Pagan, married to a wonderful woman, proud dad of a beautiful little girl, sober, love dogs and cats, committed to the environment, equal opportunity, freedom of speech and religion.
Want To Help Another Native American Women's Shelter?
If not, just skip this diary. It will annoy the hell out of you.
KELO in Sioux Falls did the introduction to this situation for me:
Sioux Falls shelter for women and children who have been abused is at risk of shutting down.
The shelter has been running on grants and federal funding since 2000, but those grants are coming to an end. Now the director says the women at the shelter may have to move out.
The Mita Maske Ti Ki shelter, which means "My Sister Friends' House," houses about a dozen women and children who have left abusive homes and are trying to turn their lives around. But with their funding running out at the end of August, those victims of domestic violence could soon lose their sanctuary.
Will Native American women finally get equal protection under the law?
Right now Native American women on reservations are 3 times as likely to be raped as a white woman. Due to an insanely complex series of jurisdictional issues, limited law enforcement, minimal political will and racism, perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic violence against Native American women often commit their crimes with impunity, knowing they will likely never face prosecution. All of this was documented in sickening detail last year by Amnesty International's report Maze of Injustice
The legislation is designed to boost law enforcement efforts by providing tools to tribal justice officials to fight crime in their own communities, improving coordination between law enforcement agencies, and increasing accountability standards.
This title is not an exaggeration or misstatement, although I really wish it were. I did not go to Netroots Nation to learn that it was possible to rape a woman, right here in the United States and walk away with absolutely no consequences to the rapist. But that’s what I learned in a panel discussion on Friday morning.
Come over the fold and I’ll tell you exactly how this happens – and you can take an action, a small first step towards ending this nightmare.
Two years ago, an alcoholic in recovery, frightened that the 1st annual Yearly Kos convention in Las Vegas might be too tempting, too dangerous for him to attend alone suggested that a 12 step meeting be part of the convention. The good folks of Yearly Kos thought that was a great idea. That was the start of a now annual tradition - the 12 Step Caucus!
The 12 Step Caucus is open to anyone in recovery - or anyone who thinks they might need help with - any addiction. We have had alcoholics, drug addicts, gambling addicts, Al-Anon's and more attend. It gives us a chance to meet each other, get to know friendly faces and if anyone needs someone to talk to later - you'll know who we are.
Remember Pretty Bird Woman House(PBWH)? The Lakota Sioux women’s shelter the progressive netroots raised $87,000 to buy them a new house when their old one was destroyed by arson? Many of you expressed an admiration for PBWH Director, Georgia LittleShield – a woman who had managed PBWH through threats of closure due to lack of funds, burglary, threats of violence and even arson. She faces down rapists in court, convinces hostile police to enforce domestic violence laws, literally enters homes to rescue battered women.
Georgia LittleShield is coming to Netroots Nation to tell you about life is like for women and children on an Indian reservation in one of the poorest parts of the country. She’s here to tell you how you – the netroots – can help change things. And Georgia isn’t coming alone. She’s bringing her posse.
In 2007, the progressive Netroots reached out to a tiny women's shelter on a Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Pretty Bird Woman House, named for a Sioux woman who was raped and murdered, faced closure. Lack of funds crippled their ability to function and staff labored without pay. Then, they lost their home to extreme vandalism and arson.
Over 2,000 individual members of the netroots raised in excess of $100,000 to keep Pretty Woman Bird House open, functioning with paid staff, and in the end, bought a new house for PBWH to carry out their mission.
But PBWH is just the tip of the iceberg. Native American women are subject to much higher levels of sexual and domestic violence than any other women in the United States. Come join us on Friday, July 18th 9:00am for: Examining the Maze of Injustice: Our Nation's Failure to Protect Indigenous Women From Violence. This panel will explore what can be done to ensure equal protection under the law for Native American women and the role the Netroots can play in combating these injustices.
Reading Senator Obama's statement on FISA is like a kick in the stomach. I didn't expect Obama to be perfect, or a savior or any of that nonsense. But he was a professor of constitutional law - I did expect him to have a sense of reverence for the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights.
I feel like all the calls I made, the money I donated, running the insane Precinct convention on primary night, sitting through that goddamn endless State Senate District Convention as an Obama delegate... just turned to ashes. Don't worry, I will vote for Obama - anything to stop McSame. But I really want to go and peel that bumpersticker that says "Hope" off the car and turn the t-shirt into a cleaning rag.
As most of you know, Democracy For America is sponsoring scholarships to Netroots Nation for progressives who otherwise could not afford to attend. There are 127 applicants. Right now funds are in place to send somewhere between 25 and 30 applicants to Netroots Nation. You can contribute to that fund right here.
Although all of the applicants look good, I want to tell you about one person that I am hoping will get a scholarship. That person is Betsy Campisi, Daily Kos and Street Prophets user betson08. If you are willing, I would appreciate your taking the time to write a brief recommendation for Betsy for a scholarship.
Follow me over and I'll tell you why - maybe in comments you can tell us who you think should go!
As most of you know, Democracy For America is sponsoring scholarships to Netroots Nation for progressives who otherwise could not afford to attend. Today is the last day to apply for a scholarship and I think it is the last day to donate to help fund them. Monday, June 16th is the day that Democracy for America will start awarding the scholarships.
Among the scholarship applicants is somebody who deserves and needs a little bit of love. That person is Betsy Campisi, Daily Kos and Street Prophets user betson08. If you are willing, I would appreciate your taking the time to recommend Betsy for a scholarship.
Alyssa is 13, Katherine is 14 and Amanda is 17 years old. It's a little disheartening that forty years after Dr. Martin Luther King's murder, African-American teens can just disappear like they never even existed. Don't these children deserve to have someone paying attention to the fact that they are gone?
Someone does look out for these kids. She does it part time, without pay. It is a spiritual calling for her. Her name is Deidra; she's a full time student, works in the offices of the university she attends and is an angel for black folks who vanish. She founded and publishes the blog Black and Missing: But Not Forgotten.
Deidra needs a little help.
Donations are nice, but that is not the primary thing you can do to make a difference.
While we have been chasing the primaries, these three children were killed by their father right before he took his own life.
Deidra is determined that not happen to any other children. She has stepped up her efforts to make Black and Missing the go-to resource for people of color with missing family members. She needs your help. Money is nice, but that is not the primary thing you can do to make a difference…
I'm a little late on reporting about my Texas Senate District Convention experience, but in light of the continued hostilities on several progressive sites made me want to share this story.
I am a precinct chair in Dallas County Senate District 16 and on this past Saturday we had our convention. And the bottom line is this: we, the Obama team, had the chance to shaft the Hillary team and if we had done so, Obama would have gotten both delegates from our precinct and Hillary would have had to settle for an alternate spot. Instead, we, the Obama team deliberately threw away that chance and made sure that the Hillary supporters had enough votes to secure a delegate spot.
Franciene Black's little girl, the teenager who loved her new puppy, and loved her family. Her name is Chioma Gray and she's gone. Missing since December 13th. Not a trace.
But nobody cares. Nobody outside of her family noticed. It hasn't made the news. It's like Chioma Gray does not exist.
There is someone besides her family who noticed. There is someone who cares. Her name is Deidra and she runs a blog called Black and Missing but Not Forgotten, a blog devoted to to missing black women and children whose cased are overlooked and ignored by the media. And Deidra could use your help.
Black and Missing But Not Forgotten is a blog on a mission - to call attention to missing African American women and children. Whether victims of crime, kidnapping, domestic abduction, runaways or simply vanished, this blog exists to make sure that these humans do not get overlooked. By collecting as much information as possible about each individual case, Black and Missing acts as a central clearinghouse for African Americans who have disappeared. When you look over this blog and see the vast amount of data collected, organized and posted, it's pretty clear that the people who do this blog must be a really professional team.
The newest feature is video, starting with the heartbreaking story of three children kidnapped by their father:
So who is behind this amazing blog? One college student and she could use your help.
Okay, you have to remember that in 2006 only one person showed up to the precinct convention for my precinct - me. In fact, I was the only one who showed up at our polling place for both of the precincts that voted there. So, in effect, there was 0.5 democrats at each precinct convention in 2006.
Where do I begin? Okay, how's this: our precinct convention (Garland, Texas) was upstairs in the building we voted in. We were evicted and forced to hold our precinct convention on a neighboring tennis court. Why were we evicted? Because the structural supports of the building we were in could not support the weight of that many people. There were literally so many Democrats that the building was in danger of collapsing. How many people were there? Let me put it this way: I conducted the precinct convention through a bullhorn. I shit you not: yelling into a bullhorn to be heard. That's how we did it.
Tomorrow, when I chair my Democratic Precinct Convention in Garland, Texas (Dallas county), I will not act as an advocate for Obama. This is despite the fact that I supported Obama, voted for Obama, even used extreme measures to obtain Obama yard signs (very rare in Dallas county) and hope to be an Obama delegate from my precinct.
In fact, since I voted for and support Obama I will actively seek a Hillary supporter to be permanent secretary of the Precinct Convention – which means trusting that person with the sign in sheets that will determine how our precinct goes.
And for all of you who Texans who will be participating in your local precinct conventions, I hope that you will read and consider this.
Boy am I hoping that Republican Pat Hardy wins her primary for the District 11 on the Texas State Board of Education. All I know about Pat Hardy is this:
Ms. Hardy is no free-thinking liberal. She's a rock-solid Republican and dyed-in-the-wool Southern Baptist who firmly believes God is behind all of creation.
But she also believes in teaching evolution in science classes. Her opponent, Dr. Barney Maddox describes evolution as
"a myth" and "a fairy tale."
Why is this race so crucial? Well, right now seven of the fifteen members of the State Board of Education favor introducing some form of intelligent design creationism into Texas science classes. If Maddox wins, they gain the majority.
This is an Action Diary. Just like with Pretty Bird Woman House, I'm hoping that when you are done reading you will be moved to take action to help others. While you certainly can give financially, that's probably not what would help the most. A list of action items can be found at the end of the diary and if you have any suggestions we have overlooked, please include that suggestion in the comments.
You've heard the story; promising young teenager in a on trip in a foreign country goes missing. Parents are frantic to find out something, anything. Despite initially instituting a search, foreign officials eventually wind up treating the case in a dismissive manner. Members of congress take up the cause. Finally, the worst is confirmed.
Natalee Holloway, right?
Wrong. This young woman you have never heard of is Phylicia Moore.
