By Stewart N. Thorpe
http://www.myspace.com/citizenpressrevolution
The genocide of Native Americans didn't end with the Trail of Tears. It has never ended.
Native Americans retain barely 4% of the land in the United States. These islands "reserved" for Native Americans are being exploited and are under attack for the same motivation that has nearly wiped off Native Americans from the face of the earth:
Greed.
Money above culture. Money above self-determination. Money above freedom. Money above respecting sovereignty of other nations. Money above human dignity. Money above happiness.
Nearly all 317 U.S. reservations are under serious environmental threats.
Many reservations also live in abject poverty.
The sins of the United States' past are the sins of the United States' present. Why? Because we have not learned our lessons. Why? Because we are still doing the same mistakes and the same evils.
Even a simple effort such as every car driver properly inflating their tires would in itself stop the pressure, for example, to drill in the pristine wilderness and homeland of Native Americans in Alaska and elsewhere.
Consumerism and overconsumption is directly connected to the destruction of the environment, a foreign policy obsessed with exploiting third world countries and supporting dictators if "necessary", the pyschological malaise and high rates of suicide in industrialized nations, especially the United States.
We do not need to use so much energy. We do not need to consume so much. Your consumption has far-reaching consequences, many that you wouldn't even suspect.
If people stopped being influenced by advertisers and consumed less and indifferently to hype and advertising became a negative investment for corporations, advertising would decrease. Eating disorders and massive unhappiness among women would decrease. As an advertising-addicted corporate media would see declining revenues, independent media would flourish even more with its decline. As the effectiveness of "branding" dissipates, big business would find it more difficult to replicate itself through the world and local business would find it somewhat more easily to compete.
Do you ever stop yourself and ask yourself why you need to buy all these things? Why you must drive so much or even have a car? Do you really think that you are happy? Do you really think you could not be just as happy if not happier without all these things?
You are part of the system.
Our seeming "insignificant" consumer choices are directly tied to things such as the Dooda Desert Rock Barricade happening in New Mexico. Native Americans are under siege to sacrifice their land and environmental health to feed the needs of a system that many mindlessly support.
It begun on December 2006. The struggle is still happening -- right now. Of course, big media, corporate media that is, financially interlocked with the likes of Chevron and (even) Halliburton aren't going to tell you about the modern plight of Native Americans.
It is an almost universal truth that multinational corporations all would like to see the resources of Native American reservations opened up for corporate profit.
Consequently, you are kept in the dark.
This is very interesting. I use to live in Canada and Native Americans were and probably still are in the press constantly but mainly portrayed in a bad image. There are always road blocks or just something that the Natives want. I think as a result it has become a very sensitive subject. I use to hate walking around town by myself and just receiving bad feelings from other people or the looks of disdain for just being Native.
During the Oka Crisis, our band had put up a road-block to share our support for the band in despair, that was all the way on the other side of the country. During this time it was not safe to be by yourself anywhere in town limits. My mother was surrounded by 3 white men and had her life threatend while she was grocery shopping. If it were not for another white man stepping in, I would have been scared for her life.
I had moved to the States 4 years ago and I had loved the idea of disappearing into the crowd and not being singled out because of my ancestry. I loved not hearing the news gripe about another Native American issue. Our tiny itty bitty news station had nationwide coverage on Native American issues. It gave coverage to the issues but it didn't help our everyday life.
It makes me wonder what is going on in the United States? How are other Tribes faring during these times? The only news I hear about other tribes is: this tribe is putting in a proposal for a new casino, this tribe is expanding their casino. The only coverage on Native Americans is about casinos. What is up with that? I would think that we would want to hear about the real issues that are going on. The real issues that are happening in indian country that affect the Natives, and not only the Natives but also the non-Natives.
If I hadn't come across ProgressiveU, then I wouldn't have come across the situation of Dooda Desert Rock. Why are we all left in the dark?
Turn the light on, United States! We want to see! People deserve to know!