. . . . .Splinter Group: Nazi-like Tactics of Propaganda

Continuing the story of Pechanga's Splinter Group as told by John Gomez Jr.

Splinter Group 4

When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned.
Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church -- and there was nobody left to be concerned.
Martin Niemoller, Congressional Record, 14 October 1968, page 31636

I am sure most of you are asking yourself why this installment regarding the Splinter Group starts with a quote about Hitler and the Nazis. Well, if you have not noticed, there is a new era of genocide rolling through Indian Country. This genocide is not at the hands of the Spanish government, nor is it a policy of the US government. No, this new genocide is being carried out by Indian people against Indian people.
Most people believe the word "genocide" means the actual physical killing off of a group or race of people. Genocide also refers to actions which attack the culture, soul, and mind of the people. Disenrollment (Termination)is a pure example this.

The recent actions of the Splinter Group, and similar groups throughout Indian Country, are representative of those deeds of Hitler and the Nazis. Even before the Nazi Party rose to power, the Jewish people were blamed for the ills that had befallen a once mighty Germany. The Jews were characterized as all that was wrong with government and business, and through their destruction, through the purification of the German people, Germany would once again be strong.

The Splinter Group learned well the lessons of Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Through misinformation and propaganda, the Splinter Group asked members of the Tribe to rise up:

"people are plotting to take control of our government…"
"…the true Pechanga people are still a majority of this Tribe!!!"
The families the Splinter Group targeted for disenrollment were the reasons that their "…sons and daughters, will never get the opportunity and privilege to serve our government…"
The targeted families were responsible for stripping away their rights as the "TRUE Pechanga people".

By de-humanizing the Jewish people and those targeted for disenrollment, the Nazis and the Splinter Group succeeded in segregating their victims and justifying the acts of genocide as a purification of those less than the true people.
People who were once friends, acquaintances, business partners, and even family, turned their backs on those targeted. Fear reigned.

Don’t talk to them or be seen with them…you could be next.
Don’t attend their meetings or go to the Gathering. Those who attend may loose their jobs with the Tribe…or worse.

Who is next on the Splinter Group’s list? Ask the Enrollment Committee. They got a copy of the list. Hopefully those who are not members of the Splinter Group aren’t afraid to talk.
Are places within Indian Country turning into neo-Nazi regimes? Is it really that bad?
Ask those who have been disenrolled or targeted for disenrollment.

Ask the Chairperson of the Pechanga Enrollment Committee why she thinks her house was shot at and who she thinks did the shooting?
What is it going to take? How many are going to be "killed off" before something is done to stop this genocide?

Those who fail to help or stand up against these genocidal actions are as much to blame as those who carry them out. They say ignorance is bliss, but nobody can say they don’t know what is going on. They know. However, as long as they are not the targets, as long as they reap the financial benefits, they will continue to deny the truth.

All our brothers and sisters will be gone, and those who did nothing to help them will be left to fend for themselves. Look around, are you the person Martin Niemoller spoke about?
There is much to think about…there is even more to do. Our ancestors our crying out…we must heed their call.

I will close with a quote by Benjamin Franklin:
"Look upon your hands! They are stained with the blood of your relations."
Benjamin Franklin spoke these words in response to the government’s policy towards the Native Americans. Unfortunately, they are as true today as the day on which they were spoken.

The only difference is, the United States government has been replaced by the likes of the Pechanga Splinter Group and those who deny the truth.

Cherokee Freedmen Meeting Set

The Freedmen Band of Cherokee nation of Oklahoma will hold its next meeting Saturday July 19 2008 at the West Side Community Center, 501 S Bucy in Bartlesville Oklahoma.

The meeting will begain at 12:15pm. The organization educates freedmen tribal members and the general public on their rights and responsibilities as tribal members. Band officers Marilyn Vann and Vera Jones will update meeting attendants on their recent trip to Washington DC to visit members of Congress to request support for legislation supprting the freedmens rights.

The special speaker for the meeting will be John Gomez, a former Pechanga Nation tribal official who is currently President of the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization (AIRRO), an organization which fights for the rights of California Indians who have been disenrolled as citizens of California Indian tribes in violation of federal, state, and or Indian nation tribal law. The meeting is free and open to the general public. Meeting attendants are asked to bring a "covered dish" to share with the other meeting attendants.

Pechanga Group Takes on Strange Bedfellows.

UPDATE: Questions include: Are the CPP truth tellers, or outrageous liars?
Would they lie about Jennie Miranda and family? Would they lie about the Hunters and Manuela Miranda descendents? Jennie, which one is it? Are they lying about YOU, or about the Hunters, OR BOTH?

The Concerned Pechanga People have been active in getting rid of two large families from Pechanga. But, according to this flyer from 1992, they absolutely DID NOT like some of the people that they subsequently conspired with to remove the Manuela Miranda and Hunter Clans. Here's the flyer:

CCPElectionFlyer1992[1] - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: CCPElectionFlyer1992[1]

The CPP accuse Jennie Miranda (former spokeperson for Pechanga and mother of thief Larry Miranda, soon to be indicted) of "being unfair to people" and telling "lies" and wanting to bulldoze sensitive sites and burial grounds. AMAZING that after all this, the CPP would work with Jennie to use her mother AND Frances Miranda to eliminate people.

Does this sound like someone who cares about the tribe, or themselves? CPP, how could you turn on your own people, with people like this?

And Enrollment Committee HOW could you trust people like this? And we all know, Frances hasn't got any nicer with age.

SAN PASCUAL Follows PECHANGA Lead: KICK Them to the CURB.

Selling out their tribal members for an additional $450 per month! Add San Pascual to the list of tribes that should be avoided.

In a move that sadly and despicably follow the digusting lead of the Pechanga Band, the San Pascual Tribe has OUSTED 17% of their tribal members, cutting off monthly per capita payments of $4,000.

Curiously, James Fletcher, BIA Superintendent in S. Cal and Pechanga Member, had this to say:

Because the bureau hasn't had a chance to rule on this latest move, the tribe can't cut off monthly checks, fire people or kick them out of their houses while asserting that they're not tribal members, Fletcher said.
“They're members until such time as the BIA changes its mind,” he said.
And that won't be easy, because the head of the agency ruled 13 years ago that the ancestor in question was a full-blooded Indian.
“It will take something substantial to change that,” Fletcher said.

Curious, because Fletcher did not stand up when member of his OWN tribe did the same thing to 25% of the tribe. Could it be because he stood to gain financially? The FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ruled that Paulina Hunter was Pechanga when they allotted her 20 acres on the reservation.

The Union Tribune has the full story here

UPDATE: Equally Curious, this made Pechanga.nets's QUOTE of the Day:

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"You grow up with that identity and then all of a sudden, when they say, 'No, you're not a part of us,' boy, that's harsh," Gamboa said."

Exactly what Rocha's cousin did to 25% of Pechanga Tribal Members.

High Noon At Pechanga 2: Even Quieter than April

In April, we reported HERE that Pechanga's Casino seemed emptier than normal. There were some comments on another post that business was down because of the news getting out about Pechanga's dirty deeds with their people. Although that's difficult to prove, I made a trip to the casino to check on "parking status".

April: 386 EMPTY parking spaces in the new parking structure.

June 27: 577 EMPTY parking spaces in the new parking structure.

Maybe the gamblers are car-pooling? Or, most likely, there are LESS gamblers at Pechanga. Are they going to Pala?

Is there a chance that the per capita of over $30,000 per month to the RPP (Remaining Pechanga People) will have to be reduced? Will Pechanga be able to meet it's obligations to the people of California?

State Panel Votes to Back Wintu Tribe in Recognition Effort.

Great News for the Wintu Tribe.

State panel votes to back Wintu tribe

SACRAMENTO — Members of a north-state Indian tribe were pleased Tuesday that a state Senate committee voted to support their effort to win back federal recognition.
Historically, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe occupied land between Mount Shasta and Redding, said Mark Franco, a member of the tribe.
However, he said, through what the tribe regards as a government error, the Winnemem Wintu were dropped from the list of federally recognized tribes, and members lost government services, such as education, housing and health programs.
In addition, according to Franco, in 1948, when Shasta Dam was completed, the creation of Lake Shasta took 4,800 acres of the tribe's allotted lands. He said the government failed to make good on its promise to give the tribe other land and to create a tribal cemetery.
Assembly Joint Resolution 39, authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, would give the tribe the support of the state of California as the Winnemem Wintu seek to convince the federal government to restore recognition.
The bill already passed the Assembly and on Tuesday won approval from the Senate Governmental Organizations Committee on a 6-0 vote. It should reach the Senate floor in August, Franco said.
Franco and his wife, Caleen Sisk-Franco, the tribe's spiritual leader and chief, live in Redding. Sisk-Franco graduated from Chico State University and used to work at Chico State.

A Sad Barona Story

From CHRISTOPHER'S side I'm not sure why, but for the first time in my life, i've decided to write a little about my life. What I am about to write is not a story of greed, nor a story of "whats right and whats wrong", this is a story about whats moral. My grandmother, who will remain nameless, was a Kumeyaay indian of Capitan Grande, what was once my families land. She had 2 children before everything went wrong, Rose, the older sister, and Debra, the younger, Debra is my mother. I dont know all the details, because my mother does not speak much of them, and I find it hard to blame her for it based on what little I have heard, but sooner or later after the birth of my mother Debra and the flight of my grandfather whos name I do not know, my grandmother married a white man, who shall also remain nameless. Before I go on, I would like to say that my grandmother was a caring, kind women, but as is the way of many good people, she was afraid to be alone. That, along with the fear, is why she never left this white man she married, and had 5 other children besides my mother and her older sister. He was a cruel man, I recall days from my childhood of him terrorizing my older brothers, making my young sister and myself sit outside in one hundred plus tempature, with no drinks, for hours at a time, because he thought we were too dirty. But that really is nothing complared to some of the stories my mother has told me about him, he was a bad man in my childhood, but he was a downright evil man in my mothers childhood. I'll skip most of the details here, seeing as that is not what I am here to talk about, but let me just say he was abusive in just about every way a parent possibly could be, and it went on for years. But as time went on and I got older, and my mother begin to open up more about this man, I learned about how deep his cruelty ran. For his own greed, he sold us out, giving our land away, and renting to others not of our tribe. I dont know the full details of this, but not long after, the Barona natives removed them from any native immunity. This was after my mother left I think. We of Capitan Grande are now known as the "spinter tribe", a name meaning that we are nothing more to our own people than a slight pain that they must pull out and throw away, and pull they did. My mother did the best she could with what she had, but one thing led to another and we moved back to our land via trailor. There was no electricity or running water, but we made do. Eventually we were kicked off our native land, by a white man, representing Barona. Since that day life has been hard. We work with what we have but it never seems to be enough. Natives will not give us any help seeing as we are not living on native land, the same land they banned us from living on. America would not help us, they saw it as we were getting our rightful benifits from Barona, and didnt need any from america, though they knew we were getting nothing. So we worked, and worked hard. My mother had many children, some better off than others. I myself am going through a very trying time at the moment, but I suppose that the fault in that is mine. I had always hoped that somehow, Barona would give us what was once ours, but that is not the case. I do not claim that what my supposed grandfather did was not wrong, but I guess its just hard to think that my whole family is having to pay for his mistake, and that Barona will not even listen to our cries of help. Most of my family, my older brothers amoungst them, do not even honor themselves as native americans. I have defended our heritage to my own family many times, but I am finding it harder to argue with them. For years I wondered why others of the splinter tribe remained silent, as my family has. Is it that they are homeless, like we? Is it that they are scared? No, I think it is that those who still remember our proud land are ashamed, ashamed that they cannot do anything but aid themselves in the seemeingly unwelcoming america.After so long of waiting for my native brothers and sisters of Barona to see us, I had lost faith that they ever would. For years I did not pay any mind to my tribe. But one day I went on a small hike with my brothers son, and we saw fields stretching for miles. He asked if this was our tribes land, and when I looked down, I nearly fell over. He was so excited about possibly seeing the land of our ancestors birth. And I knew then that I will not give up. I'll be damned if I let some miserable greedy bastard ruin that sight for this child, i'll be damned if I sit patiently while america chooses to side with Barona, and more importantly i'll be damned if I let Barona or any other damnable casino tainted tribe take away a sight that I will die to keep alive. That sight is the sight of our land, our land being ours, and I will not rest until I find a way to make it so my children, and my childrens children, can walk free on that precious soil. I am a Kumeyaay native american of southern california and I am damned proud of it.I apologize if I posted this in the wrong area. I would like to dedicate this in memory to Gary Youngblood, one of the greatest and wisest men I ever knew. Rest in peace my friend.

Cabazon Tribe Denied More Slots; Battin Claims UNFAIR

Goodness gracious, Senator Battin, UNFAIR? We have brought you much evidence of UNFAIRNESS and you make no public mention of it? Cabazon pay into your "defense fund" did they.

The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee rejected Senate Bill 1201 by Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, to allow tribes with one of the original 61 compacts signed in 1999 to operate 2,000 machines.
But opponents countered that it's unfair to allow some tribes to get more slot machines now without negotiating amended compacts after other tribes have taken that step to get more machines.
"We think it's terribly unfair to change the rules of the game," said Cathy Christian, a lobbyist for San Diego County in opposing the bill.
BATTIN IS TWO-TIME LOSER
The committee also turned down SB 864 by Battin aimed at preventing charities from using electronic bingo games instead of paper cards.

There is lots of unfairness around SENATOR, OPEN YOU EYES.

Supreme Court Restricts Indian Court's Jurisdiction

Crack in Sovereignty Dam

Justices restrict Indian courts' jurisdiction
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday restricted the ability of Indian courts to hear lawsuits involving non-tribal members.
The 5-4 decision in favor of the Plains Commerce Bank came in a dispute involving the Long Family Land and Cattle Co. Inc., an Indian-owned business on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

It was the first Supreme Court case involving Indian law for the court's newest members: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Roberts wrote the majority opinion.
Generally, Indian tribal courts cannot hear disputes between tribal members and nonmembers. One exception enables regulating nonmembers who enter agreements with tribes or their members.
In his opinion, Roberts ruled against the Longs, saying that the exception does not allow tribes to regulate the sale of non-Indian land within a reservation

Disenrolled Pechanga Gets SHOUT OUT at Angels Game

UPDATE: The July 5 Angel Game is the next target date. Let's make it a 3 family deal!

.......At tonights Angel game, the JUMBOTRON sported this message:

Tonight, we'd like the welcome the disenrolled

Pechanga Members to the Game

Thank you Angels for putting the message up right next to the PECHANGA ad!

UPDATE II: Dissension at Pechanga Concerning Upcoming Indictments?

UPDATE II: Interesting back and forth in the comment section. Some questions from Amo'kat:
Munoaboy, please answer these questions.
Article 11 of the Pechanga constitution says, " the enrollment shall opened the first month of every year by the band's enrollment committee."Even so, even if the constitution did allow a moratorium, which it doesn't, it was only supposed to be for one year, for as you say, to catch up on the paperwork,which to a lot of people made sense as a lot of people were coming to join the tribe at that time. But was it needed for over ten years with an eight year extension now on top of that to catch up on paperwork?What kind of idiots need 18+ years to catch up on paperwork or is that just an excuse for those who pushed for the moratorium and they lied just like they lied about a lot of other things?

Munoaboy, do you realize that when a member of the Hunters and two members of the Manuela Mirandas were on the enrollment committee they found out that the committee had been burying applications that were in on time before the moratorium started and since these applications weren't processed on time, a lot of people were stuck in the moratorium that shouldn't have been?
The Hunter and M Mirandas then went to one of the tribal attorneys who told them he couldn't advise them on what to do per instructions from John Macarro.

IT IS WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THERE WAS WRONG DOING ON THE ENROLLMENT COMMITTEE WHEN THE ENROLLMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO WERE DOING WRONG STARTED THE DISENROLLMENT NONSENSE!IN THE LONG RUN LAWLESSNESS WILL NOT PREVAIL AND THE RULE OF LAW WILL WIN OUT AND WE WILL BE BACK.AGAIN, I JUST HOPE YOU ARE NOT SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT YOU WILL BE JOINING US ON THE SIDELINES, DISENROLLED, IN THE MEANTIME! DON'T YOU WANT TO BE PART OF A TRIBE THAT FOLLOWS ITS OWN LAWS LIKE IT IS SUPPOSED TO? YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION BY INSISTING THAT PECHANGA FOLLOWS ITS OWN LAWS!


========================================
It looks like there is the foment of dissension at the Pechanga Reservation, home of the Splinter Group.

The indictments of Pechanga employees and members will be coming soon. Reports are that as many as 40 indictments will be handed down, including those for the son of former Pechanga spokesperson Jennie Miranda.

The adopted families are concerned that Larry won't be rehired at Pechanga casino, (ya think?). Uh, why hire criminals who steal from the casino and the Pechanga people? In fact, why isn't he disenrolled?

Stay tuned for more, but, it sounds like more people are standing up to the thugs in the back of the room. Of course, RB Jr. is good at threatening gestures, though not in backing them up.

Temecula, will you quit going to Pechanga while they are under indictment? I heard they are laying off people since they put in the new machines?

UPDATE: QUESTIONS:

Is PECHANGA letting some of their employees GO?
Are credit checks the excuse they are using to eliminate people?
Has the union tried to organize yet?
Has Pechanga finally paid it's bill to the state?
IS Pechanga a bad neighbor that does some good things?

Schwarzenegger Withholding Indian Money SDF from Cities.

Governor, the tribes have already paid this money into the funds and it should have been dispersed already. You are playing a shell game with our cities money and with our votes. You said gambling compacts would be good for California, and you allow Sycuan to get away with NOT paying $30 million that we need. You knew they hadn't passed the compact. GIVE OUR CITIES the money the Tribes have already paid for. YOU KNOW that money will go away soon anyway as you hide it in the general fund.

Valley leaders fear that loss of money could have big impactDebra GruszeckiThe Desert Sun
SACRAMENTO - The $30 million freeze on the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund has prompted a field trip to Sacramento by a contingent of Riverside County and Coachella Valley leaders.
The delegation - including leaders from Cathedral City, Coachella, Indio and Palm Springs - is expected to testify today that Assembly Bill 1389 offered by Majority Floor Leader Alberto Torrico offers positive reform.
But it falls short, they plan to say, because it lacks an amendment to reauthorize the inclusion of the $30 million in tribal Special Distribution Fund monies that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed from the 2007-08 budget bill.
That fund put more than $13 million in Riverside County in the fiscal year that ends next week.
The veto followed a California State Audit report that found some California counties outside of Riverside had spent casino mitigation funds on questionable items such as a $170,000 rescue ambulance boat for Lake Havasu with no Indian casinos near the lake.
Palm Springs City Manager David Ready said Riverside County and cities impacted by the casinos complied with all regulations involving these funds,

Rest of the story HERE

Soboba and Riverside Sheriff Working Together to Promote Communication

Good work by the Soboba band and Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's department names interim tribal liaison

A retired sheriff's lieutenant who is a Torres-Martinez Indian was named today as interim tribal liaison to improve communications between the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and local Indian tribes.

The appointment comes in the wake of last month's shooting deaths by sheriff's deputies of three people in gun battles between Soboba tribal members and law enforcement officers.
The fact that Tortes belongs to the Torres-Martinez tribe (Born on Soboba Rez) will help him to understand the issues that are unique to reservation living, said Gutierrez."It truly is a good fit for the tribes and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department,'' he said.

Crack in the Sovereignty Dam: Couple wins $1.3 MILLION

Tribes are finding that hiding behind sovereignty won't always work. Each case like this, creates a little crack in the dam of sovereignty and tribes will be responsible for losing sovereignty for ALL tribes. Tread lightly. Couple Awarded $1.3M in Lawsuit A federal jury has awarded $1.3 million in damages to an Anglo couple who farmed for 17 years on leased land at Santa Ana Pueblo before its then-governor barred them from baling hay at night. The couple, Bob and Sue Burrell, said the governor's order, stemming from a noise complaint, effectively curtailed their farm operations in 1997. Although there were initial efforts at resolving the dispute, the Burrells eventually filed two federal lawsuits. The jury verdict came in a trial this week before U.S. District Judge William "Chip" Johnson. The Burrells' complaint alleged that the family was "run off their farm based on illegal discrimination based on race, national origin, color and religion" and caused significant financial harm. The litigation had previously been dismissed by a tribal court judge (SURPRISE!) and by Johnson before making its way to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. The appeals court reversed Johnson, ruling that, while the pueblo was protected by sovereign immunity, pueblo officials acting outside the scope of their authority were not. Read more HERE