St. Regis Tribal Police Arrest Mohawk Longhouse Representative for Grand Larceny Over Land Reclamation

In a bazaar scene last week, Roger Jock, Bear Clan Representative for the Kanienkehaka Kaianerehkowa Kanonhsesne Men's council was grabbed up by the St. Regis Tribal Police, lied to about why they stopped him and where they were bringing him and ultimately faced an indictment by a Franklin County grand jury for grand larceny over Mohawk land in the center of the Mohawk community of Akwesasne that he is accused of stealing from a white man who claims to have a county deed to it.

In January of 2009, the Kanienkehaka Kannonhsesne (Mohawk Longhouse) released a statement regarding the reclamation of a parcel of land on what has been referred to as the "Hogansburg Triangle". See http://letstalknativepride.blogspot.com/2009/02/land-claims-mohawk-style.html and the Potsdam/Massena newspaper coverage http://www.mpcourier.com/article/20111210/DCO01/312109977.

This past week's arrest of Roger Kaneratiio Jock suggests that the St.Regis Tribal Council is stepping up its efforts to assert control over the Mohawk people and in particular the Kanienkehaka Kaianerehkowa Kanonhsesne or Mohawk Longhouse.

Kaneratiio was released from custody on Friday with no bail after spending the night in jail. He joined me on "Let's Talk Native..." last night, 12/11/11. Check out the show and offer comments here or on Facebook.

This story will continue to be addressed here on Native Pride and on my radio show, Sunday nights. The over zealousness of this local yokel district attorney may only be surpassed by the treacherous involvement of the St. Regis council.

Stay tuned!

ARTVOICE 11/23/11

5 Questions with…

John Kane: Radio Host, Native Activist

The son of an ironworker from the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, John Kane grew up off reservation in a small town in Eastern New York, near the Vermont state line. After college, he married an Oneida woman and they raised their children in Seneca territory in Western New York. He became a member of the First Nations Dialogue Team in the mid to late 1990s, which is where he began speaking in public, writing letters to editors, and doing interviews on the battle with New York State over taxation. He currently hosts Let’s Talk Native…with John Kane on WWKB 1520AM, Sundays, 9-10pm.

Describe your show, in a nutshell.

“Let’s Talk Native…with John Kane” is a free-form show intended to be a conversation on a given Native issue or issues each week. Whether or not guests or callers join me, what a listener will hear is a full conversation on a subject—no sound bites or sensational one-liners, just an honest and thoughtful conversation. It is not the intent for the on-air conversation to be the last word on a subject but rather a thought-provoking start to a conversation that, hopefully, continues after each one-hour show.

Why do you suppose so little effort is made by local media to cover local Native affairs?

The media has become too much a part of the entertainment business. Unless Native issues can be sensational—tire fires, police confrontations, or political unrest that can compare to state or national scandals—our issues simply won’t buy ratings.

Overwhelmingly non-Natives think of the Native role in the regional economy to comprise cigarettes, gas, and gambling. What do you make of that?

It’s true but not necessarily by our choosing. While we have chosen certain businesses where our regulatory advantages have helped us to overcome or relatively remote locations, it was never our intent to get pigeon-holed into those businesses. On the Native Nations level, gaming has been shoved down our throats. If states had their way there would be no private sector development in “Indian Country,” only Nation-run gaming enterprises that have the state and federal regulators firmly embedded in those operations. On the private sector side, most businesses have become so consumed with fighting off the state that there is little money or will left for diversification. The question must be asked that if we can’t defend our place in legal trades like gas and tobacco, in what businesses would we be safe?

What opportunities do you see for economic development between Native and non-Native peoples? For cooperative growth?

I believe the answer to the current economic crises that are sweeping the globe is to turn away from the global economies controlled by the few where one region of the planet is exploited for their labor, resources, or lack of environmental concern to market to consumer-driven societies in another region. An emphasis on local economies where a dollar circulates several more times before it leaves the region makes sense on almost every level. Native sovereignty creates clean slates for economic development free from much of the bureaucracy that stifles business development. Native lands could be incubators for everything from the retailing of certain products to the manufacturing and tech transfers from the solid research institutions of the region. As businesses gain a sure footing within the safe havens of the economic development zones that Native lands could represent, they could expand throughout the rest of the region with a track record and business model already in play. Too much of the regional brain trust leaves the region for development elsewhere only to have the products of brain trust marketed back to the region. The same could be said for the resources of the region.

What’s the best show you’ve ever had?

If I had to recommend a listener to check out one show to convince them to check out more, I’d have to say listen to the October 16, 2011 show with Robert Batson or the October 23, 2011 show with Pam Palmater. Bob was the “Indian expert” for the Carey, [Mario] Cuomo, and Pataki administrations. The level of agreement we shared on the issues relating to our never-ending battles with the state is amazing. Pam is a Mi’kmaq and an author (Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity), university professor, and lawyer from the North. She was a great guest as we discussed the parallels with our battles with the US and Canada.

Read more: http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n47/five_questions#ixzz1f3x56oYm

The Tale of Two Tribal Conflicts

Two controversies involving tribal government have made the non-native or mainstream media recently. As the host of the only Native radio show in Western New York I made a decision to cover only one of them. While the Seneca Nation with 7000 strong and billion dollar businesses dominated TV, radio and the newspapers I chose to shine a light on the 700 people on the Tuscarora territory.

Here is why:

It is plenty sensational to scrutinize the Seneca situation. After all, what could be more intriguing than the first Harvard educated president of the Seneca Nation getting fired from controlling one of the largest economic engines of the area. The problem for me is that it is an internal issue that needs no outside interference. The Senecas are quite capable of handling these kinds of internal disputes and when we live in an era where news is no longer reported but rather forcefully opined on. I question the value or relevance of those opinions.

The story surrounding the controversies on Tuscarora, on the other hand, is all about outside influence. The people have no say on who their "leaders" are. The "federally recognized leadership" is borne out of a combination of the "boy's club" claiming to be the "Confederacy" and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The BIA says if you are going to keep your heathen ways and stick to a "traditional" form of government, then we are putting our blinders on and don't want to know nothing about how it is supposed to work; just tell us who the "leaders" are. Of course, that cannot be determined by Tuscaroras, only the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee can confirm such a distinction. So ask Oren Lyons, from Onondaga to get Audrey Shenandoah, the secretary of the Haudenosaunee from Onondaga, to write a letter and get Sid Hill, the Tadodaho from Onondaga, to sign it; and there you have it, Tuscarora "leadership". Now give these guys and their lawyer $100 million from the New York Power Authority and the power to dictate every aspect of Tuscarora life from who can have electricity, or can use the health clinic, or can get an ID card and you see the reason why this corruption needs to be exposed to everyone. Most of the problems in Tuscarora are not internal but stem from outside influence, outside authority and outside money.

Catch this week's "Let's Talk Native... with John Kane" as I welcome Mike Hudson from the Niagara Falls Reporter into the studio. There is no TV, no major news broadcaster and no major newspaper covering this story; only this small newspaper from Niagara Falls. Don't get me wrong, Hudson and the Niagara Falls Reporter are making waves in spite of the story being ignored by the rest of the mainstream media. Mike's stories are roaming the internet on sites like www.indianz.com and other Native news networks and this week he joins "Let's Talk Native...".

Another Trip to NYC to Host FVIR

I want to thank Tiokasin Ghosthorse for inviting me to guest host his show again. First Voices Indigenous Radio is a true treasure and represents the best of the diversity and out-of-the-box programming that the legendary WBAI was famous for. It is always an honor and a pleasure to bring my own brand of Native talk to NYC and tap into Tiokasin's loyal listeners.

While Tiokasin took the story of the American Genocide to Europe, I got a chance to view the "Occupy Wall Street" scene for myself and offer my perspective on the show. I encourage you to listen to the show (http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/wbai_111103_090057fvoices.mp3) and I won't restate my comments here but be assured my thoughts are a little outside the conventional opinions. FVIR again gave me the opportunity to bring not just some of the general issues of the Haudenosaunee to the New York airwaves but even some of the specific issues associated with the corruption of the Tuscarora "leadership" (and I use that term sarcastically).

The trip also afforded me the chance to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. I had a great chance to speak with some of their personnel, share some thoughts and perhaps open a door or two. If their interest in having me come back down to speak develops further it would be the first time a perspective, shared by many but rarely expressed, would get such a forum. Stay tuned.

I am genuinely honored that Tiokasin trusts me to cover for him. I consider shows like FVIR and my own LTN endangered species. No one in the mainstream media is falling over themselves to give Native voices a platform. Maintaining a niche in public radio as Tiokasin has done is difficult with so much competition and the rivalry associated diverse ethnic programming. My challenges are different. I pay for airtime on commercial radio. Soliciting support to cover costs and carving out the time slot is my main challenge. I believe that guys like myself and Tiokasin are doing important work and it is great when our paths cross. As always, I look forward to joining with Tiokasin and First Voices again. My next challenge is to get him as a guest on my show.

A Month in on My New Digs

"Let's Talk Native..." made the move to WWKB 1520AM on 9/11. After a month at this powerful 50,000 watt station I am still amazed at its signal strength. The fact that LTN can be heard from Seneca Territory to Mohawk Territory, without a satellite or the internet, just puts me in awe. Perhaps this says something about "old ways". Of course by posting my shows on my blog or WNYMedia.net or Rezkast.com they can be heard anywhere and anytime and that's a good thing. But an AM signal carrying the words of Native people and Native issues, live, just through air, to be picked up by any traveler on the road on any Sunday night in a car or on a simple hand held radio is almost magical. It is like burning tobacco and watching your words take flight. Not to the powers of Creation but to anyone who cares enough to receive them.

It is a privilege to provide a forum for the discussions I have each week and I am grateful, not just to those that listen in, but to those that participate. I thank Matt and Dan for sitting in studio with me each week and I thank the callers and those that post comments here on my blog. Responses from as far away as Baltimore and the Poconos as well as the the local calls from right here at the Western Door of the Haudenosaunee add to the show. They suggest to me that the conversations we have on the show will continue at home, at work and, of course, on the web.

Another appearance on "The Capitol Pressroom" with Susan Arbetter in Albany last month and my up-coming trip to NYC, in the midst of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement to guest host once again for Tiokasin Ghosthorse on "First Voices Indigenous Radio" give me even more opportunity to encourage conversation. I just did a 3 hour interview for Buffalo Spree Magazine for an article due out in January. I can't help but feel the appetite for a Native message growing. I don't think it is a fascination with "our ways". Perhaps it's hope.

I have said all along that we have more to offer than gas, gaming and cigarettes. We may need to remove a little dust from who we really are and dig into that medicine pouch. I know we need to do it for us but, like I said, I can't help feel like there are those in the non-native community that hope we have more to offer as well. The beauty in doing "Let's Talk Native..." is that I get to interact with people who are quick to show their support for our issues. My guests find an on air experience that is as comfortable as a coffee shop conversation. Even those that have called in to take issue with the views I express have ended the conversation with gratitude and a little enlightenment.

Treaties, statutes and court rulings are put in their place on my show. Words on paper will never trump the spoken word as far as I'm concerned. When we hear educators refer to our "oral traditions", it is often made to sound primitive but I once wrote that for all the writing and reading we will ever do, it would teach us nothing if we couldn't discuss it.

It is not my intent for "Let's Talk Native..." to be entertainment, although I hope it is entertaining. My intent is to educate and to demonstrate a different way to address differences; an old way. As a Native person, it is not my vote I fight for or my citizenship or my passport or my Bill of Rights; it is just my voice. My voice can be heard every day: not once a year or every two years; not just when subpoenaed or interviewed, but every day. The spoken word is still the most effective way to communicate. Conversation, not legislation and adjudication, is the way to resolve conflict or satisfy concerns.

Just past a year on air and a month in my new digs and I am more convince now than when I started the need for conversations has never been greater. Join me on Sunday nights or look for me anytime on line and Let's Talk Native....

"Let's Talk Native...with John Kane" Makes a Big Move

On 9/11, after a full day of remembrances, prayers, dedications and commemorations, "Let's Talk Native..." will take to the airwaves on a new frequency. LTN will debut on WWKB 1520AM at 9 pm on Sunday, September 11th. KB1520 is a legendary station from the AM rock and roll days. It's 50,000 watt signal has been picked up on US Naval vessels in the Atlantic and even in several European countries. Clearly, a Native radio show broadcasting from the Western Door of the Haudenosaunee will blast a signal well beyond the Eastern Door on the power of KB1520. No longer will this unique show be limited to a modest broadcast area in the Buffalo market. "Let's Talk Native..." will still be posted on Native Pride and Rezkast as well as several other web sites, but now every Native and non-native community east of Seneca Territory will be reached with the live broadcast.

I want to thank WECK, the Buffalo Breeze, for giving me a home for my first year. I wish the good folks there the best of luck with their shift to a music format and much success.

I will continue to make the rounds on radio from New York to Albany and back here to Western New York. And as always, those appearances will get posted here on Native Pride. LTN will keep conversations on Native issues flowing. As a live, free form show, call-ins are encouraged. Callers who agree or disagree with the views expressed will be engaged intelligently and with respect. The show will continue to host guests, both in studio and remotely. New guests and a few returning friends will join me. Current events that affect Native people and our communities, as well as a little history and culture will be shared weekly.

Join the "Let's Talk Native...with John Kane" Facebook group. Post comments and suggestion for the show or anything that adds to our much needed conversations.

Be a part of the Newest Voice on "A New Voice. A New Choice" KB 1520AM.

Join me for my last show in New York

Next Thursday, 8/25/11, will be my last guest hosting appearance on "First Voices Indigenous Radio" while I filled in for Tiokasin Ghosthorse for the month. FVIR airs on WBAI FM 99.5 in New York City as well as over twenty stations throughout the US and Canada. Tiokasin invited me to his show and allowed me to bring a little of my own Western New York show, "Let's Talk Native...", to the Big City. It has been an honor and a privilege to host a show I have admired for years; a show that encouraged me to start my own.

I hope the faithful FVIR listeners liked what I brought in Tiokasin's absence and I also hope those listeners I brought to FVIR will continue to listen to the show and support the good work Tiokasin does.

Please check out the FVIR web site at http://www.firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/ and pay particular attention to the request for funds to help Tiokasin to travel to Auschwitz, Poland to participate in an event to raise awareness of the holocaust of indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere.

Join me for one last show next Thursday morning at 9am. The show airs live on FM 99.5 in the NYC, streams live everywhere at http://www.wbai.org/ and can be heard in archives on both sites listed here and will be linked here on Native Pride as well.

"Let's Talk Native..." Completes its First Year on Air

I missed the opportunity to address a landmark for my entrance into radio. Last week was the first anniversary of "Let's Talk Native...with John Kane". My show is paid programming so it has and does depend on support from individuals to keep it going. I have to thank all those that have assisted in keeping our issues out in the public as well as to thank those who promote the show and encourage others to tune in. I have a list at the bottom of those I wish to acknowledge.

The show has been successful on many levels. While it is hard to gauge the size of the listening audience and the impact on them, every once in awhile a comment comes back, either from a caller or through Facebook or even email, that expresses some fulfillment of the intent of the show. Of course LTN has also created the opportunity to make appearances on The Capitol Pressroom with Susan Arbetter and allowed me to use those trips to Albany to push for support from state legislators who probably would not have done so without my urging. Jed Morey used an appearance on LTN to write an excellent column not only addressing the racist reporting of John Stossel from FOX News but he took it beyond a rebuttal. See it at http://jedmorey.com/2011/american-genocide/.

Although LTN does not have guests every week, the guests that have appeared have all been great and it has been my privilege to promote their work or provide a platform for their message.

As I write this, I am half way through fulfilling an invitation to guest host "First Voices Indigenous Radio" which airs out of WBAI FM99.5 in New York City and is carried on over twenty stations throughout the US and Canada. For the month of August I have continued doing my LTN shows Tuesday mornings from 9 till 10 on WECK 1230AM in Buffalo and then I travel to NYC to guest host FVIR on Thursday mornings from 9 till 10. The guest hosting in New York and travel for appearances are also made possible only by support from individuals.

I truly hope I can get "Let's Talk Native..." and Native talk radio in general to a point where it is self sustaining, but in the mean time the show is completely dependent on contributions and advertisers. Anyone interested in supporting the show can email me at jmkane1220@aol.com.

I truly thank the following for helping complete a year of good work.

The Tonawanda Merchants Association

Neville Spring

Ross and Holly John

Joe Harter

Totem Pole Smoke Shop

49 Express

Terri John

Sally Snow and Will Parry

Dan Post Jr. and Sr.

Suzanne Smith, Alyse Pierce Gunther and Aaron Pierce

Maxine Jimerson

Tom Moll

Eric White

Sue Sprague

Susie Cornell

"Don't Seize Native Brands", New York State Tax Department

Although the State of New York refuses to publicly state as much, the tax department has instructed its agents to leave Native brands of tobacco products alone. Over a dozen scenarios described in an inter-department memo states "DON'T SEIZE" on all but one. Only if "Non Native Americans, Middle Eastern and Foreign Nationals running a business in NYS and who are found selling untaxed native American made cigarettes at retail outlets such as bodegas etc. Seize the untaxed cigarettes whether they are premium or Native American brand.

It is interesting that it wasn't enough to reference "Non Native Americans", but they had to add "Middle Eastern and Foreign Nationals". I think they would have been covered by "Non Native American". Is this to single them out or to suggest a connection between the sale of Native brands and Jihadists?

New York Senators George Maziarz and Tim Kennedy still have not gotten a response from the tax department asking for exactly what this memo calls out so are stae representatives and the public to assume this is the response? Who knows. It certainly does not appear the governor's call to change the way things are done in Albany has gone into effect yet. The state is still dysfunctional. When two state senators can't get answers to a relatively simple request of the tax department that clearly have an answer to, something is clearly still broke.

Here is the content of the letter that Mr. Maziarz and Kennedy sent to the state's tax commissioner:

May 16, 2011

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

Commissioner Thomas H. Mattox

Building 9, State Campus

Albany NY 12227

Dear Commissioner Mattox:

We write in today in reference to the regulations that have been issued for the collection of New York State Sales Tax on Native territories for sales of tobacco products made to individuals who are not Native Americans. In reading these regulations, it is clear that the issue of the sale of Native Brand cigarettes and tobacco products, which are produced on Native territories, are not addressed.

A call to your office yielded the response that this is a “gray area”. We respectfully disagree. There is currently no process in place to stamp Native cigarettes in order to effectuate sales tax collection, as can and is done with so called premium brands. It is our view that Native Brand cigarettes, which are produced and sold on lands owned by Native Nations, constitutes commerce that is essentially Native to Native, and therefore cannot be regulated or taxed by the State of New York. This issue is completely separate and apart from the Departments and the Courts contention that sales tax can and should be collected for the sales of premium brands to non-Native individuals, even when such sales are made on Native territories.

It is our view that the State should not pursue an effort to collect taxes on Native Brands because such an effort would be contrary to the sovereign rights of the Native American Nations, and would be a severe blow to the Native retail economy.

Since the regulations issued in the wake of the recent court ruling are silent on this issue, we request that you provide clarification to us as soon as possible and in writing. It is very important that all of the citizens of the State of New York and their elected representatives know what the intention of your Department is with regard to the collection of State taxes on Native Brand cigarettes and tobacco products.

We look forward to your timely reply and toward working with you to resolve this important issue.

Sincerely

Senator George Maziarz, 62^nd Senate District Senator Tim Kennedy, 58^th Senate District

Clearly a timely response has not been forth coming. In fact, thus far, no response other than the memo at the top has come.

A New Time Slot for "Let's Talk Native..."

As I close in on a complete year for the radio show I launched on August 10th of last year, my time slot has been upgraded to the tail end of the drive time. LTN will air live on Tuesday mornings from 9am to 10am. The drive time is considered prime time for radio and I hope to continue to connect with listeners stuck in their slow morning commute. Perhaps listening in on a good conversation will make the drive seem shorter.

The year has been consumed by a lot of conversation over the State's continuing attempts to gain revenue from Native sales and will likely continue to be so. The issue has lead me to three appearances on The Capitol Pressroom, including a debate with Jim Calvin of the New York Association of Convenience Stores and an appearance with New York Senator George Maziarz. Senator Maziarz also appeared with me on my show as well.

In August, as I enter my second year as the only Native radio show in Western New York, I will also be hosting the only Native radio show in the New York City Metropolitan area. My good friend Tiokasin Ghosthorse, who produces and hosts "First Voices Indigenous Radio" on WBAI FM 99.5 in Manhattan, asked me to host his show while he returns home to South Dakota for ceremonies and visits with friends and family. I look forward to the four shows in New York and hope to spread our message close to the homes of some of our biggest political detractors.

So note the new time for "Let's Talk Native..." and look for my appearances on "First Voices Indigenous Radio" all next month. As always, LTN shows will be posted here on Native Pride. If you don't have the opportunity to catch FVIR streaming live on www.wbai.org you will be able to catch them here on Native Pride as well.

I'm Commuting to New York City in August

One of the guys who got me interested in doing radio is my friend Tiokasin Ghosthorse. Tiokasin is a man of many talents, not the least of which is being a musician. But I came to know him as the host of First Voices Indigenous Radio, which airs out of WBAI FM 99.5 in New York City. Over the years Tiokasin has turned to me as a resource for news affecting the people of the Six Nations as well as a guest to talk about history and culture, specifically on his Thanksgiving specials. His show airs on Thursday mornings live from 9 till 10 but is carried by about 20 other stations on various days and times throughout the U.S. and Canada. The shows can be streamed live from http://www.wbai.org/ and can be listened to out of archive there or on http://www.firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/.

A couple of weeks ago Tiokasin asked if I would guest host for his show in August while he goes home to South Dakota to do ceremonies and to connect with his family and community. So needless to say, I'll be hosting First Voices Indigenous Radio for the four Thursdays of August. I want to thank Tiokasin for asking me to fill in and bring a little of Let's Talk Native... to the Big Apple and I also want to thank the supporters of LTN who are helping me to be able to do a show in Buffalo on Tuesday and a show in New York on Thursday. I made the trip last week and appeared on Thursday's show. It was the the first time I was an in-studio guest and it allowed the chance to meet the WBAI personnel and find my way around. I want to thank Ross John Enterprises and Pierce Trading for assisting me with the trip.

Much of the political will against Native people is based in the New York metropolitan area so this is an opportunity to take it to them. My appearances on The Capitol Pressroom have allowed me to take it to them where they work, FVIR and WBAI will let me take to where they live. I'll post the shows on Native Pride so be sure and check them out.

For the month of August, the Native voice on Buffalo radio will also be the Native voice on New York radio.

Inside the Catsimatidis Cabal

By Jed Morey in Indian Issues on http://jedmorey.com/

John Kane is an Indian educator and advocate in upstate New York, who broadcasts a show on WECK-AM in Buffalo and blogs at http://www.letstalknativepride.blogspot.com/. As a Mohawk, married to an Oneida woman, living in Seneca territory, he likes to say he has half of the Iroquois Confederacy covered. Kane brings native issues to light on radio and online from the native perspective, and over the past couple of years we have become fast friends, trading stories and anecdotes related to tribal sovereignty issues that I frequently write about, but he has mastered—an impressive distinction given the complexities and differences of opinion inherent in these debates even among Indians.
During the Anthony Weiner fiasco, Kane reminded me of the disgraced congressman’s duplicitous role in shepherding the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act) of 2009, of which he was the House sponsor, through Congress. In the middle of this ridiculous Twitter situation with Weiner, I spoke with Kane on his show about the scandalous nature of an act sold to the public as an anti-terrorism, tax-evasion punishment with positive public health consequences as Rep. Weiner argued on the House floor. In reality, the act itself was a protectionist economic tool crafted by, and for the benefit of, the American tobacco giants and convenience-store retailers seeking a way to curb the growth of native brand cigarettes. The passage of the PACT Act is a textbook example of money and influence in Washington where holier-than-thou legislators preach from atop an artificial moral high ground from a pulpit made of campaign cash.

The greased wheels of democracy behind this bill carry a clown car of strange bedfellows down roads that all lead back to billionaire John Catsimatidis, the ringmaster of this bizarre circus of influence. Catsimatidis is a high-profile figure in New York politics whose fortune is derived from the oil-refinery, grocery and convenience-store industries. Most recently it was the high society nuptials between his daughter, Andrea and Christopher Cox—grandson of Richard Nixon and son of New York GOP leader Ed Cox—that put the Catsimatidis name in the public eye. This is a merger of the highest social order in New York, renewing the notion that Catsimatidis will take a shot at becoming the next billionaire mayor of New York City, a hope that had been dashed when current Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to run for a third term. Add to the mix that presumptive candidate and power-grubbing sycophant Weiner is out of the picture, and the Catsimatidis for Mayor campaign will undoubtedly be in full swing.
Catsimatidis stands in stark physical contrast to the relatively soft-spoken and diminutive Bloomberg. A big man with bulbous features, he has a caricaturesque appearance. Apart from these visual differences the two men have much in common. They are self-made billionaires whose party affiliations are fluid and for whom the job of Gotham’s mayor is the brass ring. Less notably, but important where the tobacco industry is concerned, they are perfectly aligned in their unmitigated offensive against the native cigarette trade, and they were Anthony Weiner’s two top individual donors.
Bloomberg’s assault on the Indian cigarette trade has been well-publicized, but it’s Catsimatidis who truly keeps the fire stoked. For example, half of the sponsors of the PACT Act have been recipients of Catsimatidis’ largesse over the past several years. Since the 1990s he has spread around nearly a million dollars in campaign contributions under his name or his direct family members. He even dumped campaign cash into the coffers of Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), who, during the cycles he received money, produced a congressional committee report titled “Tobacco and Terror,” which attempted to establish a link between the native cigarette trade and Hezbollah. It was a marginal and laughable report until Rep. Weiner matter-of-factly referred to the report (produced by his political nemesis) as gospel while arguing for the PACT Act on the House floor. From that point, the fate of native cigarette traders was effectively sealed. The New York and Washington, D.C. tobacco cabal, bought and paid for by Catsimatidis, included provisions in the act that delivered a direct blow to the Seneca Nation in western New York, arguably the most successful tobacco entrepreneurs in the United States, and direct competitors to the chain of convenience stores and gas stations owned by none other than John Catsimatidis.
Ironically, but purposefully, the only winners from the PACT Act were the tobacco manufacturers and convenience store owners who essentially crafted the legislation and financed its passage. Big Tobacco reaffirmed its competitive economic advantage by squeezing off supply routes for native brands and Indian retailers, which in turn benefited convenience stores with multiple locations. The act had little to do with trafficking, public health or terrorism, and everything to do with asserting monopolistic influence over a growing native trade that was gaining market share.
Watching Weiner argue the bill crafted by his donors told me everything I needed to know about this guy long before he revealed his true sleazy nature. “An act that goes after cigarettes, tax evaders and terrorism? Slam dunk… Who gets hurt? Indians? Where do I sign?” This was probably the extent of the conversation that transpired between PACT Act sponsors like Anthony Weiner and sugar daddy Catsimatidis. When it came down to it, Weiner could be bought. That’s the name of the game, I suppose, and whoever takes his spot will likely be no different. After all, a Weiner by any other name is still a dick. (You didn’t think I would get through the whole piece without a penis pun, did you?)

Author: Jed Morey
Jed Morey is the publisher of the Long Island Press, an alternative weekly newspaper with a circulation of 85,000, and www.longislandpress.com, which welcomes more than 750,000 unique visitors every month. He serves on the boards of the Long Island chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters and the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Nassau County, as well as the President's Council of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Long Island. Morey is also a proud founding member of the Keep It On Long Island (KIOLI) movement, an online community - www.kioli.org - dedicated to preserving the Long Island economy while providing environmental stewardship in the region. The Kioli founding members set aside 5% of membership investments to purchase shares of a local, organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, which then donates the equivalent shares to Island Harvest, a Long Island-based hunger relief organization. In addition to the contributions on this blog, Morey authors the award winning column for the Long Island Press entitled "Off The Reservation" and is a staunch advocate for Indian rights. Morey lives in Glen Cove with his wife, Eden White, and their two daughters.