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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Thursday, January 3, 2013

New York Continues Aggression Against Natives and Native Commerce Even as the "Idle No More" Tsunami Bears Down

Cuomo, The Younger shows no signs of backing away from an aggressive policy of direct interference with Native to Native commerce even as the "Idle No More" movement continues to gain momentum. Seizures of trade goods, cease and desist letters and lawsuits against Native manufacturers shipping to other Native territories continue as the numbers associated with projected tax revenue fail to materialize. And now, at a time where thousands of Native people and their allies are plugging up malls, highways and rail systems just to demonstrate a refusal to lay down, this man with unbridled ambition just seems to be asking for trouble.
The "Idle No More" movement which began North of the imaginary line across Turtle Island may have started over bad Canadian legislation but it is not limited to it. The movement is about protection of what is ours and what is our responsibility. That includes our land, our water and the air that we breath. It also includes our livelihoods and the lives of the generations to come. And make no mistake about it, the movement is here and it is growing. Even without provocation from the state or feds, measurements on what to do and how long to do it are being made on or about every native community everyday and this, in the dead of Winter. Between holidays, snow and freezing temps, this is the time that NYS governors expect the least from us. Not this year. 2012 was just roaring as it went out and 2013 promises to be a year like no other. 
Unprecedented aggression from federal agents that culminated in three armed invasions of three separate Haudenosaunee territories this past year and a state hell bent on destroying the private sector economies of our lands already have people ready to close the Thruway and block the border crossings but now there is not just massive support from all Native lands and Native people on Turtle Island but international support as well. No one saw this coming and now you would think no one could ignore it. But the young Mr. Cuomo appears to be doing just that. This guy with his 70% approval ratings has nowhere to go but down and yet he seems to promote an heir of invincibility as he ponders presidential aspirations. "Idle No More" may not have begun here but the seeds of Native resistance have been sown plenty around here and their roots run deep. This is not a question of kicking a sleeping dog. We are not sleeping. We have just been lying here waiting for the alarm to ring.    
Do you remember the story of the other Cuomo that went on to be President? Of course you don't. Because it didn't happen and an "Arab Spring" here may seal the deal for this one too. Just because there always seems to be bigger and better issues than the "Indian problem" to deal with, doesn't mean we go away and there are neither votes nor money to be made fighting a modern Indian War. Walk gently, grasshopper.

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