Empire Lakes

Today I went exploring on foot. We live just a few blocks from Empire Lakes. On the other side of the lakes is Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC, pronounced: "swock"). It is a pretty little park with asphalt and dirt trails. I walked around the whole thing and even went to the Albertsons on Newark where I got a cup of coffee from Rachel, Shusli's daughter. It is a beautiful park and a nice campus.

I also met my first homeless folks in the area, four of them to be exact. One fella claimed to be Cherokee out of Oklahoma. He told me of another homeless Indian fella in the area named Danny and asked if I knew him. Civilization often leaves many folks out in the cold and exposed to the elements.

My soon to be Alma Mater (sp?)hahahaha

My soon to be Alma Mater (sp?)2hahahaha

"Umpqua Hall," the hall of my people.

Skunk Cabbage

Skunk up close

Another anti-civilization type of photo. Even the bridges are falling down!

Coos River

It was slushi when Shusli went to work this morning. Then it was full on snowing. Then it was rain snow. Now it is sunshining. All in the matter of 90 minutes.

Shusli has been having problems with the water since she moved in last month and on Thursday, she had no hot water. When we got down here, the water was completely off, but we managed to get the cold turned on. The property managers won't get to it until Monday at the earliest.

Shusli found some property on the internet up the Coos River. I did some recon while she was at work yesterday, and took a few pictures of the general area and a little further up the river.

This bridge goes over the South Fork of the Coos River where it meets with the North Fork.

Cows under the bridge.

I believe this breed of cattle orginated in Scotland. Saw them up by a farm that specializes in Tennessee Working Horses, although I didn't see any horses in the immediate area.

South Fork of the Coos River. Pretty, huh?

A house on the Coos River

The next three photos are kind of anti-civilization, which I like.

Old barn window.

Deceased bridge. I can't wait to see deceased dams.

I saw this deceased boat on the east side of Coos Bay. It kind of looks like those dead cartoon fish with just the head and the skeleton, doncha think?

The Faces of Genocide

John McCain talked about the fear of genocide happening in Iraq should the U.S. choose to end its illegal occupation of that country. In an article from Al Jazeera, Genocidal John is quoted as saying:

"[We] cannot consign Iraqis to genocide that would follow reckless, irresponsible and premature withdrawal," McCain said in his speech to the World Affairs Council.

From a website about the history of Balck Mesa, I found out that John McCain played an important role in that genocide and illegal activities because he was the senator who pushed through and signed the 1974 Relocation Act which forcibly removed Indians from their traditional lands. An act of GENOCIDE!

Boyden requested Congress to partition the Joint-Use area into separate Dineh and Hopi areas, so that the Hopi could obtain better access to the land traditionally inhabited by the Dineh. The 1974 Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act was pushed through Congress by a group representing the coal-fired power industry, which believed their industry would benefit by having the U.S. government finance the eviction of all the people living in an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. In their rush to promote national energy self-sufficiency, Congress never considered where the people would go or how relocation would affect their lives. Nor did they consider the wishes of the people they planned to relocate. John McCain authored this "relocation" bill.

Genocide

Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines what the crime of genocide is. Each of the five conditions stands alone as an act of genocide.

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, 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.

It can be easily alleged that the Black Mesa Relocation bill falls under the conditions a-c of article 2 of the UN Convention. It pays, folks, to read these easily readable laws to understand what they actually are when some genocidal asshole like John McCain tosses the word about for his own personal political gain.

No doubt in my mind that both of the U.S.'s illegal wars against the nation of Iraq are indeed genocidal (read Ramsey Clark's "The Fire this Time: U.S. War Crimes in the Gulf" for an understanding of the first war). Let's go over the conditions one by one:

a) Pretty much goes without saying that yes indeed, the U.S. is killing members of the group. According to one knowledgeable person in international law, it is a crime not to keep track of the amount of "enemy" folks you are killing. Genocidal Colin Powell stated "it is not a number we are concerned with."
b) Physical and mental harm are being enacted against the folks of Iraq through many various forms of torture, U.S. troops kidnapping folks alleged to be "insurgents," etc.
c) The U.S. illegal war has indeed imposed conditions upon life that are designed to destroy the nation. The mass exodus due to the terror enacted upon the people their by the U.S. government, forced conditions of poverty enacted by the U.S. government, the illegal destruction of infrastructure designed by the U.S. to bring about great suffering to the people of Iraq, etc.
d) I'm sure there is more on this one, however, we can definitely see conditions where the U.S. is committing human sacrifice of the lives of Iraqi children. Also it is known with the severe destruction of infrastructure that not only would it create the conditions that would kill children already born, but would severly effect the conditions of pregnant women via the increase of miscarriage and birth deffects (like with depleted uranium).
e) The transferral of children is just beginning. Articles are coming out that folks are selling their children to wealthy non-Iraqi folks looking to illegally adopt kids via taking advantage of the horrific genocidal conditions imposed upon the people of Iraq. Some fucking idiots will look upon these wealthy folks, the Angelina Jolie types, as heroes saving the child from sure death or a life of complete misery. However, you don't see these folks trying to bring an end to the genocidal activities that create these conditions. They benefit directly from these genocidal conditions and are able to purchase children for whatever personal gain they may get from it. This type of shit happens all over the world. Children are also being sold into sex slavery. Again, the conditions are ripe to take advantage of a nation and create capital for groups like the UN's pedophelia ring.

So you see, folks, in all actuality, the U.S. is the perpetrator of the crime of genocide against the Iraqi people, Kurdish people, Palestinian people, direct participants in the Jewish and Gypsy and etc. genocide via support the Nazi's, Indians, the folks of Bikini Atoll, Phillipines, etc.

I don't think there should be worry about genocide happening in Iraq should the U.S. pullout, I think something should be done about the U.S. lead genocide against the Iraqi people and so many others. How about you?

The Last Day, The New Beginning

The last "Mitakuye Oyasin" radio show has been filled with sadness, joy, and controversy.

Ani and Theresa

Ani is the Volunteer Coordinator, the person you, yes you, want to talk to to find out about volunteer opportunities at KBOO.

Theresa, her long time partner, is the host of "Press Watch: The News You're Not Supposed to Know."

Theresa and Me

Me and Ani

Emily Young

Emily is an engineer and has volunteered at KBOO for many years, occasionally disappearing for a year or so do some travelling. She has relatives in Powers, Oregon and new many folks that Shusli new growing up in that small town. Small world.

Julie Bernard

Julie has been the host of "Art Focus" since before I've been on the air. She has had many interesting guests on during that time.

Trillium

Truillium has been a long time member of "Circle A Radio," a collective that has made some of the most interesting radio programs. She is currently working at KBOO, and helped with Shusli's and my reception process.

Lucy Courtney

Lucy has been around a while. She used to be good friends with my friend, Jan, who passed away a few years ago from cancer. Jan took the time to come to KBOO during her last month to pitch for "Mitakuye Oyasin." Lotsa tears were shed that day. Thank you, Lucy.

Jeff Rosenburg

Jeff started out on "Dharma Wheel" with Robin Shanti, and now shares the time slot with his own monthly show called "The Song Circle." He is wearing a fashionable Danny Dollinger sweat shirt.

John Talley

John has been hosting "Indian World" for the last 32 years.

David Liberty and Leas Averill

David, of course, has been the long time co-host of "Mitakuye Oyasin" and all round awesome fella. Leas is an "International Man of Mystery," as well as a good friend and former publisher of my former book of poetry.

Renee (whose last name I forget), and Adam White Stone

Newcomers to the now deceased "Mitakuye Oyasin" radio program.

James Craven

Jim was the former co-host to "Mitakuye Oyasin" and also a co-host of "N' Chewana Oyate Ki," the show I inherited which became "Mitakuye Oyasin." Jim is one of the busiest folks I have ever met. He is the Blackfoot Solicitor General to the Traditional Government, Economics Head at Clark College in Vancouver Washington, and all round Revolutionary.

Left to Right, Per Fegeren longtime political analyst and friend, David Liberty, Shusli Baseler-Johnson, and some fat crazy guy groping my wife.

Shusli, Me, and David

Jim, Per, Adam, and Renee

David, Maire Cullen, and me

Maire is of "Radio Free Ireland" fame, a Hero, and a downright awesome human being.

Me

David Liberty

The Great David Liberty is threatening not to continue with Native programming. Long story. But man, this is one awesome human being and a hero of mine. Hopefull you all had a chance to "FEEL THE LIBERTY" before he left the station.

We woke up to snow the next day outside our friend's Cynthia and Ronnie's place near Silverton and in the hills. What a blessing.

Kaia, Cynthia's kinda grandson. Her son's girlfriends son. Does that make sense. Awesome kid this kid. Fun to hang around.

Super Hot Shusli and Me

Cynthia, Super Hot Shusli, and Me