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For immediate release : Mohawk grandmother remains in hiding, defying arrest warrant
Tag Archives: Aboriginal rights
WHAT IS THE ONKWEHONWE DEMOCRATIC AGENDA?
WHAT IS THE ONKWEHONWE DEMOCRATIC AGENDA? MNN. Feb. 25, 2007. We’ve been complaining about the top-down bureaucratic agenda of the colonizers. Do we have something to replace it? Yes we do. It’s called the Kaianerehkowa/Great Law of Peace. Our philosophy can build a society based on a better understanding of peace, power and righteousness. These words have meanings that are deeply rooted in our culture and completely different from the kinds of expectations they raise among the colonized. Our understanding of these concepts has nothing in common with the command and obedience model of predatory capitalism that exploits the ordinary people for the power and profit of a few. The new (colonial) world order is incompatible with a way of life based on the principles of fully informed consent and consensus in all our relationships.For more than a thousand years we have had a participatory democracy. In an article by Stephen Lendman, in CounterCurrent.org entitled “Hugo Chavez’s Social Democratic Agenda”, he describes how Chavez has “constructed socialism from below”, built “from the base” in the communities”. He has found a way “to carry out the battle of ideas for the socialist project to rebuild Venezuelan society. He wants a coalition of smaller parties whose power comes from the communities. Chavez wants to build 21st century socialism using state revenues to benefit people in new and innovative ways. He wants to give more power to the people at the grass roots level which he thinks is the way democracy should work. There are presently 16,000 regional federations of Communal Councils organized across the country dealing with local issues. Each has 200 to 400 families. That number is expected to grow to 21,000 councils by year end 2007. “They are the key to people’s power”. This looks like the embryo of a new state, driven by the same basic philosophy of egalitarian human respect that underlies the Kaianerehkowa. An intergovernmental fund for decentralization will distribute billions to these Councils in 2007. This is more than triple the amount allocated in 2006. If the people so chose, billions can be put into a “National Development Fund” for industrial development. Yellow journalism has been attacking this thinking. They put fear into people’s minds, calling it “nationalization”, which is a dirty word to capitalist colonial economies. Capitalism is really a one way road for the privileged few. Hostile rhetoric and outright attacks can be expected when true grass roots orthodoxies are ignored. Development of democratic programs look threatening to those who have violently struggled their way to the top of the old hierarchal heap. As we assert our sovereignty, we have lots to think about. What can we Onkwehonwe do with all our land and resources and all the squatters who are here? The land still belongs to the Indigenous people and always will. All the resource revenues can be used to compensate the colonists fairly. The rest can be put towards rebuilding a safe and healthy environment. U.S. and Canada will, of course, become irrelevant. The old hierarchies will cling to their delusional powers. They will keep their guns pointed at us and try to invent more lethal weapons. We’ll have to bring out the feathers and start tickling them so they get real. If they don’t, we might have to ask them to leave. They have legal obligations. They are violating the Geneva Accords. Their hysterical megalomania is getting them involved in serious violations. They risk being declared persona non grata worldwide. With all the money from our land and resources, we could buy out the big corporations so that we have the major shares, say 40%, as Chavez is doing. The rest can be joint ventures with us. In other words, we want all these companies under the control of the people. The colonists can have shares after we take everything out of private control. The money should be put back into our hands where it belongs, out of the hands of private for-profit bankers. We would invest it into worthwhile projects that meet our priorities and that will restore and protect the land so that the coming generations can be healthy, happy and prosperous. The days of genocide and exploitation are over. We must benefit most from our resource revenues and other businesses that provide essential services like public utilities. Clean drinking water and fresh air to breathe would be one of our top priority. Private businesses will have to be transparent and abide by new standards of fairness. This will be a big adjustment for those who are used to having their way. We will redefine and restructure our relationships. It goes without saying that Indian Affairs has to go. Communal power at the grass roots will be the order of the day. This is the basis of the post-colonial model. Kaianerehkowa can make this happen and can be the start of a real egalitarian and humanistic society. All social structures will have to be reorganized. Selections of local officials, the economy, finance, banking, transportation, security, public safety and policies related to energy are part of this. There is no need for a top heavy governmental structure when everyone takes responsibility at all levels. The current colonial bureaucracy will have to be dismantled. Some of it could be adjusted to the new reality. Corruption is a major problem and has to be eliminated. Social justice and economic independence will be based on equitable distribution of national wealth spent on health care, education and social security. Education is of utmost importance. Racism must be eliminated from all school curricula. Science and technology has to benefit all of the people. So must education, health, the environment, biodiversity, industry, quality of life and security. Financial sectors, including banking and insurance, will have to conform to the Kaianerehkowa. Responsibility has to be returned to the people so we can take charge of our own welfare. Public health, rehabilitation, identification and migration regulations are all matters that we can deal with ourselves using the Kaianherehkowa methodology. We will not need a judiciary. We will be able to solve everything through consensus. The people must control the energy sector including oil production. Private investors can still play a role. But it will be based on equitable joint ventures that include the people as decision makers, not just consumers. Local, community and territorial organizations will be set up. The principles of the Kaianerekowa will inform all our relationships. As long as representatives are carrying out the will and the wishes of the people, they may remain in their positions. All procedures and decision making must be public and the work of all administrative officials will be subject to constant review. They can be removed from office if they do not follow the people’s directions or heed our warnings. All must be given the experience of being a representative so that we can all learn how to help the people. It is important for us to learn how difficult it is to serve. We cannot give anyone power to harm civil or human rights of our people or even of our opponents. We will conduct all relations with other countries. Colonial states squatting on our land do not represent us. We will not expropriate private property. Right of occupancy can be given to people. The land continues to belong as it always has to the Onkwehonwe. The last days of the colonial system are at hand. Democracy and colonialism cannot coexist. Colonialism is a military or civilian “dictatorship” derived from a combination of isolation, overarching greed and an attempt to pull local and global forces together to control all the people and the resources of the world. Savage capitalism is fighting to stay alive. It is putting colonial nations on the tipping edge of fascism. It combines elements of corporatism, patriotism, nationalism and the delusion of an Almighty-directed mission while pursuing an iron-fisted militarist agenda, with thugs like “Homeland Security” enforcers that are illegally spying on everyone. In this system everything is for sale to the few who can pay. Under our system things will be distributed fairly. No one will become desperate enough to want to sell their soul to the devil. Colonialism is out of date, illegal and so yesterday. No longer will the armies oppress and kill for the key resources, markets and cheap labor where “might makes right” and any difference of opinion will not be tolerated. We will challenge them even though we place ourselves in jeopardy such as being made public enemy number one marked for elimination. Our youth are precious to us. The Los Angeles Times did a story about “A wildly successful Venezuelan program that makes musical instruments and training available, free of charge, to all children”. This gives the children something constructive to do, in contrast to the U.S. model which struggles to keep guns out of the hands of kids. Chavez created a musical education program called “El Sisterna” which serves 500,000 children from all strata of society getting training at more than 120 centers around the country. From it more than 200 youth orchestras have been created. Training in music is a known way to develop math skills in the young to prepare them later for professional training. Suddenly crime control isn’t even a problem on the horizon. It is less expensive than the multi-billion dollars state-sponsored iron-fisted prison system and militarist Homeland Security “thuggery”. Instead of punishing youth, they are inspired. As the author, Paul Cummins, put it, “We reap what we sow, and we don’t harvest what we don’t plant”. We have always been free. No one can take our freedom from us. Many of those who come from repressive societies are unable to see a bottom-up model of relationships. We have shown that we cannot be oppressed. We have always resisted enslavement. Another issue is homelessness. We will offer street people communal housing, drug treatment and a modest income. We cannot allow a single child or a single beggar to live on the street. We must guide our homeless to shelters and rehabilitation centers that provide medical and psychological care. They can do community service work. We have to stop planned public neglect that favors private sector gain and disinterest in educating poor inner-city children who are discarded like debris by an uncaring colonial state. Homelessness highlights the savage effects of capitalism. It is the result of one-way wealth distribution that siphons everything upwards except for a few crumbs that are handed to the middle class while nothing goes to the millions on the bottom though they are the most in need. They all hope we will just go away. We won’t. Neither will our needs. We come from a participatory tradition which can eliminate the greedy fantasies of colonialism. Free expression is part of an open democratic society. No more secrecy or lies. No more corporate media support for capitalists and colonial states. No more thought-control police to mock our efforts at free expression which is vital to a healthy transition from tyranny to democracy. The “thought police” doesn’t want us to say what is on our minds. They don’t want us to think. We can and will do it because the Kaianerehkowa mandates it. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and others to the South are being empowered by the people to get back on the natural path that has always been there, for us and for everyone. Chavez is doing it without a war and without global interference. We can do it too. Kahentinetha Horn For updates, workshops, speakers and to sign up, to to http://www.mohawknationnews.com Please sign the Women Title Holders petition. Coming soon books on Mohawk issues online. | ||
| poster: katenies | ||
EDITORIAL: ?GANIENKEH? RECLAMATION OF 33 YEARS AGO
| GANIENKEH? RECLAMATION OF 33 YEARS AGO
?There have been splits throughout our history. Time always healed these divisions. We discussed how we were willing to put our lives on the line for our beliefs. The real struggle was not with our own people. So we focused our sights on our real enemies, the colonial governments. If we want our land, asking for it won?t bring it back. Our chances of winning a land claim in a colonial court were nil. Believing in ourselves, we decided to reclaim our land. So we said, ?Let?s do it?. ?It was not a new idea. Our people had always moved about on our territory. Ti?res had taken back Tiokweroton/Doncaster in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal around the 1920?s for the Mohawk Nation. ?Our grandparents had taken us to Mohawk Valley in the late 1950?s to reclaim some of our territory there. There had been a village there a long time ago called ?Kahnawake?. Beforehand we visited all our Mohawk communities for their support in repossessing our land in the name of the traditional minded Onkwehonwe. We settled there as Mohawk Nation people. Eventually we were dragged into their courts and evicted from our lands. We returned to our original communities. ?The dream to repossess some of our land never died. In 1974 we decided to build a new community. About six or more months was spent in planning this. We needed people who were good organizers, who knew how to speak to the people and how to keep the spirit alive. The group was made up of people of all ages. Grandfathers , grandmothers, mothers, fathers and children. There was representation from many nations such as Onondaga, Seneca, Oneida, Anishnawbe, Odawa, Sac & Fox, Lakota, Inuit, Dene, Algonquin and others who came from all over to join us. ?We declared there would be no drugs, alcohol, foreign religions or laws. It would be a totally Onkwehone controlled. ?We had a back up system. We knew that our project was going to be costly. To stretch our funds, we decided to use the natural resources. We chose to do without comforts by using kerosene lamps and wood burning stoves. We stored non-perishable food. As part of our backup those who remained in our communities would support us by sending food and medicine and help with public relations and political assistance. ?We sent people far and wide throughout Kanion?ke:haka territory to find the right place. We needed water, forests, land for planting and an isolated terrain we could defend. We found such a place. Only four of the scouts knew where this location was. They would each guide one of the four caravans. We planned to approach the site from the four directions. We had to keep this information secret because we knew that spies would be sent in to find out where we were going. We gave ourselves four chances to get to this place safely. If one did not make it there, surely another would. The caravans comprised several hundred people. ?We met three times a week to plan. Each of us would put in $2 or whatever we could into a hat to build up some funds. ?We had support because they knew we were strong in our goal. Not wanting to be labeled as radicals or criminals, we asked for the Mohawk Nation and the Six Nations Confederacy for support. The Mohawk Nation sanctioned our project from the beginning. Due to secrecy of the location, when the confederacy was sure that the land was Kanion?ke:haka they gave us full sanction. ?Moss Lake was chosen. It is 60 miles northeast of Utica in what is known as New York State. The day before our departure three of the four caravans gathered in Akwesasne at the home of Ann Jock and left from there. The fourth caravan left from Onondaga to approach the site from the south. The food, tools and equipment had been gathered long beforehand. It was a quiet moment. When we started on our way, we told the public that we were going to Vermont. We were informed that 250 extra border patrol and state police were placed at the border to stop us when we arrived there. ?We got to Moss Lake at approximately 5 am. It was still dark. We immediately secured the area. People were tired. We made sure the women and children were taken care of. Then we further explored the area. There was only one road which made it defensible. We had the necessary equipment to do that. We found more abandoned houses of a former exclusive girl?s summer camp and moved in. Part of our strategy was to simultaneously hand deliver the ?Ganienkeh Manifesto? to every member of the United Nations in both New York City and Montreal. We did not want the U.S. to isolate us with a media black out. The world must know and make sure the U.S. conducted itself responsibly. They had to work with us to resolve this land dispute according to the Two Row Wampum and the formula set out in Article 7 of the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua. ?Later that day forest rangers from the Department of Environmental Conservation arrived. They were curious. We explained we were coming back to our homeland to rebuild our community. Initially the locals were ready to welcome us. This depressed area relies mainly on tourism. They thought we would be selling Indian trinkets and souveniers and dancing for the tourists. They were disappointed to learn that we were not from Hollywood and that we were more interested in farming and rebuilding our communities. They formed an organization called ?Concerned People of the Adirondacks? who campaigned to remove us from the area. ?The colonial authorities started to treat us as ?trespassers?. Then incidents and attacks against us began. After almost 20 shootings into our community by vigilantes, we requested that the outside authorities control their people. No action was taken. We had no choice. Our elders, children and people were constantly being shot at. We could not risk the lives of our people. The women held a council. They decided that, should anyone shoot at us, the men were to stop their vehicles and apprehend these people. Our intent was not to bring injury to them but to stop their attacks. Two individuals unfortunately got shot by stray bullets. Only then did the outside authorities decide to intervene. They tried to arrest the Onkwehonwe. They tried to serve ?John Doe? and ?Jane Doe? warrants on our people, which we did not allow. To investigate and resolve these shootings peacefully they had to comply with the guidelines set out in article 7 of the 1794 Canandaigua Treaty. It was in line with the Two Row agreement between ourselves and the colonial governments. This is the basis of international law today. ?It was historic. We forced the U.S. government to deal with us according to Article 7 which clearly defines our relationship. If there is any problem between any part of the Confederacy and the U.S, either side could lodge a complaint to the other nation. It would be investigated by the respective nation. All issues are dealt with on a nation-to-nation level. It took a while. Good minded U.S. President Gerald Ford decided Article 7 was probably the best way to go. He appointed Forest Gerard to act as his special agent to comply with article 7. We worked jointly with the U.S., the people they appointed, our people and the Confederacy to resolve this in the manner that was prescribed by our ancestors. The attacks stopped. Even though it was resolved, the folks still wanted us out of the area. They gave us ultimatims to leave. We refused. We told them their governments had no jurisdiction on us or our land. We were part of the Confederacy. They tried to dispute our title to the land and failed. Our informant recalled, ?When we arrived at Moss Lake, we put in gardens and fixed up some houses. We called it ?Ganienkeh?. After trying for several years, we decided that this location was not viable. The rain was too acidic and the growing season was too short. We had to find another place. In 1979 we moved to another part of our homeland, to Miner Lake near Plattsburg. We told the state not to interfere. We thanked them for their offer and did everything ourselves. We set up a new ?Ganienkeh?. ?New York State, U.S. citizens, committees, counties and towns tried to sue Ganienkeh, in Moss Lake and Miner Lake. When the charges against us went to court, they lost. Both decisions found that they had no jurisdiction over us. We continue to enjoy sovereign immunity. After 250 meetings with New York State and the U.S. governments, they finally got it through their heads that we weren?t leaving and we weren?t going to back down. ?After the initial reclamation we got support from the public, international organizations, countries, students and activists. Sweden and other countries put pressure on New York State and told them they were watching the situation closely. We constantly sent people out to speak to churches, organizations, colleges and universities to bring awareness locally, nationally and internationally. We did interviews on the radio, television and newspapers. People like Ed Hale of the Lake Placid News did many good articles between 1974 and 1979. Our message was, ?We want to rebuild our nation. We know how to do it. We want to survive as we were intended. We want to save our people, our language and our culture. We are the only people who can fix our problems. We did not want their tax monies or their handouts or anything from the U.S., Canada or state governments. We look to our families and friends. If you want to help us, do so. We rejected Bureau of Indian Affairs involvement with us. We refused to comply with ?federal Indian law?. We would not let New York State have any jurisdiction. We constantly reminded them that this is our land that we never surrendered and that they have no jurisdiction over us. U.S. and New York State made their claims based on two fraudulent treaties, Joseph Brant Treaty of 1796 and the Seven Nations Treaty of 1797. None have treaty making powers according to the Kaianereh?ko:wa/Great Law. Joseph Brant was a British subject and deposed as a translator by the Confederacy. The Seven Nations of Canada was a religious congregation of Christian Indians who had alienated themselves from the Confederacy. “A peaceful interim resolution was established. New York State wanted to save face. We were not going to relinquish our inherent rights. An entity was set up that became a buffer between us. It was an agreement between New York State and “Turtle Island Trust”. We are not signatories to this agreement so it is not binding on the Mohawk Nation and the Confederacy. The state wanted to tell its constituents it was adhering to their laws while not interfering with us. ?New York State Governor Mario Cuomo respected our position that this land is not held in trust. We asserted our jurisdiction. They left us alone. Since then politicians have tried from time to time to interfere with us. We always fight them off and they back away. ?Today Ganienkeh is self-sufficient and employs native and non-natives. The original mission is still there. It continues to need the involvement and participation of the Nation and the Confederacy, our friends and allies to support and make the dream of self-determination come true. We re-established an Onkwehone state independent of the colonial government. ?What did we learn? The only way to get our land is to go there and physically take it back and keep it. In the end New York State and the U.S. finally accepted the fact that we had a formula to avoid a confrontation between us, the Two Row Wampum. ?We have to assert our sovereignty by using our own laws and our birthright based on natural laws. We must not depend on colonial institutions, courts and corporate governments. It was successful because we asserted our identity as the indigenous people of this land. We originated here. This is our world. We must follow the path that was carved out for us and our ancestors before us. For more information and speakers about the “Ganienkeh Reclamation”, contact 518-236-7100 info@ganienkeh.net www.ganienkeh.net Kahentinetha Horn | ||
| poster: katenies | ||
ONKWEHONWE YOUTH FEARLESSNESS AND RESTLESSNESS! COLONISTS, WHATCHA YA GONNA DO NOW?
| ONKWEHONWE YOUTH FEARLESSNESS AND RESTLESSNESS! COLONISTS, WHATCHA YA GONNA DO NOW?
Today when our Onkwehonwe youth try to get a job, they have a lot to overcome. The mainstream stereotypes of our people as “drunken”, “lazy” and “won’t show up for work” keeps us from getting jobs. Our women and men are seen as lascivious and easy marks. There is a presumption that social services has to intervene in our homes because we don?t know how to take care of our kids, or that we let them hang out on the streets in druggie gangs. Where did all this come from? Someone wants to make sure our Onkwehonwe youth won’t achieve anything. What are they afraid of? The film “Apocalypto” by Mel Gibson gives us some clues. It is stereotyping at its most vicious. It melds together the colonizers’ fantasies of letting loose according to their false sense of what’s natural and their simultaneous disgust and fear of their own lusts and base desires that they project on us. They are so subject to hierarchical control that they believe if there wasn’t someone lording it over them, they would behave badly. This means they don’t believe in their own ability to control themselves. it’s not our nightmare, it’s theirs. They want to see us as barely civilized barbarians. It gives them a false feeling of superiority. At a visceral level they’re still desperately seeking justification. Or maybe they’re trying to avoid responsibility for the genocide they committed and for their destruction of the environment of Turtle Island. They know their own ability to commit atrocities and fear those who restrain themselves when attacked. They are assuming that the ax is going to fall when they least expect it. Colonial society creates hopelessness. This way we will have no leadership and they can continue to be the “great white fadder”. Waneek Horn Miller described recently on APTN how the coach of the National Women’s Water Polo Team asked her if she was going to be like all the other “Indians” by not showing up for practice and being irresponsible. The interviewer commented, “The usual stereotypes were pinned on you?” For 15 years she got up at 5:00 am to train and in 2000 went on to compete in the Olympics in Australia. There are many like her. Ted Nolan is now a coach of the New York Islanders hockey team in one of the most competitive areas in the world. He was fired after a sensational year. He had brought the Buffalo Sabres up from nothing to the pinnacle of success. For 9 years no NHL team would hire him. Why? They thought he was too independent minded. They were afraid he was going to poison the minds of the other players against management, which was untrue. Nolan, just prior to being rehired, took a Nova Scotia junior team to the Memorial Cup and almost won it. This proves that his Onkwehonwe methods of coaching work. One year after taking over the Islanders they are at the top. Because of this stereotype being flung at us universities have to hire Onkwehonwe ombudsmen to bring our people into these mainstream institutions. What are some of positive traits of our young people? For one, they show tremendous self-restraint in the face of adversity. Otherwise we would never have survived. We do not react instantly. We think about what we are going to do. So why can’t we get jobs. Nobody will hire us. Some of us go into cigarette manufacturing and sales. For this we are criminalized. If our businesses are successful, we are pursued to pay taxes to the very corporate colonial governments that stole our lands and resources and work to keep us down. If we get any kind of money into the community, Indian Affairs sends in their “handlers” so that we never know what’s happening to our funds. Businesses are set up in our communities by non-natives using us as fronts to take advantage of our sovereignty and tax-free status and jeopardizing our rights. This is creating hatred by Canadian taxpayers against Onkwehonwe. Creating apathy among our young people is a product of the colonial society. The idea has always been to keep us as an uneducated working class who can be used for low paying jobs that no one else will do. It did not work. Onkwehonwe have a way of expressing very deep meaningful ideas. If trained they can do this publicly. Some of the greatest natural orators in history were Onkwehonwe who came from among people who were totally uneducated in the colonial system. Statements of Cornplanter, Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Seattle and many others have stood the test of time. So what do we do? We take our positive traits, our knowledge of our rights and create our own way. There has to be encouragement of entrepreneurial skills among our youth. Many are already doing that. The public is made to think that we don’t care about our youth. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Last weekend the Kahnawake Youth Center had a “Radiothon” to raise money to cover a deficit of $40,000. In the end the community and our supporters raised $200,000. What’s the message? The people will back up our youth and a good idea. What about our youth? Their minds are open and sharp. They are not brainwashed to bend down to non-natives. The old methods of attacking their self-esteem just doesn’t work with this generation. They walk with their heads up and chests out. They know their rights and history. At the same time they have an uphill battle to take off the iron cloak of “stereotypism” that has been and continues to be strewn over us. Remember, whatever we believe we are is what we become. If our youth are convinced they are victims, they will become victims. The residential school system was one of the most successful brainwashing strategies devised by the colonists. They destroyed generations with this “victim mentality”. The Onkwehonwe are no longer victims. Now we are conquerors. We are going to be in charge. No one is going to abuse us anymore. Unfortunately the surrounding mainstream society hasn’t caught up with us or accepted our new attitude. What’s the reaction? Today the police and predators are gathering our youth and killing them. Our young men in Saskatoon and Edmonton were left outside of town to freeze to death. Hundreds of our young women are “disappearing” without a trace and they don’t think its worth looking into. On the other hand, many see ourselves as being more capable than the colonizers we deal with. Our innate talents have yet to be utilized. The natural ability of Onkwehonwe has never changed. Thinking back about 50 years ago the big corporations and banks in Montreal used to recruit our Onkwehonwe women to be their executive assistants to help them run their corporations. They knew they were the best administrators. Some of them were my cousins. It was common back then. Our men were able to do construction work that others could not do. In the U.S. it was known if you want to put up a skyscraper you had to call up the Mohawks who will make sure it gets done. Our men were top iron workers running big projects in the U.S. They came home and started successful businesses by translating their abilities into other directions. How are the colonial government, their agents and mainstream society going to deal with us now? May we suggest that they talk to us? Threats won’t work anymore. Our ancestors and our older people proved that in Oka, Ipperwash, Gustafssen Lake, Six Nations and elsewhere. In the past we were necessary in their battles. They had to negotiate with us because of our positions of strength. We can’t be ignored anymore. We want control over what is ours and benefits from anything that is happening to us and our land. Yes, it’s hard to deal with all our educated people. The colonists don’t like it because they have to come to terms with us. They have to govern themselves according to the laws, past accords and solutions that benefit us on a long term basis. Trust funds, education, guarantees and benefits to us and our goals have to be all written down and dealt with fairly. They can’t keep closing the doors on the title holders of Turtle Island anymore. Our youth is an important part of all this. They don’t have any of the fear that was built into the older generations. We have raised them in an atmosphere where fear wasn’t put into them. We stopped whining on and on about “doom and gloom” and how bad everything is. Indian Affairs promotes this in their ‘kneeling and healing circle” programs to push hopelessness among our people. The powers that think they are know that if we are afraid then we are inviting people to attack us. They will get away with it if we are running scared. This is how we invite trouble onto ourselves. Canada and the U.S. raised a whole nation of terrified people that was supposed to be scared of everything. Now that’s over. We buried it. Our kids are bold, brave and talented. They want to be Onkwehonwe, not citizens of the colonial societies that are occupying our land. They’re going to find a way around these obstructions. So watch out, world! Kahentinetha Horn |
| poster: katenies |
“IMAGINARY LINE” ISSUE FOR ALL ONKWEHONWE OF NORTH AND SOUTH TURTLE ISLAND
| At the request of various interests, this has been reposted to register our objection to the Haudenosaunee Task Force on Border Crossing representing us in “talks” with the US and Canadian colonial governments. We also provide more contacts at the end for you to put pressure on those who are making deals with the colonists over our heads. “IMAGINARY LINE” ISSUE FOR ALL ONKWEHONWE OF NORTH AND SOUTH TURTLE ISLAND
We Onkwehonwe, also known as “Indigenous” people, have an inherent right to traverse Turtle Island. When human beings first appeared, Creation gave us the original instructions to be respectful, to live in harmony with the rest of the natural environment and to always adhere to the original ways. The Haudenosaunee Task Force on Border Crossing [made up of Curtis Nelson, Oren Lyons, Leo Henry, Paul Williams, Darwin Hill and others] was set up without consultation with us. They appear to be cooperating with the colonists who want to issue “smart cards”, something like a credit card. Everything about us will be on that card. This is another straw to try to break the back of the Onkwehonwe. Many of us who have been active and concerned for a long time found out for the first time this past weekend this committee was set up. They’ve already met with U.S. Homeland Security and Canada Customs and Immigration to work out compliance with colonial terms. We have not been allowed to question this committee. We resist their attempts to pressure us into accepting the colonial timelines and the proposed card which is a de facto recognition of the “imaginary line”. Preamble We Onkwehonwe face the US-Canada-Mexico border almost every day. Our nation-to-nation relationship with the colonists is through the U.S. President and the Her Majesty the Queen of Canada. It is governed by the principles of the Two Row Wampum Agreement. One condition of tolerating the presence of the colonists was that we would continue our pre-contact right to conduct trade and commerce and travel anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Jay Treaty (proviso) The Jay Treaty of 1794 is a third party agreement and can have no binding effect on us. Traveling around on our homeland is a birthright, not a “privilege”. Colonists cannot interfere with our crossing of their imaginary line they call the Canada-U.S. and U.S.-Mexico borders. The Jay Treaty created the imaginary line on the 49th parallel. The Iroquois Confederacy said at the time, “It is for you, not for us”. The Confederacy would not agree to this as we were looking out for all Onkwehonwe, our friends and allies. The line between the colonies of Mexico and the U.S. was created by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. These lines allowed the colonists to illegally implement privileges and tariffs. Article III of the Jay Treaty is a violation of international law. “the right of aboriginal peoples (people indigenous to Canada and/or the US) to trade and travel between the United States and Canada, which was then a territory of Great Britain. This right was restated in section 289 of the 1952 Immigration and Naturalization Act: Nothing in this title shall be construed to affect the right of American Indians born in Canada to pass the borders of the United States, but such right shall extend only to persons who possess at least 50 per centum of blood of the American Indian race. The Jay Treaty was made between two colonial corporations, Britain and the United States, to provide privileges for the colonial subjects. It did not include our political position. It contradicts itself when it stipulates that it would not be “construed” to affect who is and who is not an Onkwehonwe. In fact, it stipulates that this article applies to those who are “naturalized”. So an immigrant who becomes an American, Canadian or British is subject to the rules and privileges of the “corporation”. Colonists and their “Indian” representatives speaking to band or tribal councils or incorporated “Indian” entities is not consultation. Once they thought they had pacified us and diminished our population, the colonists put these restrictions in place without informing, consulting or getting our consent. Now new restrictions are being imposed according to their “might makes right” paradigm. We will tell the colonizers what we want, not what they want us to do. It tells us we can travel with personal belongings, not with “bales”. They wanted to extinguish trade and commerce between all Onkwehonwe. “Bales” referred to the fur trade. It meant anything that is more than one, and could not be resold. They set up a system of extortion to interfere with our ancient rights to sustain ourselves. It was similar to the killing off of all the Buffalo on the Plains. The colonists have demonstrated their disregard for universal human law. Every human has the right to their existence, their own nationality, their land and their government. The colonizers are trying to blackmail us into recognizing their borders between Canada, U.S. and Mexico. We have our own territories, our own understandings and respect for each other. We did not need standing armies to protect the borders of our territories because we practiced respect for those who inhabited the particular area. We still do. Passports and Citizenship Canada and the U.S. are trying to push us into getting Canadian or US passports to restrict and control our movements. We have a right to maintain a connection to our Onkwehone people throughout the Western Hemisphere. The colonizers are trying to class us as American or Canadian or Mexican “Indians” by illegally and violently forcing us to alienate ourselves from our birthright. They cannot make us something we are not. Today they tell us we need a card. Next they will tell us we need a mark on our forehead. We are not members of any of these colonial entities. We cannot carry passports of foreign corporations of which we refuse to be members. These colonists are trying to make us commit an illegal act. As independent Indigenous peoples we have a right to deal with such issues based on our own laws. The colonizers are bound by agreements they have entered into such as the UN Charter of 1948 and the International Covenant on Cultural and Political Rights. The concept of “citizenship” does not exist for us. We are Kanion’ke:haka, not citizens. A “city” is a corporation which one becomes a part of with privileges that can be taken away by the hierarchical governing body. No nation has a right to denationalize another nation. ID Cards There is no consistency as to what ID the colonists want. When we produce ID they punch our name into the computer and information comes up on that screen. Now they are pushing for us to have a specific ID which they will decide on and authorize. The advisors of the colonists are conforming and misleading our people. The colonists have already made a decision and are relying on the ignorance of our people to implement it. This violates international law because we were not genuinely consulted. Our laws do not allow us to give away the birthright of our children and future generations. We have a right to decide how we will be identified. Phil Fontaine of the AFN [Assembly of First Nations] has suggested that we use their government-issued “Indian status cards”. Many Onkwehonwe don’t have such a card. A lot of imposters do. The colonists want the micro chip in the card to contain our DNA, retina scan and finger prints. They will put this into a data base where a satellite GPS tracking system will know our whereabouts at all times. The European countries have rejected this and still require paper passports because the U.S. recommendations violate human rights. Today the colonial governments are forcing us to shoulder the burden of threats to their national security by bringing us under their rules. Why should we? We’ve never carried out terrorist threats or acts of violence anywhere in the world. More and more these border guards are bullying our people, trying to ensnare and control us. Intimidating tactics are being used to entrap our people into doing something that will give them a reason to detain or charge us. Cavity searches are being carried out by the customs goons which violates human rights. Jurisdiction The Two Row addresses the jurisdiction issue. We never surrendered our jurisdiction over ourselves or our land. Legality requires proper procedures. If they have cause to stop one of our people they can do so according to the Two Row Wampum Agreement. They can turn them over to us. It is our responsibility to deal with those who are in violation or committing a wrong and to restore the peace between our peoples. The colonists have no right to order us to have these pass ports or anything by January 2008 or anytime. We will tell them whether we will do something or not. To follow the rule of law, the protocol is for them to meet with us. We must polish the Silver Covenant Chain and dust the Two Row Wampum. The Two Row Agreement governs our nation-to-nation relationships with the colonizers through their heads of state. Conclusion We Onkwehone are here to fulfill our duties and responsibilities as the Indigenous sovereigns of Turtle Island. The colonists are trying to kidnap our people from our canoe and force us to row their boat. We are being held hostage against our will in violation of the Two Row Wampum Agreement. We can only leave our canoe by our own free will. Those being forced to live under the illegal Indian Act and federal Indian law system are hostages forced to live under an alien social, economic, political system. When times get rough the colonizers use these violent tactics to try to control us and make us lose confidence in ourselves and our traditional system. In the past when they could not defeat our people, they destroyed the things we needed to sustain us. They disconnected us from our mother, the earth. She is always there to sustain us. We continue to stand by her to protect her. We are not afraid to defend our birthright and to protect the next generations. Onkwehonwe throughout the world are presently fighting to protect our children, our people and our land. This entire process to undermine us is a continuation of the genocide that the colonists initiated 500 years ago. Only the names and faces in the corporation have changed. Kahentinetha Horn kahentinetha2@yahoo.com **Send your comments to anyone or any entity that you think is affected or should be concerned. Ask them about the action they are taking or know is being taken to protect Onkwehonwe independence: Canada-US line: Haudenosaunee c/o haudenosaunee_online@yahoogroups.com; Onondaga nosneaks2@msn.com; Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force joyceking@westelcom.com Ganienkeh Territory info@ganienkeh.net On the US-Mexico line: International Indian Treaty Council http://www.treatycouncil.org B.Norrell b_norrell@yahoo.com |
| poster: katenies |
Letter to Governor General 11/7/06
The Women Title Holders answer a letter from the GG’s Secretary. She is being asked to meet us on critical environmental matters at Kanekota [where the waters come from out of the earth]. From: Rotinonhsonnion:we Women Title HoldersNov. 7, 2006. BY REGISTERED MAIL/EMAIL info@gg.ca Right Honourable Michaelle Jean Att: Lisa Bryden, Office of the Secretary She:kon We are responding to your letter of September 21, 2006 to the Women Title Holders regarding the situation in “Kanekota”, the northern area of the Haldimand Tract. We appreciate your considered response. For your information, this is not a treaty issue, but a proclamation/contract to protect the Mohawk and all our posterity from any encroachment whatsoever for all time to come. This contract has been and continues to be breached by Canada. According to protocol, we must deal with Canada and its agents through the Governor General of Canada. Our concern is that Kanekota is being environmentally destroyed. It is the highest elevation where all the fresh waters in Ontario begin flowing in all directions. This area is being devastated almost beyond repair by industrial and chemical pollution. Presently two multinational corporations, Enbridge Gas Distrbutors and Canadian Hydro Developers, are exploiting our land for profit. They are trespassing and do not have authorized permission from us to conduct business on our land. We, the Women title Holders, according to our constitution, the Kaiahereh’ko:wa/Great Law, have the responsibility to take care of the land, water and air of Turtle Island. We are accordingly asking you to meet with us as soon as possible to resolve this issue. The desecration that is continuing to be committed to Turtle Island is tragic. Please help us for our sake and for the sake of the future generations. We need to clean this area immediately. Then the land will clean itself the way it was designed. It must have clean water coming out of the earth so that it can carry out its duty. We would appreciate your meeting with us at your earliest convenience. You represent the government that has given unlawful authorization to the polluters, Enbridge Gas Distributors and Canadian Hydro Developers. We need your help to stop this illegal encroachment on and destruction of one of our most environmentally sensitive areas. Onen kiwahi, Women Title Holders of the Rotinonhsonnion:we Kahentinetha /s/ _________________ Cc: Confederacy Chiefs Council, %Gayetweh, RR #6, Hagersville, On; Enbridge Gas Distributors Inc., 10 Churchill Drive, Barrie, Ontario L4N 8Z5 1-800-461-4480, grant.kilpatrick@enbridge.com ; Ann Hughes, Canadian Hydro Developers Inc., kent@canhydro.com, Suite 500, 134-17 Ave. SW., Calgary Alberta T7T 5S8. | ||
| poster: Thahoketoteh | ||
“I hear the train a coming”
“THE ONLY GOOD INDIAN IS A JAILED INDIAN”.
So their family, community, friends and elders are robbed of their presence. They are sent more often into segregation and don’t get rehabilitative treatment so they can be released. Parole is not even a consideration. Any lawyer will tell you that when someone looks native, they are more likely to be found guilty. Does that mean we have to powder our faces white when we go out in public? Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day rejected the report and said, “There is no evidence of systemic discrimination against native offenders in the prison system”. Is he telling us that he went to visit a jail one time and they didn’t complain to him? To him they all seem to be happy, like they never had it so good. A major problem with our people is that we don’t lie. We’re basically hospitable, honest and don’t B.S. our way out of the system. We have a hard time conning anybody. We even tell the truth on ourselves. We are apt to accept responsibility if we did a wrong. We are taken advantage of over what they think is our “character flaw”. Most of our people who go to jail are involved in bar fights and actions related to alcohol. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is introducing the “three strikes you’re out” and “you’re-going-to-jail-for-the-rest-of-your-life” legislation aimed at increasing the prison population. He says he wants to protect the “Canadian” way of life. Isn’t the Canadian way of life to be fair? Or is this a take on the old genocidal proclamations allowing British subjects in Nova Scotia to kill all Indian men, women, children and even babies? Let’s not forget that the first prisons were built in Prince Albert right after they hung Louis Riel for defending democracy. As far as we’re concerned it’s the same, old same old. “If you do a serious crime, you’re going to do serious time”, Harper declared. He’s aiming at “violent offenders” like the Indigenous people. They want to go after spontaneous instinctive behavior which is done without premeditation. They are usually ashamed and do their time without complaint. How about all those corrupt politicians? What about white collar criminals who steal millions and get away with it? Generally speaking it is considered worse if someone plans a crime. Slimy politicians, liars and deceivers who rob people of millions of dollars are not the targets of Harper’s law, even though they do more harm to society. What about contractors who skim on public works like overpasses that kill innocent people? A violent offense usually takes place between two individuals. In such cases the cops can easily set them up for two more charges and have them put away forever. What a weapon in the hands of the cops! Imagine “super jails” run for profit by private companies eager to cash in on Harper’s plans to get tougher on crime. Stockwell Day has made private security companies jump for joy. They are gloating over the “jackpot” they are going to hit by putting our people in jail. They just have to ask, “What’s your band number?” to get the payment from Indian Affairs. Harper is trying to convince Canadians that private prisons are cheaper so he can call on his private sector friends to build and operate them. This is part of the U.S. pro-privatization ideology adopted by the Conservative government. He will try wherever he can to turn over a growing range of public services to private operators, most of whom are his friends and backers. It will be a for-profit business paid for by the tax payers. It looks like Indian Affairs can easily transfer $50,000 to $60,000 a head to these private prisons. Jailing Indians is big business. It’s a “cash cow” for the provinces which can get huge transfer payments from the federal government for every Indigenous inmate. They don’t get nothin’ for non-native inmates. That’s why it’s real attractive to keep us in jail. At the same time the Conservative government has announced that Indian communities are going to be privatized. They want our communities to be run by corporations and trust companies for which the bottom line is profit. Band councils are now, for the most part, corporations which are being taken over by auditing firms such as PriceWaterhouse. We’ve been giving the federal and provincial governments and corporations a hard time over theft of our lands and resources. They want to control us. They’ve figured out a way. They are going to privatize us and let the multinational corporations move in for a feast. We won’t know what’s going on with our money or anything. Corporations, of course, will want to cut costs so they can make a bigger profit. So our standard of living will go down, as if this is possible. If we don’t pay our mortgage or our taxes, the corporation will be able to seize our land and possessions. Strange as it may seem, Canadians have never thought of registering mortgages against Newfoundland or British Columbia. So why do they think they can do this with with our land? The bluff and hypocrisy supporting this scheme is transparent. It’s meant to dispossess us. It’s called the “Indian business”. In Kanehsatake PriceWaterhouse took over from James Gabriel who deliberately mismanaged the funds and affairs of the community. Every program and service was cut back. There was a lot “streamlining” or skimming off the top so there would be more for the corporation. $34 million is basically unaccounted for so far. Hey, Canada, did you ever wonder why your taxes are so high! Trust companies will make money on privatizing our communities. The government will put up $50,000 a head and blow up the population figures to feed the corporate gluttons. They will do this in the jail system too. They want big jails full of Indians. We will be marketed on the stock exchange for the public to invest in our jails and our corporate controlled communities. The politicians will offer patronage plums to their friends to be trustees over Indigenous communities and jails. Why do they need to victimize us? Why don’t they just write checks to their friends? Do they think Canadians and Americans are so dumb they don’t know what’s going on? The more they can cause mismanagement of band councils and criminalizing of Indians, the more justification there is for taking over Indigenous communities and putting us in jail. According to their business plan, warehousing Indians is a growth industry! The United States corporations want to bring this system in. Is that the reason for that big agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico called “deep integration?” They’re streamlining everything economically under a central control of 130 CEO’s who will make all the decisions for Harper, Bush and Fox. In all of this, they are violating international law. Our incarcerated Indigenous inmates are not even citizens of Canada or the United States. They are from their own nations. They come under their own laws. This is like Guantanamo Bay! Let’s think of how much the trustees of the Six Nations of Grand River Corporation would get under such privatization – $1.1 billion per year. Just think of the salaries for the CEO’s! Of course, there might not be anything left for the people. But, hey, since when did we count? Kahentinetha Horn | ||
| poster: Thahoketoteh | ||
Prentice Power?
“YOUR ACHY BREAKY MIND”!
The Conservative Party realizes that they might lose the next election. So they need you to push some big changes through as fast as you can say, “We gotta get dem Injuns out of the way so we can get their oil”. You represent “Calgary North”. What does that tell us? You’re the Minister of Indian Affairs and you’ve got a big job to do. As your riding website boasts: “He also starts the assignment with top qualifications.” As one oil industry leader put it, “There has never been a minister who has been better qualified going into a portfolio than Prentice” [National Post, Feb. 27, 2006.] Of course, what they really mean is they’ve never had their man right in the “Tower of Power” in Hull, Quebec, like this before. Barney, you have a lot of debts to those who put you in power. Calgary is the oil capital of Canada. There are Indian communities all around Calgary, like Tsuu tina, Blood, Piegan, Blackfeet, Stoney and others. The oil industry wants oil. They want to start explorations. Indigenous people and our land regime are in the way. They don’t like it when we keep telling the industry, “It’s our land and we won’t let you ruin it”. That’s the problem. We want to clean up the environment. They can’t stand our complaints about their emissions and pollution, which are going to double in the next ten years, along with the Prime Minister’s “double talk”. By the way, Alberta is already the most polluting province in Canada. At Six Nations/Caledonia, Captain Gary [McHale’s navy] was begging for money just a few days ago. He practically called off his 20,000 “White Man’s March” onto the reclaimed Indigenous land of Kanenhstaton. He said he might even have to go back to work to maintain his lifestyle in Richmond Hill, the ritzy suburb of Toronto, which is also on Six Nations land. Suddenly he’s back in the “riot-and-violence-against-Indigenous-people” business in a big way. His parade on October 15th is on again. Is he a gun-for-hire and “back in the saddle again?” Only with corporate money can one get so much corporate media coverage as he’s getting. Also it’s expensive to bring in those busloads of paid stooges to start the kind of vicious attacks that we’ve been experiencing in the recent past. We are unarmed and we are on our land. Now we see that the Six Nations/Caledonia firestorm has been built up to be a diversion. This is the two-step set up. Gary McHale is going to keep the attention focused in the East. The federal and Ontario governments and police want him to create a big racist fascist attack on the Six Nations people. It would seem the bigger the better, as far as you and your oil baron backers are concerned. Right on cue, Mayor Marie Trainer of Caledonia is going to cry, “No! No! No! No! No!” If anything happens, “I want to declare a state of emergency!” In other words, “Bring in the army”. Then martial law will be declared. And this will show what will happen to other Indigenous people who resist the takeover of our resources by the oil companies and corporations. Must be getting pretty busy in the war room, eh Barney! In the meantime, Barney, you’re getting what your want – a big diversion so that you can put through some draconian measures like privatizing Indian lands which you have already announced. You are putting us on the fast track for genocide. And the world is watching. This is “termination” with the stroke of a pen. In 20 years over 100 Indian nations were wiped out in the US. None ever got their land back. This is absolutely illegal. We’re not letting this happen. Everybody, get off the fence. We see that you need to make it look like you have a justification for passing certain laws to remove our rights over our land. Stirring up violence against us is one way. Canada signed in 1948 the UN Convention on the Crime and Punishment of Genocide. You can personally be tried and convicted of genocide under international law, Barney. If you work for the oil industry, then they own you lock stock and barrel! If you remove Indigenous people and Indian title to help your corporate bosses steal our resources, you will put yourself on the fast track to jail for committing the crime of genocide. We think we know where you get your orders from. Do they come from Texas, the oil capital of the world, to Calgary, the oil capital of Canada, to Indian Affairs in Ottawa? Do they make the decision to terminate all Indigenous people and our land rights in Canada so that the oil companies can rape us and the colonial country of Canada? We always knew there was oil involved in what’s happening to our rights. We smelled it. We didn’t get oil fever. We got wise. Yep. You just may be owned by the oil companies! Barney, here’s what we think of your plan to lock up our communities: There once was a minister they called “Dim” Who carried out the oil industry’s whim His mind was all dusty His weapons were all rusty That’s why he did what he was told He sold his soul for black gold We need solidarity support this weekend, October 15th, at Six Nations/Caledonia. So come stand with us or contact thebasketcase@on.aibn.com Do whatever you can to help. Kahentinetha Horn |
| poster: Thahoketoteh |
STOP U.S. Aggression Against Venezuela
 Sign the petition online:English: http://www.iacenter.org/venezuelacmpgn.shtml Spanish: http://www.iacenter.org/venezuelacmpgnsp.shtml Donate to help with organizing expenses. The United States government and its corporate media’s belligerent campaign against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its leaders must cease at once. Several incidents that occurred during the On Saturday, September 23, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, who was part of the delegation from Venezuela attending the UN meetings, was detained for 90 minutes in the JFK International Airport as he was ready to board a plane to return to his homeland. Charging that a code in his airplane ticket identified him as “almost a terrorist,” U.S. authorities held him. Mr. Maduro told CNN that he was confined to a small room and told to remove his clothes; he added that when he showed his diplomatic passport, the harassment increased. Then he was threatened, pushed and yelled at by immigration and police officials. He was also stripped of his travel documents. Venezuelan General Consul in Chicago Martin Sanchez was also searched at LaGuardia airport. “After passing the X-ray control, they told me to open my bags. I showed them my diplomatic card, but they insisted on searching my hand baggage, because they thought it might contain a banned object. I wasn’t able to board my flight and had to wait three more hours for another plane.” President Hugo Chavez’ personal physician and his chief of security had to remain aboard the plane that brought the delegation to the UN event since their visas were denied, therefore their legal entrance to the country was forbidden. These incidents are clear violations of international law, the Vienna Convention and the obligation of the U.S. government, as the U.S. is the site where the headquarters of the UN is located. The UN is supposed to be a neutral place where nations can debate in a safe environment, without external interference. The U.S. government has the obligation to protect and safeguard that environment and all the heads of state, representatives, diplomats and accompanying staff. The U.S. has failed to do this in this case. This unreasonable hostility from the George W. Bush administration towards the Venezuelan leaders only validates the name “devil” by which President Chavez referred to U.S. President Bush during the Venezuelan president’s address in the UN. The U.S. media and even some personalities have shown their hypocrisy by attacking President Chavez for using that word. But actions speak louder than words. Those personalities and the media circus gave little thought or consideration to the countless victims, among them many children and civilians, of Bush’s military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon in the name of “democracy”: the destruction of infrastructure, the loss of thousands of lives, the contamination of the world environment, the destabilization of the world through the “antiterrorist” military campaign and threats to countries like Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. They forget the crimes perpetrated against the victims of Katrina, many of who are still without housing or resources to rebuild their lives. Is it not reasonable that many would view the head of this administration as the personification of evil? It is time to face the danger that the United States represents here and abroad in order to stop the destruction that otherwise will occur. Signed, Teresa Gutierrez & Sara Flounders, Chris Silvera, Chair James Petras Peter Coyote Dr. James D. Cockcroft Padre Luis Barrios, PhD Judy Wicks Founder/President White Dog Enterprises, Inc. Charles Barron Felipe C. Teixeira Frantz Mendes, President Leslie Feinberg, David Sole, Berta Joubert-Ceci, MD Dorotea Manuela and Tony Vandermeer Larry Holmes Pepe Abola, ROSA 7053, Youth Group of Boston Rosa Parks Committee LeiLani Dowell Sue Harris Ardeshir Ommani John Parker Jesse Lakahi Hiawa Women’s Fightback Network Steve Gillis, Vice-President Susan E. Davis, Delegate Sign the petition online: | ||
| poster: Thahoketoteh | ||
Corporate Machine
TELEPHONE TERRORISM: CORPORATE BULLY ROGERS IGNORES CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION – ATTACKS FREEDOM OF SPEECH MNN. August 14, 2006. On August 9th at 3:20 pm I picked up my home phone to make a long distance call. A man came on. The first thing he said was, “This is Rogers and we’ve disconnected your long distance”. Rogers is my long distance server.“Why?” I asked. He told me I hadn’t paid my June 2006 bill of $103.19. This is not really normally considered past due according to normal collection policy. I was surprised. I always pay my bills and had never received a “past due” notice. While he waited on the phone, I pulled out my June receipts There it was. I had indeed paid my bill at the local Caisse Populaire Bank in Kahnawake. The Rogers employee, Shawn, at 1-800-818-1248 became both nervous and nasty. He claimed the money was not in their account. As far as he was concerned it had not been paid. He wanted me to pay him again by credit card. It crossed my mind that this could be a scam of some kind. If it wasn’t, I couldn’t understand why I should pay again. I offered to fax him a copy of my receipt. He didn’t want it. He again told me he wasn’t going to do anything to check what the problem was. The long distance service would remain cut. While he was still on the line, I called the Caisse Populaire 450-638-5464. It is the bank in my community. Sure enough they found that I had paid my bill on June 28th 2006 to Teller No. 7. The bank confirmed that the money had been sent to Rogers. The man was still on my other phone line listening to us. I explained what the bank said. He became even nastier. He informed me he wasn’t going to reconnect. To the bank employee and me, it looked like the mistake had been made at his end. But that did not matter to him. He said he had no more time or patience for us and abruptly smacked the phone down on us. As an elder, over 65 years old, I need my long distance service to stay in touch with my family. I was greatly distressed over the way this young man spoke so angrily and rudely to me, a senior citizen. He was so offensive that I thought about changing my long distance service and telling all my friends to do the same. I wrote to the CRTC (Canadian Radio Telecommunication Commission) telling them I would appreciate it very much if they would investigate these strong arm harassment tactics by Rogers to threaten one of its helpless clients. Especially those who live alone and are desperate to maintain crucial telephone contact. I sent a copy to Rogers. To this date I still have not received any response from the CRTC. Around noon on Friday, August 11th, the bank called me and said they had “repaid” the June bill and my service should come right back on immediately. They told me to call Rogers and confirm that they could now turn my service back on. I called. They refused to do this. They claimed they had not received this repayment. I sent my receipt to two people at Rogers. They transferred me around to five people. I had to explain everything from the beginning to each one of them. They still would not give me long distance service. I was on the phone with them for over two hours. Still no service. I told them I needed the long distance desperately as a close family member, an ironworker, had just fallen off the job and was in a coma in a hospital. I needed to get in touch with other family members. They said that they would allow me a “courtesy” call. To get this, I had to call a certain number, go through their recorded messages, hit numbers and dial “0”. Someone finally came on. He asked me all kinds of personal questions. Who was I calling? Why? Where? And so on. Then he dialed the number for me. After ten minutes of this trouble I got through. I was told I could only speak for 5 minutes, then the call was cut without warning. Due to the family crisis I was forced to do this several times. On Monday, August 14th, still no service. Finally about 4:30 pm I tried and got a long distance call through. Still no explanation. Still no apology. Still no rebate for the loss of one-quarter of a month’s service and all of my time. What gives? Rogers clearly breached its contract with me. Who knows why? Who knows what they’ve been doing. I am starting to get calls from people saying Does anyone have any idea what’s going on. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? How can customers defend ourselves from corporate bullies? Now, may I ask – if they reconnect, are they going to deduct the time they gave me no service and are they going to charge me for reconnection? Doesn’t it sounds like a scam? Whatever happened to old fashioned respect for people who pay their bills on time? In my note to the CRTC I asked whether any long distance provider has a right to cut off my service when my bills have been paid. Rogers did reply. On August 10th they sent me a “Termination notice” because they allege that “my bill was severely past due” even though I have paid it twice. They are now sending this to a collection agency. They want me to pay it again for a third time, this time $172.76. In other words they want me to pay three and a half times the agreed upon rate for the phone service. You know what? They’re wearing me out. If there is freedom of speech and freedom of association in Canada, how can anyone be subjected to such mistreatment? Kahentinetha Horn See news on Mohawk Issues at http://www.mohawknationnews.com |
| poster: Thahoketoteh |