From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Navajo's in the hot seat. Neeta I say more?
Daily Kos is the coolest online community in the universe because it has the coolest community members in the universe. Exhibit A: Neeta Lind, aka navajo, the organizer of SFKossacks and Native American Netroots, and head of the Native American Caucus at Netroots Nation since 2006.
I admit I was almost wholly ignorant of Native Anerican issues and conditions in this country beyond the scant few paragraphs I read in my high school social studies books. So it's been eye-opening and gratifying to learn about them from navajo and the rest of the Native Anerican Netroots family as they pursue "the discussion of political, social and economic issues affecting the indigenous peoples of the United States, including their lack of political representation, economic deprivation, health care issues, and the on-going struggle for preservation of identity and cultural history."
Neeta is itchin' to talk about that and more as she plops down in the giant beanbag chair for the latest installment of our C&J interview series, Yes, We're All Staring At YOU!
Cheers and Jeers: How long have you been blogging and what originally brought you to Daily Kos?
Neeta/navajo: When I saw Al Gore on election night holding raised hands with DeNiro and other celebrities for the win I went to sleep satisfied. I was horrified when I woke up and found out what had happened. I clearly needed to be more active politically. I started reading more online. Eventually, in 2003, I noticed a New York Times article that mentioned the blog Daily Kos. I thought, "what's a blog?" So I clicked on the link and became addicted. UID: 27679. Finally joined: Oct 26, 2004
You are a strong voice on Native American issues, including here at Daily Kos in the Native American Netroots group. What would you say are the top three issues facing Native Americans today?
Don't get me started. First, Poverty. "[N]early 60 percent of all Native Americans who live outside of metropolitan areas inhabit persistently poor counties." Second, Loss of culture and language. As our elders die so does our culture. Language is the lifeblood of culture. Many of us were assimilated into urban areas as it was the government's plan to "kill the Indian but save the man." Third, Invisiblity. We rank very low in population compared to other minorities. African Americans, Latinos and Asians are far more visible in the media, in political and economic life, and in just about every other way than Indians. Meteor Blades and I have started a new series at Native American Netroots called Invisible Indians, to help send our message that We Are Still Here. Daily Kos has been a very receptive forum for our diaries. We'll continue to provide content.
What grade would you give the federal government for its response to the challenges facing Native Americans?
Grade: D. Every U.S. administration since 1900 has thrown us bones. The fact that rezidents with income below the poverty level can be as high as 66% on some of our reservations shows that not enough has been done to help us rebuild from our wars with the U.S government. Irony: our population has more military service members per capita. We generally do better under Democratic administrations, but it's pure hell when the Repubs are in charge. It's been more than 125 years since the last treaty was signed, and ALL of them are still being broken. 187 years after the Bureau of Indian Affairs was founded, it still makes life miserable for Indians, rips us off and administers even worthwhile programs incompetently. President Obama has made an effort that few politicians do: actually listen to us.
What kind of music makes you feel invincible to the GOP horde?
I'm a music addict. I can't stand silence. I've had music playing continually in my waking hours since elementary school. As you can imagine, I need new sources of music. XM Sirius satellite radio has provided that for me. I have it in my car and home. I listen to XMU blog radio that plays primarily alternative and independent artists, so I get a constant supply of new music. I love so many of the new artists. My iPod is jammed packed with oldies plus all this great new stuff from XMU. If I start listing my favorite groups like Radiohead, Grizzly Bear and Deerhunter I'll not stop for a long time, so I'll leave it at that.
What's the one book every Kossack must read?
Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It. If you skip all the anecdotal stories it's a pretty fast read. We are an obese nation. We need to maintain our health to keep fighting politically; if you don't stay healthy you can't help our movement.
You're the lead organizer for San Francisco Kossacks. What kinds of events do you organize and how often?
I founded SFKossacks back in 2005. We've grown to almost 300 members. We get together quite frequently for potluck dinners at someone's home or restaurant dinners to welcome out of town guests. You know, Bill, that you and Michael have a long standing invitation to visit the Bay Area and we'll pull out all the stops for a real swell party for you.
We also do community projects, like clothing drives and recently a Farmworkers Tour in Watsonville. See here, here, here, here and here.
It was pretty amazing watching the OccupyOakland strike take place. What's your take on the Occupy movement, and what's the prevailing opinion of it out there?
I think it's fantastic that so many people have come out to support the Occupy movement! It's sending a message and arousing more of the 99%. We Indians are looking at it differently, however. "Occupation" is colonialist language and every city on the continent is occupied indigenous land. "Decolonize Wall Street" is finer tuned for us. That said, personally I fully support the Occupy movement and those who use non-violence to speak up for the 99% rather than those who use violence to defend the 1%. (h/t Catilinus)
Regarding Oakland's events, at the time it was pretty stressful trying find Allie123 after she had been arrested. I'm glad she's okay now. Some SFKossacks hosted MinistryofTruth when he came to OccupyOakland. And the prolific JPMassar and Catilinus have written some amazing diaries on it. The prevailing opinion of the SFKossacks is that we are on board and extremely active.
Finish this sentence: In the kitchen I make a mean…
...array of wood fire grilled meats. Billeh, I could write a cookbook. I'm a master wood fire griller and chiller, most Navajo are. My specialties are Cedar Planked Salmon, Lamb Rib Chops, Chipotle Skirt Steak and my egg breakfasts are quite awesome, I must say. I don't eat refined carbs so I don't make breads or desserts. A small sample of my expertise is in my diary from last year's American Indian Heritage Day, with photos of course!
You're a regular attendee at the annual Netroots Nation convention; in fact, you lead the Native American Caucus at them. What are your favorite parts of the convention, and are you going to be Providence-bound in June?
Yes, Gina Cooper asked me to lead the first American Indian Caucus in 2006, Las Vegas. I've been asked back at every one since. Meteor Blades leads them with me now. My favorite parts of the convention are seeing people in person. I love to know what people look like, I'm convinced now that others do also because my photo recaps of each convention always make the REC list. I also love all the dinners and parties, especially the dance parties. I'm literally exhausted after each convention from blow torching the candle at both ends. Last year Patchwork Films filmed a documentary during Netroots Nation and they used some of my interview in their trailer. I'm at the 3:37 mark. Good times! I'm all registered for Providence and the hotel reservations are made. I can't wait for my hugs from you and Michael and all the kiddie pool peeps.
What would you say to President Obama during the proverbial 30-second elevator ride?
The same thing I said to Van Jones in person. "Don't forget about us [American Indians.]" He replied, "I have every reason to remember you." And also I'd say to President Obama, "Some American Indian reservations are like third world countries within the U.S. Visit Pine Ridge, tour Manderson. Honor the treaties. Honoring the treaties would give us housing, schools and give us our land back. Uh... can I have a hug?"
No waffling here: dogs or cats?
Not a refined carb waffle fan either, Bill, so…HORSES!
I have room for one more question, but I gotta go spend some time in front of the mirror practicing my creepy Herman Cain smile. Please ask and answer the final question yourself...
What is the key to community building?
Persistence and perseverance, I saw a need for both SFKossacks and Native American Netroots but it was slow building both. I did NOT abandon either group when I heard crickets chirping for years. I now have very dedicated members of both teams who help me recruit, organize and contribute everyday. I'm no longer a team of one. It's been very rewarding and I'm proud of our many accomplishments.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, November 14, 2011
Note: For those of you baking Thanksgiving turkeys weighing over 200 pounds, today's the day to pop 'em in the oven. And also the day to realize you're going to need a bigger oven.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Hanukkah, Festivus and Christmas: 37, 39, 41
Days `til the Women Artists of Kau'ai Holiday Fine Art Festival in Hawaii: 12
Amount the droughts in the south have already cost this year: $10 billion
Minimum portion of the contiguous 48 states now currently in a drought: 1/3
(Source: USA Today)
Percent of Portland (Maine) Press Herald readers who think the city's first experience with ranked-choice voting (for the mayor's race) was, respectively, a positive or negative thing: 54%, 36%
Amount Americans spent on health care last year: $2.6 trillion
Rank at which our health care system would place if it was a world economy: #5
(Source: The New York Times via The Week)
Oh, and...
New England Patriots 37 New York Jets 16
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Wow---I thought they only ate homework…
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CHEERS to the resilience of the 99%. Get used to it---you're going to be hearing a lot of eviction alerts coming out of various occupy movements around the country. The police will use ham-handed but effective tactics, and the occupiers will bounce back, often bigger than ever. And all the while the press will continue writing about it, the op-ed pages will continue to swirl with Occupy-related opinions, and the powerful will keep on getting' punk'd. The movement crackles on. Welcome to week 9.
CHEERS to a teeny tiny Monday morning sprout of green shoots. Didn’t want this to slip through the cracks, mainly because these days I'll take good news whereever I can get it, so…yay:
The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week fell to a seasonally adjusted 390,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's the fewest since April. The U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $43.1 billion in September, its lowest point of the year, the Commerce Department said. Foreign sales of American-made autos, airplanes and heavy machinery pushed exports to an all-time high. … The reports "are modestly strong relative to expectations---encouraging confidence that the economy is gaining a bit of momentum," said Pierre Ellis, an analyst at Decision Economics.
Another good sign: this was the first time in a year since Pierre Ellis delivered economic analysis from somewhere other than under his desk.
JEERS to a bizarre trip down the Cheney hole. If you missed the Republican "foreign policy" debate Saturday (and I hope you did), check out today's C&J poll for the lowlights and vote for who you think scraped the bottom of the barrel most. I've narrowed my pick down to the torture supporters and the Iran bombers. After 8 years of Bush, I guess I'm just a creature of habit.
CIAO, BABY to King Leer. Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi resigned over the weekend. (The way the crowd reacted I wondered if they hadn't found him cowering in a culvert somewhere.) Apparently the new guy is an economist named "Super" Mario Monti. His plan to make Italy's economy grow bigger: eat the mushroom.
P.S. Hey, Italy. They're called "term limits." Might wanna look into 'em.
CHEERS to adding that little "something." Anheuser-Busch announced it's introducing a new version of Bud Light. "Bud Light Platinum" is a new flavor that the company says will contain things the original version doesn't. One, a higher percentage of alcohol. Two, a flavor.
JEERS to the worst unintentional product placement in the history of product placement. Did you hear about the anti-Muslim rally over the weekend in Detroit? It was sponsored by a fringe group (obviously) called TheCall, which insists "Dearborn is under demonic control because of its Muslim population. And they say they believe African Americans have been cursed by Satan in recent decades because they vote Democratic." They had a grand old time calling for the destruction of the scary brown people. But it wasn't a total free-for-all: under a large Ford logo (that would be the aforementioned worst unintentional product placement), the group posted an official list of things that were not permitted in the stadium. Among the no-nos: coolers, laser pointers, strollers and fireworks. Oh and, just a wild guess: Muslims.
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Five years ago in C&J: November 14, 2006
WHATEVER to the lame-duck congress. It's back in session for a half-hearted attempt to confirm John Bolton's second go-round as U.S. Hater of the U.N., bless Bush's wiretapping program, and free up some money to keep America's lights on. But mostly it'll be packing, packing, packing as Democrats prepare to move into their suites and Republicans prepare to move into their cubicles. Please, Kossacks: give generously to the Lysol disinfectant fund. God only knows what kind of creepy-crawlies the other guys will leave behind.
JEERS to Cokie Roberts. After apparently hiking her pants up to her neck Sunday morning, the ABC News pundit informed the nation that, if you're a musician---like, say, former Orleans lead singer John Hall---you shouldn't run for Congress. Further, if a musician actually wins an election, guffawing at the silliness of it all is fair game. Unlike, say, a B-list actor who once shared the screen with a monkey named Bonzo.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to fresh coinage. Today, November 14th, is the big-release day for the U.S. Mint! [Puts on headphones] [Inserts four quarters] [Pushes START button:]
"The Chickasaw National Recreation Area quarter is the fifth released in 2011 and the 10th overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program. The park is unique in that it was founded through the support of an Indian tribe, the Chickasaw Nation. It was originally established as a national site on July 1, 1902 (32 Stat. 641). The reverse image depicts the Lincoln Bridge, built of limestone and dedicated in 1909 to celebrate the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's… Please insert four more quarters….."
[Inserts four Quarters]
"…birth. The end."
D'oh!
Have a nice Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
An anonymous buyer paid £9,375 for Bill in Portland Maine's voluminous white silk undergarments during an auction of items from Cheers and Jeers. Simon Edsor called the sale "a great result" which demonstrated the worldwide appeal of BiPM memorabilia.
---The Telegraph
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