Armed Struggle

Derrick Jensen was in town, yesterday. (No, he didn't discuss armed struggle). Derrick is known for his writings on the unsustainability of alleged "civilization" as well as discussions on bringing it down quicker in the desire to strengthen the survivability of all species that "civilization" hasn't slaughtered off yet. It was an excellent event and I enjoyed the company of my friends and the company of all the folks who were there.

Those of you who know my writing, know that I occasionally say things like: "Kill Whitey" or "I want it all back." These are things to shock those who benefit from the slaughter of indigenous peoples with rare acknowledgements that we exist.

When I say "Kill Whitey" most people who are beneficiaries state something like; "but you wouldn't want us killing black people or Indians would you, Eugene? If it is OK for you to kill white people, then it would be OK for me to kill blacks, Indians, etc., Right?" Then I point out that they already are killing blacks, Indians, etc., either directly or through complicity. And since that IS the case, using that same logic, shouldn't we survivors of those who benefit be ALLOWED to enact the same types of crimes that brought the beneficiaries to their privilege. I say things like that because I want folks to change their way of thinking. There is an acknowlegement somewhere in their minds that how we got to this current situation was done so illegally and horrifically for many folks. There is a fundamental fear of having to face justice for the way in which this alleged civilization came into existence.

When I say "I want it all back," most beneficiaries reply, amongst themselves, about where they will get deported to. REALITY CHECK, FOLKS! Ain't no way I'd ever gain such authority with such immediacy to enact a deportation policy. That said, this ain't about you, folks. This is about us and the illegal and horrific actions enacted upon us to this day that keep this alleged civilization in existence. You ALWAYS think of yourselves first. You always worry about what "we'll do" because there is an underlying knowledge, and undealt with knowledge, that this "civilization" that you benefit from got put into place by some pretty horrific actions. But what bothers me most about these statements is that somehow, this civilization is the end all and be all that we, as Indians seeking justice, would want exactly the same type of things to happen to you that were done to us and that you benefit from.

So, at the Derrick Jensen event last night, I asked a couple of questions, since it was a Q and A format instead of a lecture format.

At his last lecture here in Portland, Derrick tells a story of how he asks his audiences ..."am I the only one that owns an AK-47?" Usually there is silence, but once, while lecturing with Ward Churchill, there was a single statement made by Ward..."Nope!"

So, in an attempt to gain an understanding of the audience, I asked this question of Derrick: "Where can I get an AK-47 and about how much do they cost?" Many members in the audience had quite the understanding. Turns out they are around $250, and can be picked up at gun shows and on the internet. Interesting. And I Loved the level of discourse instead of the offended alleged peace neck types.

A buddy of mine said he preferred the m-14. I asked him where I could get one and how much they cost. He shook his head and laughed.

So here, I will again bring up the issue of armed struggle with a basic understanding of what it means:

If it were not for the armed struggle and resistance of Indigenous folks and our ancestors, I GUARANTEE that the U.S. and it's predecessors would have finished us all off. Peace neck/Gandhian philosophy would find this OK because any form of violence is to be loathed and despised including and especially self-defensive violence. So in a way, they are saying that our peoples should have been wiped out. I don't participate in the alleged peace movement.

That said, and having a strong understanding of armed struggle from an indigenous historical knowledge, and an understanding of various armed struggles world wide historical and current, I have a medioric understanding at best of what "armed struggle" means and the realities there of.

I know that the U.S. uses overwhelming massive force to crush armed resistance against their illegal actions worldwide. Iraq is a good example. So I know the realities of an armed struggle would be faced with a few issues.

The U.S. loves starving people because they loathe a strong adversary. They loathe a level playing field.

We know the U.S. Loves soft targets. I believe it was Sheridan that stated "Kill the women and children first, they are easier to kill and it strikes terror into the hearts of the men." Not surprisingly, it is alleged that these exact words have been repeated by the U.S. in Iraq.

So to take up armed struggle, and, in fact to even discuss it, can lead to many horrific things happening to our families and friends as well as ourselves. As a matter of course, their are many horrible things that will happen to our families and friends and the families and friends of others armed struggle or not.

So here, I will again open the discussion of armed struggle and resistance. Were it not for indigenous armed struggle, the U.S. would not have ALLOWED us Indians to exist. Taking up armed struggle could mean many civilian casualties considering the U.S. Loves killing easy targets much more than those carrying the weapons and fighting back. The U.S. also Loves using starvation and strangulation to crush any armed resistance, again, not wanting to attack any targets with a real ability to fight back. The U.S. doesn't like a level playing field.

However, I open up the discussion anyway. There may be a time and place for it. It may never even come to armed struggle and resistance. But personally, I think it is something that should be discussed and discussed openly as I am doing here.

There are many other options as well, and those get discussed all over, and that is seriously good. It is a matter of how willing we are to defend ourselves, our families, our land base, when and if it comes down to it.