“We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,”
Russell Means
The Lakota Nation includes parts of the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.
As far as I know, Means does NOT represent the official Lakota Tribal government. And is of course, quite a, shall we say, controversial figure. Technically and legally and practically, this is probably not much more than a publicity stunt….but it is a damn good one! IF there are no repercussions.
The Lakota Freedom Delegation website returns an “exceeded bandwidth” message right now…this is big news!
Headed by leaders of the American Indian Movement, including activist, actor and Porcupine resident Russell Means, the group dropped in on the State Department and the embassies of Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile and South Africa this week seeking recognition for their effort to form a free and independent Lakota nation. The group plans to visit more embassies in the coming months.
The new nation is needed because Indians have been “dismissed” by the United States and are tired of living under a colonial apartheid system,
More from the Raw Story link
This is according to the laws of the United States, specifically article six of the constitution,” which states that treaties are the supreme law of the land, he said.
“It is also within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and put into effect by the US and the rest of the international community in 1980. We are legally within our rights to be free and independent,” said Means.
Courtesy of prodigal on dkos and Wikipedia
Pine Ridge is the biggest reservation in the United States, but it is also the poorest. It is probably easily comparable to the least developed countries of the Third World. Unemployment on the Reservation hovers around 35% and 61% live below the Federal poverty level.[1] Adolescent suicide is four times the national average. Many of the families have no electricity, telephone, running water, or sewer. Many families use wood stoves to heat their homes. The population on Pine Ridge has among the shortest life expectancies of any group in the Western Hemisphere: approximately 47 years for males and in the low 50s for females. The infant mortality rate is five times the United States national average.Despite the lack of formal employment opportunities on Pine Ridge, there is a great deal of agricultural production taking place, yet only a small percentage of the tribe directly benefits from this. According to the USDA, in 2002 there was nearly 33 million dollars in receipts from agricultural production on Pine Ridge, yet less than 1/3rd of that income went to members of the tribe.[2]
George has already given his blessing…I think…well maybe not….who can tell??? But at least the Lakota Nation is safe, NO ONE would ever invade a sovereign nation without good cause….right?
“We are not trying to embarrass the United States. We are here to continue the struggle for our children and grandchildren,” she (Phyllis Young) said, predicting that the battle would not be won in her lifetime.
Yeah, it’s probably just hot air….but it is hot air that gave me a bit of a spark, and I NEED a spark right now!
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Hugo sets up an embassy and starts sending discounted/free oil to the Lakota. Cuba sets up an embassy and starts sending in medical technicians. Evo sets up an embassy and starts sending natural gas. The Lakota join the Bolivarian Revolution, Mercosor (spl?) and the Banco del Sur.
And Georgie and Dicky finally have a reason to use the military in-house.
Gus and Woodrow in Montana… it’s one place i absolutely must see
you know, one day i’d love to follow a little bit of the Hat Creek gang’s trail… saddle up on horse back, sleep out under the stars, camp coffee, and move some cattle north.
but i’m not crossing any rivers… i can tell you that!
i have to soak this in a bit
This is brilliant. And even if it’s only a publicity stunt, which I don’t really think it is, it makes precisely the right point. I love it.
regarding how we are a sovereign website and our users therefore shall not be tracked online by Federal Authorities or Corporate Entities sponsored by Federal Authorities. Furthermore Docudharma declares….
if Lakota had a plan to escape the old Ghost Dance prophecy of “mud five times the height of a man” covering up the European works which trashed their Plains culture…
Yellowstone’s close, could happen. Just sayin.’
and this statement wraps it up pretty well:
“Our people want to live, not just survive or crawl and be mascots,” said Young.
Let the anti-Americans, George, Dick and Nancy go if they don’t like the country.
Canada.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/07122…
Diane W had a couple of “future histories/horror stories” a few weeks ago on the outcome of a possible Cheney/Bush coup, and the violence that it would spawn. Many highly regarded SF writers have also looked at the breakup of America and the possible outcomes.
Read Naomi Wolf and then think of the number of guns in this country, fascism would probably be a failure, with the breakup of the country as a result.
If the acrimony between the parties, and even with-in the parties elevates to a certain point who can really say what will happen. Rather than just discounting what Russel Means is trying to do as fantasy, it might behoove us all to think along the lines of extreme possibilities, and take appropriate action.
Personally Buhdy. I would look into Montana, better there than southern California, if I am not mistaken.
The point I want to make is, don’t shut the door on any possibilities, keep your options open.