She:kon (Greetings),
We don't need more rhetoric fanning the embers. What we need right now are
good minds. Many people's recent comments are obviously based on the
half-truths and misinformation being circulated, in most cases, by people
with vested interest in only their own personal profit.
The situation in Haudenosaunee territory is not as cut and dried as you
may prefer to believe. There's been a lot of "noble" rhetoric about
sovereignty and how N.Y.S. is imposing its taxes on our people, but some
of the people articulating those brave ideals have selfish and cowardly
intentions.
Some members of the so-called Mohawk warrior society (who communicate
under the banner of the Mohawk Nation -- Kahnawake Branch), the Mohawk
Nation News Service, the League of First Nations (who have gone through
several name changes), among others, have one thing in common.
They've made millions of dollars in personal profits by exploiting our
collective rights in the tobacco and gas trade. Some of them have
diversified their "activities" to include the production of and/or trade
in alcohol, drugs and firearms. They justify their activities by claiming
they have the inherent right to trade as they see fit. I bet Al Capone,
John Dillinger and the like used similar rhetoric in their day.
The people spreading the misinformation are the ones who jeopardize the
opportunity for our future generations to access the rights we have. You
hear them talk, all the time, about their rights. But what about their
responsibilities to the future generations? Do they believe that every
right has an at least equal responsibility? Their words might lead you to
believe such a thing but their actions say, "We either get it all or
nobody gets anything."
Their vision of sovereignty sees all the meaningful profits going into the
pockets of a few millionaires. Their version of sovereignty has not helped
our communities get out from under the yoke of the colonizing governments.
In fact, these people have been instrumental in helping several of our
communities adopt, and explicitly recognize, Canadian and U.S. laws. Why?
So they can operate casinos and bingo halls. Ever hear of regulatory approval?
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There is much more to the
story than what you've been getting so far. The rest of the story will be
told very soon and then you'll be in a better position to judge what you
want to support.
As I see it, you have a choice to support one of two things:
A handful of millionaires who got rich by exploiting collective rights for
their own gain and who only want to protect their personal interests;
or
A government (the Haudenosaunee) that is trying to bring peace and
prosperity to all its people in a very difficult time.
Don't accept everything you hear at face value and don't dismiss any point
of view. I encourage you to examine all the perspectives and decide what
you can, or cannot, support. The final decision will be yours. You'll have
to live with the consequences of your choice and we'll all have to respect
your right to choose.
In the meantime, please don't throw oil on the fire. Our children and
elders have lived with gunshots, intimidation and beatings from our own
people for too long. Violence will solve nothing. We have some history to
look back on in order to see that.
Nia:wen (Thank you)...