Thursday, March 28, 2013

Former Democratic Party Rep. Dale Kildee joins up with IETAN CONSULTING, Which Represents Civil and Human Rights Abusing Tribes.

Investigative report Susan Bradford has the story. This month Congressman Dale Kildee, who has been dogged with allegations of pedophilia and corruption within Indian Country, announced his retirement last year only to join two lobbying firms at the center of the Abramoff scandal, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and its strategic partner, IETAN CONSULTING. This timing of this announcement for the frail 86-year-old politician coincides with efforts of his nephew, Dale Kildee, to raise money for Democrats to help them reclaim the House of Representatives and ram through President Barack Obama’s agenda after the 2014 midterm elections.

The Democrats face an uphill battle reclaiming the House of Representatives, but Congressman Dale Kildee, a Democrat from Flint who may run for Sen. Carl Levin’s Senatorial seat, has led the efforts among freshman Democrats.

Just as the fundraising campaign kicked into high gear, Congressman Dale Kidlee joined Akin Gump as a senior consultant in its American Indian law and policy practice and Ietan Consulting, as an adviser. Both firms represent a number of wealthy tribes, including the Osage Nation, Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Gila River Indian Tribe, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Indians, which politicians have tapped for fundraising given their ability to generate virtually unlimited sums of money for elections. Typically wealthy tribes invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaigns and candidates per election cycle.

The elder Kildee is considered a valuable resource in Indian Country which he has established influence during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty which helped fictitious Indians take over tribes in Michigan and elsewhere, ensuring that tribal wealth could be tapped for corporate and private interests under the pretext of helping to promote economic development on Indian reservations to alleviate poverty through government subsidies. What has happened instead is that Indians have been removed from their own reservations which have instead become peopled by individuals of dubious legitimacy and questionable tribal heritage.

Serving the courting tribal establishment and creating the Congressional Native American Caucus, with the help of his staffer, Larry Rosenthal, who is now a lobbyist for Ietan, helped Kildee acquire vast influence among the tribal leadership and the ability to champion corporate interests through tribes while topping off campaign contributions for political candidates.

Read more at Susan's Blog: Susan Bradford’s blog

Watch this video of Pechanga Abuses: KCBS 2 Los Angeles IETAN principal Holly Cook Macarro's husband, Mark Macarro is chairman of Pechanga

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Thieving, Corrupt, Civil and Human Rights Abusing Tribes Band Together to Keep North Fork Rancheria from Becoming a Casino Tribe


Which corrupt tribes are those?  They Include

Picayune Rancheria, TABLE MOUNTAIN, Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, Pala. , MOORETOWN, UNITED AUBURN--many of the MAJOR violators against their own people's tribal, civil, and human rights through the genocide of disenrollment, banishments and nonrecognition....

They have joined the STOP THE NORTH FORK COMPACT group


 This proposed project is the first foothold in an effort to push the limits of off-reservation gaming. California did not vote to support Indian gaming in cities and off reservations. The North Fork Rancheria has land eligible for gaming but prefers a more lucrative location on the Madera city border. Approval of the North Fork compact will set a dangerous precedent for future projects as tribes and their out of state investors push closer and closer to city limits. Let’s keep our leaders accountable to the will of the people. Stop the North Fork Compact.

Read about Pechanga's culture of corruption.

Now that the bigger casino tribes have theirs, is it about doing what's right, or about market share?

Obamaquester GROUNDS Kevin Washburn. Indian Affairs Secretary Absent from NIGA's Tradeshow


The Obama administrations failure to work within a budget has forced Kevin Washburn to miss his chance to attend a meeting of rich casino tribes.

Kevin Washburn, the Interior Department’s Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, could not attend the National Indian Gaming Association’s 28th Annual Tradeshow and Convention in Phoenix, Arizona this year because of sequestration cuts to the department’s budget.

A reduction of more than $800 million for the remainder of the current fiscal year has grounded Washburn. “I am sorry that I am not able to be with you at the National Indian Gaming Association [NIGA] conference in Phoenix this year,” Washburn said, according to a document titled “Message from DOI Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn” that was distributed at the convention taking place March 24-28 at the Phoenix Convention Center. “I regret that it is the sequestration that prevents me from attending the conference this year. Although Indian Affairs recognizes the crucial importance of Indian gaming and the programs run by NIGA and its member tribes, every trip that I take costs the Department a lot of money. As a cost saving measure, the Department has eliminated all travel that is not deemed ‘mission crucial,’” Washburn said.

The $800 million reduction will affect funding and programs the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) provides to tribes. It will also reduce the BIA and Bureau of Indian Education workforce through employee furloughs in the central, regional and field offices, Washburn said. Tribal employees on many reservations will also be “severely impacted as a result of the federal reductions,” Washburn said.

The money saved by reduced or cut travel costs will be used to fund tribal programs and services or cut the number of days an employee is placed on furlough, Washburn said.


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

City of RIVERSIDE Reneges of Reward Pledge in Christopher Dorner Manhunt


Off topic, but, it's my blog.  No wonder you can't trust government to do the right thing on civil and human rights.  They aren't trustworth...

The city of Riverside is rescinding its pledge to contribute $100,000 toward the $1 million-plus reward that was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of L.A. cop-turned-accused- murderer Christopher Dorner, a city spokeswoman said in remarks published today.
The Riverside City Council passed a resolution in February offering $100,000 for information leading to the "arrest and conviction" of Dorner, according to Riverside spokeswoman Cindie Perry. But "because the conditions were not met, there will not be a payment of a reward by the city," she wrote in an email Monday night, the Los Angeles Times reported .
Dorner was never arrested. Instead, he died of a self-inflicted wound in a burning cabin while surrounded by law enforcement on Feb 12. There have been two claims to the  reward money since then -- by a couple near Big Bear whose car was stolen and who were tied up by Dorner, and another by a man whose pickup was taken by the ex-cop.
Although more than 25 donors pledged reward money, many are hesitating to follow through.
"I've spoken with some groups -- including a few that are substantial -- that have already decided to withdraw their pledges," Ron Cottingham, president of the 64,000-member union Peace Officers Research Association of California, which has placed its own pledge on hold pending additional information. "They said the reward doesn't fit their criteria."
The Los Angeles Police Department, responding to the arguments donors have made publicly, said the money should be paid.
Police believe Dorner went on a 10-day killing rampage of revenge against law enforcement officials whom he blamed for his 2009 firing from the LAPD. He is thought to have killed Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain; San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah MacKay; Monica Quan, the daughter of a retired LAPD captain; and Quan's fiance, Keith Lawrence.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Casino PAUMA WINS! Californians LOSE

 A federal court decision this week allowing a North County Indian tribe to rescind its gaming compact with the state will enable it to be reimbursed or save nearly $100 million.

U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sided Monday with the Pauma Band of Mission Indians in a lawsuit filed nearly four years ago challenging the terms of an amended 2004 state compact to operate its casino off state Route 76 in Pauma Valley.

The judge ruled that the tribe should be allowed to operate under the conditions of a compact signed in 2000, rather than one it was forced to renegotiate four years later, because the state’s Gambling Control Commission erred when it incorrectly under-calculated the number of slot machines that could be applied for by all the tribes in the state.

Based on the bad calculations, Pauma was directed into renegotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that resulted in an amendment requiring revenue sharing that was 2,460 percent as expensive as its original compact.

By allowing the tribe to become the first ever to rescind a gaming compact, the court in essence enabled Pauma to save at least $7.4 million per year until 2022, for a total savings of more than $65 million, said Attorney Cheryl Williams who represents Pauma in the dispute.

The decision should also permit Pauma to recapture about $33 million in past payments made to the state under the amended compact through either the return of funds or the issuance of a credit toward future compact payment obligations, Williams said. The court will decide next month how the money should be returned.

The Pauma tribe was the last in the state to apply and receive a compact in 2000 to operate a casino. In 2004, it amended that compact to have the right to operate up to 2,000 slot machines, which it felt was needed to partner with a large gaming partner.

The amended contract required the tribe to pay millions more a year for the right to have the machines because the state incorrectly calculated that there were no more licenses available for each machine.

Williams said for the 1,050 machines the casino has now, the amended compact required revenue sharing payments to the state of $7.75 million annually, with that number rising drastically if more machines are added. Under the 2000 compact the 1,050 machines required only $315,000 in payments each year.

A call to the California Attorney General’s Office, which represented the state in the proceedings, was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Casino Pauma opened in 2001 and recently remodeled in December. The tribe has no plans now to expand the operation, Williams said

Chukchansi: Who's Minding the Mint? Who is Defrauding Whom?

Do BONDHOLDERS HAVE RIGHTS? WHO is watching the money. Carmen George has the story in the SIERRA STAR NEWS

Two Chukchansi leaders, each claiming to be the rightful chairperson of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, remain at odds this week, with each raising concerns about how the tribe's money is being handled.

Reggie Lewis' tribal council maintains control of the tribe's bank accounts, and Nancy Ayala's tribal council has maintained control of security and management at Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, along with many members of the tribal gaming commission -- although Lewis' council said many of these individuals, including Ayala, were suspended by a quorum of the tribal council last month, and should not be conducting business on behalf of the tribe

Lewis' group has alleged that casino cash is being mismanaged under the direction of Ayala.

The alleged mismanagement includes: hoarding casino cash in casino cages instead of depositing it into the financial institution that maintains the tribe's deposit control accounts -- mandated by agreements the tribe has with its casino bondholders; opening a new account with a small Fresno area bank to deposit cash, which is not authorized by tribal agreements in place; and suing the tribe's depository bank in a "kangaroo tribal court created overnight," stated a recent letter from Lewis to tribal members.

"Thank goodness they don't have the authority to bring such a lawsuit because they would have created a bad act under our indenture (with the casino's bondholders) and the tribe would lose all of its government funding as a result ($1 million a month from casino profits)," said Rob Rosette of Rosette Attorneys at Law, the firm representing the council led by Lewis.

A $17,000 check to Ayala's attorney was also illegally cashed at the casino because the banks that hold the tribe's accounts do not allow Ayala to access the tribal funds, said Richard Verri, lawyer with Rosette Attorneys at Law.

Read the rest of the story at the link above...

Native American Rights Fund has Civil and Human Rights Violater Mark Macarro on Their Board of Directors

I once wrote to NARF (Native American Rights Fund) for help with the disenrollment at Pechanga.   The response: "We don't do Indian vs. Indian".

Well now one of the reasons:  Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro is on their board of directors.  He's the leader of the Pechanga Tribe, who oversaw the termination of 25% of his incredibly shrinking tribe.  He has violated the civil rights and human rights of tribal members.


Read how the Pechanga Tribe's Termination Committee disenrolled the Hunter familyHunter family

Read about how descendents to the land were banished for picking sage while a child molester was okay to live on the Rez

Read about the Corruption Exposed at Pechanga…

Elder Abuse at Pechanga

And YES apartheid is being practiced at Macarro's reservation

NARF MUST be proud....

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

QUID PRO QUO: Disenrollment of Paulina Hunter Descendents Means ENROLLMENT of Committee Members Family in Moratorium.


That's TEN years that Hunter descendents have been stripped of their tribal citizenship, due to unconstitutional actions by the corrupt Pechanga Tribal Council and by collusion with enrollment committee members, including Bobbi LeMere (who, in a quid pro quo, got her sisters enrolled in the tribe, even though scores of others were in the moratorium  READ Corruption Exposed… )

In EXCHANGE for Disenrollments
Bobbi LeMere's Sisters were ENROLLED
Despite HUNDREDS in Pechanga's "Moratorium"

and Ruth Masiel, matriarch of the Masiel Crime Family and mother of councilmember Andrew Masiel Sr. and Frances Miranda, who two years before, had seen to it that her OWN FAMILY members, the descendents of Manuela Miranda were also stripped of their citizenship.


San Diego County OPPOSES San Pasqual Tribe's Application for Land into Trust


The County of San Diego has gone on record in opposition to the San Pasqual Tribe's application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to put 29 acres into trust—i.e. to make the land part of the reservation.

The County learned of the application on Feb. 11. According to the application the tribe, which operates Valley View Casino, plans to build non-gaming buildings on the land, which was formerly a horse ranch off of Lake Wohlford Road. The buildings include administrative offices, a medical clinic, a recreation center and a fire station.

Currently the reservation consists of three large parcels that are not contiguous. The land that would be put into trust would also not be contiguous to the rest of the reservation.

The County opposes the change because the land use contemplated would be more intensive than was approved last year as part of the County General Plan. Also, the County calculates that it would permanently lose property tax revenue from the land, amounting to about $20,000 a year.

The County also objects to development of this type in a floodplain.

The Valley Center Planning Group last week first learned of the tribe's application. The group's chairman, Oliver Smith, told The Roadrunner, "The VCCPG has had no notice this was in process until I received the email from Dixie Switzer at the county latest Wednesday. The planning group Tribal Liaison Subcommittee is now looking at it. I anticipate a recommendation from them for the full group to vote on at our April 8th regular meeting."


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

NIGA Announces Victor Rocha, Pechanga.nets Bad News Censoring Editor and Cousin to Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro Which Practices Apartheid on Their Reservation as Keynote Speaker.


Hey, what's a little discrimination and theft of per capita amongst friends right?  In this press release, the Nation Indian Gaming Association announces that Victor Rocha will be their keynote speaker.  Rocha is cousin to Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro, who is notorious in CA for stripping 25% of the tribe of their rightful place.  In Rocha's website, you won't read the bad news stories and they are conveniently censored or buried.   Example:  Did you read about the tribe's previous chairperson, Jennie Miranda being disenfranchised for stealing from the tribe, or her son?  



Read more on Victor Rocha
On burying the bad news at Pechanga


PRESS RELEASE

The Emerging Leaders of GamingTM is pleased to announce that Victor Rocha - creator, owner and editor of Pechanga.net - will serve as the keynote speaker at its members-only event to be held at the upcoming National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) conference in Phoenix on Tuesday, March 26th.

The mission of Emerging Leaders is to provide exclusive networking opportunities for up-and-coming peers on the same fast-track to success within the gaming industry. The typical Emerging Leader is a young professional (under 40) that appears destined to fill tomorrow's senior-level and C-suite management positions. Membership in Emerging Leaders of GamingTM is by invitation or recommendation only, and is required to attend all Emerging Leaders conference-based networking events.

All Emerging Leaders of GamingTM events engage a prominent and proven industry veteran to address the young professionals, and Victor Rocha has unquestionably exemplified the ethos of an Emerging Leader.  Rocha has been integral to Indian gaming for over 14 years, and his website, Pechanga.net, has been a leading source of Indian and gaming news on the Internet for more than a decade.  Rocha has received industry accolades and numerous awards for his work, including the National Indian Gaming Association's 2002 Outstanding Contribution to Indian Country, VCAT's 2001 Catalyst Award, and recognition as one of Global Gaming Business Magazine's "40 Under 40."  Rocha will address the Emerging Leaders of GamingTM group to share his experience in starting and operating the Pechanga.net website, where his involvements, work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit have taken him, and the impact that his efforts and website have had on both tribal and commercial gaming.

To recommend a candidate for membership to Emerging Leaders of GamingTM, or to inquire about attending the limited capacity cocktail event featuring Victor Rocha at NIGA, please fill out the online nomination form at http://theinnovationgroup.com/leaders_form.aspor send an inquiry to leaders@theinnovationgroup.com.


OP:  It's Victor's website and he can run it the way he wants.  But it's also good to shine a spotlight so people know what is going on.   NIGA turns a blind eye to the problems casino tribes have caused for Indians in CA.


Monday, March 18, 2013

OPEN LETTER TO TRIBAL LEADERS: Tribes Fighting Hurts All Indians. She IGNORES Disenrollments.


Here is an open letter from the Chairperson of the NORTH FORK RANCHERIA, which has successfully reservation shopped to get an approval for a casino away from their reservation. She completely ignores the ravages that disenrollment and banishment takes on Indians.

The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California recently became only the sixth tribe in the past 25 years to successfully navigate the Secretarial “two-part” process for acquiring new land for tribal-government gaming.

Our Tribe, with over 1,950 tribal citizens, engaged in this rigorous and lengthy federal process because, like other Indian people nation-wide, we had been denied a land base or “functional” reservation from which to conduct economic development for the betterment of our people due to numerous historical injustices.

For over a decade we worked in a collaborative and transparent manner with local, state and federal officials to reclaim a small fraction of our historical land base.  Our project was assessed and approved by two gubernatorial administrations, two federal administra­tions, four Interior Secretaries, nine Assistant Secretaries, and multiple local jurisdictions.

We now have 305 acres of tribal land in Madera County in trust and our goal with this land is similar to the goals of other California tribes with trust land eligible for gaming. We seek to build a tribal-government gaming facility on sovereign land to provide economic self-sufficiency for our Tribe and citizens and generate business opportunities and investment in Madera County.

Our project, which is overwhelmingly supported by our local community, carries the added, and perhaps most important, benefit of being able to immediately generate thousands of local jobs in one of the most economically depressed regions of the state and nation.

The final remaining administrative step in this process is the State Legislature’s ratification of our State-Tribal Gaming Compact, which we negotiated with Governor Jerry Brown.  Similar to other recently ratified gaming compacts, our compact provides substantial payments to mitigate local impacts and funding for non-gaming tribes across the state while lessening local and state fiscal obligations. Paired with the Wiyot Tribe’s compact, our compact also avoids large-scale economic development in ecologically sensitive regions near the Sierra National Forest/Yosemite (North Fork) and Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Wiyot).

Native American tribes – especially those, like us, without a functional land base -- face many obstacles in overcoming decades of poverty, political disenfranchisement, and loss of historical lands. Perhaps the most surprising barrier we face comes from tribes with established gaming facilities using their financial and political power to crush the social and economic aspirations of newcomer tribes like ours in order to protect their own self-interests.

Some of these tribes say they don’t want competition—or even the potential for as yet unforeseen competition. Others appear to be seeking political advantage for future negotiations with the state or other parties. Whatever the motivation, some tribes today seek to interfere with or derail other legitimate tribal gaming projects.  OP:  We wrote about that in Indian vs. Indian and Thuggish Chukchansi Tribe…

Claims by some tribal leaders that seek to restrict other tribes to the tiny, arbitrary, contemporary “reservation” lands that do not accurately reflect actual historical lands are especially disheartening and disappoining. The final determination to approve or reject a tribal gaming enterprise should be based on the facts and merits of each case and not on the fear of future potential competition or misrepresentations of a tribe’s process in pursuing opportunity for its people.

The North Fork Rancheria supports all tribes in their endeavors to restore and rebuild tribal legitimacy, cultures, resources, and lands. Through the years we have supported many tribes acquiring new land for gaming -- including some who now oppose us.
OP: Madame Chairperson, you have been STUNNINGLY quiet over the corruption happening to your closest neighbors by the tribal council at the Picayune Rancheria and we've never heard from you about what's going on in the south at Pechanga, Santa Ysable and Pala..
The destructive pattern of Tribe vs. Tribe, Indians fighting Indians must stop before it undermines all tribes, tribal citizens, tribal gaming, and tribal-sovereignty.

By fighting one another, we risk losing our Native ways and dignity -- our understanding and practice of true indigenous values, cultures, and principles. If we are not careful, we risk losing the one opportunity that has promised and delivered so much to Indian Country.

Native American tribal leaders today stand at an important crossroads: They can choose the path of tribal infighting and “divide and conquer” tactics that have historically devastated Indian Country. Or they can call upon the traditional values of Native people – respect, caring, and sharing – to ensure that the newfound gains from tribal gaming are enhanced and protected for generations of Native peoples.

Tribal leaders cannot trumpet “tribal sovereignty” publicly while betraying it in private conduct towards fellow tribes. OP, OR actions that HARM THEIR OWN PEOPLE.  We must resolve differences by engaging in respectful, professional tribal government-to-government consultation prior to taking public positions that undermine other sovereign nations.

It’s time for tribes to unite behind tribal sovereignty and solidarity. The proceeds from tribal gaming can do great good for all tribes if we stop fighting and start sharing.   NOT IF THEY STEAL PER CAPITA from rightful members via moratoriums and disenrollment

North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians Elaine Bethel-Fink is Chairperson of the 1,950-tribal-citizen North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California. She has served in that position for most of the past decade.


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Should Rich Casino Tribes Help Cover Shortfalls Coming Due to The Obama Sequestration?


No, please, stop laughing.  WE KNOW, that tribes in CA have stolen well over a half BILLION dollars from their members that they have disenrolled.  We have a link to that issue on our sidebar.  Here's a story about what President Barack Obama's sequestration will mean to Native Americans that depend on the government, and some local governments that supply services to reservations including schools.   Can Pechanga, Pala, Chukchansi kick in a few hundred million?

When it comes to the automatic spending cuts that began taking effect this month, federal lawmakers spared programs that serve the nation's most vulnerable -- such as food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' assistance -- from hard hits.

That wasn't the case with programs for American Indian reservations, where unemployment is far above the national average, women suffer disproportionately from sexual assaults, and school districts largely lack a tax base to make up for the cuts.

The federal Indian Health Service, which serves 2.1 million tribal members, says it would be forced to slash its number of patient visits by more than 800,000 per year. Tribal programs under the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that fund human services, law enforcement, schools, economic development and natural resources stand to lose almost $130 million under the cuts, according to the National Congress of American Indians.

"We will see significant impacts almost immediately," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told The Associated Press, referring to the BIA. "We will have to furlough some employees. It will mean that there's going to be a slowing down of the processing of applications and so there will be an impact on the work that the BIA does on behalf of Indian Country."

The timing and magnitude of most of the cuts are uncertain as Congress looks for a way to keep the government operating beyond March 27 with no budget in place. In the meantime, tribes across the country are preparing for the worst.

Some are better-positioned than others.

In northwestern New Mexico's McKinley County, where about a third of the population lives below the federal poverty level, the Gallup-McKinley County School District is facing a $2 million hit. The cuts could result in job losses and more crowded classrooms. The district that draws mostly Navajo students from reservation land not subject to state property taxes relies heavily on federal funding to pay its teachers and provide textbooks to students.

"To me, it seems very unfair that one of the poorest counties with one of highest Native enrollment in the country has to be impacted the most by sequestration," said district superintendent Ray Arsenault. "We are very poor, we're very rural, and it's going to hurt us much more."

The district faced enormous public pressure when it wanted to close schools on the Navajo Nation due to budget shortfalls, so it won't go that route under looming cuts, Arsenault said. Instead, he would look to reduce his 1,800 employees by 200 -- mostly teachers -- and add a handful of students to each classroom.
The Red Lake Band Of Chippewa Indians in northern Minnesota (OP: Isn't this Pechanga chairman Macarro's wife's tribe?)expects 22 jobs, mostly in law enforcement, will be lost immediately. Tribal Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. said police already operate at a level considered unsafe by the BIA. Deeper cuts forecast for later this year will increase job losses to 39, and "public safety operations at Red Lake will collapse," he said.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/16/tribes-plan-for-worst-with-looming-budget-cuts/#ixzz2NlgmEde0

Friday, March 15, 2013

Lytton Rancheria Owned San Pablo Casino Slammed for Unfair Labor Practices


In late August, the labor board filed a complaint against the casino, adding an amendment and additional complaint a month later.
In an opinion filed earlier this month, Administrative Law Judge Jay Pollack found that the casino violated the National Labor Relations Act:
  • by refusing to bargain with the union;
  • unilaterally establishing rules prohibiting union access to the casino;
  • unilaterally announcing and implementing new benefits for part-time employees;
  • refusing to provide contractual health benefits for four employees;
  • refusing to provide relevant information necessary for bargaining and grievance handling;
  • coercively interrogating an employee;
  • telling an employee not to discuss his investigation with other employees;
    Parties may file exceptions to the administrative law judge's decision within 28 days; Pollack's decision is dated March 5.
    Along with his decision, Pollack issued a cease-and-desist order to the casino from continuing its offending conduct, and ordering it to bargain with the union; rescind unilateral changes in terms and conditions of employment; make records available; and indemnify the four workers for health benefits denied in 2012, including reimbursement for expenses they incurred as a result.
    Pollack also ordered the casino to post a notice to employees pledging, in specific detail, to desist from the conducts at the heart of his findings.


  • Read the WHOLE STORY HERE AT CONTRA COSTA TIMES

    Thursday, March 14, 2013

    Pechanga Casino Crimewatch; Employee's Car, Purse and Wallet Stolen


    A man and woman were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of several crimes following an investigation that allegedly began with a stolen purse.

    Chad Depasquale, 28, of Menifee, and Darcie Freeman, 25, of Temecula, were picked up by deputies at the Walmart on Temecula Parkway a day after they allegedly stole a Pechanga employee’s purse, wallet and car.

    The investigation began Monday when deputies responded to the Pechanga Resort and Casino regarding alleged theft of personal property and a vehicle, according to a report from Sgt. Jon Wade of the Temecula Police Department.

    A purse belonging to a Pechanga employee was stolen from a housekeeping cart while the worker was on the job, according to Wade’s report. Inside of the purse were the employee's wallet and keys to her 2010 Honda Accord, he added.

    As deputies were investigating, the victim discovered her car was gone, and as she cancelled her missing credit cards, she learned the plastic had been used at department stores within Riverside County, Wade reported.

    The next day an officer from the Temecula Police Department was flagged down by a citizen in the Temecula Walmart parking lot, Wade continued.

    “The citizen reported that a male and female had observed the police car enter the parking lot and began running and hiding from the officer. A description was given to the officer and the subjects were located,” Wade said.

    The officer spotted the suspects attempting to hide near the front of a department store, the sergeant explained.

    “As the officer approached the subjects, the male dropped an item on the ground and began to walk away. The item was later inspected and discovered to be illegal drugs,” Wade said.

    Setback for Pala Disenrolled Members; Robert Smith's Corruption Stands

    Erick Rhoan of the estimable blog
    Notes on Indian Law has the details of the failure to obtain justice for those involved in the Pala Disenrollments The disenrolled Pala people have a blog: PALA WATCH


     The Southern District of California dismissed an action by several disenrolled members of the Pala Indian tribe in Allen v. Smith ).  The tribal defendants filed a motion to dismiss on the basis of sovereign immunity, as is typical in these membership actions.  What sets this decision apart from your garden variety disenrollment dismissal is the first apparent decision regarding the individual/official capacity distinction that was referenced in this opinion.  And for that, we need to back up and explain things a little.

    The Maxwell Decision

    This time, plaintiffs attempted to make use of a new 9th Circuit case, Maxwell v. County of San Diego (link to Ninth Circuit for published opinion) to sue tribal officers in their individual capacity rather than the tribe itself.  In most sovereign immunity cases involving state and local governments, when a public officer is sued it makes a difference whether that person is sued in their individual or official capacity.  To keep it brief, official capacity suits are no different than suing the sovereign entity itself because if the plaintiff wins, then the money is paid by the entity.  However, when officials are sued in their official capacity, they are entitled to assert sovereign immunity as a defense to the plaintiff’s claim so long as they can show they were operating within the scope of their official authority.  Individual suits, on the other hand, target only the public official for his own actions and do not seek relief from the entity, but from the individual.

    In Maxwell, family members of a shooting victim brought an action in federal court against a tribal fire department and its paramedics, alleging that the individual paramedics unreasonably delayed in obtaining medical treatment for the victim.  The paramedics asserted tribal sovereign immunity because they were operating under a public safety cooperative agreement which expressly reserved the tribe’s immunity in case of suit.  However, that did not work out for the paramedics because the Ninth Circuit held that a remedy against the paramedics would have operated against them individually and not the tribe.  The paramedics themselves would be paying the plaintiffs’ damages, not the tribe (indemnity agreements notwithstanding); therefore, as persons sued in their individual capacity, the paramedics could not assert sovereign immunity as a defense.

    Read more at: Pala Disenrollments by ROBERT SMITH

    Here are MORE links to the PALA ISSUE:

    Pala disenrolled 162 members

    Corruption at Pala Reservation

    Pala disenrollments

    Tuesday, March 12, 2013

    DC Federal Appeals Court DENIES CHEROKEE Nation Request to Reconsider Overturn of Vann V Salazar (Cherokee Freedmen Case)



    Press alert -

    DC Federal Appeals Court denies Cherokee Nation/Cherokee Chief request to reconsider overturn of Dismissal of Vann V Salazar (Cherokee Freedmen Case).

    Marilyn Vann, President of the Descendants of Freedmen states that "The Cherokee freedmen tribal members are grateful for the decision made by the honorable judges of the DC Appeals Court.

    We hope and pray that we and our children will be able to serve our nation as citizens of the tribe as did our fathers and grandfathers based on our rights guaranteed by both the tribe and the US government in the 1866 treaty".

    Marilyn Vann
    President - Descendants of Freedmen Association
    www.freedmen5tribes.com



    FRIDAY March 15th IDLE NO MORE EVENT AT CNN LOS ANGELES

    The FIRST IDLE NO MORE event is scheduled for Los Angeles, where more than 40,000 Native Americans call home.  Remember, that tribes who have harmed their people should be called out too.  The Five Civilized Tribes have not honored their treaty rights to their slave's descendents.  Tribes in CA have terminated their brothers and sisters. That should NOT stand.  This link is to a Facebook event:

    https://www.facebook.com/events/146856795476412/


    Meet us @ CNN FRIDAY MARCH 15 from 4:00pm until 8:00pm for the first IDLE NO MORE event to address the MEDIA BLACKOUT of this historical international movement that has been working to protect the rights of First Nations Peoples along with the environmental rights that will benefit and protect life world wide.

    We have chosen CNN for the first event because they are known worldwide and are held in high regard as a 'standard' in global news, but have yet to cover this story. We wish to make a BIG show of force by comin out to offer a prayer to our relatives fighting up in Canada and too all other nations in resistance. Our voices are strong when we come together and they will hear us! This event is scheduled to start before rush hour and goin on til 8
    pm which will give us much foot and car traffic to share the message with.

    While Idle No More (INM) started in Canada to address the horrendous violations of Treaty and Sovereignty rights issued by their government, it has grown into an international solidarity movement that is awakening Indigenous Peoples and allies all over the world to their agency and the need to stand strong for their rights since we are all connected and will be affected by what happens in Canada. In addition, there are the many local Indigenous Peoples issues across this country that INM is helping to bring to light. It has taken root in many cities across the US and grown out to the rest of the world making this a valuable local story and international story. However, til this day still NO ACTUAL FULL STORY OR COVERAGE by the large media outlets!
    I am very thankful for alternative media (KPFK and IndyMedia) and social media for doing the job that mainstream media has failed to do.

    We all should be ready mobilize our resources to push the media, because not a single media (Mis-Info) outlet so far has taken the interest and/or time to directly pursue, cover, and issue a story on IDLE NO MORE (INM). They have made excuses that this is not a local story, that the Christopher Doerner LAPD Manhunt story was a priority (ignoring the fact that INM has been going on for months), that important news shifts daily and INM wasn't it, a camera man told me "if it doesn't bleed, then it doesn't lead", and the list goes on.


    On the day that Chief Spence was to meet with Prime Minister Harper, this was one of the important news stories that NBC news chose to go with instead of Idle No More ...
    http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/Monopoly-to-Dump-Token-World-Votes-On-Replacement--186320982.html


    Rather, there have only been brief mentions of the INM movement in relation to other happenings and movements going on, such as the many environmental actions addressing President Obama. All this while social media tells us a much different story on how fierce and massive INM truly has grown to become.

    I have been very vocal to the news reporters. When I come across them I state specifically that has been going on popularly as early as the first week of December, with still many newsworthy events starting in Canada leading up to the call for the formation of INM. There has been a hunger strike by Chief Spence, where she put her life on the line to get the message out and push for the respect of First Nations Peoples Sovereignty and Treaty Rights. Looking beyond Canada, there have been many events here in Los Angeles as well as in many other cities in the US and worldwide.

    While Canada has been offering much better coverage, the United States is facing media blackouts in many of our cities. This is why we must IDLE NO MORE against the media and their mis-info. If our communities are not informed, they cannot become active and the media is well aware of this consequence. They practiced this same blackout strategy against the Occupy Movement for months in hopes to not give it life, but they were able to push their way into the medias spotlight.

    The goal here is to serve the media outlets with a press release clearly informing them of the IDLE NO MORE movement and violations clearly being pushed against First Nations Peoples in order to give them a chance to be report the story fully and fairly.

    We welcome all IDLE NO MORE supporters to come down and be present to show our numbers to let them know ... WE ARE HERE! ... WE ARE LOCAL! ... WE ARE GLOBAL! ... WE ARE IDLE NO MORE! ... IT IS TIME THEY COVER OUR STORY!

    THIS IS NOT LIMITED TO BEING JUST A LOS ANGELES EVENT. If you can not join us in LA, then please create your own events to address your local media outlet's blackout of INM. We are doing this before the International Solidarity events that will be happening on March 20, 21, and 22 so the media will have enough time to respond and cover events on these days. This action is to boost media coverage which will help boost visibility yielding more supporters. Popular media coverage will build the momentum of this movement to generate actual change.

    This is where we start but not where we end ... We are pursuing creative ways to peacefully and fiercefully push the media to handle business properly! ... We can't be passive in hopes for change, it don't work like that. They speak the language of money so maybe an economic strategy will have to be pushed next if they choose to continue like this.

    ******* Seven generations now and seven generations from now- this event will focus on the message form the youth and children.. Contact the admin on this page for more information - more to follow!

    The event will be well documented with photos and video to be uploaded to social media as testimony to our day of action and their possible inactive responses. We will ensure they can no longer claim ignorance to the issues that affect us. Please bring your cameras, signs, creativity, and fierce spirit.

    LETS REPRESENT ON SUNSET BLVD ... AND ASK CNN, "WE ARE IDLE NO MORE, DO U SEE US NOW?"

    Monday, March 11, 2013

    Obama's Sequester Harms Indian Health Care


    Indian Country Today has the details:

    The many ways the federal government’s sequester will hurt Indian country are easy to see. The National Congress of American Indians has released a policy paper saying that tribal economic growth has already been thwarted; the National Indian Education Association has said the cuts “devastate” Indian education; and Native journalist Mark Trahant estimates that the overall financial reduction for funding in Indian country totals $386 million—and that’s just through the end of September.

    In all, the joint decision by Congress and the Obama White House, first made in 2011 and carried out on March 1, to allow an across-the-board 9 percent cut to all non-exempt domestic federal programs (and a 13 percent cut for Defense accounts)—known collectively as the sequester—amounts to a major violation of the trust responsibility relationship the federal government is supposed to have with American Indians, as called for in historic treaties, the U.S. Constitution and contemporary American policy.

    While all of the cutbacks are troubling and difficult to bear, perhaps the most problematic of all are the ones happening at the Indian Health Service (IHS), housed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The IHS must offer healthcare to enrolled tribal citizens, providing services for what are often the poorest of all Indians who live on reservations and can’t afford other healthcare.

    With even the smallest of federal cuts, the agency—which has been vastly underfunded, by most tribal accounts, for decades—would have a more difficult time carrying out its mission. But it turns out that a sequester miscalculation—made through a combination of IHS error in misreading relevant law and a judgment call by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—has ended up costing tribal citizens much more than they were originally told.

    IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux and her staffers had said at various tribal meetings and in letters throughout 2011 and early 2012 that “the worst-case scenario would be a 2 percent decrease from current funding levels” for IHS, rather than the 9 percent that was forecasted for most federal agencies if the sequester went into effect.

    But Indian country began to learn late last year that Roubideaux’ predictions were wrong. IHS would be cut on March 1 at the same rate as every other non-protected agency. And since IHS was late to the game in planning for the larger cut, it didn’t work as aggressively at saving and protecting its resources as it could have. Also—and perhaps most egregiously—it fed tribes misinformation that cost them months of planning and advocacy time. “It’s unfortunate that we all relied on [IHS’s] earlier interpretation, because we could have addressed this earlier with the administration (especially the OMB) and the Congress,” said Jim Roberts, a policy analyst with the Northwest Portland Indian Health Board.


    Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/03/11/miscalculation-sequester-has-already-harmed-indian-health-148110

    Saturday, March 9, 2013

    Tribal Casino Crimewatch: La Posta Tribal Casino Executive Pleads GUILTY to Embezzlement


    The former executive director of a gaming commission for the La Posta tribe pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to embezzling $57,000 for a string of personal benefits such as a gun club membership, vacation bills and legal fees.

    Troy Teague, 38, served as the head of the East County tribe’s Gaming Commission from 2006 to 2011. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release that Teague admitted to embezzling the money from the commission between June 2009 and April 2011.

    The La Posta casino on Crestwood Road in Boulevard closed abruptly in October, saying in a letter to employees it had to do so because of its “current financial situation.”

    Teague’s guilty plea is unrelated to the casino closure, prosecutors said.

    Fresno State's Dr. Kenneth Hansen's Remarks On Chukchansi Dispute, BIA Ineffectiveness


    The BIA has proven itself ineffective and useless in the crisis against Native Americans in CA.  Should this department be cut from the budget in this sequester-era?  Fresno State held a forum to discuss the Chukchansi dispute, led by Dr. Kenneth Hansen.

    February 28, 2013

                Let me introduce myself. I am Dr. Kenneth Hansen, an associate professor of Political Science here at Fresno State. I was the co-Coordinator of the Africana and American Indian Studies program for three years, and an advisor to the First Nations Indigenous Student Organization. I am also the co-editor of a book entitled The New Politics of Indian Gaming. In my view, the new politics of Indian gaming is a lot like the old politics of influence peddling that we’ve come to know and despise from our state and national governments. Perhaps the thing that I am most proud of during my time on the faculty at Fresno State is that I was invited to give the commencement address at the 2010 American Indian Graduation Ceremony here in Fresno. It was a great experience, and I am thankful to the community for extending the invitation.

                Before I introduce the rest of the panel, I’d like to make a few brief remarks. I’d like students and other members of the audience to take away at least three things from tonight’s discussion. One, tribal governments are set up to fail by the federal government. Despite the odds, some actually succeed, which is great for them. But success is not uniform across Indian Country. Two, civil rights violations are running rampant throughout Indian Country, and need to be stopped. And three, the legitimacy crises within tribal communities will only be resolved if we bring everyone back into the circle.

                On this date in 1973, a standoff began at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, that lasted for 71 days. At issue was tribal corruption, the disrespecting of elders, and GOON squads running amok on the reservation intimidating people who didn’t follow the corrupt tribal council. The standoff made several people famous, like AIM activists Dennis Banks, and Russell Means, who took his journey to the next world late last year following a battle with throat cancer. Leonard Peltier is still a political prisoner of the US government and will likely die in prison. One year ago, a group of Chukchansis supporting Morris Reid, Dixie Jackson, Dora Jones, and Harold Hammond, took over and occupied the tribal government offices at Picayune Rancheria for many of the same reasons as the occupation of Wounded Knee. That night the tribal government offices became the hotel from hell for elders and their families, as supporters of the faction who refused to give up power, pelted the office windows with rocks, burning logs, and bear spray. The next day a melee erupted outside the building and three people were injured, one of those injuries was the result of a stabbing. It shouldn’t take violence to bring attention to these issues. But it could have been much worse.

                I’m not picking on Chukchansi. I’m really not. The situation at Picayune Rancheria is just the latest and most local example illustrating that in 40 years, not much has really changed in Indian Country. Most tribal governments, including casino tribes, suffer from a lack of resources, cronyism, a lack of transparency, and a lack of institutional capacity to do those things that we typically expect most governments to do. When one tribal government behaves badly and gets away with it, others do the same. This matters to the rest of society because it’s not fair that some people have civil rights while others, typically American Indians, do not.
    The political situation among the Chukchansi people has grown extremely contentious and relationships between the parties may be irreconcilable. Currently, I see four factions among the Chukchansi people: One faction is led by Nancy Ayala, and her family, the Wyatts and the Ramirezes. They take a narrow view of who constitutes the tribal citizenship, arguing that it should include only those who have direct ties to the Rancheria property. They recently sued the government arguing that they alone should be recognized as the tribe. They lost because they didn’t have standing to sue—sovereign immunity cuts both ways! Other factions see the tribe as being a larger community, including the Reggie Lewis faction, but the Lewis faction seems to think that membership should be confined largely to those living in the foothills. The third group, the Morris Reid faction believes the Lewis and Ayala groups have shown great disrespect to tribal elders and to the electoral process. The fourth group is a rather unorganized collection of disenrolled families and individuals. Until one or more of the three competing government factions sees these disenrolled people as potential voters and supporters, they are not likely to be included in any political process.

                Let me take a moment to explain disenrollment. Disenrollment is tantamount to individual terminations. In fact, I think we should call it that. Termination is when the government tells people that they are no longer American Indians. The power to terminate was devolved from the federal government to the tribes under the guise of tribal sovereignty. To me, tribal officials hiding behind sovereign immunity as they discriminate against their own people is akin to southern governors hiding behind states’ rights in opposition to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

    Civil rights are rights that government must provide. They include voting rights, as well as due process, and equal protection under the law. Indigenous people who are terminated suffer unequal treatment, a lack of due process, and a cessation of their voting rights; as well as an abrogation of their civil liberties, including private property rights, violations of free speech, association, and religious freedoms. Individual terminations allow tribal politicians to choose their voters rather than the other way around in a kind of Indigenous version of political gerrymandering. We wouldn’t tolerate these kinds of civil rights violations in the rest of the United States, why do we tolerate it in Indian Country?

                Thirty tribes nationwide have terminated substantial percentages of their citizenry. Twenty of those are in California. Something like 20,000 people have been terminated and had their civil rights violated. To my knowledge, all those tribes that have terminated members are gaming tribes, but not all gaming tribes terminate their citizens. In fact, in California this has only happened in about a third of the gaming tribes.

                This is more than an identity crisis. This is a legitimacy crisis. How can tribal governments claim to be operating under their constitutions, when it is no longer clear who actually constitutes the tribes? How can they claim to be operating constitutionally when they violate the very Indian Civil Rights Act that is included in their tribal constitutions? A constitution is more than a document that describes institutions and procedures. A constitution represents the founding of a society. A constitution represents a community, and is a social contract between the government and that community. What this situation calls for is a re-founding. In other words, we need to hit the reset button.

                Seventy-five cents of every dollar provided by the US Congress for Indian Country goes to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (the BIA), which is itself the largest agency of the Interior Dept. If the BIA isn’t going to help out, then why are the taxpayers funding this agency that has done very little but steal and oppress? 

    Why do we tolerate governance by an agency that sets us up to fail? I have this to say to Troy Burdick and his colleagues at the BIA in Sacramento: General George Armstrong Custer died for your sins. Step up to the plate and help resolve the Chukchansi legitimacy crisis. What might work to resolve this situation could possibly be applied to help solve similar problems in other tribal communities. The federal courts and the BIA need to enforce the Indian Civil Rights Act. And all Indigenous people need to be brought back into the circle. Either we all belong to the circle of nations, or none of us do. 

    It’s as simple as that. Aho!

    Friday, March 8, 2013

    Juana Majel Dixon of PAUMA, discusses VAWA

    Juana Majel-Dixon, the first vice president of National Congress of American Indians, of PAUMA discusses S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act:


    Sen. Dianne Feinstein Targets Reservation Shopping with Tribal Gaming Eligibility Act

    Stopping reservations shopping.    How about violations of the Indian Civil Rights Act, Senator?

    By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:

    S. 477. A bill to amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to modify a provision relating to gaming on land acquired after October 17, 1988; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

    Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the Tribal Gaming Eligibility Act.

    This bill sets forth what I believe is a very reasonable, moderate standard for where tribes are allowed to open gaming establishments.

    The standard is simple: a tribe must demonstrate that it has a modern and an aboriginal connection to the land before it can open a gaming establishment on it.

    The new standard is needed because too many tribes in California and across the nation are “reservation shopping”. They look for a profitable casino location, and then seek to put that land in trust regardless of their historical ties to the area.

    To be clear, most tribes do not fit this mold. Most play by the rules and acquire land in appropriate locations.

    But as wealthy Las Vegas casino interests search for ways to expand their gaming syndicates, the problem is getting worse. These syndicates have no interest in preserving native cultures and they have little interest in pursuing other forms of economic development; so they also have little interest in limiting casinos to bone fide historical tribal lands.

    The tragic part is that these casinos are going up despite objections from communities and other Native American tribes. That is why I am introducing the Tribal Gaming Eligibility Act.

    This legislation addresses the problems that arise from off reservation casinos by requiring that tribes meet two simple conditions before taking land into trust for gaming:

    First the tribe must demonstrate a “substantial direct modern connection to the land.”

    Second, the tribe must demonstrate a “substantial direct aboriginal connection to the land.”

    Simply put, tribes must show that both they, and their ancestors, have a connection to the land in question.

    California voters thought they settled the question of reservation shopping in 2000 when Proposition 1A authorized the Governor to negotiate gambling compacts with tribes, provided that gaming only occurred “on Indian lands.”

    The words “on Indian lands” were critical. This made clear that gaming is appropriate only on a tribe’s historical lands, and voters endorsed this bargain with 65 percent of the vote.

    But fast-forward 12 years and this agreement is being put to the test. More than 100 new Las Vegas style casinos have opened in the State in the last 12 years.

    Unfortunately things aren’t slowing down; the Department of the Interior has approved three extremely controversial new casinos just last year, some nowhere near the tribe’s aboriginal territory or current reservation.

    When given the opportunity voters have rejected the idea of reservation shopping. Two years ago in Richmond, CA, a tribe proposed taking land into trust at Point Molate to open a 4,000-slot-machine mega-casino. Proponents touted it as a major economic engine for a depressed area.

    But the voters of Richmond knew the reality was far different. The project threatened to burden state and local government services, and it threatened to irreparably change the character of the community.

    So Richmond voters made it clear how they felt by overwhelmingly rejecting the advisory measure by a margin of 58 to 42. Voters also elected two new city council members who strongly opposed the casino. It was an unambiguous rejection of this reservation shopping proposal.

    Fortunately the Department of the Interior rejected the misguided Point Molate proposal. But voters in Yuba County were not so lucky.



    Tuesday, March 5, 2013

    Fresno State Holds Panel to Review Chukchansi Dispute

    Thank you to Professor Kenneth Hansen for getting factions together at Cal State Fresno on the Chukchansi dispute:


    “Disenrollment is tantamount to individual terminations,” said Kenneth Hansen, associate professor of political science at Fresno State. “Termination is when the government tells people they are no longer American Indians.  How can they tell people who are obviously indigenous people that they are not Indian?”

    The meeting came on the one-year anniversary of an incident at the headquarters of the Chukchansi tribe, that turned violent after several tribe members claimed an election was fixed.  Members of the tribe who said they had been legally elected but were being denied their positions holed up in the headquarters building, eventually leading to a brawl involving about 40 people.

    Disenrollment was at the heart of the protest last year and continues to be a hot topic.  The election and the legality of disenrollment according to the tribe’s constitution is questioned by many associated with the Picayune Rancheria Chukchansi.


    Read the FULL Story HERE Chukchansi Council Dispute

    Morris Reid

    Letter For Your Congressperson on Disenrollment Please Send


    There is a letter circulating that should be sent to your congressperson.  It reminds them that civil and human rights are being abused in Indian Country.   They just passed the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) to protect Indian women, NOW they need to take it a step further and protect Indians from their own corrupt tribal chairmen and councils.
    PLEASE SEND TO YOUR CONGRESSPERSON.     

    Honorable Congressperson 
    I’m writing to you to waive tribal sovereign immunity for the Commissioner of Indian Affairs Delegation of Authority Regarding Tribal Enactments Section 18 Paragraph (3) which states Tribal enactments disenrolling persons found not to meet the established enrollment criteria. The Commissioner’s approval of such action shall be subject to appeal to the Secretary of the Interior.
    Paragraph (4) The Commissioner shall forward to the Secretary, with a recommendation, ordinances, resolution, or contracts which, in the opinion of the Commissioner are: Inconsistent with an act of Congress or with a treaty or with tribal constitution or charter under which the ordinance, resolution, or contract was adopted, enacted, or negotiated; or should be disapproved or rescinded for any other reason.
    Paragraph (5) Notwithstanding the provision of section 25 of this order, the Commissioner shall not redelegate the authority granted in this paragraph to any officer or employee who pursuant to a tribal constitution or charter passes upon ordinance, resolution, or contracts.
    By waiving tribal sovereign immunity to enforce the Commissioner of Indian Affairs Delegation of Authority Regarding Tribal Enactments you support Justice and civil rights. You give a voice to the people that have been illegally disenrolled and as it reads you enforce tribal constitution and bylaws so no disenrollment can be at a whim of a few that seek power and money and then use tribal sovereignty to hide their crimes.  I implore you give a voice to the down trodden so we can hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness
    Name
    Address
    Phone
    e-mail

    Monday, March 4, 2013

    A Story of the RINCON Tribe, Their Chief from the 1940's. Are all their family Enrolled?


     Marcus Golsh, chief of the Rincon Indians in the 1940s, was a pioneer in moving Riverside and San Diego County tribes toward economic self-sufficiency.

    As an irrigation specialist and a mentor, Golsh taught local Indians how to generate money for their tribes by farming and selling products such as alfalfa, walnuts, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, squash and melons.

    His family background was interesting.

    Golsh was a descendant of the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled central Europe from the 13th to the 20th century, but his allegiance was to his mother's Diegueño heritage.

    Golsh's grandparents, Alfred and Josephine Golsh (a.k.a. Golaszewski), came from Austria to the United States after the Civil War, according to the family historian, Donald Jamison.

    Jamison, now in his 80s, is a nephew of Marcus Golsh.

    Jamison said the Golsh family came to the United States seeking religious freedom. They settled in San Francisco, where they founded the Diamond Match Co.

    Alfred Golsh eventually moved his family south, first homesteading in Bonsall and later in Pala.

    Alfred's son, Ami, met his wife-to-be, Claudina Duro, at a fiesta in Pala. Her father was Santiago Duro, the last chief of the Mesa Grande Indians.

    Their son Marcus was born May 18, 1890.

    At age 6, Marcus Golsh was kidnapped by relatives who sought to return him to Europe to the life of privilege they thought he deserved, Jamison said. According to family legend, Jamison said, young Marcus jumped from the moving buggy and found his way home on foot by following the San Luis Rey River.

    In the early 1900s, Alfred Golsh sold his ranch in Pala to the U.S. government, which used it for a reservation for Indians who were moved there from Warner Hot Springs, according to his 1988 obituary in The San Diego Union-Tribune. Later his son, Ami, bought land that became the Lazy H Ranch in Pauma Valley.

    Marcus Golsh attended Indian schools in Pala, Perris and Riverside.

    He went on to study engineering at a school that was then called Haskell Indian Institute, in Lawrence, Kan. There, he met and married Elsie Barada, a member of the Potawatomi tribe, Jamison said. They had two children, Marcus Jr. and Marge.

    Marcus Golsh worked for 25 years for the U.S. Department of Interior as an irrigation specialist on Indian reservations, Jamison said.

    He divorced his first wife and married Genevieve Vaughn. They built a home on the Rincon reservation where the medical clinic on Golsh Road now stands.

    "They used to have big parties," Jamison said of Marcus and Genevieve. "Uncle Mark was the best dancer of anybody, always winning prizes for waltzes at fiestas.

    "Uncle Mark was also a passionate hunter. He could read tracks like Daniel Boone."

    Golsh also was a celebrated beekeeper.

    But he was probably best known for his strong views on Indian self-sufficiency.

    "Uncle Mark made use of the land through his knowledge of irrigation," Jamison said. "He was always pushing everyone to go to school. He prepared the tribe for what it is today."

    Golsh died at 97. He is buried on the Rincon reservation.

    Jamison went on to became director of economic development for the Intertribal Council of California in the late 1960s. He also served on the Southern California Indian Planning Organization. In that capacity, he advised the Viejas, Barona and Sycuan tribes on generating revenue by offering bingo, and later slot machines, on reservations.

    Friday, March 1, 2013

    Over 100 OFFICERS Were on Tactical Alert at Chukchansi this Week.

    The continuing threats of violence in response to the corruption at the Picayune Rancheria is getting costly for the citizens of Madera County and Fresno.   AVOID the Chukchansi Gold Casino.

    Madera County Sheriff John Anderson has reduced the level of patrols at the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians' tribal office complex near Coarsegold.

    Deputies are going from a tactical alert to regular patrols of the area, said spokeswoman Erica Stuart.
    Law enforcement officers have been on a tactical alert since Tuesday, when up to 100 officers were outside the office complex to ensure the safety of people living and working in the area.

    Deputies from Fresno and Mariposa counties assisted Madera deputies, along with Fresno, Madera, Chowchilla and Clovis police.    

    PROTECT THE CASH COW!  Who CARES about the civil and human rights violations?


    -

    ELIMINATE the BIA, Mr. President and Save BILLIONS

    The SEQUESTER is here and our President is warning us of an apocalypse, then he says it won't be that bad.  He threatens to layoff the F.B.I., Border Patrol and Teachers, but he makes NO mention of the least effective department in government, the BUREAU of Indian Affairs.

    Perhaps we should just cut the Western Region of the BIA.   They have been completely ineffective in protecting Native Americans that have been harmed by their tribes.  Amy Deutschke and her team has overseen the termination of THOUSANDS of Indians from their tribes via disenrollments, Tribal Cleansing, and TRIBAL TERRORISM.

    The BIA failed to intervene in the Chukchansi Council Dispute, even as violence erupted. They have allowed the tribe to destroy the lives of 80% of the tribe. They are not in business to protect only the tribal leaders. They should SUSPEND the right to have casino gaming until order is restored.

    The budget of the BIA is over $2.4 BILLION as of FY 2008. How many teachers and police could we keep.

    What are YOUR thoughts?