Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Disenrolled SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP Their Fight For THEIR RIGHTS or They'll NEVER GET THEM BACK

I was sent an article entitled 22 Reasons to Never Give UP by my cousin Russ, at a point where I was feeling a bit low about working the blog and the fact that a number of our people, and MY OWN family have dropped out.   But, I’ve read it a few times and now I’m going to adapt some of it where it would pertain to those of us that have been harmed by their tribes.  Because if we don't work as hard for OUR RIGHTS, we won't regain them, as this picture illustrates:

Spread the word about Original Pechanga's Blog blog to others. Snoqualmie took back their tribe, Laytonville put some people back into the tribe. Grand Ronde reinstated 100 disenrolled, Enteprise Rancheria brought people home as has the Robinson Rancheria. We have done good, more people know, we've gotten TV interviews, radio, print, but YOUR help is needed.  YOUR letter could be the one that breaks the camel’s back!  These are simple tasks that can be done EVERY DAY.   Join twitter, join Native American FB groups, GOOGLE PLUS stories.   




The comments are open, let us know what you think.  Show it to your family that are willing to let others do the work for them.

At some point in the various journeys we embark on in our lives, we get to a part where we feel like giving up. Sometimes we give up before we even start and other times we give up just before we are about to make that huge break-through that we have been putting so much effort in to achieve.


1- As Long As You Are Alive Anything Is Possible

The only valid excuse you have to give up is if you are dead. As long as you are alive (and healthy and free) you have the choice to keep trying until you finally succeed.      OP: Why give up when all we are expending is TIME? “I don’t have the time” is one refrain, of course they can tell me all about the “Real Housewives of New York” or “Keeping Up With the Kardassians.” WTF? You can email a letter WHILE you are watching those shows, you can comment on news articles.

3- Michael Jordan

Arguably the best basketball player of all time. He attributes his success to all his failures. He just never gave up even when he knew he had missed over 300 shots and had missed the winning shot of the game many times. Every time he got knocked down he got back up again.    OP: Never mind that Wilt Chamberlain was the best of all time.  The point is, keep going. Sure the last fax/letter didn’t get an answer, but the next one might.  I once got a call EVERY WEDNESDAY morning at 7:15 a.m. from a job applicant I interviewed but didn’t have a position available. Ultimately, she DID get a position. She was a terrific employee too, perseverance paid off.  Tribes COUNT on us giving up and going away.

7- Chris Gardner – The Pursuit of Happiness



Have you seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”?   It is based on the life story of Chris Gardener, a man who went for the lowest of the lows in an environment where most people would give up (no money, no job) to the highest of the highs (A millionaire with his own investment firm). If you ever think about giving up, watch this movie!   OP: NEVER GIVE UP. Excellent movie. For GREATER GLORY is also a great film showing how the Catholics of Mexico stood up to a corrupt government.  Should Martin Luther King have given up?  Should he NOT have written his letters from a Birminghan jail to WHITE pastors who wanted blacks to wait/delay their struggle?

9- Nelson Mandela

Campaigned for justice and freedom in his South Africa. Spent 20 years in jail for his opposition to apartheid. On release he healed the wounds of apartheid by his magnanimous attitude toward his former political enemies.   OP: 20 years fighting for what was RIGHT. FROM A PRISON cell. We still have our computers, our phones, IPADS, fax machines AND snail mail.  He gained the support of the world, and WE don't expose the APARTHEID we face on our own reservations, NOR do we embarrass our politicians for supporting these tribes.

10- You Are Strong

You are stronger than you think. One little setback is not enough to stop you from achieving your goals. Neither are 10 or 100 or 1000 setbacks.

11- Prove Yourself
If YOU send in a fax, THEIR staff has to handle it. THIS is the impression you leave on them..750 pages, And we have THOUSANDS who have suffered at the hands of corrupt tribal governments.




You don’t want to be known as someone that is weak and gives up. Go out there and prove yourself to the world and to yourself. You CAN and WILL achieve what you set out to do. The only time you fail is when you give up.    OP: MANY times I’m asked, “WHY won’t someone DO something to help us?!?” WHY should they when we aren’t ALL doing something to help ourselves out? We need to double our efforts, so those in position to help, WILL help.  For example, the Nooksack 306
have, well, 306 people affected by the current plan to disenroll them.  306 people, maybe 140 spouses, 200 in-laws and say 100 neighbors who could send in a letter/fax email to the BIA, Interior, their Congress person, here's what that would look like on the desk of their assistant:







14- Your Family and Friends.

Let the people you love and who mean the world to you be your inspiration to persist and persevere. Maybe you need to try a different angle, study more or practice more but don’t give up!    OP: All of us have a lot of extended family.  We need to have these discussion around the dinner table. You need to talk to your friends about HOW Pechanga, Chukchansi, Pala, Redding, Nooksack have HARMED you and your family. ASK for their help!  Ask them to send an email, or to let YOU send in a fax or email in THEIR NAME.

15- Because I Tell You To.

Not that I am any sort of guru or Godly figure, but if you want to give up then don’t. Just because I’m telling you not to. OP: This just reminds me of my parents. So …

17- Improve Our World

When you achieve whatever you set out to achieve you can use your success to make a difference to the world or other peoples lives.   OP: For example, the recently disenrolled Chukchansi should be coupling with the first group disenrolled to bring the tribe together. One thousand strong, they would be an imposing force. One thousand letters make a statement. Similarly, ANY disenrolled who get back in their tribes should help those who are in moratoriums get their rightful place.

19- Let The Haters Hate

There will always be haters. There will always be plenty of naysayers and people who try to tear you down. Don’t pay attention to them and don’t take what they say to heart. Let the haters hate and you keep believing in yourself.       OP: On our blog, we get some commenters trying to get us to quit. Well, NO. If the tribe had quit when gambling was illegal, there would be no casino. Other tribes have been fighting for decades for water rights.  I fight for my children, my grandchildren and for the rights of others.  I've had this blog up and running for 8 years.  Sometimes it seems like I'm on my own, but I know that's not true, it just seems that way.

21- Inspire Others

Be an inspiration to others by refusing to give up. Who knows what someone else can achieve because you never gave up and in turn inspired them not to give up.

OP: Spread the word about Original Pechanga's Blog blog to others. Snoqualmie took back their tribe, Laytonville put some people back into the tribe. Grand Ronde reinstated 100 disenrolled, Enteprise Rancheria brought people home as has the Robinson Rancheria. We have done good, more people know, we've gotten TV interviews, radio, print, but YOUR help is needed.  YOUR letter could be the one that breaks the camel’s back!  These are simple tasks that can be done EVERY DAY.   Join twitter, join Native American FB groups, GOOGLE PLUS stories.   

My tribe, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians checks my blog OFTEN  .  How can THEY be more interested in what is happening, that the people it is happening TO?  Imagine if all involved checked the blog five times per day? It would be one of the most popular on the internet. And more people would find it.

P.S. NEVER GIVE UP!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I write to newspapers, Congress, and even the White House. I comment on various blogs, I have spent most my money on lawyers and now I am living at below the poverty level. And still I am called "lazy" and a "Do Nothing".

At almost 70 years old I still work at an everyday job (it's work or don't eat). I have no medical (other Obama Care).

So tell me, what else can I do, I have spent most my savings on fighting (that's. why I still need to work).

I get real tired being told I am lazy and a "do nothing".

Anonymous said...

What a fucking whiner the commenter is above. If it doesn't apply to you, then keep doing what you can do.
What does age have to do with anything?

OPechanga said...

Well,let see, what else can I do? That's a great question, and I do not consider it whining.
1. Visit THIS blog and view multiple pages. WHY? Because websites are ranked and higher rankings mean that news organizations will look in. That Congress will look in for research. And best of all, more traffic means we can pass Mark Macarro's asshole cousin Victor Rocha's website. Wouldn't that be fun to rub their faces in? It doesn't take much more, We are at 820,000 they are about 410,000, that gap can be closed quickly.

2. You can ask your friends neighbors and church goers to HELP. How, by having them give you the right to send in a fax in THEIR NAME.

3. Get on TWITTER/Facebook. Social media is critical to get our stories out. You can send tweets of ALL of the blog posts here to @Interior @USIndianaffairs @SenJohnBarrasso @Indianz and @Indiancountry. LOL, you can also send them to @VictorRocha1 They create more visits and target who we need to target. Similar, to YOUR Senator and Rep.

4. Write an article on how this issue AFFECTS YOU. I'll print it.. Send to originalpechanga2@yahoo.com

5. Send me responses, if they are well thought out, I'll print it. If they are stupid, I may print it sooner.

How's that for a start??

OPechanga said...

Here is a visitor for today:

Domain Name (Unknown)
IP Address 167.10.240.# (California Department of Justice)
ISP California Department of Justice

AND

Domain Name pechanga.com ?
IP Address 209.203.120.# (PECHANGA ENTERTAINMENT CENTER)

Pechanga is on their SIXTH visit. If just Hunter's gave the blog six visits a day, our rating would jump. Add in their friends, kids friends, in laws... SEE HOW IT CAN BUILD?

Kenneth Hansen said...

Love it! "Don't ever give up!" was the motto that got me a Ph.D.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this reminder to all of us.

Robert Smith shouldn't be allowed to get away with this disgrace. Pala should be kicking him out..

Anonymous said...

Get a blog , get on twitter and tweet( just don't look cool on twitter) do something.

Don't cry.


Anonymous said...

Freedom of Speech is sacred,soverign nations as well. It appears that freedom of speech and nations only works when it in is your favor.

White Buffalo said...

To Anonymous February 9, 2015 at 12:38 PM.

Do you not understand that one of the customs of our people was the we held our elders in high esteen. Age has everythign to do with it, for they have the wisdome of life. It appears that you have not leared this lesson. This person that is 70 has every right to speak his mind. This person should not be called names. I see why we are having so much trouble in Indian Country. It is becasue these little things like respect of and for our elders has been lost. It is not just about you and how you think people should act or behave it is about being there for one another and supporting those who are weak and need to be helped. If you do these things with our regret or expectancy of something in return these things will come back to you. Get rid of the hatred that your post suggest is in your heart.

Anonymous said...

The Pechanga Tribe left 50 Elders to twist in the wind with no health insurance.

The PALA tribe a dozen more.

How many elders die without seeing justice? WHO FIGHTS FOR THEM?

White Buffalo said...

We fight for them. That means we do not speak poorly of them. The fact that Pechanga and Pala treat their elders with disrespect is a sign that they have lost their way. We are lucky, for we have had it easy compared to our ancestors who lived in the days when the governments paid people to go out and hunt and kill us. Do you think they would be proud of the way things are now with the tribes or even with the way we disenrolled and moratorium people have been acting and treating each other?

Reinstatement_Restitution said...

White Buffalo,
The US Govt. worked hard to take away our culture, lands, and freedom. Now these so called leaders do the very same thing. They do not know how cruel and unjust they have become, and how they make a mockery of all that it means to be an Indian. They don't know the stories, the don't perform the rituals, they don't speak the language, and they abuse our elders from whom all the knowledge of who we are springs.

Yesterday I saw something that put a bright light on the failure of tribal leaders. The 2012 Form 990 for the Southern California Tribal Chairman's Association, a non-profit corporation formed to assist with health and employment issues in So-Cal, shows over $18.5 million in income from contributions and grants for the year.

Out of that $18.5 million, $6.3 million was spent on salaries. The SCTCA holds regular meetings and the Chairman from various member tribes gather to collect their paychecks from this non-profit organization. That is correct. The Chairmen from gaming tribes who receive per-capita from gaming revenue, and salaries for serving as tribal officers, also receive compensation from the SCTCA.
Pala Chairman Robert Smith also holds a position with the California Tribal Business Association and receives compensation for that.

These tribal leaders do not miss a trick when it comes to cashing in on their positions. This is in addition to the skimming of money from the Casino, and the revenue that is meant to be distributed to tribal members.

The reason for the elder abuse becomes clear when you realize that the leaders of gaming tribes run the tribes for their own personal profit. Elders who know the old ways are useless to them. They stir up trouble by their talk about what has been lost, and where the people came from, and what it means to be tribal.

The goal is to extract as much cash as possible and get rid of anyone who interferes. This is happening all over Indian Country, and there is a paper trail that documents the damage. These various non-profit organization are just another ploy to shift money from the tribe into the leaders hands. The tribe makes a contribution to the organization, and the organization makes a payout to the Chairman or other representative.

They pretend to do charitable work, but they are getting paid, and some of the funds come from grants from the US Govt. Can you say SCAM?

White Buffalo said...

Reinstatement_Restitution, what you say is true. This information just reinforces what I have said. I know that corruption and greed of money and power are so strong that the mind and sprit are poisoned. We are in danger of losing our identity to this democide. You know we are attacked by both tribal and non tribal entities.

TOM BRICE, GOD BLESS AMERICA said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
White Buffalo said...

February 25, 2015 at 11:51 PM

Looks like spam/advertisement.

Anonymous said...

IP Address 209.203.120.# (PECHANGA ENTERTAINMENT CENTER)

SPAM ? right ?