Metaneos

APTN National News Bellegarde said Ottawa’s favorite tactic is to use the word “veto” when describing why it continues to oppose the full implementation of the declaration in Canada. The Harper government has claimed, in its argument against supporting Saganash’s bill, that the declaration gives First Nations veto power over legislation and development impacting its rights and territories. “The term veto is not used in the UN Declaration. Veto implies an absolute right or power to reject a law or development that concerns Indigenous peoples, regardless of the facts and law in any given situation,” said Bellegarde. “Canada then builds on this imagined frenzy of absolute power and declares: ‘It would be irresponsible to give any one group in Canada a veto.’” If only Canada's opposition party leaders were as tough on the Canadian government as Chief Perry Bellegarde. He's been doing yeoman's work since being elected, and mainly he's been doing the job he was ...

Kwikwetlem Chief Ron Giesbrecht re-elected despite million dollar payday Injuns aren't allowed the big bucks! Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said at the time, the large payday was " not reasonable" and promised that government would look after the best interests of taxpayers if First Nations didn't. Even if that money wasn't actually paid by Canada, but by the earned profits of that First Nations community? It's a small community with under a 100 residents, but the community somehow won the lottery, and are profiting through smart financial deals. And somehow it's wrong if that community is rewarding its leadership for having them break free of the poverty many Indian Reserves operate under? Well, actually, I guess so. Injuns aren't allowed to be anything but poor, miserable, and outcast!

I've been a in deep, deep depression these past couple years. I'm naturally manic-depressive, but I've also been genuinely sad, without an inkling of what I've needed to do in my personal life. I've been lost, and I've lost some friends. Well, I'm still lost, but I'm emerging from my sadness. I've taken a lot of time to think whilst in my funk. I'd been thinking, "How do we extricate ourselves out of this mess we've placed ourselves? What is the way forward?" I've found no answer. There's no clear path forward. There's no strategy, no long term plan that can really account for every possible setback that will occur. I suppose that's true of all plans, though. "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." The solution then, I guess, is we need to wing it. Improvise. Get tough, and push forward. Suffer the pains from the blows we will receive, without flinching. Start moving forward to a place we wan...

A quote I liked from a recent The Intercept article : The passage of the terrorism bill would represent a new “open season on First Nations who are speaking out,” she says. Oppose Bill C-51, for good, and for yourself.

Senator Nancy Ruth slams auditors over 'breakfast' claims A Conservative senator today bristled at questions auditors have put to her about her expenses, saying she shouldn't be expected to eat airline breakfasts. "If you want ice-cold camembert with broken crackers, have it!," said Senator Nancy Ruth. I don't care what she eats, but her charging the taxpayers to eat fine meals is way out of line. She gets paid enough she can afford her own damn food. How out of touch are Harper's cronies? Sorry, rhetorical question, I know, but still. If we could measure it, how far out there is this? Edit: Ms Ruth isn't one of  Harper's appointees, but one of Martin's. Therefore, I apologize for calling her one of Harper's cronies, when she's in fact one of Martin's.