Regarding Globe and Mail article and comments about Aboriginal highschool dropout rates

As long as we share the notion that we all have the ability to realize our potential, anything is possible, even for me, a Métis who survived the physical/sexual abuse of the fostering system of the 60s scoop, & the worthlessness that was bestowed on EVERY NATIVE &f METIS CHILD who was forced into the residential schools, fostering systems, abusive priests, nuns, social workers, foster parents, policing people, & all others who felt that they were above & better than native people because of their heritage, class background, colour of their skin, etc. As a media teacher, I always instill in my aboriginal students to realize their potential in life instead of settling with the status quo. It is a fight because racism is still a problem today even in 2007. I still struggle, it is life as we know it; our Creator gave us life to learn, from our mistakes, achievements, & failure. Who said it was going to be easy. Our native & Métis youth struggle because racism in the school system is evident, & carry on from the systemic history of colonialism & how colonialism is instilled in the education teachings, the family structure from grandparents to parents to the child, because of the old way of thinking. As long as we change the thinking & mindset of the old school elders of the colonial system, the education teachings, the family structure from grandparents to parents to the child, & critique the racist literature, & history books, then we can remove the barriers that are not conducive to the potential of our youth. Such problems do not come from the notion of some of the racist & stupid comments noted to this article, but from the mindset that derived from the racism that is subconsciously shared to others or directly taught due to bigotry & superiority over others because of either because they work, pay taxes, & they are entitled to share their uneducated view to others. Tolerance, peace, compassion, & love all others. I can learn & change too.

More comments on Harpers position regarding UN declaration

Violet, some people call it communism that is your opinion. Others see it differently, reading your comments; it appears that you would embrace the notion of capitalism entirely regardless if your ideals are helping propagate the notion of profiting from rape mother earth and her resources, leaving nothing for your descendents, your unborn relatives, and anyone else that will inherit the leftovers of a capitalist expansion system. No doubt, you seem relatively balanced as a person, but democracy in this country under your ideals will only implode an already self=destructing government bent on its self pompous positioning on the world stage. You are so worried about your taxes paying for reserve living costs, but you don't mention the fiduciary relationship this CDN government has to Canada's First People. BECAUSE the ancestors of Canada's first people gave up their land in lieu of what was offered in the treaties, the Canadian Government has a legal responsibility to our ancestor’s descendants, so get use to that! Race politics is insidious, but such ideals are needed to give native people and people of colour some leverage in obtaining some sense of opportunities and freedom in this country, Canada and BC have an obligation to settle the relationship between the provincial government and all the unceded territory BC first nations legally own, but no-one mentions how the land was outright stolen from the First People of this area. Maybe, if you were more knowledgeable of the exactness of Canada’s sordid relationship to Canada's First People, then perhaps others will not see you as one of this boards G and M nay Sayers. All my relations

Another Comment on PM signals Canada unlikely to back UN declaration

Gran2006 skipper, Miigweech 4 your comments, The UN Declaration was handed to me during the United Church Conference on the residential School Settlement Agreement issues in June 06. My colleague residential School Survivor Gunargie O'Sullivan and I broadcasted deconstructive reviews of the IRSSA and the confusing, and obscured hidden data in the agreement & subsequential media releases since April 07 on Coop Radio's When Spirits Whispers. The government, its lawyers, advisors & its courts have decided to settle with respect to their decision to not acknowledge their guilt and complicity in initiating cultural genocide against a people so they can take control of the land & its resources. Nothing has changed as of then, & the CDN government knows it is in an illegal position regarding the notion of landownership, title, aboriginal rights & their fears now are governing their lack of accepting the UN declaration, and Canada's relationship to International law parameters. Everyone these days has an opinion on native/non-native relations, & I am no different. Sure at times I fall and fail in my ideals, but then I was taught to be like the white man, get educated like the white man, & live like the white man, but if we as native people decide to asset our ideals as a cultural sovereign people, others begin their escalated critical review of our actions, intentions and economic initiatives. You are right regarding “Let's not blame Harper...regardless of who is in power." Nevertheless, Harper is too ultra conservative for my likings, and perhaps it is time the people of this country form a new political party to take on the conservatives, Liberals, Parti Quebecois, NDP, Greens & Others.. I an not talking about fringe lunatic parties like the Marijuana Party, but a party which is based on egalitarian reform, non-capitalistic development and an equal division of power, economics, & natural resources. Idealistic, even some natives will disagree with me.

Commet on PM signaling Canada unlikely to back UN declaration

nYu non-indigenous folks may very well agree or disagre with Harpers stance, debate the ideological framework of Canada's government to the UN, BUT NEVERTHELESS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE have been forced into a position of placid acceptance of the democratic initiatives circulating in the free world today. Where freedom comes at the cost of living in abject poverty, abysmal living conditions on the reserve and in the urban centres, and demographically separated by class division real estate allocations , financial buy-offs for the aboriginal intellectuals and economic developers, and others who see the "NDN" below their cultural worth due to the historical conditions which shaped this Country, and the euro centric descendants who were told to contain the NDNS straight down from their grandparents, to the blue blood elite who run the financial and political halls of power. Harper is only an extension of the status quo and should be eliminated. eradicated, disposed of and striped of any form of decision making, humiliated in from of the aboriginal residential school survivors, like we were in front of the nuns, the police, the judges, and teachers, when we did not fit into their assimilation plans and policies. The only thing that will teach the people in power anything about equality or fairness is the blade of a guillotine coming down to their neck. A cultural revolution is in order for Canada, so let’s just do that, okay?

Main stream Media and the IRSSA August 20th deadline

There is an Overall sense of MEDIA censorship to alternative first nations views regarding the Indian Residential School Sttlement Opting Out Deadline and its connection to the contemporary issues of our time. As a native filmmakers, artists, and radio producers, my colleague Gunargie O'Sullivan and I have constantly shared information to Canadians about the complex issues pertaining to the residential school deadline today (Aug 20th., 2007). We understand and respect that Elders and others have a choice to settle with the defendants in this suit. Yet after much study , debate, many of us recognize that the settlement and propaganda campaign was flawed, deceptful and the opting out portion of this settlment was hidden with layers of newspeak to confuse all who take it upon themselves to study this nine court approved series of public documents. Apathy and limited comprehension by the media, has created a false sense of potential closure to the "NDN" problem, and that the setlement will heal Canada to heal. That notion is so far from the truth, it is the same old trickery the governments and churchs used time and time again since contact. aboriginal residential school survivors, and their understanding of the issues surrounding the IRSSA and the opt out or settle clause. Even today, I discussed the deadline with one native woman by Coop radio She understood the issues, but was too high to do anything.

Colleagues, it is tiring as we deconstruct the idealogy of Canada with art and politics. Disheartening as we see less and less people in the media caring about the tragedy of the most dis-possessed people, Canada's First people and how trickery and red tape is used by ideologues, lawyers, and government servants designed to contain and maintain the status quo. We must provide and dessiminate alternative perspectives on the issues of our times. How does the MEDIA and her their hired hands expect to know Canada without supporting the first nations artists and people who volunteer, collect and research others ways of Seeing in this world we call a global village? Do you expect us to stay in the age of feathers, ink and rawhide? Or with trinkets and beads. Is the MEDIA and their people so short sighted that they can not see beyond their place of priviledge as responsible community members? Perhaps its time to throw out the old and bring in the new? Do we all have to wait again for the okay from the Great White Chief in Ottawa? No matter how arms length we position ourselves from government policies, initiatives, clandestine meetings and manoeuvring, there will always be some subversive directive in the background monitoring the politics, media, events, words and times of the everyday.

I have more pressing issues to look at regarding the most dispossessed Canada's First People of this country than my pitful needs. Meanwhile the politicians in Ottawa will pronounce their grand schemes and dreams, while Canada's First People get @#$(W by the colonial mindset of people who think we should settle with life and what others think is best for them.

IN our numerous attempts to show the alternative aspects of the IRSSA data, the main stream media and others ignored the truth and published the propaganda that is utilizing the new pursuasive tools of genocide! Miigweech, all my relations!

refering to globeandmail story Letter was God's will

Why will T & G not publish this entry? Stirring Debate?
Each to his own, but I would preferably to rely on the goodness of the Great Creator and the Great Mystery of Life, rather than to reply on the judgement of the people on both sides of this argument. Is the act of a physical union between a man and a woman an act of procreation, an act of love, or lust? With animal procreation and human procreation, our physical urges may be similar to animals regarding emotional needs, genetic patterning, social relations, and the physical pleasure of physical entities and species of all life’s genetic programming of procreation. But as well it is through the Great Creators' designs that we are allowed to utilize the physical union of a man and woman for spiritual love through intercourse and as well procreation. Perpetuating ones immortality through our descendants is maybe every ones desire in leaving some aspect of our lives to the living earth outside of a material object in a time capsule. Sure two same sexed beings can enjoy the physical act of love or some sort of physical connection of body parts or what not to define ones relationship to someone they care about, but is it part of the Great Mystery of Life, love, lust, or just part of the normal urges, desires and choices we make regarding what we can do to something we truly own in this world, our flesh and blood. In some camps it is said, that we do not own our bodies but our bodies belong to God, Jesus Christ. Our bodies are truly temples for our Creator, but the unseen powers of this world con all of us to disbelief and doubt regarding The spiritual world, and what we cannot see, or prove in the physical world, so do what you must in this world, but I would prefer eternity in paradise as opposed to the hatred, anger, lust and gluttony of fire and brimstone and gnashing of ht teeth. Each to his own though!

Re" Globe and Mail article of 05_23_07 Stop trains or natives will: chiefs

I'm sick of all you armchair pundits giving you two bit crap about what to do with the issues of us Native people doing what we have to do to assert our rights and protect our interests as caretakers of mother earth and our culture.

It is not a matter of us not having the guts to be suicide bombers, because that is an option as far as I am concerned. Maybe we should just strap on a couple of vest bombs and come knocking on your door? But then on another hand, we value life and we are not in the NDN wars of the last couple of centuries where we had to kill to survive or be killed by all you Indian hating ancestors!

It is not a matter of one law for all people in this country, because other wise if your capitalist pig dog excremental living developers and other purveyors of capitalist destruction did not bend the law, or evade to law to get the best land of the time and racially segregate NDNS, then perhaps life would be different now. No, because aboriginal land WAS STOLEN from us and now there are over 900 outstanding lands claim cases b4 the system, which’s to say what laws have been broken or ignored.

Instead of hiding behind your web name on this list, publish you real name so we can really see who the hate mongering racists of this country are really like. I encourage all native people in North America to start suicide bombing to show the idiot who accused us of having no guts. Otherwise you racial idiots, let us demand and secure justice, restitution, and a decent life for our children and grandchildren instead of the activism we have to encourage to get the government to take our issues seriously.
Like AFN's Fontaine said, we are not breaking the law, and if the tractor protest and the transit protest is not consider unlawful and a right for these people to protest, then why are we call law breakers? Why? Because CANADA is a racist country run by Racist politicians & capitalists from the old school of colonialism. Miigweech, all my relations!

New Video on YouTube for Metis Winter Morning Film

that's right, google me for you tube and you will find my works. Have a nice day

Condolences to Family of Amber Stewart

My condolences to family and relatives of the late Amber Stewart, daughter to Deloras Dallas and sister to Danien Dallas. Her memorial will be at GlenHaven Memorial Services @ 1835 East Hastings on April 5th. 07 at 3:00pm start.

anna Niciole Smith's mom being disrespectful

It is totally disrespectful for Anna Nicole's Mother "Vergie Arthur" to air out her comments about her late daughter's supposingly drug usage, and to spout off her moral intentions on "Good Morning America" today Friday!

What gives her to right to immediately criticize the late woman's lifestyle, friends, and her position and assumed "drugged up"-ness? If this Vergie Arthur had any moral values or sympathetic values, she would have allowed grieving to take precedence instead of her jumping on the bandstand to get her two bits worth into such a sad and tragic ending to a young woman, wanting to experience life on her own terms.

Regardless of family estrangement, people still need to respect the moments in and around the passing of ones life to the next world. Anna Nicole Smith's mother had none of any these traits that show any decency or respect during a time of tragic endings. Shame on you, Vergie Arthur. Keep your assumptions and opinionated notions to yourself.

Black CLoud covers fireworks (Province A3 story Jan 31st. 2007

Why should I care about this " Black cloud covers fireworks" trivial loss when it comes to placating the desires of the masses of people who want to see these fireworks to ease their worried minds, take their mind off reality and to ease ones life? Spending that amount of money on fireworks is vain, selfish, useless, stupid, idiotic, wasteful and every other adjective I can not think of right at this moment. When Canada and its cities resolves its homeless crisis, build homes for her homeless, her seniors, resolve the problems of her first nations reserve system and urban poverty and clean up the streets of all those really bad people, who continue to get let off easy, then maybe I will support Canada and her cities to celebrate the fullest of life. Instead, the system uses such resources to appease the masses with something to do when instead today's population should seriously consider how they are spending their time in earth's prophetic days!


Respectfully,

Donald
@
http://groups.msn.com/TheDonaldMorinWebSitehttp://spaces.msn.com/members/DAMaNDN4MEDIA4ARTS/ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Donald+Morinhttp://www.myspace.com/donaldmorin& http://d_a_m.blogspot.com/

From Globe and Mail Blog about OPP toughen stance in Caledonia standoff

Wow the pros and cons of the Land Claim issues of North America are battleing it out again! Wow JUst like in the Middle East n'est pas? Who's right, who's wrong? We're all wrong, we're all mad, we're all going back to the land, so why are we still fighting and why are we in a hurry to defend what is right? EIhter way we are being pushed over the edge of madness as the new millenium moves faster and faster towards the face of our demise! We will head back to our homeland, and wonder what the fighting was all about when we were alive. As long as the developers and capitalists attempt to re=develop the natural world, we will always have the defenders stop or attempt to stop the concrete madness of the new world My advice, let the bombs fly, the sabateurs bring in their ball bearing suicide packs, and let the language of blood define this new age of terror. Either way, the new world and old world is no longer the sane, they are now the insane face of ourselves slowly dying to get to the other side of life. After Death, where we are at peace B4 we go to heaven or hell. Depending how you fight your battles here in the flesh I guess! Have a good day world, I really want to get off! I see my stop over by the dark side of the moon! I am a metis , born of two worlds colliding in the bearded faces of the fur trade, and now dying in theface of the development trades. What's wrong with our picture of democracy in this Canadian Middle East Quagmire.

B.C. artists memorialize missing women (Globe & Mail Jan.12_07)

Col. Akula
As far as I am concerned, you are an idiot and totally void of any sense of reasoning and only angry because so many people called you on your words and opinions. Awareness is important B4 and after any fact, and if you had any sense of humility, you would take your criticism with a grain of slat and move on, but no, instead you begin to rationalize your words of anger with assumed historical reasoning, and spout off validations of your father. So what! Your reasoning is after the fact too.

Regardless of B4 a tragedy or after a tragedy, life's events happen for a reason, and no effort by society, community, or individuals will stop these acts of horror if providence continues day after day. And if acts of heroism or community efforts do create change or stop a tragedy, then it was part of providence and the will of our Creator.
SO Colonel Goof, keep your opinions on your side of the fence and accept people's act of valor, recognition, or homage for what it is , a desire to acknowledge what was, what is gone, and what will be, and as far as issues from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, don't judge a person till you walk a mile in their moccasins. And if anyone really agreed with your irrational sense of outrage, then perhaps we would not honor the World war one and two war dead every November 11th, after the fact. So take your wounds, and move on to your dead end street of misguided reasoning.

TO artist paying homage to DTES missing women, (About Globe & Mail Arts Article published Jan11th., 2007

Col. Akula
Get your head out of your patriarchal stupidity. This work is no different than what Rebecca Belmore did with respect to honoring the missing women. Ms. Belmore created a performance piece in DTES where she held a rose in her mouth, placed the rose at each of the last location of the missing women, and called, (yelled) out her name. Not for money, not for respect, but for acknowledging their person, their being, their soul and heart as a woman. Here in CDN, women are still marginalized in some circles by patriarchy, and the old school of thought, where men still think women should be barefoot and back in the kitchen. Here we have an artist who is creating a work of homage to these missing women, who died due to catering to the sexual misguided desires of men. Men who should be doing better things with their life instead of taking advantage of less fortunate people. If these men have more control over their sexual urges and though more about their humble beginnings, then maybe they will have more respect for themselves and the women they abuse. Just because you pay someone money to take care of your urges, does not mean you have to mistreat them or other women who are the care-givers of our future society of children growing up to be adult. Our artists touch these ideas without saying a word, but by using an art brush to paint what's left of the blood and souls we once had on this planet earth!

NDN bishop in Canada

NDN bishop is a wonderful move considering that politics and religion together makes a firey mix, when we want to erase past mistakes. As the commenter said eariler, we are all God's children, so race should not be an issue, I am Metis and sit on the board of a United church Longhouse Native ministry, and the pastor is a wonderful non-native man, who conducts wonderful services. Incidentally, I was rasied RC, and I have no quelms against their teachings, after all we are all God's children and only should be leary of humankind, when they twist the sacred words and politicize such words. I do not see this as the case, it is a annoucement of sharing the word, so lets get to work and change the world through the love and work of our one Creator, not through past divisions of humankind's interpretivie grace.

Goodness revails over Chld help line (Globe adn Mail Jan. 5th, 07)

Kudos to this young child and to the law-enforcement officials and citizens of the world, who utilized an a potential technology which is increasingly being used for nafariouos ultraistic deeds. This shows , that the "good" prevails over en entire world, if we give goodness a chance to work with the internet sytem instead of the system being used to help those who go on raping and destroying our children of mother earth.
Every time a child cries for help, that cry is heard in the heavens, and bowels of the earth. For once, a child's cry is taken serious, considering the many times our chidlren are not heard. Good work folks, our chidlren are our precious gift from the Creator of our Times!

Re: Globe and Mail article of Jan 2nd. 07: Child care so costly immigrants sending babies back to China.

The question to ask regarding such an important parenting issues is why does systemic racism still exist in a supposingly democratic country such as Canada?

Outside of governmental polices, social initiatives, legislative laws pertaining to immigration, and economic development, nothing the government initiates is going to change the attitude and mindset of a Euro Canadian population which is sway and defined by the Affirmative culture. A culture which is defined by the historical conditions and development of a colonial culture which created the systemic and racist capitalist system we have today in Canada.
Our new Asian Canadians and other new immigrants would not have to break up the family unit if the potential private/public institutions and employers of these new professionals did not devalue the academic, and professional experience of this people, based on a Euro Canadian value of what is worthy and affirmed in North American society, by the constructs of the Affirmative culture. These families are no different than the descendants of the European immigrants, who came here to better themselves in the new world. Today it is no different, for the new immigrants who only want to better themselves and their career opportunities to provide a better life for their families. Such devaluation of their professional skills is blatant racism, and not until the Euro- Canadian descendants realize and deplore their systemic views and attitudes, will our Asian Canadian families be of equal par with the majority of the Canadian population. So Canada, Harper may describe that Canada is the greatest country in the world, but he is only paying lip service to the status quo and is creating a racist government and country just like the days before and after confederation. Miigweech, all