Ivan Butcher II, Harlem born Artist, designed and copyrighted in 1975, The Black Evolutionary American Flag, with the Library of Congress.
With the approaching Bi-Centennial, Butcher realized that the Media was ignoring a Legacy of Black (African Americans) accomplishments made into the progress of this Nation, not to exclude the Indians(Native Americans)
As an Artist compelled to create a symbol, that would express the Contributions that African Americans have made, he designed a Flag. Inspired by words from one of Malcolm X's speeches, for us as an oppressed people not to disrespect the American Flag but instead create our own, which then was advocating a nation within a nation.
Along with the threat of Separatism and the fact that Evolution sounded too much like Revolution are the major reasons for The Flag not receiving national recognition from the Media.
Today the flag is named, Flag of Progress ( slogan: Unity is Progress)
Video descriptive presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjzITSGqwz8
Thank you,
Ivan Butcher II
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Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
Greetings All;
My chief storybook character JustaMouse-In-A-Corner, (see profile), writes this blog as JustaMouse In a Corner For Barach to comment on the campaigns and issues as seen through her eyes. JustaMouse has experienced and seen first hand the sacrifice and commitment it takes for a new lawyer to forsake fortune to work among the disadvantaged as a Community Organizer and other lifelong endeavors to serve. JustaMouse was absolutely thrilled to hear Barach's first speech a few years ago at the Democratic National Convention and predicted greatness for him AND his CAUSE!!
She also feels and sees the inner conflict of wanting the first woman president or the first president of color to serve our Nation, to start to see those causes happen here and in the world. How JustaMouse wanted a double ticket!! BUT .. this was not to be, so JustaMouse yielded to her experience that there is a greater WILL than hers at work in worldly affairs, and prayed for united purpose. JustaMouse was relieved to see a united front in the Democratic party to achieve greater purpose.
JustaMouse has been a part of tribal and indigenous people's issues and challenges and so was quite interested to see how the Republican party, under Governor Palin, was treating Native issues in Alaska. She decided to post these comments which were from blogger, "Bearsense" reposting the noted and respected Alaskan tribal attorney, Lloyd Miller, as she greatly respects his analysis of issues. This was reposted from Free Speech TV Community blog of Bearsense at the url:
http://community.freespeech.org/palin_opposes_alaska_native_life,_tribal_sovereignty_and_voting_rights .
I am forwarding a post I received that gives voice to Alaskan Native's first hand experience with Gov. Palin's politics. The request is for any and all to get the word out. If these are her politics in Alaska...well you connect the dots on what she will do all over this Nation and the Earth. "In sum, measured against some [of] the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes - the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights - Palin's record is a failure." Thanks, BearSense
Sunday Sept 7, 2008
Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues
1. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing
Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.
Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights.
Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State of Alaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158- HRH (D. Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law' s law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot).
The goal of Palin's law suit is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations the federal government has issued to date to protect Native fishing, and to force the courts instead to take over the roll of setting subsistence regulations. Palin's law suit seeks to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing.
In May 2007, the federal court rejected the State's main challenge, holding that Congress in 1980 had expressly granted the U.S. Interior and Agriculture Departments the authority to regulate and protect Native and rural subsistence fishing activities in Alaska. (Decision entered May 15, 2007 (Dkt. No. 110).)
Notwithstanding this ruling, Palin continues to argue in the litigation that the federal subsistence protections are too broad, and should be narrowed to exclude vast areas from subsistence fishing, in favor of sport and commercial fishing. Palin opposes subsistence protections in marine waters, on many of the lands that Natives selected under their 1971 land claims settlement with the state and federal governments, and in many of the rivers where Alaska Natives customarily fish. (Alaska Complaint at 15-18.) Palin also opposes subsistence fishing protections on Alaska Native federal allotments that were deeded to individuals purposely to foster Native subsistence activities. All these issues are now pending before the federal district court.
2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting
Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.
Palin's attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina. Although the federal district court has rejected Palin's challenge, she has carried on an appeal that was argued in August 2008. (State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).)
In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policies initiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting and fishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order to enhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin's lawsuits are a direct attack on the core way of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.
3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal Sovereignty
Governor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.
Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Native villages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribes have no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.
So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes from exercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004 legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exists (except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).
Both the state courts and the federal courts have struck down Palin's policy of refusing to recognize the sovereign authority of Alaska Tribes to address issues involving Alaska Native children. Native Village of Tanana v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-12194 CI (judgment entered Aug. 26, 2008) (Ak. Super. Ct.); Native Kaltag Tribal Council v.DHHS, No. 3:06-cv-00211- TMB (D. Ak.), pending on appeal No 08-35343 (9th Cir.)). Nonetheless, Palin's policy of refusing to recognize Alaska tribal sovereignty remains unchanged.
4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Languages
Palin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters by refusing to provide language assistance to Yup'ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result, Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various forms of voter assistance to Yup'ik voters residing in southwest Alaska. Nick v. Bethel, No. 3:07-cv-0098- TMB (D. Ak.) (Order entered July 30, 2008). Citing years of State neglect, Palin was ordered to provide trained poll workers who are bilingual in English and Yup'ik; sample ballots in written Yup'ik; a written Yup'ik glossary of election terms; consultation with local Tribes to ensure the accuracy of Yup'ik translations; a Yup'ik language coordinator; and pre-election and post-election reports to the court to track the State's efforts.
In sum, measured against some the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes - the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights - Palin's record is a failure.
From Lloyd B. Miller Lloyd@sonosky. Net
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Mr. Keith M. Harper, enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, OK and partner in the Washington, DC law firm, "Kilpatrick Stockton LLP". This is an outstanding choice and bodes well for an Obama administration. Here's some basic info from his professional profile:
http://www.kilpatrickstockton.com/attorneys/detail.aspx?ID=13797
Keith Harper is a partner in the Litigation department and heads the Native American Affairs practice group. Throughout his career, Mr. Harper has represented tribes and individual Indians before Federal Courts, the United States Congress, administrative agencies and international fora in matters involving enforcement of the trust responsibility, expansion and protection of tribal sovereignty, enforcement of tribal treaty rights, protection of land and natural resources, ensuring religious freedom for Native practitioners and development of international instruments guaranteeing the rights of indigenous people. Among other matters, Mr. Harper has, since inception of the case, represented the plaintiff class of 500,000 individual Indians and continues to serve as class counsel in the landmark Indian trust funds lawsuit,Cobell v. Kempthorne.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Harper worked, for 11 years, a senior staff attorney with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and head of the Washington, D.C. Office. Mr. Harper also clerked for the Honorable Lawrence W. Pierce, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. A recognized expert on federal Indian law and policy, during his tenure at NARF, he also taught "Federal Indian Law" as Adjunct Professor at Catholic University Columbus School of Law and at American University Washington College of Law. In 2001, Mr. Harper was appointed Appellate Justice on the highest court of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, where he served until October 22, 2007.
Mr. Harper is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. While attending New York University School of Law, he served as Articles & Note Editor for the Journal of International Law & Politics.
May the Lord open our Eyes and our ears to the truth about the friendship between McCain and Clinton:
After watching many days of the situation at hand I began to get supspicious about the Hillary verses Obama debate. What Hillary did was stand up and say JOHN MARK CAIN was here friend. That instant in time was something I had been waiting for her to do and she did it. Not to mention she did it in the red colored suit just as I had felt she would do. The 2 things I was waiting for and I stated this to a friend in an email was for the candidate to stand up in red and see what what was said.
When I saw that it shocked me because it came to pass. What she said was , "John McCain is my friend" and you know the rest.
If that is not a sign that her and the JOHN MARK CAIN campaign was not the trigger to the media against Obama over the last couple of weeks then we are blind. We must come together to get rid of those that have been in the White House that last 20 years are tied together to a secret society to stop any other man or woman from entering the WHITE HOUSE.
Keep your eyes on more to come. They are out to destroy Obama and we must stand up as Children of THE LIVING GOD to stop this corrupt Government from continuing its terror of American Citizens that is nothing less of DICTATORSHIP.
I fought a spiritual warfare and have finally contact the right people that can help us. It took some battle wounds but I am battle wound ready. Those same people in office are the direct descendents of those that enslaved the black man and killed my Native Brothers and sisters.
GET OUT AND HELP US CLEAN UP THE WHITE HOUSE AMERICA. AFTER ALL IT IS OURS NOT THE CLINTONS OR THE BUSHS
GOD BLESS OBAMA AND HIS WIFE,
GOD BLESS US ALL,
Manny
A simple and true Native American Proverb that we should all consider when thinking and acting with regards to our environment.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”
I ran across this article & thought I'd share with my fellow Native Obama supporters.
Original link: Citizen-times.com
Obama meets with Cherokee leaders
by Jon Ostendorff, jostendorff@citizen-times.com
published June 18, 2007 12:15 am
DURHAM — Representatives of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians were among a small group of North Carolina leaders who met with presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama this week.
The meeting was one of the first times the Democrat from Chicago has discussed his campaign with officials from a tribal government.
“I have met a lot of politicians, and he is the most impressive person I have ever met,” said Lynne Harlan, a spokeswoman for the Eastern Band. “He is one of those people who stops and talks to each person.”
Harlan said Obama even noticed that her name was misspelled on her nametag.
Brandon Stephens, the tribe’s building and construction manager, Annette Clapsaddle, assistant to Principal Chief Michell Hicks, and Harlan were among 25 leaders at an hourlong private meeting with Obama.
Obama was in North Carolina on Thursday for a private fundraiser with a ticket price of $1,000 per person.
The meeting with local leaders was not part of the fundraiser.
He met with them to introduce himself and discuss their needs and his campaign.
Harlan said she was impressed with Obama’s knowledge of sovereignty issues.
American Indian tribes often struggle with educating political leaders about sovereignty. Federally recognized tribes in the United States are sovereign nations with their own laws. Sometimes, the federal government doesn’t take that into account and passes laws that conflict with tribe laws.
“He discussed sovereignty and how the federal government needs to consider our sovereignty when they make legislative decisions,” she said.
