more.

One of the biggest gripes I have about the Tribe is our inability to accept emotional responsibility for our future. There is this ownership of oppression that is occurring and it sickens and disgusts me. There is the notion that if you didn’t grow up on Rez that somehow you are not entitled to “an Indian experience.” All the stories about “commodity cheese this…” and “commodity cheese that…” take on less magic when you say “ I was living on commodity cheese in the city.” As if to suggest that I am less of a Saginaw Chippewa than you because I grew up off Rez. There are individuals and collectives that OWN INDIAN and if you ‘aint a part of the club; then yous shit. I for one cannot stand it.

In the recent tirade in the Morning Sun online article “Tribal Members Protest…” he feedback was fiery. All the hallmarks of emotional distrust and immaturity one would expect in a high school fight; except no class rings. I had to put in my two sense because the article confused me. It was about both police brutality and protest over the appointment of a council member. In joining the gossip wheel I had to launch my campaign for election in a public forum. Some politicians hold rallies and press conferences; I just had to get online. The big issue that was subverted…both of them but for arguments sake lets say the police brutality issue.

We have a public safety force comprised of Federal/Tribal law enforcement that is supposed to be looking out for the greater good. There is a multi million dollar casino right next door and thusly warrants some security. There are members of the community who like to drink and party. There are others who choose not to. Sometimes the cops get called to break up a party, or stop some domestic violence or to maybe pull someone over. Sometimes they deal with bomb threats. There are good people looking out for the interest of the Tribal Community.

There is an over response issue with in the police community around the country. Black kids in NYC shot 30 sometimes for having a wallet that was mistaken for a gun. A black man on his bachelor party shot 60 something times for a minor infraction. Too many times the level of response is not justified. Sometimes it is.

There is a time for boot toes to the head…especially in self-defense. And that is the line.

When is it good to fight? The liberals want to ban war and the conservatives want to clone the still born fetus of war all the way to Armageddon. How did we live to be so young a species with extremes like that? I am a gun owner and neither a republican or a democrat. The Dems don’t want me because I am pro-gun and pro gun and the Pubs don’t want me because I am pro-social liberation movement in all things they want to bust on, like telling some folks who they can marry and who their supposed to love and all that Shiite. The Green Party looked good when Winona LaDuke was in the mix and the Libertarians are ratcheting up the game to get more candidates in the mix…bravo…but whose gonna be in it for the long haul? The concept of gun rights on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation hasn’t been addressed. They exist on the Rez and even though we have our own sovereign law, I still have to go through the State to apply for a concealed weapon permit. Hows that and how is it that they wont let you have a CCW if you have applied for a PPO? Isn’t that the best time to have a CCW?

I saw bumper sticker on the back of an old rusted down Ford truck with a black topper. On the back right window it said “I’m Licensed and I Carry.” Fuck Yeah. Put a couple of those on the Rez and one of two things are gonna happen. 1. The neighborhoods are gonna get a lot quieter and less rowdy….or 2. The neighborhoods are gonna get a lot noisier and more rowdy.

Who can say?

Guns are a part of our heritage. They are the tool for equality and harvest. The tool of self- preservation and sustinance. It is “cavalry killer” and lodge protector. The fire stick. And our rights as both American Citizens and Tribal Citizens shall not be infringed.

I need some more coffee.