Genociding Ward Churchill for over a 20th of a century

CNews 31January08

CNews 30January08

The never-ending Saga of The Genocide of Benjie's Hand grows weirder by the day as Westword talks to everybody involved, including The Perfesser, to get to the, well, whatever the hell it is that Westword is trying to get to.
Excerpt:

[Ward Churchill]: Given the daintiness of the "standards" applied in bringing charges against [Josh] Dillabaugh, [Heath] Urie should definitely have been charged with assaulting Ben Whitmer. This is to say that when Urie came barging into the room, Ben put up his hand, palm toward Urie, and told Urie to stop. Urie then walked into Ben's hand, and tried to keep moving forward (i.e., to push Ben backwards or out of his way).

My own view is that this is all chickenshit, pure and simple. But, since Urie, the cops, and the DA all opted to play by such rules, Urie should have been charged with assaulting Ben and possibly Dillabaugh.

He should also have been charged with menacing me (he was headed directly towards me when he ran into Ben's hand), harrassment (he came charging right up into my face later, during the break, despite having been repeatedly told that I didn't wish to speak with him), trespassing (he entered a closed session in a reserved room after being told he was barred from doing so), and something on the order of creating a disturbance (demanding his "right" to interview me right in the middle of my trying to deliver my lecture).

CNews 24January08

From our We're Not Sure Who's Lying Down With Which Dogs, But We Know Everybody's Waking Up With Fleas department: One-on-one interview with Russell Means
Excerpt:

[Final Call]: What will happen to those who live in the area but do not want to leave the land or their property they have purchased?

[Russell Means]: The power we have is based on U.S. law. The negotiation tool that we will use with the city, county and state governments is the power to put a lien on any and all real estate transactions in that five-state region. What that does is that it puts the burden of proof on the seller of the real estate. They have to prove that the lien is invalid. Well, based on the U.S. Constitution, we own the land. Therefore, if we choose to do that, the real estate market in those five state areas will absolutely totally collapse. That is the power that we possess. They have a problem with their government because their government defrauded them. They bought property believing that the property was free and clear. It isn’t. We own it.

CNews 23January08

The first three of more than 80 protesters to be tried for blocking a Columbus Day parade in October were found guilty in Denver District Court on Tuesday.

Sentenced to fines were University of Colorado political science professor Glenn Morris; the Rev. Julie Todd, a Methodist minister; and Koreena Montoya, of Denver.

An appeal is possible, said David Lane, one of five defense attorneys on the case.

CNews 17January08

CNews 12January08

According to a Lakota elder (and blood uncle to Russell Means' crony Duane Martin), the entire "Republic of Lakotah" is three people (big ht to Fred)
Excerpt:

The Lakota Freedom Delegation, which in December declared that the Lakota people were withdrawing from their treaties with the United States and reasserting their sovereignty as an independent state, is acting without the support of the Treaty Council, the traditional government of the Lakota, Wikinews has learned.

Wikinews spoke with Floyd Looks-For-Buffalo Hand, an Oglala Lakota Treaty Delegate and Elder, also an author and a spiritual leader in the indigenous Lakota religion, and who is also blood uncle to Lakota Freedom Delegation member Canupa Gluha Mani.

The Lakota Freedom Delegation has claimed that, while the BIA-recognized tribal governments of the Lakota have not supported them, the Lakota Freedom Delegation's authority extends from support by the Treaty Council of the Elders of Lakota as well as from the 1974 International Indian Treaty Council.

"There was no treaty withdrawal. It was three people."

"Russell Means and Duane Martin [Canupa Gluha Mani] and that lady [Phyllis Young], they do not speak for the nation. You've got to have consensus" among the eight tribes of the Lakota, he said, which the Lakota Freedom Delegation has not obtained. Mr. Hand stated that he was speaking as a tribal delegate with the consensus of the Oglala Treaty Delegation and his chief, Oliver Red Cloud.

CNews 11January08

After snoozing half the winter away (and missing the wassailing season entirely!), those exonerated anonymites (not a typo; rhymes with "tiny bites" or "sodomites") over at wardchurchill.net wax all grateful and stuff:

A quick update: In addition to teaching a weekly voluntary class organized by students at the University of Colorado, Ward Churchill had a full fall of speaking engagements across the U.S. Most recently, he spoke on Zionism and Manifest Destiny to an overflow crowd at the University of California at Davis. Despite the usual threats of disruption, the event went smoothly and was well received, illustrating, as Ward’s talks consistently do, that when people actually get to hear a “controversial” speaker, they find themselves challenged by and appreciative of new ideas. In addition to engagements in Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver, Prof. Churchill was also a featured speaker at the National Book Fair in Caracas, Venezuela, in early November.

Ward Churchill filed suit in July against the University of Colorado, charging CU with having fired him in retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment, and having used the bogus “investigation” of his scholarship as a pretext. That case is now in the “discovery” phase, in which each side will be taking depositions, posing/answering written interrogatories, and producing documents pertaining to the underlying facts. It will probably get to trial before a Denver jury in late summer or fall of 2008.

We remember when we went through our "discovery" phase. A confusing, anxious time it was, and we're glad it's over.

Back to the anonymites: Why do we sense a pitch coming?

In the meantime, we have many expenses. We received generous donations from many folks, but still need to raise approximately $30,000 for court reporters, transcripts, copies, airfare and expenses of witnesses, and the hiring of experts. All funds raised will go directly to attorney David Lane, to be used to cover these costs.

Please consider planning a fundraiser, or sending a donation to:
David Lane, Esq.
c/o WCSN
PO Box 20035
Boulder, CO 80308

Questions? Contact us at wcsn@wardchurchill.net

CNews 9January08

CNews 7January08

According to this website, "Prominent Indigenous Rights Activist/Scholar" Ward Churchill will be interviewed at 5pm Wednesday on CKUW 95.FM (the on-campus radio station at the University of Winnipeg).

Hi Marni,

We are the publishers of The Native Voice newspaper, the only national Native American independent newspaper, and we are Lakota-owned and operated.

Mr. Means and company are representing their own agenda and a handful of people. They do not represent the "Lakota" -- in spirit, in philosophy or in reality.

They have created an international sensation with their "declaration," but it holds no legitimacy. One would expect a newspaper to only report such things once the claims had been corroborated. Any country with a standing government and diplomatic relations that had a group like Mr. Means and company make such claims would be investigated prior to going to press. One must wonder why such due diligence is not being followed with this story. An interesting comment in itself on the press' relationship with Native America.

Although Mr. Means and co. are stating they are against the standing tribal governments, they are also stating that they have gotten the blessing of the leaders of each of the Sioux tribes. In addition, he is claiming to have the support of the "traditionals." These people do not support this effort in any significant numbers. Mr. Means has a group of followers, sure, but he does not in any measure represent the "Nation" of the Lakota.

If you are interested in speaking with Mr. Frank J. King, III, the publisher of The Native Voice (note that he is a full blood Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe), let us know. Mr. King is a traditional chief of the Sicangu and an expert on the treaties. He was a guest speaker on a radio talk show in Washington, DC with Mr. Means regarding their "declaration," which had taken place that afternoon.

The fact that Russell Means is a celebrity of sorts is the reason he can gain the attention of the media with such egregious claims. This, in itself, is a story. Dramatic news happens every day in Native America and yet gets no coverage outside of the local mainstream press. And, generally speaking, it is coverage that is biased against Indian people.

We look forward to hearing your response.

Best wishes,

Lise King
Co-publisher
The Native Voice

CNews 5January08

Yet more trouble in paradise?: Lakota Freedom Delegation says spokesman Russell Means 'hijacked' organization
Excerpt:

Wikinews has learned that the Lakota Freedom Delegation, also known as Lakotah Oyate, an organization of activists fighting for the Sioux Indian Nation to withdraw all treaties with the United States, was "hijacked" by its spokesman, Russell Means, an activist for Native American Indians.

On December 19, 2007, Means and the "delegation" went to Washington, D.C. and hand-delivered a letter, signed by the Delegation, to the U.S. State Department claiming that the Lakota Indian Tribe was declaring that all treaties between the tribe and the U.S. have been withdrawn or canceled. They also held a press conference declaring their freedom.

[...]

Since then, Russell Means has gone on to announce the formation of a "provisional government" of the "Republic of Lakotah" with himself as Chief Facilitator, as well as to promote the establishment of a bank and a utility company for the country. Despite the claim Means has made, Naomi Archer, liaison of Lakotah Oyate stated to Wikinews that Means took control of the organization and hijacked it and its website on December 29. Archer also said that Lakotah Oyate or the delegation are not a government entity and do not make decisions for the Nation.

"The legitimate actions of the Lakota people are not determined by one person (referencing Russell Means) or even one group, but by the people themselves," added Archer.

CNews 4January08

Hot Flash: Land of ‘Lakotah’ to be celebrated Saturday
Excerpt:

Supporters of activist Russell Means’ declaration of independence for a “Lakotah” nation will gather at noon Saturday in St. Francis on Rosebud Indian Reservation.

“All the members of the Lakotah Freedom Delegation will be there,” organizer Alfred Boneshirt said Friday, including Means himself.

Tribal leaders in the northern Great Plains said that actor and activist Russell Means has accurately portrayed the federal government's broken promises to America's indigenous peoples. But when Means and a group of fellow activists recently announced a Lakota withdrawal from all treaties with the U.S. government, they were not representing the Lakota and other Sioux tribes of the area, the leaders said.

Means and a delegation calling themselves the Lakota Freedom Delegation convened a press conference Dec. 19 at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Washington, D.C., where the withdrawal was declared. A seven-page document titled ''Lakotah Unilateral Withdrawal from All Agreements and Treaties with the United States of America'' was presented to the U.S. State Department, according to the group's Web site at www.republicoflakotah.com.

Rodney Bordeaux, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, said Russell's group was not authorized to speak on the tribe's behalf: ''They're individuals acting on their own. They did not come to the Rosebud Sioux tribal council or our government in any way to get our support and we do not support what they've done.''

[...]

In a phone interview with Indian Country Today, Means made clear his thoughts on the tribal leaders of the Sioux nations.

''I maintained from the get-go I do not represent, nor do the free-thinking, free-seeking Lakota want to have anything to do with, the 'hang around the fort' Indians, those collaborators with the government who perpetuate our poverty, misery and our sickness - in other words, our genocide. They are part and parcel of that genocide. I couldn't care less what the bought-and-paid-for, 'hang around the fort' Indians represent or what they say. End of conversation,'' Means said.

He further noted that his group has liberated the land and established the ''Republic of Lakotah,'' which he said has been done legally according to Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The republic is currently governed by a ''provisional government.''

CNews 3January08

CNews 2January08

While we have the right to impose liens on all of the real estate in our country, we prefer to come to resolutions with you all with out resorting to such measures. Accordingly, at this time, we are only declaring liens on real estate held by governments foreign to the Republic of Lakotah, but not on real estate held by private parties.

Russell Means
PO Box 110
San Jose, New Mexico 87565
United States

CNews 1January08