Shalom,

After reading the responses to this Blog, I am asking myself why all this angry hateful speech? These comments are the exact responses that Mr. Jensen was talking about. Of all the ethnic groups Jews should be standing side by side with American Indians as they fight for justice, respect, and historical truth.

I spent the day at Plymouth, Massachusetts this year fasting and praying with my Native friends instead of being home partaking in an excuse for over eating and drinking. I was there because the issues that have faced Native Americans are still current today and no one wants to look at what Republicans and Democrats have both participated in till this day. I'll give you just a few examples of how the acts of American Genocide towards American Indians continues today while we sit at our HD TV's watching Football.

The American Holocaust did not happen as efficiently as the Nazis. The Government only exterminated and displaced Indians when they were ready for the next land grab.

Military actions against Native Americans stopped not because we suddenly became less racist in this country, but because it was costing Washington DC 1 Million Dollars to kill each Indian. Since it was too costly to pay the military to shoot, and burn, and pass out Small Pox blankets to Indians, they created a different program for genocide which in many ways continues today. First read the legal definition of Genocide to see that Genocide is continuing in Indian country today.

The international legal
definition of the crime of genocide is found in Articles II and III
of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.

Article II describes two elements of the
crime of genocide:

1) the mental element, meaning the "intent
to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious
group, as such"

2) the physical element which includes five acts
described in sections a, b, c, d and e. A crime must include both
elements to be called "genocide."

"Article II: In
the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed
with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial
or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated
to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Here are a few historic and current facts for the readers who have attacked Mr. Jensen.

NO MONEY= NO CIVIL RIGHTS FOR INDIANS: Civil Rights lawyers have historically stayed away from Indian cases because, as one lawyer told me, "There is no money in it."

WE KILLED THEM: Wounded Knee, Ft. Robinson, Camp Grant, Marias, Sand Creek, Washita River, Keyesville, Beaver River, Tonkawa, Gunther Island, Kaibai Creek, Bloody Island, Mystic River, and Deer Island massacres. (This is not a complete list by far. But I think you get the picture.

WE USED GERM WARFARE AGAINST THEM: We found it more efficient to expose them to small pox and TB than chase them with calvary.

WE IMPOVERISH THEM: We give Indians land that is worthless and remote that outside businesses do not want to open up. Pine Ridge Reservation is poorer than Haiti.

WE CONTINUE TO STEAL FROM THEM: The US Government wrote the treaties so that Indians have no mineral rights to coal, oil, uranium, gold, etc. on Indian land.

WE DON'T EVEN LEAVE THEM WATER: Sante Fe, NM needed more water for their lawns and golf courses, so there are 70,000 Navaho who do not have any water anymore. 70,000 United States Citizens whose water has been stolen.

WE GIVE THEM ALCOHOL INSTEAD: We build our bars right on the borders of reservations. We can make some money while we destroy the people.

WE GIVE THEM OUR TRASH INSTEAD: When San Diego needed more water for their lawns and golf courses,
they took it from the Indian Reservations, San Diego then put their
garbage on the Reservation. Presto, Indian landfill!

WE LET CRIMINALS CONTINUE THE WORK FOR FREE: Indians can't convict Non-Natives of Felonies, thus Reservations are a magnet for pedophiles and rapists, and murderers. Even if they get caught, they walk!

WE STEAL THEIR CHILDREN: After we stopped shooting Indians, we took their children away to boarding schools to kill the language and culture. Today the Foster Care system continue to hold a disproportionate amount of First Nations children in the system, and when they are adopted out, it is to non-Indian families.

GENOCIDE WAS NOT ONLY A EUROPEAN VALUE: While we were fighting Hitler in Europe, eugenic laws were being passed here in the USA. The state of Vermont passed their law in 1931 which resulted in the forcible sterilization of Abenaki women. In order to protect themselves the Abenaki started calling themselves Gypsies instead of Indians. These eugenic laws can be found in 24 of the 50 states. Sterilization of Native women peaked in the 1970's. Various modes were utilized to get this result including high powered X-rays on children. Ever wonder why Indian population doesn't seem to grow?

WE ASSASSINATE THEIR LEADERS: We remember Martin Luther King because he was assassinated, but what about the 70 leaders of the American Indian Movement who were assassinated in the 1970's by roving cars of "Goons". Three Indians finally fired back killing 2 of these "Goons" which turned out to be 2 FBI agents. Two of those men were found innocent during their trial because they were defending themselves against armed attackers. The third one hiding in Canada got a second messy trail and was given life for the same incident. Amnesty International continues to petition the US government to give Leonard Peltier a fair trial. He is considered a political prisoner.

WE POISON THEIR LAND: The Largest Nuclear Accident happened on Indian land. It only became a Super Fund cleanup site when White Ranchers started to complain their cattle were dying.

I could go on. Why are we continuing to do this to Native Americans? It is to America's monetary benefit to make Indians disappear, because if the government admits to its 350 broken treaties, it will loose money. Because there is no money for us if Indians continue to hold land that we want to develop. There is no money for us if Indians are content not being assimilated into our self centered consumerist culture where true happiness is found at BEST BUY and WALMART. In order for our economy to grow, those Natives must Go!

So until the people who scream equal rights and justice and truth in this country call this nation to account for the CURRENT abuses and murder of Indigenous people in this land, and tell the truth about the past, I will continue to fast with my Native People on Thanksgiving. By the way, I will be fasting with my Jewish friends on Tisha B'Av also.

One last thought, why do people want Indians to just forget and move on from the past, when those same forces want us to forget the holocaust also? Just wondering.

I'd Rather be Historically Accurate, Than Politically Correct.

Shalom,

Ride the Heights!

Isaiah. "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."