July 7 - Daily Feast
Trumpet vines have grown so tall along the woodland path that a tall
person must bend to walk beneath them. The path is not paved, not a
place easy to walk. Step high over cushions of moss and protect the
soles from huge acorns. Fallen sticks and uneven ground can hamper the
stride - but, oh, it is beautiful. There are dark shadows even on a
sunny day. Shafts of sunlight shoot through holes in the canopy and the
tangle of grapevines and woodbine dominate space. Here, the spirit is
freed to be whatever age, whatever time, whatever purpose chosen for the
moment. It is a time machine, a heavenly carriage, a very private
sanctuary. It is a mind and spirit set free from compassion and
depression - a safe from the world.
~ My friends, if you took me away from this land it would be very hard
for me. ~
STANDING BEAR - PONCA
"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 7
"I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts
more."
--Chief Joseph, NEZ PERCE
We are as sick as our secrets. Our ego takes over control of our lives
and when that happens our minds get very sick. Then we hurt people and
our minds will always justify our actions. Our minds will give us
rationalization and excuses that we are justified in doing what we are
doing.
My Creator, Let me live today with an open heart. Let me realize to be
vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness. Let me realize the power of an
open heart. Let me be available to truth. If I get into trouble, let me
hear the whisper of your guidance. Let me make heart decisions and let
my head catch up to that decision.
"THINK on THESE THINGS"
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
Prisoners never love their jails. And the same holds true for all kinds
of prisoners, whether they be dogs on leashes or human beings tied to
responsibilities. If they are there of their own free will and because
they have a sense of belonging, the connecting link is made of love.
Responsible people with an assignment, and the feeling that it is theirs
alone, will do it to the best of their ability and see it through. But
if they must be watched and directed in every step, then it is a jail
and the first thought is how to get out.
Freedom to be an individual with the right to make even small decisions
is a precious possession. Freedom to come and go can build faith and
trust within people, to make them stick closer than brothers. The rigid
rules and constant prodding of a free spirit will force them to find
that freedom.
We simply cannot keep another in bondage without being in bondage
ourselves. To hold humanity by invisible force is to keep constant
watch. And even beneath that watchful eye there will be a continual
search for escape.
Anyone completely dependent upon others must always bear their
will-O-the-wisp attitudes and the rising and lowering of the emotional
tides. However, it is presumptuous of anyone to believe they can
possible be completely independent of others. Without other people, we
cannot exist.
But to believe we are doing our best for anyone except ourselves is to
build on sand. Of course others inspire us. They give us reasons to be
better. They give us the benefit of their experience, but we seldom
learn from that. We demand experience of our own. So consequently , we
err and make it right. We mar and erase. And sometimes we try and fail,
but always it is up to us to decide whether we do better or worse.
We can despair easily if allowed to become completely and utterly
dependent upon others. They are human and they make mistakes. But we
must know some measure of forgiveness the same as we must know some
independence, if only in the spirit. And if the spirit is free, then all
else shall be too.
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Native American youths at Fort Hall work on contest entry for anti-meth organization
By Venessa Grieve - July 09, 2010
Fort Hall, ID.....About 30 Native American youths involved in the two-day Bengal Warrior Boot Camp for Native Youths spent Thursday building a teepee and painting canvass
http://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/article_369f933a-8b36-11df-89d0-001cc4c002e0.html
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Pit River Health Service
Diabetes Program Coordinator/Case Manager F/T
Resposible for developing and managing the diabetes grant program to meet all the goals and objectives identified therin. Primary care evaluations, treatment and education, monitoring follow-up, and community outreach and education. Case management chair and duties as well.
Diabetes Education Licensure or license elgibility required or R.N. licensure with 2 yrs exp. working with diabetic patients.
Must possess a currant CPR card (or willing to obtain after employment).
Open until July 16, 2010
All applicants considered with preference to Native Americans in accordance with P.L. 93-638.
Pit River Health Service, Inc.
36977 Park Ave.
Burney, Calif. 96013
1(530) 335-5090 ext. 132
1(800) 843-7447
1(530) 335-5241 Fax
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From Brother Sal Camarillo sal.camarillo@yahoo.com of ncanativeeventsandnews : Northern CA Native Events and News http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ncanativeeventsandnews/
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U.S. Education Report: Homeless Students Skyrocketed During Recession
By Ryan Gray - July 08, 2010
Findings from a U.S. Department of Education study found that school districts nationwide reported nearly 957,000 homeless students were enrolled during the 2008-2009 school year, a 41-percent increase compared to the previous two school years.
Data was unavailable for the recently concluded 2009-2010 school year. The report was released in June.
The data shows a direct correlation to economic troubles suffered by families from the Great Recession and federal mandates under the McKinney-Vento Act to provide educational services to homeless students, according to Barbara J. Duffield, policy director at the National Association for Educating Homeless Children and Youth in Washington, D.C. The recession began in earnest during the fall of 2007 and recently just concluded this past spring.
School systems reported the figures via the DOE's online EDFacts data collection system and as part of the Consolidated State Performance Report, a data collection tool administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. It is important to note that nearly 300 more local education agencies responded for the 2008-2009 school year than did in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Responses were logged for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Puerto Rico. Reporting schools also represented both those with and without McKinney-Vento subgrants.
From 2007-2008 to 2008-2009, 23 states reported at least a 20 percent increase in total homeless students, and another 21 states reported an increase of up to 19 percent. The Bureau of Indian Affairs reported largest increases over each of the past three school years with a whopping 620 percent increase in the number of homeless youth served. It reported a 116 percent spike from 2006-2007 to 2007-2008 and a 234 percent increase from 2008-2009.
Meanwhile, for the 2008-2009 school year alone, California reported a total of 288,233 homeless students to outdistance the next highest ranked states by at least a three-to-one ratio. Texas finished second with 80,940 homeless students followed by New York with 76,117 and Florida with 40.967.
http://www.stnonline.com/home/latest-news/2518-usdoe-homeless-students-increase
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I searched high & low, guess this is true, no report by U.s. Dept., of Ed., for the U.S. taxpayers.....hmmmm.....your double, triple & more taxed dollars hard at work.....
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/
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Okanogan district says no to state ethnicity report
By Dee Camp - July 08, 2010
OKANOGAN, Washington State - The School District will not guess students' ethnicity or race in order to fill out a state form.
A spokeswoman with the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction said the form is mandatory, but did not say if there are consequences for not filling it out.
Superintendent Richard Johnson notified state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn in a June 1 letter that he has instructed his staff not to guess a student's racial background in order to complete the new Ethnicity and Race Data Collection Form.
"We believe the techniques are not research-based practices and would yield unreliable data, they are degrading to those students being observed as well as the adult observers, they are dangerous in concept and interpretation, and are ethically indefensible for a public agency to use upon its children," Johnson wrote......
http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/n100611b.shtml
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NAPT Producer's Newsletter
July 9, 2010
In This Issue
Stipend Opportunity for High School Students
Freedom Forum Diversity Institute Multimedia Training
Reach Film Fellowship
NAMAC (National Alliance for Media Art + Culture) Leadership Conference
TribalNet Technology Leadership Award
2010 Anchorage International Film Festival
The Slamdance Film Festival
The Tenerife International Film Festival
Beverly Hills Film Festival
Upcoming Deadlines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More grant, conference and film festival listings are available at our opportunities
website [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103500779210&s=6831&e=001WPT3N8GER2-XppMaJE9HaPmLCoOYNUeibRECnXUz1twF_8xa4K6IiNmNcd2RFhj5YbEg0bq5TLZw_zUhAaDl95fvy0FImIu17ibAGzmmdDhV17ntKq5DRhwikpLqTAZ4].
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From: peacenews
Subject: [Communications] Peace Alliance Winnipeg News & Action Alert - Wednesday, July 7, 2010
To: "Members - Peace Alliance Winnipeg"
PEACE ALLIANCE WINNIPEG NEWS & ACTION ALERT - WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010
Peace Alliance Winnipeg Monthly Meeting
Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Workers Organizing Resource Centre, 280 Smith St. (just south of Portage). The WORC is located on the mezzanine level — use the intercom by the door to be let in.
G20 Justice Rally in Winnipeg
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010
Time: 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: The Forks, Winnipeg
Sponsor: Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20
Background
Intimidation. Assault. Humiliation. Sexual Assault. Threat. Bullying. Kidnapping. Lying. Break & Entering. Stealing. Pre-emptive Arrests. Illegal House Raids. Vandalism. Destroying Public Property. Illegal Detention. Illegal Arrests. Enciting Rioting.
What do the above have in common? If you were in downtown Toronto during the G20 Summit, then no explanation is needed. If you’ve only been watching mainstream media – then you more than likely haven’t seen the exemplary performances of our country’s finest.
While there are good police in our country – it seemed that few were present during the week of the Summit. Our mission is to identify all security personnel, police officers and members of the ISU who commited crimes (both civil and criminal) and ensure they are properly charged then prosecuted for their offences.
The excuse “I was following orders.” is not good enough. That type of excuse was heard at the Nuremburg Trials and we simply won’t stand for it.
Article continues . . .
Peace Alliance Winnipeg House Concert
A fund raiser for the Peace Alliance Winnipeg with music by “7th image”. Their repertoire of sounds includes a mix of Blues, R&B and World Beat.
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010
Time: Doors at 7:30 p.m. Concert at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $25.
To reserve your tickets, contact the Peace Alliance Winnipeg at 586-6057 and leave a message, or through email at info@peacealliancewinnipeg.ca.
Barbeque for Joshua Key
Make a splash for Josh
Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010
Time: 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Place: TBA when you reserve your ticket
Tickets: $20. Email to rnknfile@mts. net or phone 792-3371 to reserve your ticket.
Background
The Keep Joshua Key in Canada Campaign has just started up across the prairie provinces to support Joshua Key’s application to stay in Canada as a legal refugee. We want all war resisters who oppose unjust and illegal wars to feel welcome in Canada, so we are organising to support Joshua Key and other war resisters in the Canadian Prairies who wish to stay in Canada.
We would like to invite you to a “Make a splash for Josh” poolside barbeque for the campaign to keep Joshua Key in Canada. Joshua is in danger of being deported to the U.S., but we want him to stay! Joshua is the author of The Deserter’s Tale – translated into more than a dozen languages – and one of the best known U.S.war resisters opposing the unjust U.S. occupation of Iraq.
It’ll be a chance to meet Joshua and enjoy the sun, pool, music and food. You will be making Canada a safe refuge for soldiers who refuse to fight in unjust wars and you will be making Canada an even better better country! You’ll hear the latest news about the government’s legal efforts to have Joshua deported and about the case to have him stay.
Winnipeg Walk for Peace 2010This year's Annual Winnipeg Walk for Peace, attended by about 150 people, had a festive air that belied the seriousness of the issues that motivated the marchers. The video will give you a sense of the sights and sounds of this year’s walk. Below is the text of Peace Alliance Winnipeg Chairperson Glenn Michalchuk’s welcome to the marchers.
Welcome to this the 29th Annual Walk for Peace. On behalf of the Peace Alliance Winnipeg I want to thank you all for coming today to show your concern for the issues of peace, freedom and democracy.
I want to thank Winnipeg Haiti Solidarity Group, Eyes on Sudan and the Council of Canadians for their sponsorship of this event and I want to note that Independent Jewish Voices and the Winnipeg Branch of Canadian Palestinian Support Network are here today as well.
Peace, Freedom and Democracy is the theme of this year’s walk. In the 1980s when the Walk for Peace began the issue was the threat posed to the world by the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers. With the collapse of that rivalry and the end of the Cold War there was hope that headway could be made on the issue of realizing the demands for Peace, Freedom and Democracy.Article continues . . .
NEWS
A victory for war resisters
July-07-10 6:55 PM
War resister wins another shot at permanent residence: Federal Court of Appeal rules in favour of Jeremy Hinzman
By Wendy Gillis, Toronto Star, July 6, 2010
The first U.S. Iraq war resister to seek refuge in Canada has won another shot at permanent residence.The Federal Court of Appeal ruled unanimously Tuesday that a Canadian immigration official failed [...]
G20: Growing Movement in Defence of Democratic Rights
July-07-10 6:08 PM
By Peace Alliance Winnipeg, July 7, 2010
Over 900 people — including journalists from both mainstream and smaller media — were arrested during the G20 Summit in Ontario. In fact by Sunday June 20 many of the actions taking place in downtown Toronto were directed against the arbitrary actions of the police to detain protestors. [...]
Universal Soldier
July-05-10 5:15 PM
bellvisuals | March 24, 2008
Buffy Sainte-Marie performed for Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans against the war in front of the Capital and Native American Museum in Washington DC on the five year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
Canada’s disabled warriors feel betrayed
July-03-10 3:32 PM
The wounds of war: physical, psychological injuries legacy of Afghan battle
By Dene Moore, The Canadian Press, July 3, 2010
VANCOUVER – Master Cpl. Jody Mitic was a sniper on patrol with his unit in Kandahar province in January 2007 when he stepped on a land mine and lost both legs below the knee. [...]
UK anti-war activists face eviction
July-02-10 7:14 PM
Al Jazeera English, July 02, 2010
Peace demonstrators who have been camping outside the British parliament since May are facing forced eviction on Friday. A court ruled they are damaging the famous square outside the building, but the activists have no intention of leaving. Nadim Baba reports from London.
Is war with Iran imminent?
June-29-10 8:17 PM
corbettreport June 29, 2010:
Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Treasury Secretary and Wall Street Journal comments on the recent US sanctions on Iran and the likelihood of a strike on Iran by the US and/or Israel.
Lessons from Afghan history
June-26-10 8:29 AM
Why the Taliban is winning in Afghanistan
By William Dalrymple, New Statesman, June 22, 2010
As Washington and London struggle to prop up a puppet government over which Hamid Karzai has no control, they risk repeating the blood-soaked 19th-century history of Britain’s imperial defeat. In 1843, shortly after his return from Afghanistan, an army chaplain, Reverend G R [...]
Inside the Taliban
June-24-10 10:00 AM
AlJazeeraEnglish, June 24, 2010
What kind of Afghanistan does the Taliban want and is their vision for the nation one that is sustainable?
Email: peace@peacealliancewinnipeg.ca Internet: http://peacealliancewinnipeg.ca
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POB 1456
South Pasadena, CA 91031
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An Interesting Development
By James Chiton - July 09, 2010
If you live on Kingman's eastside, you might have already heard of the Learning Center for Human Development.
Based out of a small single-family house on Heather Avenue, the center describes itself as a non-profit outreach organization, performing educational services, assisting children and the elderly, maintaining a food pantry and hosting various exhibitions.
Associates of the center also go door to door, introducing their programs and offering small household trinkets such as candles and stuffed animals in exchange for donations to their cause.
Perhaps its most visible presence since establishing itself in Kingman in late 2008 has been at the various neighborhood clean-ups, job fairs and economic development forums, though members also frequently attend City Council meetings, and one member, Mike Dellar, is a commissioner on the Economic Development and Marketing Commission formed late last year.
The Kingman center is an extension of the original Learning Center for Human Development formed in the mid-1970s in Ohio by a woman named Parisha Taylor, who has since relocated to Kingman with her family. While Taylor says she stepped down as executive director of the non-profit five years ago, she has remained a visible presence in Kingman following its establishment here, speaking before groups such as Kiwanis and Rotary and taking a leading role in working to bring the Patriot Wall, a three-quarter scale traveling Vietnam War Memorial, to the area.
"I did not like seeing good people just complaining and blaming others, so I asked a few close friends to work with me and put our energy together to make a positive difference in the world," Taylor said of the center.
"Over the years, we grew and became an international organization that networks with many other like-minded people to enhance quality of life and foster personal growth. It has been well received and had wonderful results."
Originally based out of South Euclid, Ohio, the Learning Center relocated to the tiny village of Summerfield in the late 1980s following Taylor's purchase of a farm there. Today, the farm still stands, serving as the organization's headquarters for all U.S. activity as well as the site of numerous weekend events including "business seminars, interfaith groups, inner-city youth leadership programs, (and) Boy Scout troop camps," Taylor said.
"It primarily does relief services to help people in need. It hosts and provides educational programs to enhance personal development and skill building," she said. "It has a retreat facility with 82 acres and a variety of structures for meetings, housing and other purposes."
The center in Ohio has also served as the site for numerous Native American-style rituals performed by a group called the Yunsai, or White Buffalo Society. That group was also formed by Taylor in the mid-1980s as an extension of a small meditation circle that used to meet in the basement of her home.
In fact, the two groups appear to have quite a bit of overlap in their membership, and tax returns even list www.yunsaisociety.com as the Learning Center's Web site. Taylor explained that the society technically falls "under the LCFHD umbrella."
"The Yunsai Society ... is focused on international research of ancient civilizations, their cultures and philosophies," Taylor said. "It attracts people from around the world for multi-cultural activities that study world traditions."
Taylor describes the Yunsai Society's practices as ways of communing with nature and getting in touch with one's self. "We do periodic fasts, and we also participate in sabbaticals where we are alone for three to four days and journal and be in nature," she said. "We also do sweat lodges."
A sweat lodge typically consists of superheated rocks placed in the center of a tent or similarly enclosed structure, with the resultant steam creating sauna-like conditions. A purification ritual long practiced by various Native American tribes, modern sweat lodges have recently come under fire following two deaths that occurred during a ceremony led by motivational speaker and self-help guru James Arthur Ray last October in Sedona. A third participant died nine days later, and another 18 of the roughly five dozen participants were hospitalized. Ray is currently awaiting trial in Yavapai County on three counts of manslaughter, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
A similar sweat lodge death occurred at the Learning Center in Ohio last July, when a co-founder and longtime attorney for the organization, Paige Martin, died during a demonstration.
According to the Noble County coroner, Martin died of pulmonary burns she sustained when the water she poured over the superheated rocks literally exploded in her face, burning her over three quarters of her body and injuring at least one other participant.
Nearly a year later, the death remains under investigation by the Noble County Sheriff's Office, according to the investigating officer, Deputy Phil Lumpkins. But Taylor's account of Martin's death differs from that of the police.
"Paige had developed a serious cholesterol condition and died while leading a sweat lodge when her heart stopped and she could not be resuscitated," Taylor explained. "We were shocked and deeply saddened by her death."
* * *
Martin's wasn't the only death to be associated with the Learning Center. In April of 1990, Taylor and her associates gave statements to police following the death of another member, Joanne Sustar of Chester Township, Ohio, during a sand burial ceremony in Topsail Beach, N.C.
According to Taylor, Sustar "was a severe anemic and 20 years ago she fainted on the beach and died two days later at a hospital." Police reports from both Topsail Beach and Chester Township paint a different picture.
The reports indicate that Sustar died due to complications she suffered after being completely buried under 2 to 4 feet of sand and given a small tube to breathe through. During the subsequent investigation, former members of Taylor's group claimed that Sustar had been participating in an "earth initiation," one of a number of rituals led by Taylor and designed to cleanse the soul, where the body's impurities are leeched away into the sand.
Something had apparently gone wrong with Sustar's breathing tube and she ended up choking on her own vomit. According to the police report, Taylor herself called for the ambulance, while several of those present, including Martin and Dellar, attempted to aid Sustar to no avail.
Upon his arrival at New Hanover Hospital the morning after the incident, Sustar's ex-husband, Jerome, said the doctors had declared her effectively brain dead.
"According to them, she'd died of the vomit that had come up and closed off her windpipe," Jerome said in a recent interview.
"When I got there, she was on life support, but I talked to one of the doctors there and he said, 'There's no way, she's not coming back.'"
Twenty years later, Jerome said he still blames himself for not paying closer attention. As time went on, he said, his wife had seemed to get more involved in both the White Buffalo Society and the Learning Center, and more distant from him, eventually culminating in their divorce.
"I kinda wondered what was really going on, but Joanne was really tight-lipped about it," he said. "I know they went to their sweat lodge, that thing with the hot stones and water. I guess I was just stupid because I never really put things together. I thought it was just a bunch of women getting together."
* * *
That's how it started, at least. But in 1984, Taylor announced to her then-meditation group that she intended to bring her teachings to the public through the Center for Human Development, according to the police statements of then-member Sandy Miller. Miller said Taylor had originally envisioned a company designed to bring in various motivational speakers to discuss concepts relating to personal growth and skill development.
The idea was actually a revival of an earlier business Taylor had started in the 1970s called "The Winners Circle International," according to Miller, who left the group in 1986. The center sought and eventually earned non-profit status from the IRS in the early 1990s.
At the time, Taylor referred to herself as "Pa'Ris'Ha," and claimed to be the descendent of two full-blooded Cherokee, Miller said. When she first revived the Center for Human Development (the "Learning" part was added later), Miller said Taylor offered each member of her group the chance to be on the board of directors for an initial $500 investment.
Despite the Center's weak initial business performance through the mid-1980s, Miller said Taylor was still able to convince the board to help her finance the purchase of Snow Hill Farm in Summerfield, Ohio, which she claimed would "provide a place for the group to go for protection when the mass annihilation of the earth occurred." Another ex-member of the center, Sue Ann O'Brien, claimed Taylor had predicted that "Lake Erie was going to rise and flood Ohio and the group would be spared there."
According to Taylor, however, "the purchase of the lands in Summerfield was based on the LCFHD interest in farming. We purchased a farm to raise and store organic foods and to develop healthy food products."
She added, "We have had many programs where we teach people to be prepared for floods and earth changes," though she contended that "Lake Erie is not anything I remember as a threat," adding that "some events held by historians did teach there that the Ohio Valley was once a lake and could be again if conditions were different."
Miller said her share of the expense for the farm was $1,200 down and another $75 a month. But while the original legal paperwork had included her name, as well as those of the other board members, Miller claimed Taylor had later come back to explain that the bank "would not allow that many names on the deed." Instead, the property was deeded solely to Pa'Ris'Ha and her husband, Anthony.
O'Brien, along with ex-members Emily and Christine Calamante, also told police that Taylor required members to tithe 10 percent of their income and personal wealth to her, and would frequently pressure them to make additional "love offerings" upon completion of various rituals and training courses.
To this, Taylor said, "If a person does not pay a fee, we ask that they do service in exchange for what they are given. I am very determined that there be an exchange for what we take. So it has been LCFHD policy."
O'Brien said group members would frequently go on sojourns to sites of spiritual significance, including Canada, Sedona, Topsail Beach, Cherokee, N.C., and Hawaii, where O'Brien's statement to police claimed a large number of followers were burnt during a firewalking ceremony led by Taylor.
"We did have an event that involved a firewalk," Taylor said.
"And to my recall, there were two people who did not follow directives regarding doing this out of 30 that had poor results." She did not elaborate further on what injuries, if any, the participants sustained.
O'Brien said she left the group in 1988 after two years due to Taylor's claims that she "could see auras and protect everyone from evil," among others.
By the time she left, O'Brien said she and her daughter had spent more than $6,000 on various seminars, trips and ceremonies offered by Taylor and the Learning Center. She told police that Taylor seemed to "spend money excessively" and had requested that all checks be made out to cash, because "the checks would clear the bank faster."
"We all made our checks out to cash to help (the) person arranging accommodations and venue to be able to cover those upfront costs," Taylor explained. "Those days, credit cards were not as popular a means to do such. Also at that time, banks worked with that; today they do not."
To the excessive spending claim, Taylor said, "I am known to give away all I can earn to less-fortunate people, by simply taking everything I have in my wallet at the time and giving it, maybe (O'Brien) talked to someone about that?"
Miller described a number of initiations and ceremonies the group would take part in, including the sand burials, sweat lodges and firewalks. She also described a "water initiation" where up to six people would forcibly hold the initiate under water until "Parisha sees your heart spill over into your soul" and ordered them to be let up. At least one former member, Emily Calamante, claimed to have nearly drowned during one such initiation.
Miller also described a blood ceremony that began as a prick on the finger but which she said eventually escalated into "the slitting of your palm and cauterizing the wound in the fire and making a commitment to protect Parisha with your life."
When asked about this, Taylor said, "When a person accomplishes important personal goals or feats, we have ceremonies to recognize those accomplishments," adding that "when a person becomes a member, they pledge to live within the bylaws and codes of honor of the organization." She maintained, however, that "no one has participated in a ritual in which they committed to protect me, and no one has ever cauterized anyone around me."
Taylor said the non-profit "is funded by donations from members and staff. Beyond that, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the organization's finances except to say that it abides by the law, and I believe the IRS files are publicly available."
According to the most recent publicly available IRS records, no tax returns for the organization could be found for any of the last three years, and the Learning Center actually submitted its 2006 return in January of 2009. The Center's current legal representative, Arlene Potash, maintains that "the LCFHD is in complete compliance and current with the IRS."
A call made to the Learning Center's Summerfield headquarters for further comment on June 29 was returned with the message that all officers were out of the office until after the July 4 holiday. The Learning Center's executive director, Robbi Gunter, came to the Daily Miner's offices on July 2 demanding to know why the Miner was investigating Taylor's connections to the Learning Center. She declined to answer any questions.
* * *
Potash has since stated that Taylor "has no criminal record, nor arrests or investigations regarding anyone's death inside or outside the organization. She has more than legally proven through direct testimony and family affidavits her lineage and all things that had been brought to question more than 20 years ago."
Potash also denounced a series of articles published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer between 1991 and 1997 where reporter Michael Sangiacomo made inquiries into Taylor's claims of Cherokee lineage and interviewed a number of ex-members of the White Buffalo Society, many of whom echoed Miller, O'Brien and the Calamantes' statements regarding the group's operations and finances, as well as Taylor's leadership style.
"The articles from the Plain Dealer are pure yellow journalism, with the reporter admitting that writing these sensational articles was his ticket to fame and gained him a prominent position in his newspaper," Potash said.
"It's totally ridiculous," Sangiacomo said when asked his opinion of Potash's statement. "I never said any such thing to her at any time, and I never profited in any way from the stories I wrote about Parisha and her society.
"No such conversation between her and I ever took place; in fact, when I talked to her, she'd make that claim, 'Oh, you're just doing this to sell papers,'" he continued. "And I would say to her repeatedly, 'I don't sell papers, I'm in editorial and I write stories only for their news value.'"
Copies of Sangiacomo's articles about Taylor can be found in an archive on the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Web site: http://topics.cleveland.com/tag/white%2520buffalo%2520society/index.html.
Potash maintains that "the Learning Center for Human Development has been in existence for over 40 years and has not a single blemish."
Yet at the time of her death, the center's former attorney, Paige Martin, was facing up to a six-month suspension from practicing law for allegedly taking a client's funds out of her Interest on Lawyer Trust Account without his permission or knowledge. The account, which was maintained to generate funds to pay for clients' legal expenses, was transferred to an entity called Five Star Credit Union.
According to court records from Martin's disciplinary hearing, the Columbus Bar Association found that Five Star Credit Union was not a licensed credit union, nor was it insured by the FDIC. The sole signatory on the account was a woman named "Da'Nagasta," who was also listed as the assistant treasurer for the Learning Center for Human Development on its most recent business license filing.
Likewise, the authorized representative for Five Star Credit Union was Mary A. Smith, another member of the Learning Center and one of the followers who accompanied Taylor to Topsail Beach during the Joanne Sustar incident. In fact, many of the names listed as witnesses in that police report - Mary A. Smith, Robbi Gunter, Arlene Potash and Mike Dellar - remain associated with Taylor and the Learning Center, and even helped establish its operations here in Kingman, where many of them now reside.
Taylor claims the Learning Center and its members have only the best intentions for Kingman, as evidenced by their participation in the recent job fair series at Cerbat Lanes and their continuing presence at local economic development forums and community clean-up events. The Kingman center, she said, remains focused on working with local charity and service organizations on what its members perceive to be "the most pressing needs" in the current economic environment.
"Our job fair has had tremendous success, and we've worked with various local organizations and charities to help the city grow by helping local small businesses, promoting new industry, and serving as a catalyst in getting the Kingman Community to come together and help itself," Taylor said. "I love Kingman and have felt very welcomed by the people here. My family and grandchildren are here with me, and we look forward to continuing to serve the Kingman community and doing what we can to help it flourish."
See site for photo of Parisha Taylor at: http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubsectionID=797&ArticleID=38969
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READ ON!!!!! :
http://topics.cleveland.com/tag/white%2520buffalo%2520society/index.html
Learning Center for Human Development: http://www.cfhd.org/
White Buffalo Society, two other a.k.a.'s: Yunsai Society, Medicine Society Grandmother Parisha: http://www.yunsaisociety.com/
Winner's Circle International: http://www.thewinnerscircleinc.com/home.html
Just another scam artist guru like James Arthur Ray of Sedona who is awaiting trial!
#####
Missing Women of Different Races Receive Differing Coverage from Media
July 08, 2010
** "Missing and Murdered Women" - 1 new article - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=47522158&f=133953&u=19716326&c=0
- Missing Women of Different Races Receive Differing Coverage from Media
- More Recent Articles
- Search Missing and Murdered Women
* Missing Women of Different Races Receive Differing Coverage from Media - http://feedblitz.com/r.asp?l=47794751&f=133953&u=19716326&c=0
July 8, 2010
National media coverage of missing women is unequal when it comes to race, with missing Anglo women receiving more attention than black women, said Dr. Mia Moody, assistant professor of journalism and media arts at Baylor University.
Prominence given to stories about missing individuals can affect how authorities handle a case, and families of victims who receive national attention inevitably receive more aid from local and national police and investigators, said Moody, author of Black and Mainstream Press' Framing of Racial Profiling: A Historical Perspective.
One of the tenets of journalism is objectivity, Moody said. But sometimes, despite journalists' good intentions, coverage is slanted because of "framing" -- magnifying or minimizing coverage based on such factors as a woman's youth, beauty and occupation.
"Framing is not intentional -- it's different from 'spin,' where you know what you're doing -- but it's based on your race, your gender, your values, your upbringing," Moody said. "You cover an issue based on what you bring to the table. We just have different viewpoints."
Moody, whose research was based on examination of mainstream media's coverage, said she is doing new studies to see whether coverage differences are as pronounced in blogs and other new media.
"The research is ongoing," said Moody, who has enlisted students to assist in the effort. "I don't want to let it go."
Despite a brief improvement after the media was criticized -- including self-criticism -- for varying coverage of missing women, things haven't changed much since the early 2000s, when stories about missing women -- white women in particular -- often were spotlighted on front pages and as lead items on television news broadcasts, Moody said.
The coverage was deemed "missing white women syndrome" or "missing pretty girl syndrome."
Conspicuously absent were similar headlines and articles about missing women of color, especially black women, said Moody and two other researchers, whose work was cited in How National Media Framed Coverage of Missing Black and White Women, published in the Media Report to Women in late 2009.
Because researchers found it impossible to include all women relevant to the study for empirical results, they focused on coverage of four of the most publicized cases between 2002 to 2005: Laci Peterson, 27, and Lori Hacking, 27, both Anglo; Tamika Huston, 24, who was African-American, and Latoyia Figueroa, also 24, who was of Hispanic and African-American descent. Huston and Figueroa were perhaps the most publicized missing minority women, researchers said.
Investigators retrieved 738 transcripts and articles from NBC and CBS television networks and articles in The Washington Post andUSA Today.
Although the media did not overtly cover class or social standing, reporters used indicators such as occupations, home ownership and neighborhoods, researchers said. Three of the four women were pregnant, and in each case, the suspect was a husband or a lover.
Mainstream press coverage of Anglo women often included interviews of relatives and friends, a description of the neighborhood and information about the personality of the missing woman.
Peterson's mother described her daughter as a happy, friendly individual who greeted everyone with a smile. Similarly, accounts about Hacking included details of her family life and hobbies, such as jogging.
In Figueroa's case, reporters did not directly quote any of her family members.
Both black-owned and mainstream media coverage of a missing black woman usually focused on her dismal circumstances and the past of the victim's abusive mate, researchers found. But following criticism of the media for lack of coverage, reporters began usually interviewing members of missing black women.
Besides being white, appearance -- particularly if a missing woman was young and attractive -- played a major role in whether a missing woman received media attention.
Laci Peterson was perhaps the best example of that, researchers wrote. They noted that "during her disappearance, particularly the early phases, newscasts frequently flashed pictures of the 27-year-old wearing her holiday best. Her glossy hair, big dimples and huge smile were often the lead topic in newscasts about the missing mother-to-be."
Moody said such coverage of people from upper-class backgrounds is more common "because editors believe people want to know about the wealthy. They may think it's more newsworthy because maybe they think it happens all the time to poor people.
"What you get is, `She was a wonderful mother and wife. She was beautiful and young.' Value is placed on her because of those factors. She's put on a pedestal.
"You also don't see much coverage of overweight women," Moody said. "It's nearly always about someone who's attractive or petite. What does that say about women who are poor, unattractive or overweight? That tells us that they're not as important."
She said studying the ways individuals are portrayed increases awareness, and "if members of the media are aware, they can change the way they cover those groups."
Moody said other groups often are overlooked or stereotyped in media coverage. She is writing a book called Invisible Damsels: Media's Framing of Women, Minorities and the Elderly.
Contact: Terry Goodrich, Assistant Director of Media Communications, (254) 710-3321
http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=76462
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Much more information at http://missingwomen.blogspot.com/
Please consider subscribing to Missing and Murdered Women
#####
Tribe mourns ex-council member
By Debra Gruszecki - July 09, 2010
.....The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is mourning the death of former tribal council member Jeannette Prieto- Dodd, 43, who died unexpectedly Thursday while spending time in Oceanside with her family......
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100709/NEWS06/7090308/Tribe-mourns-ex-council-member
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Formal Reviews Start on Klamath Dam Removal
By Emily Wood - July 08, 2010
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - State and federal officials have started the formal environmental and economic reviews of a plan to remove dams on the Klamath River, and a related plan to give upper Klamath Basin farmers greater certainty over irrigation water.
The public scoping meetings around the region began Wednesday in Northern California and continue through July 15.
At issue are a pair of landmark agreements, the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. The KHSA lays out a roadmap for removing four hydroelectric dams on the upper Klamath River that block salmon. The KBRA details how to share water between fish and farms and restore the ecological balance of the basin.
The meetings are for the U.S. Department of the Interior to get public input and gather all the information necessary for Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to make a final decision.
"These are listening sessions. So this is their opportunity to provide input so we're not spending time going back and forth or discussing their issues. Because our job is to get those issues on the table and then spend the time to analyze those over the next say 16 months," said Dennis Lynch, Program Manager with the Department of the Interior.
Thursday's meeting at the Klamath County Fairgrounds was the third of seven meetings throughout the basin.
The next meeting will be Friday in Chiloquin at the Community Center from 6 to 9 p.m.
Following these meetings, the Department of the Interior will put out an environmental impact statement by June 2011 for public review. After the public review period, there will be a final draft which Salazar will use to make a final decision by 2012 on whether to remove the dams.
http://kdrv.com/page/180686
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Chiloquin Community Center: http://www.chiloquin.us/Community_Center.htm
140 S. 1st Street
Chiloquin, Oregon
(541) 783-7780
#####
Help Cloud Save His Wild Nevada Cousins
Email not displaying correctly? [1]View it in your browser.
=HELP US STOP THE TUSCARORA ROUNDUP=
-Young foals will be run in high heat over rugged, rocky ground without
public oversight-
Links:
1. http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=b16d80346618d3ce64e8e9877&id=1dae58800c&e=814c57fdb1
_Please read the following press release and share with your local news
station and any major news outlet you'd like to cover this story- this is
yet another example of the cruel mismanagement of the BLM and it is
unacceptable._ Call on your Senators to pass your concerns onto [2]Senators
Reid and [3]Ensign of Nevada. Thank you.
_[4]The Calico Colt (essay here) photo:_[5] Living Images by Carol Walker_ _
Links:
2. http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
3. http://ensign.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
4. http://thecloudfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/death-of-the-calico-colt_ginger-kathrens_2010.pdf
5. http://www.wildhoofbeats.com
_BLM Helicopter Roundup To Begin Despite Presence of Vulnerable Young Foals_
_BLM violates protocol designed to protect wild horse babies _
Elko, NV (July 8, 2010)— Over 1,400 federally-protected wild mustangs are to
be rounded up beginning tomorrow, July 9, in the Tuscarora area of Elko
County Nevada during the hottest month of the year. The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is violating their own set-protocol for waiting six weeks
after the main foaling season, defined as March 1-June 30, so that young
foals can escape the inherent danger of a high-heat summer roundup. BLM will
dispatch privately contracted choppers to run the Tuscarora mustangs over
miles of rugged terrain in a taxpayer-funded roundup expected to last three
weeks and result in the removal of some 1,100 mustangs. Only last month,
Oregon BLM wild horse managers postponed a planned roundup that would have
started the day after foaling season—opting to begin instead in mid-August
for the horses’ safety.
“If allowed to go forward this will be a massacre,” states Anne-Marie Pinter
who rode the Pony Express Race through the area on her Spanish Mustang and
saw small foals. “It is covered with razor-sharp, volcanic rock that will
rip up the feet of these poor foals. Before riding the area, our event
veterinarian strongly recommended that we put thick rubber boots over the
metal shoes of our horses—the rocks are that treacherous. We experienced
triple digit temperatures and had to constantly work at keeping our horses
hydrated. I can’t even imagine the toll on terrified small foals and even
the adult animals at the hottest time of the year. This amounts to horrible
animal cruelty and no one will know what is going on because BLM has closed
the area, even the roads.”
Last winter, during the deadliest BLM roundup in memory in the Calico
Mountains of Northwestern Nevada, at least two 6-9 month foals suffered a
horrible death. Their hooves literally separated from their leg bones after
running over similar terrain. Yet, BLM justified the dead-of-winter roundup
by stating in their Environment Assessment: “Fall and winter time-frames are
much less stressful to foals than summer gathers. Not only are young foals
in summer months more prone to dehydration and complications from heat
stress, the handling, sorting and transport is a stress to the young animals
and increases the chance for them to be rejected by their mothers. By
gathering wild horses during the winter, stress associated with summer
gathers can be avoided.”
___BLM photo of Calico Roundup by Kurt Golgart_
“Let’s be honest. What is driving these roundups has very little to do with
concern for vulnerable foals and everything to do with contractor
availability and using up taxpayer money before the end of fiscal year
2010,” states Cloud Foundation Director, Ginger Kathrens, who has spent over
16 years documenting the lives of wild horse families. “With only two
helicopter contractors available to round up the horses, scheduling becomes
tricky, especially when the goal is the removal of 6,000 wild horses before
the end of September. So, the rush to rid the land of mustangs trumps humane
treatment. Disgusting.”
The Cloud Foundation is asking that humane observers and the public be
allowed to document the roundup and any injuries and deaths which occur.
Currently BLM has arranged for a near total lockdown of roundup activities,
including a widespread closure of public roads around the area. Access will
be extremely limited despite promises made by top BLM officials to the
contrary.
“Having a ‘media day’ during the operation is certainly not the same as
having humane observers on site at all times during the operation,” says
Elyse Gardner, who has documented the Pryor and Calico roundups. “A
sanitized version of BLM activities is not transparency in dealing with the
public’s horses. If anything, rather than transparency, BLM is closing the
door on public observation because of what our cameras have already revealed
about these roundups.”
_Tuscarora horses including young foals, photo by Craig Downer, June 2010
_If allowed to proceed, the Tuscarora roundup will decimate three herds,
Owyhee, Little Humboldt and Rock Creek, living in a vast 455,000-acre area
about 90 miles northwest of Elko, Nevada. Over 4,000 cattle are allowed to
graze on the Tuscarora designated wild horse herd management area while only
337-561 mustangs are welcome. In 1990 the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) Report underscored that wild horse removals did not significantly
improve range conditions and pointed to cattle as the culprit for public
lands damage. Despite GAO noting the lack of data provided by BLM back 20
years ago, the public has seen no improvement in the piecemeal management of
an agency that favors welfare cattle over legally protected mustangs and
burros. Herd areas containing 10 to 30 times more livestock than horses are
the norm rather than the exception.
“Damage to livestock fences is cited as a reason to remove the horses in
Tuscarora. Give me a break,” states Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist, former
BLM employee, and 3rd generation Nevadan. “How about removing the fences,
reducing the number of cattle and starting to manage wild horses as
principal members of their ecosystems, as well as celebrated symbols of the
American West? BLM’s habit of operating behind a veil of enforced secrecy is
completely unacceptable.”
The Cloud Foundation opposes the further manipulation of the Tuscarora
mustangs through the use of experimental infertility drugs in combination
with skewed sex ratios. The result will be increased turmoil among the
highly social wild horse family bands. Given the disastrous management and
the lack of accurate range censuses and the presence of over 37,000 wild
horses in government holding at enormous taxpayer expense, advocates
continue to call for an immediate freeze on the costly roundups.
Congressional hearings are needed to discuss the shortcomings of an
out-of-control program that threaten the future existence of wild horses and
burros on lands set aside for their use.
“BLM has responded with its classic bunker mentality, abandoning any
transparency efforts and placing at risk the lives of these small foals that
have never even had a chance at life with their families,” states Kathrens.
“We pray that BLM will show some compassion and ground the helicopters. With
all the uncontrollable disasters in the world, why is BLM determined to
create one in Tuscarora?”
_Links of interest:_
[6]BLM Wild Horse and Burro Management Handbook
[7]Proposed Roundup of CA Wild Horses Criticized – Sacramento Bee 7/5/10
[8]The Mustang Conspiracy: Sex, Drugs, Corruption, and BP – investigative
report
[9]‘Herd-Watch: Public Eyes for Public Horses’
[10]Roundup Schedule- updated July 2010
[11]After campaigning for Obama, Sheryl Crow at odds over his
administration’s wild-horse plan (Associated Press)
[12]CNN Report, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, March 25th
[13]Disappointment Valley... A Modern Day Western Trailer- excellent sample
of interviews regarding the issues
[14]American Herds Blog
[15]PR Firm Hired for the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse and Burro
Herds
[16]Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses[17]
Fact Sheet on Wild Herds & The Salazar Plan
[18]Wild Horse and Burro Act
[19]Link to this press release online
[20]Past Cloud Foundation press releases
Links:
6. http://bit.ly/BLMhandbook
7. http://bit.ly/SacBeeMustang
8. http://www.abovetopsecret.com/mustangconspiracy
9. http://bit.ly/9Wvh58
10. http://bit.ly/2010roundup
11. http://bit.ly/6UQleO
12. http://bit.ly/dvl7NE
13. http://bit.ly/awFbwm
14. http://americanherds.blogspot.com
15. http://bit.ly/czf3HB
16. http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html
17. http://bit.ly/bfdX1y
18. http://bit.ly/a7hOeS
19. http://bit.ly/NVsummerRoundupPR
20. http://bit.ly/TCFpress
The Cloud Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the preservation
and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a
focus on protecting Cloud's herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana.
107 S. 7th St. - Colorado Springs, CO 80905 - 719-633-3842 -
www.thecloudfoundation.org
_This past winter Ginger wrote an essay _[21]"The Death of the Calico
Colt"_... please help us prevent this fate for the Tuscarora foals._
Links:
21. http://thecloudfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/death-of-the-calico-colt_ginger-kathrens_2010.pdf
[22]More action alerts online here- action needed for herds across the West
with deadlines starting early next week!
Links:
22. http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/action-alerts
Thanks for speaking up and sharing news of our wild horses!
Our mailing address is:
The Cloud Foundation
107 South 7th St
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
Our telephone:
719-633-3842
Copyright (C) 2008 The Cloud Foundation All rights reserved.
#####
Michigan protests tar sands oil
July 09, 2010
.....Commercial deliveries of crude oil to the U.S. Midwest from the Keystone pipeline from Canada started during the last week of June......
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/07/09/Michigan-protests-tar-sands-oil/UPI-79471278688152/
#####
Pipeline opponents protest in Rapid City
By Tyler Jerke & Jessica Kokesh - July 08, 2010
....."It was just a few weeks ago when President Obama said in his national address to the American people from the Oval Office, ‘The time is now to embrace the clean energy future, now is the moment,'" Reuben said. "We need to hold him to those words. We need to make sure he follows through on that vow, on that pledge to move us forward to the clean energy future.".....
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_d26d796e-8ad0-11df-95c7-001cc4c002e0.html
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Contact Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
#####
"If oil companies have been successful in globalizing their bad practices all to make a profit, why can't we all unite to defend our land, to defend our rights?"
Luis Yanza, a community organizer from Ecuador fighting for Chevron to clean up massive oil contamination, posed this question at a packed community forum amidst Louisiana's oil-drenched bayous.
Every day during our week-long journey through the Gulf Indigenous leaders from Louisiana and Ecuador shared personal experiences of the devastation oil companies have caused and the fears they have for the future of their communities.
They also expressed anger toward the oil industry that has made their communities sick, and the corrupt politicians that let that industry get away with murder, literally.
Although the assembled Indigenous leaders were separated by language and geography, they shared a common story. From Louisiana to Ecuador (and many lands in between) oil companies expropriate traditional land, cut corners on safety to cut costs, dump their toxic waste into poor communities, and leave a legacy of illness, poverty and destruction for which the oil companies refuse to accept responsibility.
The devastation that BP and Chevron are responsible for in the Gulf and Ecuador could have been prevented. Unless we stand in solidarity with frontline oil-impacted communities the world over, there will be more preventable oil disasters. By taking action now, we can prevent future suffering, illnesses, and deaths.
In the coming weeks and months, the Change Chevron team will be asking you to join us in preventing future oil disasters. We will ask you to stand in solidarity with frontline communities the world over and take action to finally hold oil companies and governments fully accountable for the damage they have caused.
Are you with us?
In solidarity,
Maria Ramos
Change Chevron Campaign Director
P.S. We want to hear from you. Let us know what you think!
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 USA
Phone: (415) 398-4404 Fax: (415) 398-2732
From Sister Firefly blissfultawo@yahoo.com
Firefly (Lilia Adecer Cajilog)
Tawo Seed Carrier
POB 1456
South Pasadena, CA 91031
#####
From: info@firstpeoplesrights.org
Subject: Philippines: Open Pit Ban In South Cotabato, Philippines A People's Victory
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 07:29:24 -0400
From the article below: Fr. Gillarme Joy Pelino, the movement’s co convenor said “the signing is a triumph for the people of Tampakan and the whole province which depends much on the watersheds threatened by large-scale open pit mining.”
__________________________
Philippines: Open Pit Ban In South Cotabato, Philippines A People's Victory
http://www.indigenousportal.com/Environment/Philippines-Open-Pit-Ban-In-South-Cotabato-Philippines-A-People-s-Victory.html
TUESDAY, 06 JULY 2010
Environment groups, church, indigenous peoples and civil society organizations claim victory with the signing of the South Cotabato Provincial Environment Code by out going governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes. The code will ban open pit mining method elsewhere in the province.
“It is a victory of the people” said spokesperson Sr. Susan Bolanio, OND of SOCSKSARGEN CAN (Climate Action Now), a broad coalition of church, indigenous peoples, and civil society organizations working for climate justice in the region.
“But it is a victory for all who campaigned against destructive mining in South Cotabato, in our country and abroad. It is all our victory” said Fr. Romeo Catedral, director of the Social Action Center – Diocese of Marbel adding that the code is a victory for the people of South Cotabato and for the environment.
SAVE SOCSARGEN MOVEMENT, a Tampakan-based environment group declared the signing as a victory against large-scale mining particularly against SMI-Xstrata’s Tampakan Copper Gold Project (TGCP) which they vehemently opposed.
Fr. Gillarme Joy Pelino, the movement’s co convenor said “the signing is a triumph for the people of Tampakan and the whole province which depends much on the watersheds threatened by large-scale open pit mining.”
“The watersheds are our lifeline being the water source of our rice fields in the lowlands that ensures our food security” Fr. Pelino added.
A historical precedence
“The environmental code is a landmark legislation that has already set historical precedence in local governance and autonomy” said Jean Marie Ferraris of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center – Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth Philippines.
The South Cotabato Environment Code is the first local legislation that explicitly bans open pit mining method.
“We pray that the signing sends a signal to all provinces in the country to come up with their own Code for the environment and to discourage mining companies to apply in any part of the country until the present Mining Act of 1995 is replaced with the Alternative Mining Law” Catedral added.
People’s commendation
Mining affected communities also praised the governor for signing the code.
“It’s good that the governor looked at the welfare of the majority. We thank her for signing the code and we hope that mining companies will no longer operate in our communities” said Yellen Zata, chairperson of Hublag Kontra Mina (HUKOM).
HUKOM is an alliance of various groups in Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato that actively campaigns against the entry of extractive industries specifically coal mining that will use open pit method.
“The open pit ban will help save our ancestral domains. Thanks to the governor for signing the code” said T’boli leader Datu Victor Danyan of the T’Boli-Manobo S’daf Claimants Organization (TAMASCO).
“I thanked and commend the governor for courageously signing the environment code. It is a well thought of decision in favor of the environment and the people” said Sr. Bolanio.
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center
Kasama sa Kalikasan
Friends of the Earth Philippines
Copyright IITF © 2005 - 2010 Indigenous Portal
#####
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Teresa Anahuy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews
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