Thanks for posting this, Niassa.  I love it and love Russell Mean's sense of humor ("annexation" turning Lakota into "facsimiles of white people."  Yahoo.  Maybe I can move onto their new country.  I've been trying to get Northern California to opt out of the U.S. for a longtime ;~)

What I find extermly funny is that besides USA Today no other major news source really had anything on it.  I even googled it and couldn't find anything on it. 

 

As for Russell Means (Means is how the name is spelled by the way) I don't know him personally but my dad and a lot of people do around here and he isn't well liked at all.  Especially by his family.  And the family members that do claim to like him only like him for his money and status.  According to my dad and a lot of my friends parents he was and still is a loud ass braggert who tells lies.  And the biggest one that has a lot of his family around here upset is the fact he claims to never have grown up around here but up in SD.  Russell Means may have moved up to SD around that side of the family but he grew up on these reservations and a lot of his family still lives here, my dad went to jr high school with him and one year of highschool with him before he moved back to SD.   Another reason a lot of people (both white and non white) don't like him is he claims to speak for all natives when he speaks and in truth he may have a following along with Frank LaMere (we call him Squacha around here) but more people then not dislike them with a passion around here and say they cause problems.  What is kewl though a lot of his (Russell's) generation around here may not like him but they are getting a HUGE kick out of his more recent tactics with the US government!  My dad was chittering with a friend of his that is our neighbor (indian), went to school with and I went to school with his sons, and both of them said:  "Well Russell might have had his ass handed to him constantly growing up but we never said the man was stupid!"  Our neighbor's boys work for the BIA and all three of us were down in my dad's shop with them chittering and we burst out laughing.

 

As for the whole land thing, we all are giggling around here cause accroding to his invite everyone can join up that live in these states.  We think the Omahas might join them (they allowed their tribal councel to embezzel, gave out way to much money at times, and are poor also like the Lakota)  but the Winnebago's would be stupid to join them.  The Winnebago Tribe of NE is the only tribe in the US that can say their income outside of gov't funding is NOT casiono based but business based!  They own HoChunk Inc!  They tribes pull out that have money would lose their gov't funding and bye bye Medical Clinics, Private School Help that is Tribal baised, all the Tribal Colleges would loose gov't funding, Dental Clinics are gone, as are Vision Clinics, Food Programs, and Tribal Welfare systems would go bye bye also if the US gov't doesn't step in and act like they should!  They would also loose gov't funding for college to those kids who qualify and get off their butts and apply for it.

 

A lot of older folks around here think this is a way for the Lakotas to get the US gov't off their asses and help them out more.  But some of the other reservations and tribes are going to tell the Lakota and others who go with them to clean up their own council members first!

Getting an insider's perspective is always fascinating - thanks Niassa. And so often, folks who manage to make a big splash in the media are seen really differently by others in their community. Happy Full moon last night. And happy peaceful holiday, no matter what you celebrate. I celebrate the coming of the light again!

I always get told I am full of shit by non native american indians when I lay down the facts to them.  Then they say I or my family can't live on the reservation and I outright laugh at them.  When my brother went into the military the first time, he has ppl asking if they still hunted on ponies, lived in teepees so my brother had some fun with them!

 

He told all these ppl that the tribes lived in teepees still hunted on ponies with bows and arrows and that the white folks that lived on the reservations had no electricity, used out houses, and still had the old horse pulled plows!  What was so funny is a couple of guys from up on the Santee Reservation were in a different unit but started saying the same shit to everyone and my brother and they brought a few guys back on their leaves and had a major laugh at them when they guys saw the Winnebago, Omaha, and Santee Sioux reservations! 

 

They saw normal towns, with kids out playing, cars, stores, clinics, highschools, sports complexes, city offices, and such!

 

We celebrated Winter Solstice/Feast of Fionn and Christ Mas.  The Hearth Candle gets light every evening twighlit here on out till Imbolg

Hey, folks still think that Jewish people have tails and other shit, as you would say. I'm not Jewish, but I have things that others think are throw-backs too ;~)

Good for your brother - having a great sense of humor. BTW, did I ever ask if you saw the movie "Smoke Signals"? And if so, what did you think about it?

I also celebrate the Solstice and anything I can at this time of darkness.

What you mean Jewish folks dont' have tails!  REally!  Wow I will have to tell my mom that  Kidding!

 

I have but it has been awhile and can't really remember it

Niassa - did you see that they finally posted in the "news" on Mindsay that article about the Lakota declaring independence? Was it from you, or someone else?

Some one else because I am not one of their favorite bloggers!  I posted a reply about it on their news article go check it out!

Will do. I just posted about Bhutto in Pakistan. Very sad.

I hope to actually see it on the News but I highly doubt that it gets posted!  It is actual News!

That's OK...we know it is news!

LMAO true and I am being such a big baby about not getting the credit but that pisses me off!  I was taught to give people credit.  And I would be okay about not getting credit if someone submitted it to the news submission before me but they didn't so I am being a big ass baby!

That's OK. Your anger is justified.

Not really justified just being childish  But dayumit I said it first!) 

You DID say it first, and I am a witness to that one week before it was posted.

Thanks for posting it. They rarely put real news there. I made up a story it made it. many times i have referred Noelle67 and her stories on native issues there and they don't cover them.

I do an important hard to prepare blog on social issues no comment , . I do one yesterday on a weird dream about my Pens "top Blog .
I plan to blog on that tommorrow.

Keep up your good work.

Notice that the same news story is on mindsay's front page as when I suggested it!  I guess they don't like real news up but stupid crap!  Yay I have referred Noelle67 and Rv(can't remember the rest of his s/n name) and a few others manyt imes and they never cover them!

 

I get rambley but everyone once in a while I pull something out of my butt and talk about socially!