So we have lived long enough to see yet another installment of the “Trail Of Tears”
So the statement “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it,” never rang more true with the story coming out of Arizona that in an award wining episode of political bait and switch, Senators John McCain(yeah that one), and Senator Jeff Flake – both Republicans managed to slip into a Department of Defense funding bill, legislation that would swap the rights to the Oak Flats area which is a well documented, area in Arizona known to be Apache Holy land.
Largely ignored by mainstream media the site has been occupied by various Tribal Members as a show of resistance going back to February of this year. There have been over 300 members of various tribes including the Chippewa, the Navajo, Lumbee, and Paiute as well as many Native American Veterans groups and other Native American groups committed to not letting their ancestral lands fall into the hands of greedy capitalists.
Apparently you can resist government take over of lands and refuse to pay monies owed to the government for those lands as long as you are a white patriot aka Clivern Bundy
The area has been used for years even before recorded history by the Native Americans for rites of passage and various ceremonies as part of their traditions and culture. Now today, this land stands poised to be handed over to a mining company who will obliterate it all for the almighty dollar.
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
THE MAVERICK
Senator John McCain – yes the one that ran for president and inflicted the snow-billy grifter from Alaska on the world, Sarah Palin, is behind this and has been trying to get this legislation passed for years. He of the heroic POW story , branded a true patriot and a maverick, standing today as representative in truth of what this country REALLY stands for and has done since it was started in the first place. All the American Patriots can rally around the subterfuge and underhandedness utilized by this senator to yet again deprive Native Americans of their ancestral lands because – well of course white people need it and know how to make better use of it.
THE CROOK
Ri
ck Renzi was one of the original group of legislators involved in the first attempts at land grabbing this parcel and just recently was sent to Federal prison in February for corruption that was directly related to this deal. Mr. Renzi was sentenced to three years in this case but the Native Americans who are having their lands taken away stand to lose far more.
THE SLICKSTER
Jeff Flake is a Senator from the state of Arizona who not only was a party to the slight of hand deal that is poised to take away the Oak Flat area in what is recognized Apache Holy Land, he actually used to work for the company that is the beneficiary of this land, and has been working at getting this land for years. Mr. Flake once worked as a lobbyist for Rio Tinto the company that is involved in the land swap that was tucked into a Defense Spending bill at the last minute – a practice done in such a way as to pretty much slip it past legislators who more than likely will not have had time to thoroughly read it and with it on the back end of a ginormous defense spending bill will more than likely have over-looked it.
RIO TINTO – THE MINING COMPANY
The time may have changed but the story is still the same. The position taken by the mining company is that they will bring jobs, and economic boost to the area, that it will be collecting much needed resources, and after all they are trading land for this land so its not like they are getting it for free. If one wants to be technical about it neither party has any right to swap or trade anything since ownership by either is not resolute and is flimsy at best. Most land deals done by the United States during the time when west expansion was taking place was based first on manifest destiny, second on white privilege, and third on profit. Nothing at all has changed in over 200 years.
It is important to note, especially of late, given the rash of people dying under questionable circumstances in police custody, that one main talking point is the “well slavery was so many years ago, im not responsible for what my ancestors did,etc.” and yet here we have a clear case of not only ignoring what one’s ancestors did but continuing the behavior here and now in the 21st century.
Derision meets any talk of white privlidge but what else would you call a land grab by a company aided and abetted by elected officials ? What is even more ironic is that the two legislators in question belong to a party who has expressed in no uncertain terms that they feel there is a war on religious freedom in this country- a war against Christians. Out of the OTHER side of their mouth they would take away holy land because well heck it’s just those Indians no big deal.
This folks is the basis for the blind ignorance of racism that continues to thrive in this country and is at the core of the systems and infrastructure that makes this country run. The bitter taste of the fear that is deeply held by those exercising their white privilege of the day when not only are they exposed but that all the horrible atrocities, the killings, genocide, disenfranchisement, and systematic oppression of any and everyone who is NOT White becomes due as all bills do and they are forced to face every single thing that they have done in the name of freedom for themselves.
This is the basis of the fear that they hold onto with a death grip that blocks out all logic and reason and drowns out all the voices asking and demanding the same freedom and equality that their constitution is supposed to provide to all its citizens. Well the white ones anyway.
American then is truly exceptional, in its ability to hide behind the flag of truth and justice –
Racism, Intolerance and Greed. America the Beautiful? Not So Much, Unless of course you are white because let’s not forget
WHITE LIES MATTER