauds have
priced out everybody but the richest, whitest people from the
trendiest sweats.




 I don't really think this is completely
unintentional.




 Whether they intend it or not, those who claim to
respect our religion are supplanting authentic native people from our
own religious practices.




We have compiled as much information as we can find, but we need help
to get the word out about these frauds.



  Please take some time today
and get the word out about them.




 Feel free to forward the list to any
listserves or organizations that you think might be helpful.




The list can be downloaded from the files at Debunking Debunkers rule

http://tech. groups. yahoo. com/group/Debunking_debunkersrule/?
v=1&amp;t=search&amp;ch=web&amp;pub=groups&amp;sec=group&amp;slk=1

The Wall of Shame web site:

http://shameons. bravepages. com/Solstice_Sweats. html

or from my blog:

http://ca. geocities. com/dont_pay_to_pray/links. html

I'm also going to a clickable list on my blog:

http://dontpaytopray. blogspot. com/

Thank you,

Miigwech

Heather


**************************************************************************

http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/features/brooke-edwards.html
Alert – Re:
Brooke 'Medicine Eagle' Edwards

Abuse and Exploitation of American Indian Sacred Traditions
A Statement from the Center for the SPIRIT

One phenomenally successful exploiter of traditional Indian spirituality is a woman named Brooke Edwards, who transacts her business under the assumed name of "Brooke Medicine Eagle". Ms. "Medicine Eagle" operates "spirituality camps" in Montana, charging as much as $1,500 per person for the privilege of putting up a tent on her ranch for two weeks. (Assuming that at least twenty people participate in each session, Ms. "Medicine Eagle" takes in at least $30,000 every two weeks, all summer long.) Ms. "Medicine Eagle" has been denounced by the Crow Tribe of Montana, with whom she claims affiliation as a spiritual "teacher", for misrepresenting and abusing the spiritual traditions of the Crow people through her high-profit cottage industry. According to John Pretty On Top, traditional Crow sundance chief and the officially designated Cultural Director and Speaker for the Crow Tribe, Ms. "Medicine Eagle" is neither a traditional medicine woman (contrary to her paid advertisements) nor an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe. Rather, Ms. "Medicine Eagle" is a profound embarrassment to traditional Crow People, says Mr. Pretty On Top:

"The book she published is so far away from Crow spirituality she's not recognized anywhere in our traditional ways". Mr. Pretty On Top has expressed concern for the harm to the reputation of legitimate Crow spirituality that inevitably follows from the prosperous charlatanism of imposters like Brooke Edwards and he urges non-Indians not to support Ms. "Medicine Eagle" financially or otherwise.

We join with John Pretty On Top and the Crow Tribe of Montana in urging all supporters of American Indian people to help us in our struggle for social justice and religious freedom by actively opposing the spiritual genocide manifest in the exploitation and abuse of our most precious sacred traditions by cultists, con artists, hucksters, charlatans and "plastic medicine people" like Brooke Edwards. And we invite you to contact us at Center for the SPIRIT whenever you become aware of situations in which American Indian sacred traditions are being exploited and abused, so that we may help you and your community develop and implement an effective strategy of community education and active resistance to such exploitation.

    Center for the SPIRIT (Support and Protection of Indian Religions and Indigenous Traditions) is a nonprofit organization of American Indian people dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of American Indian spiritual practices and religious traditions. Headquartered in Oakland we have begun to systematically address the momentous problem of "New Age" exploitation and expropriation of the sacred traditions of American Indian tribes--a problem which has proliferated alarmingly in the Bay Area and throughout California in recent years.

    We can be reached at P.O. Box 17002, Oakland , Calif. 94601.