Believe What You Like But Know What You Must

People are free to be consumed with contemplating their existence, their origins, the origins of the universe, supreme beings, controllers of destiny or anything else. But solving "the Great Mystery" is neither a requirement of being Ohnkwe Ohnwe nor does it provide a path to righteousness. I maintain that spirituality does not require faith or the leaps that faith requires but rather awareness. If it helps to believe that "God has a plan" and we just must have faith that "He" knows what "He" is doing, then walk that path. My interest is in taking the mystery out of life by pointing to the obvious that is ignored everyday in the midst of fanatical ideology and the sometimes not too subtle influences of promoting beliefs over knowledge. I have said it before: “beliefs are what you are told, knowledge is what you experience”. I support a culture that prepares us to receive knowledge and to live a life with purpose. I am certainly not suggesting there is only one way to do that.

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Tribal Leaders React to Boat Crash

This article is as it appeared in the Plattsburgh Press Republican
Published April 17, 2010 01:26 am - Tribal leaders react to Monday's boat crash in Akwesasne waters, saying Coast Guard crashed into civilian Hydro yacht.
Tribe: No contraband involved in crash
Tribal leaders seek private investigation

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer - Plattsburgh Press Republican

MASSENA — Tribal leaders say there was no contraband found in the civilian boat that was struck Monday by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel.Coast Guard operations have been suspended in the international and tribal waters as the investigation into the boat crash continues.
TRIBAL WATERS
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne said few facts about the crash have been released, but it appears the civilian Hydro yacht, operated by two Akwesasne residents, was in Akwesasne waters of the St. Lawrence River when a chase apparently began. In a news release, tribal officials said it's still unclear what members of the Cornwall Regional Task Force were attempting to stop the men for, but that "it has been confirmed that the two Akwesasne boaters were not in possession of any form of contraband."
CRASH IN U.S. WATERS
As the Akwesasne boaters were pursued in U.S. waters, Mohawk officials say, it was "struck by one of the police vessels in pursuit." That vessel has been identified as a Coast Guard ship. The two Akwesasne men suffered serious injuries in the wreck and were airlifted to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, where they are still being treated. Sources say one of the men was paralyzed in the crash. Four Coast Guard members suffered minor injuries. Authorities have refused to identify those involved in the accident, despite repeated requests from the Press-Republican and other news agencies.
TRUST TESTED
Citing the nature of the incident, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is pushing for an independent investigation. The incident is currently being probed by a number of U.S. and Canadian agencies, along with tribal authorities. Grand Chief Michael K. Mitchell said, "the Akwesasne community looks to the outside police agencies to help keep our lands and waters safe from criminals who would use our geographical location to their benefit, and incidents such as the one that occurred this past Monday test that trust we place in them. The outside police agencies are entrusted to protect our lands and waterways from illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, human cargo and various other contraband, and it is incumbent upon these outside agencies to conduct themselves in a respectful and honorable manner within the territory of Akwesasne."
INDEPENDENT PROBE
Tribal leaders say the crash has far-reaching implications to the relationship between the Akwesasne community and outside police agencies. They fear profiling by other agencies could result in a rise in similar incidents. "The real criminals in this matter are those who put the international border through the middle of our community," Mitchell said. "And we, as a community, continue to suffer from that act in our daily lives. Outside police agencies should take all safety precautions, and follow proper procedures and the law. We need to be satisfied that these standards and precautions were followed in Monday's incident. The only way to do this is through an independent investigation." Coast Guard officials have not released any further information about their investigation, citing its ongoing nature.
INFORMATION SOUGHT
Anyone with information about the crash is being asked to contact the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police at 358-9200 or Akwesasne Mohawk Police at (613) 575-2340
Or better yet post the info in the comment section so the Mohawk People can deal with it themselves.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Akwesasne Community does not look to the outside community for protection. Some of these so-called tribal leaders use the outside for validation and sellout to them for their own personal security. The people of Akwesasne have always been able to secure their land. Most of these "recognized" leaders are more apart of the outside than their own community.

Anonymous said...

Mitchell's police are a part of the problem. According to the Cornwall paper, three days before the assault;

"Law enforcement agencies have fired a warning shot across the bow of smugglers. The Regional Task Force (RTF), put in mothballs back in 2000, has been towed out of the hangar, retooled and prepped to take flight. The RTF is a partnership involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police and Cornwall Community Police Service. They will be supported by the Akwesasne Mohawk Police".

Where was the Akwesasne Mohawk Police "support" on this one? What did they know and when did they know it?

cyrusyounger said...

As sad as this event is, it is very offensive that evangelicals continually exploit the people of Akwesasne during states of grief. The camel's eye cult has once again weaseled themselves into the limelight and spewed forth their babbling doctrines on mankind. (see http://letstalknativepride.blogspot.com/2009/09/false-prophets-looking-for-large.html )

The MCA and the SRMT are also major parts of the delusion. Instead of representing the best interests of the community they continually shrug responsibility and invest all their time and effort in protecting cash cows -- band council governments. Both agencies represent the best interests of the states and canada and are rewarded with ballooning salaries and endless grants.

The Grand Chief's delusions that his agency represents "Akwesasne community", "our lands and waterways", "territory", or "our community", are the same as those made by the camel's eye cult Headman. They should realize they are competing for the same divine attention.

If Mitchell truely believed that "the real criminals in this matter are those who put the international border through the middle of our community," He would be guilty of racketeering, since, his agency is the enforcer of those boundaries and he profits immensely. Casting blame on those ambiguous criminals deflects the attention from the grand chief's suggestion we accept that international border, as he does.

John Kane said...

I couldn't agree more. and what is worse is no one is talking about the victims or their families. This event is being used by self promoting fools just like the bridge closure was.