Uncle Ho
10th October 2009, 18:50
The Pine Ridge Indian reservation is located in South-West South Dakota. It borders the state of Nebraska on the south, and is roughly the size of Deleware and Rhode Island combined. It has a population of 28,787, most of them Lakota Sioux. It is known as "The Rez" to it's residents.
That is, however, about all the good you can say about it.
The Pine Ridge Reservation is quite possibly the most disgusting and inhumane abuse of human beings in the entire first world, it is indicative of the continued racism and dangerous apathy that pervades this nation, even reaching to the highest seats of power.
Pine Ridge has a 80% unemployment rate, with at least half of all families living well below the poverty line. As many as 45% have no electricity, running water, sewer or heat, relying on wood burning stoves (Which often have to burn furniture, tires and anything else flammable the families can get a hold of) to survive the brutal South Dakota winters. The per capita income is roughly $3600 per year. Pine Ridge has the lowest life expectancy, 44 for men/ 47 for women, of any area in the entire industrialized world. This number is lower than even Somalia. The infant mortality rate is higher than that of Hati, and those that do survive face a grim childhood, with adolescent suicide 6 times higher than the national average. Diabetes is the largest killer, followed by alcohol related deaths (Mostly car accidents), exposure, and alcohol poisoning. All this despite alcohol being illegal on the rez. The law on the rez is very odd with lots of loopholes, worthless, underfunded and corrupt enforcement, which leads to rates of crime and violence being very high. There is an average of 17 people living in each home, and the average home has 2 rooms.
Hospitals are few and far between, with sporadic, at best, ambulance services, so many natives die of easily treated conditions. The IMS (Indian Medical Service) spends $2100 per patient, per year. To put that into perspective, Medicare pays $8000 and Medicade pays $4200. It is estimated that the reservation system is worse than that of Afghanistan.
The tribal councils are incredibly corrupt and operate off a spoils system, with people elected to office simply giving all positions to their friends and family as the loot the tribe's funds for as long as they can. Only 1 in 90 Natives actually vote anyway, with most of them incapable of reaching the far flung polling places. A recent attempt by the South Dakota Democratic Party to mobilize, register and make sure that Natives voted was greeted by violent assaults from rednecks, vandalism and police harassment.
I know what you're thinking: "BUT UNCLE HO! THIS IS NOT MY FAULT! WE STOPPED KILLING INDIANS 100 YEARS AGO!"
To that, I can only say you are either racist or incredibly naive. The US Government always has, and continues to this day, to oppress the Native Americans more than any other group in it's history.
An example of this would be the economic "production" of the rez. Despite the land being set aside for the Natives, the state of South Dakota has allowed white farmers to buy or lease much of the best land, meaning that of the $33 million worth of agricultural production occurring on the rez, less than 1/3rd will ever find it's way into the hands of any member of the tribe. A large problem is, that although the rez has decent farmland, they could not, even if they had the money and resources to run an operation, sell their own crops. In order for a crop to be sold commercially, it must be inspected by the USDA.
The USDA, however, flatly refuses to inspect any crops produced by a member of the tribe, citing some obscure tribal law or another.
This system forces any Natives who wish to farm their own land to sell their land and go to work for a white farmer. Sharecropping is still alive and well on the rez.
To add insult to injury, the state allows, if not encourages, stealing the rez's water, most of which is pumped off to irrigate the farms of white farmers or to white communities elsewhere in the state.
The rez has tried, at various times, a Moccasin factory, meat packing plant and fish hook factory.
All of these enterprises were shot down by the federal government, who has basically made it impossible for Native produced goods to be sold outside the rez with a bizarre tax and customs system. The only successful venture is the Prairie Wind Casino, which, despite "making money" (Most of which is pocketed by corrupt officials) is as much harm to the tribe as it is good, sucking many Natives even further into the spiral of debt, alcoholism and despair.
The Natives have risen up in the past, however. It really began with the American Indian Movement. Founded in 1968, they initially followed the teachings of such men as Martin Luther King and Gandhi, sticking to peaceful, albeit aggressive, protest. They understood that working within the American political system was worthless, and engaged in a campaign almost similar to that of the Yippies, boisterously seeking publicity wherever it could be gained. One of their earliest actions was seizing a replica of the Mayflower, followed by occupying Mount Rushmore.
As is to be expected, this did not work. They changed their tactics, and became more aggressive and radical. In 1971, they partook in their first real violent action, seizing the Bureau Of Indian Affairs HQ in Washington, DC. Seeing this, the Federal government became terrified and ramped up it's well known COINTELPRO to stop these filthy natives from achieving equal rights. It was during this time that Russell Means, a government agent, was inserted into the echelon of AIM leadership and tasked with discrediting and destroying the AIM from within.
In 1973, the AIM ramped it up even further, with as many as 1200 natives taking up arms to depose Dick Wilson, a teapot dictator set up by the Feds. Not only was he a prolific embezzler of tribal funds and unelected, but he went so far as to set up death squads called GOON (Guardians Of the Oglala Nation) which regularly engaged in robbery, rape, murder and extortion. He had specific orders from the fedral government to engage in "paramilitary activities" to destroy the AIM.
The AIM seized the town of Wounded Knee, and within the same day (Probably thanks to intel from Russell Means and Ward Churchill, another proven federal agent) the FBI, US Marshals, state police and army had surrounded the town.
The AIM held out for 71 days, engaged in sporadic firefights with the federal forces. Despite the Federal forces having attack helicopters, tanks, assault rifles, snipers and explosives, they never broke the stalemate with the AIM. The Feds at first attempted to starve out the AIM, but thanks to successful smuggling operations (Which had huge support from the surrounding communities), this tactic was not successful. The siege eventually reached a peaceful conclusion, however 2 FBI agents were killed and a US Marshal was paralyzed in the firefights. 2 Lakotas were killed, both being shot in the head as they slept.
Terrified, COINTELPRO escalated things further, supplying the GOONs with military grade weapons and training. During this time, all out war broke out on the reservation, with Pine Ridge having a murder rate of 170 per 100,000, 7 times that of Detroit. Most of the deaths were the government sponsored death squads killing AIM members and government opponents. It got to the point where even FBI agents were assisting in the killing, as was evidenced by another incident, the 1975 "Pine Ridge Shootout" where Federal agents attacked AIM activists.
The AIM activists fired back, killing 2 FBI men. The killers spent some time on the FBI's top 10 most wanted fugitives list, and were eventually caught.
However, due to the federal attempt to fabricate evidence to make the AIM seem like they were in the wrong, 2 of the 3 shooters were acquitted. The third, Leonard Peltier, was found guilty, thanks to a racist judge not allowing in the evidence that acquitted the other two men. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he remains to this day.
Already weakened, the final blow was dealt to the AIM in 1976, when Anna Mae Aquash, a Lakota woman who had found out that Russell Means was a government informant, was murdered. The Federal Government initially attempted to cover it up, stating that Ana Mae had died of exposure and refusing to identify her, instead saying she was a Jane Doe. It was not until 8 days after her burial that the AIM was able to exert enough pressure to get a second autopsy, which found out who she was and that she was shot, execution style, in the back of the head. Despite one of his bodyguards planning the murder, providing the weapon and possibly even pulling the trigger, Russell Means has never faced any charges, nor has he ever been called to testify.
After this murder, the AIM was never really active again, being reduced to a bloated, ineffective shell under the lead of Means, the very man who was tasked with destroying them.
This is your legacy, White America.
That is, however, about all the good you can say about it.
The Pine Ridge Reservation is quite possibly the most disgusting and inhumane abuse of human beings in the entire first world, it is indicative of the continued racism and dangerous apathy that pervades this nation, even reaching to the highest seats of power.
Pine Ridge has a 80% unemployment rate, with at least half of all families living well below the poverty line. As many as 45% have no electricity, running water, sewer or heat, relying on wood burning stoves (Which often have to burn furniture, tires and anything else flammable the families can get a hold of) to survive the brutal South Dakota winters. The per capita income is roughly $3600 per year. Pine Ridge has the lowest life expectancy, 44 for men/ 47 for women, of any area in the entire industrialized world. This number is lower than even Somalia. The infant mortality rate is higher than that of Hati, and those that do survive face a grim childhood, with adolescent suicide 6 times higher than the national average. Diabetes is the largest killer, followed by alcohol related deaths (Mostly car accidents), exposure, and alcohol poisoning. All this despite alcohol being illegal on the rez. The law on the rez is very odd with lots of loopholes, worthless, underfunded and corrupt enforcement, which leads to rates of crime and violence being very high. There is an average of 17 people living in each home, and the average home has 2 rooms.
Hospitals are few and far between, with sporadic, at best, ambulance services, so many natives die of easily treated conditions. The IMS (Indian Medical Service) spends $2100 per patient, per year. To put that into perspective, Medicare pays $8000 and Medicade pays $4200. It is estimated that the reservation system is worse than that of Afghanistan.
The tribal councils are incredibly corrupt and operate off a spoils system, with people elected to office simply giving all positions to their friends and family as the loot the tribe's funds for as long as they can. Only 1 in 90 Natives actually vote anyway, with most of them incapable of reaching the far flung polling places. A recent attempt by the South Dakota Democratic Party to mobilize, register and make sure that Natives voted was greeted by violent assaults from rednecks, vandalism and police harassment.
I know what you're thinking: "BUT UNCLE HO! THIS IS NOT MY FAULT! WE STOPPED KILLING INDIANS 100 YEARS AGO!"
To that, I can only say you are either racist or incredibly naive. The US Government always has, and continues to this day, to oppress the Native Americans more than any other group in it's history.
An example of this would be the economic "production" of the rez. Despite the land being set aside for the Natives, the state of South Dakota has allowed white farmers to buy or lease much of the best land, meaning that of the $33 million worth of agricultural production occurring on the rez, less than 1/3rd will ever find it's way into the hands of any member of the tribe. A large problem is, that although the rez has decent farmland, they could not, even if they had the money and resources to run an operation, sell their own crops. In order for a crop to be sold commercially, it must be inspected by the USDA.
The USDA, however, flatly refuses to inspect any crops produced by a member of the tribe, citing some obscure tribal law or another.
This system forces any Natives who wish to farm their own land to sell their land and go to work for a white farmer. Sharecropping is still alive and well on the rez.
To add insult to injury, the state allows, if not encourages, stealing the rez's water, most of which is pumped off to irrigate the farms of white farmers or to white communities elsewhere in the state.
The rez has tried, at various times, a Moccasin factory, meat packing plant and fish hook factory.
All of these enterprises were shot down by the federal government, who has basically made it impossible for Native produced goods to be sold outside the rez with a bizarre tax and customs system. The only successful venture is the Prairie Wind Casino, which, despite "making money" (Most of which is pocketed by corrupt officials) is as much harm to the tribe as it is good, sucking many Natives even further into the spiral of debt, alcoholism and despair.
The Natives have risen up in the past, however. It really began with the American Indian Movement. Founded in 1968, they initially followed the teachings of such men as Martin Luther King and Gandhi, sticking to peaceful, albeit aggressive, protest. They understood that working within the American political system was worthless, and engaged in a campaign almost similar to that of the Yippies, boisterously seeking publicity wherever it could be gained. One of their earliest actions was seizing a replica of the Mayflower, followed by occupying Mount Rushmore.
As is to be expected, this did not work. They changed their tactics, and became more aggressive and radical. In 1971, they partook in their first real violent action, seizing the Bureau Of Indian Affairs HQ in Washington, DC. Seeing this, the Federal government became terrified and ramped up it's well known COINTELPRO to stop these filthy natives from achieving equal rights. It was during this time that Russell Means, a government agent, was inserted into the echelon of AIM leadership and tasked with discrediting and destroying the AIM from within.
In 1973, the AIM ramped it up even further, with as many as 1200 natives taking up arms to depose Dick Wilson, a teapot dictator set up by the Feds. Not only was he a prolific embezzler of tribal funds and unelected, but he went so far as to set up death squads called GOON (Guardians Of the Oglala Nation) which regularly engaged in robbery, rape, murder and extortion. He had specific orders from the fedral government to engage in "paramilitary activities" to destroy the AIM.
The AIM seized the town of Wounded Knee, and within the same day (Probably thanks to intel from Russell Means and Ward Churchill, another proven federal agent) the FBI, US Marshals, state police and army had surrounded the town.
The AIM held out for 71 days, engaged in sporadic firefights with the federal forces. Despite the Federal forces having attack helicopters, tanks, assault rifles, snipers and explosives, they never broke the stalemate with the AIM. The Feds at first attempted to starve out the AIM, but thanks to successful smuggling operations (Which had huge support from the surrounding communities), this tactic was not successful. The siege eventually reached a peaceful conclusion, however 2 FBI agents were killed and a US Marshal was paralyzed in the firefights. 2 Lakotas were killed, both being shot in the head as they slept.
Terrified, COINTELPRO escalated things further, supplying the GOONs with military grade weapons and training. During this time, all out war broke out on the reservation, with Pine Ridge having a murder rate of 170 per 100,000, 7 times that of Detroit. Most of the deaths were the government sponsored death squads killing AIM members and government opponents. It got to the point where even FBI agents were assisting in the killing, as was evidenced by another incident, the 1975 "Pine Ridge Shootout" where Federal agents attacked AIM activists.
The AIM activists fired back, killing 2 FBI men. The killers spent some time on the FBI's top 10 most wanted fugitives list, and were eventually caught.
However, due to the federal attempt to fabricate evidence to make the AIM seem like they were in the wrong, 2 of the 3 shooters were acquitted. The third, Leonard Peltier, was found guilty, thanks to a racist judge not allowing in the evidence that acquitted the other two men. He was sentenced to life in prison, where he remains to this day.
Already weakened, the final blow was dealt to the AIM in 1976, when Anna Mae Aquash, a Lakota woman who had found out that Russell Means was a government informant, was murdered. The Federal Government initially attempted to cover it up, stating that Ana Mae had died of exposure and refusing to identify her, instead saying she was a Jane Doe. It was not until 8 days after her burial that the AIM was able to exert enough pressure to get a second autopsy, which found out who she was and that she was shot, execution style, in the back of the head. Despite one of his bodyguards planning the murder, providing the weapon and possibly even pulling the trigger, Russell Means has never faced any charges, nor has he ever been called to testify.
After this murder, the AIM was never really active again, being reduced to a bloated, ineffective shell under the lead of Means, the very man who was tasked with destroying them.
This is your legacy, White America.