Native Currents
by: Wilma Mankiller
© Indian Country Today August 22, 2008. All Rights Reserved
Energized and hopeful for Sen. Barack Obama
As a Native woman, it is tough not to feel distrustful of and cynical toward most politicians. But on the crest of this election season, unlike any prior, I feel buoyed. I feel energized, engaged and excited. I feel something new: hope.
Yes, it's a buzzword nowadays. ''Hope'' has become synonymous with a candidate and emblematic of movement. The cynic in me wishes to dismiss it as superficially attractive yet ultimatelyinsubstantial, but decades of experience in politics and public service won't allow me to do that.I haven't felt this hopeful in years.
It started in the primary. As Native people, we didn't have just a single good candidate; we hadseveral great ones from which to choose. It was a profound struggle choosing a candidate toendorse, but one I welcomed. What a wonderful surprise to have too many candidates listening to us and responding to our issues.
Now, as the campaign has narrowed to a general election, my hope for the future of this country and its policies toward tribal governments and individuals only grows. I know we have an advocate in Sen. Barack Obama, who unveiled his First Americans platform while the campaign was still in itsinfancy and has since been meeting with tribal leaders around the country. He is humble enough torespectfully listen, and empathetic enough to fully understand the challenges facing our communities today. I believe Sen. Obama when he says he feels ''a particular sense of outrage when I see the status of so many Native Americans, and there is a sense of kinship in terms of thestruggles that have to be fought.'' The other candidates simply cannot speak from the same place.
But he does more than talk the talk. Since entering the U.S. Senate, Obama supported the IndianHealth Care Reauthorization Act and pushed for a billion-dollar increase in IHS funding. As apresidential candidate, he took that commitment to Indian health care further and called for fullfunding of IHS. In addition, one of Obama's first initiatives as a candidate was to plan for aNational Indian Policy Adviser as a senior staff member in the White House.
I'm inspired that this country chose him as a presidential candidate and I'm eager to be a part ofhistory when we elect him in November. And make no mistake; we will be the ones electing him inNovember. Native people have an unprecedented degree of electoral power this season. We are avoting bloc that must be courted. Native populations are the most geographically dense in stateslikely to be up for grabs this election, meaning 1 - 2 percent of the vote in swing states could bethe difference between an Obama victory on the one hand and four more years of Indian-hostilepolicies on the other. We can make that difference, but only if we vote.
Sen. Obama is a lifelong public servant who has shown sage judgment and sound politics. I trust him to nominate judges to the Supreme Court who will respect the inherent rights of tribal governments and the basic human rights of all people. I am impressed by the fact that he seeks and heeds wise counsel and solid policy advice on the issues I care most about - tribal sovereignty, foreign policy and health care.
Wilma Mankiller is the former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Opinion/Opinion.aspx?StoryID=2886
Obama supports tribal sovereignty
By Principal Chief Chad Smith
The Byrds (for us non-religious); based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything There is a season And a time for every purpose under heavenA time to be born, a time to dieA time to plant, a time to reapA time to kill, a time to healA time to laugh, a time to weepTo everything There is a season And a time for every purpose under heavenA time to build up, a time to break downA time to dance, a time to mournA time to cast away stonesA time to gather stones togetherTo everything There is a season And a time for every purpose under heavenA time of war, a time of peaceA time of love, a time of hateA time you may embraceA time to refrain from embracingTo everything There is a season And a time for every purpose under heavenA time to gain, a time to loseA time to rend, a time to sewA time to love, a time to hateA time of peace, I swear it's not too late!
This is our time; This is our moment.
This is the time for a new generation to be born and an old political system to die.
This is the time to plant the seeds of hope and change that we will reap in January 2009, for a period of 8 years.
The time to kill is not now: This is the time to heal. To heal the divided Democratic Party, the divided United States of America, and the divided world.
This is the time to laugh- to rejoice in the fruition of 15 months worth of hard work and dedication of so many people across the nation.
This is the time to build up what has been torn down: the bridge between Hillary supporters and Obama supporters. The relationship between Democrats and Republicans. The international relationships of the United States and foreign countries.
This is the time to dance, and welcome the mourners of trumped candidates into our dance- at their own pace.
This is not the time to cast away stones; this is the time to gather stones together. Gather into our circle those stones who have previously been cast away.
This is the time for peace. No more war within our political party- no more war in Iraq!
This is the time of love and not of hate. Love unites; hate divides.
This is the time to embrace. Embrace those who are hurting and need comfort. They will embrace back when it doesn't hurt so much.
This is the time to gain. To gain the supporters whose time it was for their candidate to lose.
This is the time to sew, not the time to rend. Weave ourselves together with the thread of commonality that connects us all of humanity.
This is the time for peace. I swear it's not too late!
This is our time; this is our moment.
Congratulations Senator Obama and family, the Obama for America Team, and the amazing supporters that comprise this family.
I wrote my first article to reach out to Native American voters in the upcoming primary states. They make up a sizeable voting chunk in South Dakota and Montana.
Please read, digg, and comment to get it noticed!
Thank you, Obama Family
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Obama_on_Native_Tribal_Sovereignty
http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/obama-answers-call-weigh-cbc-cherokee-nation-controversy
I wrote my first article to reach out to Native American voters. Please read, digg, and comment to get it noticed!
This is my new Native American name for Obama since I received a wonderful response today in request for Obama to issue a statement reconciling his membership in the CBC with his stance on tribal sovereinty.
Barack Obama has reiterated his support for tribal sovereignty. Senator Obama said, "Tribal sovereignty must mean that the place to resolve intertribal disputes is the tribe itself. Our nation has learned with tragic results that federal intervention in internal matters of Indian tribes is rarely productive - failed policies such as Allotment and Termination grew out of efforts to second-guess Native communities. That is not a legacy we want to continue." With respect to the Cherokee Freedman issue, Senator Obama said that while he is opposed to unwarranted tribal disenrollment, congressional interference was not warranted at this point. "Discrimination anywhere is intolerable, but the Cherokee are dealing with this issue in both tribal and federal courts. As it stands, the rights of the Cherokee Freedmen are not being abrogated because there is an injunction in place that ensures the Freedman's rights to programs during the pendency of the litigation. I do not support efforts to undermine these legal processes and impose a congressional solution. Tribes have a right to be self governing and we need to respect that, even if we disagree, which I do in this case. We must have restraint in asserting federal power in such circumstances." Obama also reiterated his support for fulfilling the treaty obligations to tribes. “The Cherokee Freedmen issue highlights the larger issue of the unfulfilled treaty promises made by the federal government to tribes. It is these promises that Barack is most concerned with as the future president. Barack understands that the federal government owes a legal and moral obligation to tribes to provide health care, education and other essential services to tribes. This is not a handout, but compensation for millions of acres of land relinquished by tribes.”
Thank you Barack Obama for this well-put response! I am thrilled to support you for the Presidency of the United States of America.
Today hundreds of Obama supporters are taking a positive step to push back against negative media.
Today is a National Day of Hope. Today we send messages that are only positive and serve to spread the message of Hope. Today we sign our emails "In hope, YOUR NAME HERE." Today we forward positive stories to our MYBO groups and put the word HOPE in the subject. Today we write blogs with HOPE in the title. Today we write our personal stories of HOPE, why we are supporting Obama, and we are sharing those stories with all of our friends, families, fellow supporters, etc. Today, we are making Obama-related stories/blogs the top hits for the word "HOPE" in google and yahoo searches by taking these steps.
Participate and pass it on!
I know many are afraid to call voters on the phone, so here's something you CAN do, but do it quick!!: Participate in the Postcards for Obama Campaign!
Purchase, hand-write, and stamp 10 or more postcards to voters in upcoming primary states, telling them why you support Obama. Then, send your completed postcards to:
WFO Post Card Campaign193 E. Rich StreetColumbus, Ohio 43215
Postcards must be mailed by Monday, April 28, 2008. These postcards will be addressed to voters by campaign volunteers and mailed to them before their state's primary.
TIPS:
See my profile picture? It is of a beautiful banner designed for our Los Angeles Nation for Change Rally by San Jose based Meezy Art. It is printed on durable vinyl, 45 inches x 30 inches, and has a small hole punched in each corner for hanging.
I will ship it for free to the first person who donates $150.00 to the campaign through my personal fundraising page on my.barackobama.com. Here's the link: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/HotChocolate
Email me now at hannah.flanagan@gmail.com for a full-sized picture of the banner or to find out if it's still available. First come, first served.
Huffington Post ran an article today that quoted somone as saying, "Someone needs to ask him how he can reconcile his support of the Congressional Black Caucus and his rhetoric about supporting the sovereign status of tribal governments." Find it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-giago/congressional-black-caucu_b_97111.html
I'm a member of the Cherokee Nation, born and raised in Oklahoma, and I'm now living in Southern California. I've been an avid Obama supporter since February, and have been delighted that my Republican mother is supporting him, too.
I was helping with the Nation for Change Los Angeles Rally this Saturday, when I got a phone call from my mother who is well-connected in the Cherokee Nation community and is friends with the Chief, Chad Smith. She told me that the idea of an Obama presidency is stirring up some controversy and fear in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, due to his membership in the Congressional Black Congress, which is currently trying to place holds on funding to the tribe pending the resolution of a controversary that involves the Freedmen's denial of tribal membership. She told me she can't support him unless this issue is resolved, because the Cherokee Nation will come out strong against him and it would be a serious conflict of interest.
PLEASE help me get this issue to HQ so that Obama can take a clear and uniting stance on this issue. It is important because North Carolina's primary is just around the corner. The Eastern Band of Cherokees will be looked upon to endorse either Obama or Hillary, and it won't be Obama if this issue is not addressed immediately! Also, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma is comprised of 250,000 members and it will not be good if they come out against him (I have word from my mother that is what they are gearing up to do.)
I have faith that Obama has a reasonable, well-thought out position that transcends these racial conflicts. PLEASE push this so that this is a focus as soon as Pennsylvania is over tomorrow.
My friend Jane sent this out this morning; my apologies if you've already seen it.
My Vote's for Obama (if I could vote) ...by Michael Moore
Monday, April 21st, 2008
Friends,
I don't get to vote for President this primary season. I live in Michigan. The party leaders (both here and in D.C.) couldn't get their act together, and thus our votes will not be counted.
So, if you live in Pennsylvania, can you do me a favor? Will you please cast my vote -- and yours -- on Tuesday for Senator Barack Obama? I haven't spoken publicly 'til now as to who I would vote for, primarily for two reasons:
Who cares?; and 2) I (and most people I know) don't give a rat's ass whose name is on the ballot in November, as long as there's a picture of JFK and FDR riding a donkey at the top of the ballot, and the word 'Democratic' next to the candidate's name. Seriously, I know so many people who don't care if the name under the Big 'D' is Dancer, Prancer, Clinton or Blitzen. It can be Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Barry Obama or the Dalai Lama. Well, that sounded good last year, but over the past two months, the actions and words of Hillary Clinton have gone from being merely disappointing to downright disgusting. I guess the debate last week was the final straw. I've watched Senator Clinton and her husband play this game of appealing to the worst side of white people, but last Wednesday, when she hurled the name 'Farrakhan' out of nowhere, well that's when the silly season came to an early end for me. She said the 'F' word to scare white people, pure and simple. Of course, Obama has no connection to Farrakhan. But, according to Senator Clinton, Obama's pastor does -- AND the 'church bulletin' once included a Los Angeles Times op-ed from some guy with Hamas! No, not the church bulletin! This sleazy attempt to smear Obama was brilliantly explained the following night by Stephen Colbert. He pointed out that if Obama is supported by Ted Kennedy, who is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is led by a Pope who was in the Hitler Youth, that can mean only one thing: OBAMA LOVES HITLER! Yes, Senator Clinton, that's how you sounded. Like you were nuts. Like you were a bigot stoking the fires of stupidity. How sad that I would ever have to write those words about you. You have devoted your life to good causes and good deeds. And now to throw it all away for an office you can't win unless you smear the black man so much that the superdelegates cry 'Uncle (Tom)' and give it all to you. But that can't happen. You cast your die when you voted to start this bloody war. When you did that you were like Moses who lost it for a moment and, because of that, was prohibited from entering the Promised Land. How sad for a country that wanted to see the first woman elected to the White House. That day will come -- but it won't be you. We'll have to wait for the current Democratic governor of Kansas to run in 2016 (you read it here first!). There are those who say Obama isn't ready, or he's voted wrong on this or that. But that's looking at the trees and not the forest. What we are witnessing is not just a candidate but a profound, massive public movement for change. My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate. That is not to take anything away from this exceptional man. But what's going on is bigger than him at this point, and that's a good thing for the country. Because, when he wins in November, that Obama Movement is going to have to stay alert and active. Corporate America is not going to give up their hold on our government just because we say so. President Obama is going to need a nation of millions to stand behind him. I know some of you will say, 'Mike, what have the Democrats done to deserve our vote?' That's a damn good question. In November of '06, the country loudly sent a message that we wanted the war to end. Yet the Democrats have done nothing. So why should we be so eager to line up happily behind them? I'll tell you why. Because I can't stand one more friggin' minute of this administration and the permanent, irreversible damage it has done to our people and to this world. I'm almost at the point where I don't care if the Democrats don't have a backbone or a kneebone or a thought in their dizzy little heads. Just as long as their name ain't 'Bush' and the word 'Republican' is not beside theirs on the ballot, then that's good enough for me. I, like the majority of Americans, have been pummeled senseless for 8 long years. That's why I will join millions of citizens and stagger into the voting booth come November, like a boxer in the 12th round, all bloodied and bruised with one eye swollen shut, looking for the only thing that matters -- that big 'D' on the ballot. Don't get me wrong. I lost my rose-colored glasses a long time ago. It's foolish to see the Democrats as anything but a nicer version of a party that exists to do the bidding of the corporate elite in this country. Any endorsement of a Democrat must be done with this acknowledgement and a hope that one day we will have a party that'll represent the people first, and laws that allow that party an equal voice. Finally, I want to say a word about the basic decency I have seen in Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton continues to throw the Rev. Wright up in his face as part of her mission to keep stoking the fears of White America. Every time she does this I shout at the TV, 'Say it, Obama! Say that when she and her husband were having marital difficulties regarding Monica Lewinsky, who did she and Bill bring to the White House for 'spiritual counseling?' THE REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT!' But no, Obama won't throw that at her. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be decent. She's been through enough hurt. And so he remains silent and takes the mud she throws in his face. That's why the crowds who come to see him are so large. That's why he'll take us down a more decent path. That's why I would vote for him if Michigan were allowed to have an election. But the question I keep hearing is... 'can he win? Can he win in November?' In the distance we hear the siren of the death train called the Straight Talk Express. We know it's possible to hear the words 'President McCain' on January 20th. We know there are still many Americans who will never vote for a black man. Hillary knows it, too. She's counting on it. Pennsylvania, the state that gave birth to this great country, has a chance to set things right. It has not had a moment to shine like this since 1787 when our Constitution was written there. In that Constitution, they wrote that a black man or woman was only 'three fifths' human. On Tuesday, the good people of Pennsylvania have a chance for redemption. Yours, Michael Moore MichaelMoore.com MMFlint@aol.com
From: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2008-04-21
I encourage all of you to go to the www.democrats.org and indicate your support for Obama. Sign-up if you can and join all the Obama groups. This is the official website for the Democratic party and it's important right now that Obama supporters make a big showing in this "close race."
**Forgive me for "cross-posting." I wanted to reach everyone.
Do you know why average people usually don't tune into politics? I never did before this campaign because it seemed so dirty. Just a bunch of people bickering, lying, smearing, etc. But when I heard Obama speak, came to the website, watched the debates, and read about him, I was attracted to what was different: He was uniting. He was pointing out similarities, not differences. He was not resorting to smear tactics.
We do not need to tear down other candidates to build ours up. If we can show why Barack is the best choice without berating the other options, we will do what no other campaign is attempting. Why is that important? Because berating the other options can turn those supporters forever against you. We need to be the campaign that is waiting lovingly, with open arms, to supporters of the other candidates. We need to be the campaign that is offering HOPE. Otherwise, we are just down in the gutter, fighting with everyone else, and there's no new message reaching eager ears.
A candidate is often judged by his/her supporters. When we use negativity to try to discredit Clinton or McCain, it is seen as "Obama" or "the Obama campaign" performing the action. Who is watching as we, the supporters, slander and tear down? The whole country: the press, the other candidates, the supporters of those candidates. As supporters of Barack, when we spew hatred and viciously attack other candidates or their supporters, we are tarnishing the reputation of Barack Obama. We are signing our own death warrant.
This campaign was built on the foundation that it is time for a different kind of politics; the kind based on unity and hope. If we cannot prove that to the world in our words and in our actions, we are discrediting this entire movement.
Stand for change. Change division into unity. Change tearing down others' candidates into building up our own. And then, we will be able to change minds.
*This was not written to preach at or chastise anyone, it's just what's been on my mind this morning.
The opposition says we don't know why we are supporting Obama, besides for HOPE and CHANGE. I encourage everyone to come up with their own top ten reasons why they are voting for BO.
Here are mine:
1. I want a President who is a UNITER not a fighter.
2. Our President should be the megaphone for the people's voices, not the muffler.
3. I believe our President should be consistent and open-minded.
4. I believe our President should be calm, cool, and collected.
5. I REALLY don't want another rich, crusty old white person in the Presidential office.
6. Our President should be someone who motivates ordinary citizens to make their government accountable to THEM, not someone bypasses the ordinary citizens to push the agendas of big corporations and their lobbyists.
7. The quantity of experience is not as much of a success indicator as the QUALITY of experience.
8. Focusing on our global reputation and relations is VITAL to preventing the flourishing of terrorism and extremism.
9. The country's health care system is royally SCREWED! It needs to be made affordable enough for everyone to buy it, available to everyone, but NOT mandated for everyone. Let's not force a health care plan on those opposed to "traditional medicine" because of religious, tribal, or naturalistic reasons.
10. The immigration process needs to be reformed: streamlined, more technilogically advanced, fair, and more affordable. And for goodness sakes, don't forbid the undocumented from having driver's licenses.
Now, what are your reasons? Make sure you know, and then make sure you can tell them to your friends, family, reporters, but most importantly, THE VOTERS IN THE MARCH 4th PRIMARIES!!!
