Saturday, December 27, 2008
prayer
Psalm 31:17-Let them be silent in the grave.Psalm 35:17-Lord,how long will You look on?Psalm 37:13-The Lord shall laugh at him,For He sees his day is coming.Psalm 37:20-The wicked shall perish.Psalm 37:34-When the wicked are cut off,you shall see it.
Friday, December 26, 2008
prayer
Psalm 10:7-His mouth is full of cursing.Psalm 18:41-They cried,but there was none to save them.Psalm 21:11-For they intended evil against You,They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.Psalm 22:17-They look,and stare at Me.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
prayer
Psalm 120:3-What shall be given to you,Or what shall be done to you,You false tongue?Psalm 120:4-Sharp arrows of the warrior,With coals of the broom tree!
prayer
Psalm 118:6-The Lord is on my side.Psalm 119:84-When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
prayer
Psalm 108:12=Give us help from trouble,For vain is the help of man.Psalm 109:8-Let his days be few.Psalm 109:17-As he loved cursing,so let it come to him.Psalm 109:19-Let it be to him as a garment which covers him,And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.Psalm 109:20-Let the Lord's reward to my accusers,And to those who speak evil against my person.
Monday, December 22, 2008
prayer
Psalm 107:12=They fell down,and there was none to help.Psalm 107:27-They stagger like a drunken man.And are at their wit's end.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
prayer
Psalm 94:23-He shall cut them off in their own wickedness,The Lord our God shall cut them off.Psalm 102:14-Your servants take pleasure in her stones,And show favor to her dust.Psalm 102:26-They shall perish.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
prayer
Psalm 90:8-You have set our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.Psalm 91:14-He has set his love upon me.Psalm 91:15-He shall call upon me,and I will answer him.Psalm 92:4-I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
Monday, December 15, 2008
prayer
Psalm 83:4-They have said,"Come,and let us cut them off from being a nation."Psalm 85:4-Cause your anger towards us to cease.Psalm 86:17-Show me a sign for good,That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,Because,You,Lord,have helped me and comforted me.
prayer
Psalm 78:36-Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God.Psalm 78:56-He put them to a perpetual reproach.Psalm 79:11-According to the greatness of Your power,Preserve those who are appointed to die.
prayer
Psalm 68:11-Great was the company of those who proclaimed it.Psalm 69:12-I am the song of the drunkards.Psalm 71:10-Those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.Psalm 73:6-Violence covers them like a garment.Psalm 74:8-They said in their hearts,"Let us destroy them together."Psalm 78:2-I will utter dark sayings of old.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
moon
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
Biggest Full Moon of the Year
Quote:
"No, you can not see Neil Armstrong's footprint. But go ahead and look: The full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year.
It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.
Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
But you still won't be able to see Armstrong's footprint. Not even Hubble can do that. The Moon is 384,400 km away (on average). At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide. The biggest pieces of left-behind Apollo equipment are only about 9 meters across and smaller than a single pixel in a Hubble image.
What you will see is the world around you. This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there's snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
A fun experiment: Take a friend outside on Friday evening and ask if they notice anything unusual. Is the Moon big and bright enough to impress the unwary? Explain perigee later....
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips Credit: http://science.nasa.gov/
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09dec_fullmoon.htm
POSTED BY MARY HOPPE AT 11:34 PM
Biggest Full Moon of the Year
Quote:
"No, you can not see Neil Armstrong's footprint. But go ahead and look: The full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year.
It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.
Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.
But you still won't be able to see Armstrong's footprint. Not even Hubble can do that. The Moon is 384,400 km away (on average). At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide. The biggest pieces of left-behind Apollo equipment are only about 9 meters across and smaller than a single pixel in a Hubble image.
What you will see is the world around you. This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there's snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
A fun experiment: Take a friend outside on Friday evening and ask if they notice anything unusual. Is the Moon big and bright enough to impress the unwary? Explain perigee later....
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips Credit: http://science.nasa.gov/
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09dec_fullmoon.htm
POSTED BY MARY HOPPE AT 11:34 PM
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
prayer
Psalm 52:5-He shall take you away,and pluck you out of your dwelling place.Psalm 55:23-But You,O God,shall bring them down to the pit of destruction.Psalm 56:5-All their thoughts are against me for evil.Psalm 62:4-They only consult to cast him down from his high position,They curse inwardly.Psalm 62:10=Do not vainly hope in robbery.Psalm 64:6-"We have perfected a shrewd scheme."Both the inward thought and heart of man are deep.Psalm 64:8-So He will make them stumble over their own tongue.
native american center
All Tribal Indian Center
We Are A Non Profit Organization Dedicated To Providing Food, Clothing, Personal Products, Furniture, Small Household Items and Cleaning Supplies to The Native American Community.
We are Striving to Promote
Native American Culture, Historical and
Spiritual Traditions.
Our Objectives:
Our first and foremost objective is to cater to the needs of the Native American Community including but not limited to: food, clothing, personal hygiene items, household products, and school supplies.
One Objective is to have community and cultural activities year round such as arts and crafts, gatherings, Demonstrations and Hands On Work Shops.
Another Objective is to provide every family in need with a Thanksgiving and Christmas
Food Basket as well as having a Native American Community Christmas Gathering with Presents for the Children.
We would be more than happy if you would stop by and Visit Us at:
All Tribal Indian Center
1536 E Division
Springfield, MO 65803
alltribal_indiancenter@hotmail.com
We Are A Non Profit Organization Dedicated To Providing Food, Clothing, Personal Products, Furniture, Small Household Items and Cleaning Supplies to The Native American Community.
We are Striving to Promote
Native American Culture, Historical and
Spiritual Traditions.
Our Objectives:
Our first and foremost objective is to cater to the needs of the Native American Community including but not limited to: food, clothing, personal hygiene items, household products, and school supplies.
One Objective is to have community and cultural activities year round such as arts and crafts, gatherings, Demonstrations and Hands On Work Shops.
Another Objective is to provide every family in need with a Thanksgiving and Christmas
Food Basket as well as having a Native American Community Christmas Gathering with Presents for the Children.
We would be more than happy if you would stop by and Visit Us at:
All Tribal Indian Center
1536 E Division
Springfield, MO 65803
alltribal_indiancenter@hotmail.com
tara watch
From:
Tara Watch
Date: Dec 9, 2008 9:17 AM
Subject:
Help Save Tara - make a submission to Dept of Environment
Body:
TaraWatch is calling on the public, around the world, to make submissions to an advisory group that has been set up by the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to review the current list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland, known as the Tentative List (of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites). The Irish Government is currently building the M3 motorway through the heart of the archaeological complex associated with the Hill of Tara, in County Meath, at the same time that it is proposing to nominate Tara to Ireland's Tentative List. We are asking members of the public to sign our petition and to make submissions, before Friday, January 30th, 2009. Email your submission to worldheritagetentativelist@environ. ie
Tara Watch
Date: Dec 9, 2008 9:17 AM
Subject:
Help Save Tara - make a submission to Dept of Environment
Body:
TaraWatch is calling on the public, around the world, to make submissions to an advisory group that has been set up by the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to review the current list of potential UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland, known as the Tentative List (of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites). The Irish Government is currently building the M3 motorway through the heart of the archaeological complex associated with the Hill of Tara, in County Meath, at the same time that it is proposing to nominate Tara to Ireland's Tentative List. We are asking members of the public to sign our petition and to make submissions, before Friday, January 30th, 2009. Email your submission to worldheritagetentativelist@environ. ie
tara watch
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
TaraWatch Joins United Nations Global Compact in effor to Save the Hill of Tara from the M3
Category: News and Politics
TaraWatch has been accepted by the United Nations and added to the register of UN Global Compact participants. Campaigners to save the Hill of Tara from the M3 motorway will now ask the UN to bring all public and private stakeholders in the controversy to the negotiating table. The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.A formal request for stakeholder engagement has already been sent to the Spanish construction company, Ferrovial, who sent a reply indicating they were awaiting documentation from their Irish subsidiary. Now, all other stakeholders will receive a similar request, along with Government parties. The contract is to design, build, finance and operate the 50km M3 Clonee to North of Kells project under a 45-year concession. EuroLink M3 is owned by SIAC and Cintra (Concessiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A.). Cintra is a subsidiary of the leading international infrastructure developer, Grupo Ferrovial S.A. Senior debt for the project has been provided by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., Banco Santander Central Hispano, S.A. and Calyon. All of these parties will now be asked to participate in stakeholder emgagement, under the aegis of the UN. The following is the letter received from the UN Global Compact:
Dear TaraWatch,Welcome to the United Nations Global Compact! We thank you for joining the world's largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. This letter is to inform you that TaraWatch has been added to the register of Global Compact participants. As a participant, a company makes a commitment:* to set in motion changes to business operations so that the Global Compact and its ten principles become part of strategy, culture and day-to-day operations;* to publicly advocate the Global Compact and its principles via available communications channels; and* to communicate annually and publicly on progress made in implementing the Global Compact principles.An official welcome letter and an information package on the Global Compact will be sent to your organization's top executive by mail. More information and guidance on engagement opportunities and expectations can be found on the Global Compact website.Sincerely,The Global Compact Office
For more information see www.tarawatch.org of email info@tarawatch.org
9:04 AM2 Comments(Add Comment) |4 Kudos (Give Kudos)
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TaraWatch Joins United Nations Global Compact in effor to Save the Hill of Tara from the M3
Category: News and Politics
TaraWatch has been accepted by the United Nations and added to the register of UN Global Compact participants. Campaigners to save the Hill of Tara from the M3 motorway will now ask the UN to bring all public and private stakeholders in the controversy to the negotiating table. The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.A formal request for stakeholder engagement has already been sent to the Spanish construction company, Ferrovial, who sent a reply indicating they were awaiting documentation from their Irish subsidiary. Now, all other stakeholders will receive a similar request, along with Government parties. The contract is to design, build, finance and operate the 50km M3 Clonee to North of Kells project under a 45-year concession. EuroLink M3 is owned by SIAC and Cintra (Concessiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A.). Cintra is a subsidiary of the leading international infrastructure developer, Grupo Ferrovial S.A. Senior debt for the project has been provided by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., Banco Santander Central Hispano, S.A. and Calyon. All of these parties will now be asked to participate in stakeholder emgagement, under the aegis of the UN. The following is the letter received from the UN Global Compact:
Dear TaraWatch,Welcome to the United Nations Global Compact! We thank you for joining the world's largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. This letter is to inform you that TaraWatch has been added to the register of Global Compact participants. As a participant, a company makes a commitment:* to set in motion changes to business operations so that the Global Compact and its ten principles become part of strategy, culture and day-to-day operations;* to publicly advocate the Global Compact and its principles via available communications channels; and* to communicate annually and publicly on progress made in implementing the Global Compact principles.An official welcome letter and an information package on the Global Compact will be sent to your organization's top executive by mail. More information and guidance on engagement opportunities and expectations can be found on the Global Compact website.Sincerely,The Global Compact Office
For more information see www.tarawatch.org of email info@tarawatch.org
9:04 AM2 Comments(Add Comment) |4 Kudos (Give Kudos)
Previous Post: Email complaint to Ferrovial for Building Motorway through Tara | Back to Blog List | Next Post: Call for Submissions to Dept of Environment re Tara World Heritagte Site and M3 motorway
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
heinz ketchup
codebase="http://..../swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" width="250" height="250">
Get Your Own at Heinz.com
Get Your Own at Heinz.com
prayer
Psalm 35:17-Lord,how long will You look on?Rescue me from their destructions.Psalm 35:20-They devise deceitful matters, Against the that are quiet in the land.
prayer
Psalm 18:41-They cried out,but there was none to save them.Psalm 19:4-Their line has gone out through all the earth.Psalm 22:17-They look and stare upon me.Psalm 26:10-Whose right hand is full of bribes.Psalm 27:2-They stumbled and fell.Psalm 27:12-Such as breathe out violence.Psalm 31:13-They scheme to take away my life.Psalm 31:17-Let them be silent in the grave.Psalm 31:18-Let the lying lips be put to silence,Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.Psalm 33:10-The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
parole petition
Dear runswithdeer
Thank you for signing the "PETITION IN SUPPORT OF PAROLE OF LEONARD PELTIER" petition at iPetitions.com website.
Your signature is valuable and makes a real difference. Please encourage others to sign the petition as well. To do that, just forward the text below to everyone who might be interested:
------- FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS -------
Hi,
I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:
"PETITION IN SUPPORT OF PAROLE OF LEONARD PELTIER"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/parole2008?e
I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.
Thanks!
---------------------------------------------
Once again, thanks for signing the petition!
Sincerely,
-iPetitions Campaigns Team
p.s. If you would like to start your own free petition, you can do so here:
http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition
---
Thank you for signing the "PETITION IN SUPPORT OF PAROLE OF LEONARD PELTIER" petition at iPetitions.com website.
Your signature is valuable and makes a real difference. Please encourage others to sign the petition as well. To do that, just forward the text below to everyone who might be interested:
------- FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS -------
Hi,
I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:
"PETITION IN SUPPORT OF PAROLE OF LEONARD PELTIER"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/parole2008?e
I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.
Thanks!
---------------------------------------------
Once again, thanks for signing the petition!
Sincerely,
-iPetitions Campaigns Team
p.s. If you would like to start your own free petition, you can do so here:
http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition
---
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Peltier parole hearing
n issue of vitalimportance to tens of millions of supporters of indigenous and humanrights throughout the world--the continued incarceration of American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier. Although Amnesty International has recognized Peltier as a political prisoner and called for his "immediate and unconditional release," he still sits in a federal cell ashe has for more than three decades launch a grassroots campaign to the federal parole commission and to the new administration of Barack Obama to at long last free Leonard Peltier. We need to turn a newpage in our relations with Native peoples, and the release of the "Mandela of Indian Country," as some writers have termed Peltier, would be an excellent starting point. Please don't
let Leonard Peltier die in prison.As we move into the next critical phase of the freedom struggle with animminent parole hearing (likely next month), Thank you
let Leonard Peltier die in prison.As we move into the next critical phase of the freedom struggle with animminent parole hearing (likely next month), Thank you
leonard peltier
Convicted in connection with the deaths on June 26, 1975, of Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Leonard Peltier remains imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, despite proof that he was convicted on the basis of fabricated and suppressed evidence, as well as coerced testimony. In fact, the court record clearly shows that government prosecutors have long held that they do not know who killed Mr. Coler and Mr. Williams and, according to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals: "Much of the government's behavior at the Pine Ridge Reservation and its prosecution of Mr. Peltier is to be condemned. The government withheld evidence. It intimidated witnesses. These facts are not disputed." In spite of these facts, Mr. Peltier has served more than 30 years in prison.
After careful consideration of the facts in Mr. Peltier's case, we have concluded that Leonard Peltier does not represent a risk to the public. First, Mr. Peltier has no prior convictions and has advocated for non-violence throughout his prison term. Furthermore, Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner. He has received excellent evaluations from his work supervisors on a regular basis. He continues to mentor young Native prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean and sober lives. He has used his time productively, disciplining himself to be a talented painter and an expressive writer. Although Mr. Peltier maintains that he did not kill the agents, he has openly expressed remorse and sadness over their deaths.
Most admirably, Mr. Peltier contributes regular support to those in need. He donates his paintings to charities including battered women's shelters, half way houses, alcohol and drug treatment programs, and Native American scholarship funds. He also coordinates an annual gift drive for the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation -- a successful program that, in 2006, expanded to include other reservations throughout the country.
Leonard Peltier is widely recognized in the human rights community for his good deeds and in turn has won several human rights awards including the North Star Frederick Douglas Award; Federation of Labour (Ontario, Canada) Humanist of the Year Award; Human Rights Commission of Spain International Human Rights Prize; and 2004 Silver Arrow Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2004, 2006, 2007, and again in 2008, Mr. Peltier also was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Peltier is now over 60 years of age -- a great-grandfather -- and suffers from partial blindness, diabetes, a heart condition, and high blood pressure.
Rather than presenting a threat to the public, Mr. Peltier's release would help to heal a wound that has long impeded better relations between the federal government and American Indians.
Mr. Peltier deserves to be reunited with his family and allowed to live the remaining years of his life in peace.
We, the undersigned, support justice and human rights for all people of all nations; recognize that the U.S. courts, by their decisions, have recognized the undisputed misconduct in Peltier's case, yet have failed to take corrective action; determine the U.S. government's handling of the Peltier case as a clear abuse of the legal standards of American justice; and do hereby call for justice for Leonard Peltier in the form of an immediate grant of parole.
After careful consideration of the facts in Mr. Peltier's case, we have concluded that Leonard Peltier does not represent a risk to the public. First, Mr. Peltier has no prior convictions and has advocated for non-violence throughout his prison term. Furthermore, Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner. He has received excellent evaluations from his work supervisors on a regular basis. He continues to mentor young Native prisoners, encouraging them to lead clean and sober lives. He has used his time productively, disciplining himself to be a talented painter and an expressive writer. Although Mr. Peltier maintains that he did not kill the agents, he has openly expressed remorse and sadness over their deaths.
Most admirably, Mr. Peltier contributes regular support to those in need. He donates his paintings to charities including battered women's shelters, half way houses, alcohol and drug treatment programs, and Native American scholarship funds. He also coordinates an annual gift drive for the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation -- a successful program that, in 2006, expanded to include other reservations throughout the country.
Leonard Peltier is widely recognized in the human rights community for his good deeds and in turn has won several human rights awards including the North Star Frederick Douglas Award; Federation of Labour (Ontario, Canada) Humanist of the Year Award; Human Rights Commission of Spain International Human Rights Prize; and 2004 Silver Arrow Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2004, 2006, 2007, and again in 2008, Mr. Peltier also was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Peltier is now over 60 years of age -- a great-grandfather -- and suffers from partial blindness, diabetes, a heart condition, and high blood pressure.
Rather than presenting a threat to the public, Mr. Peltier's release would help to heal a wound that has long impeded better relations between the federal government and American Indians.
Mr. Peltier deserves to be reunited with his family and allowed to live the remaining years of his life in peace.
We, the undersigned, support justice and human rights for all people of all nations; recognize that the U.S. courts, by their decisions, have recognized the undisputed misconduct in Peltier's case, yet have failed to take corrective action; determine the U.S. government's handling of the Peltier case as a clear abuse of the legal standards of American justice; and do hereby call for justice for Leonard Peltier in the form of an immediate grant of parole.
free leonard peltier
response to letter sent:The Bureau of Prisons understands that separation from family is a
painful consequence of incarceration and attempts to designate inmates
to facilities commensurate with their security and program needs within
500 miles of their release residence, while maintaining population
balance throughout our institutions. If an inmate is placed at an
institution that is more then 500 miles from his release residence,
generally, it is due to specific security, programming, or population
concerns. When an inmate is referred for transfer, these same criteria
are applied in making a decision for transfer to a new facility.
Any request for transfer must be initiated by institution staff.
Should a request be submitted on Mr. Peltier's behalf, he will reviewed
for transfer to an appropriate facility in accordance with Program
Statement 5100.08, Inmate Security Designation and Custody
Classification. Mr. Peltier should continue to direct any questions
regarding the possibility of a transfer to members of his Unit Team.
I trust this response has addressed your concerns.
klc
painful consequence of incarceration and attempts to designate inmates
to facilities commensurate with their security and program needs within
500 miles of their release residence, while maintaining population
balance throughout our institutions. If an inmate is placed at an
institution that is more then 500 miles from his release residence,
generally, it is due to specific security, programming, or population
concerns. When an inmate is referred for transfer, these same criteria
are applied in making a decision for transfer to a new facility.
Any request for transfer must be initiated by institution staff.
Should a request be submitted on Mr. Peltier's behalf, he will reviewed
for transfer to an appropriate facility in accordance with Program
Statement 5100.08, Inmate Security Designation and Custody
Classification. Mr. Peltier should continue to direct any questions
regarding the possibility of a transfer to members of his Unit Team.
I trust this response has addressed your concerns.
klc
Monday, December 1, 2008
prayer
Psalm 5:10-Pronounce them guilty,O God,Let them fall by their own counsels,Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,For they have rebelled against You.Psalm 7:9-The righteous God tests the hearts and minds.Psalm 7:16-His trouble shall return upon his own head.Psalm 10:6-He has said in his heart,"I shall not be moved."
Saturday, November 29, 2008
prayer
Psalm 146:4-His spirit departs,In that very day his plans perish.Psalm 147:16-He gives snow like wool.Psalm 149:8-To bind their nobles with fetters of iron.Psalm 2:1-Why do the nations rage,And the people plot a vain thing? Psalm 2:2-The kings of the earth set themselves,And the rulers take counsel together,saying-Psalm 2:3-"Let us break Their bonds in pieces,And cast away Their cords from us."Psalm 2:4-The Lord shall hold them in derision.Psalm 2:9-You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
prayer
Psalm 140:1-Deliver me,O Lord,from evil men.Psalm 140:2-Who plan evil things in their hearts.Psalm 140:8-Do not further his wicked scheme,Lest they be exalted.Selah.Psalm 140:9-As for the head of those who surround me,Let the evil of their lips cover them.Psalm 142:6-Deliver me from my persecutors.Psalm 143:3-For the enemy has persecuted my soul.Psalm 143:11-Revive me,O Lord,for Your name's sake.Psalm 143:12-In Your mercy cut off my enemies,And destroy all those who afflict my soul,For I am Your servant.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
national day of mourning
THE NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
Body:
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: United Native Americans,Inc.
Date: Nov 26, 2008 1:35 PM
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Indians Invade Mount Rushmore August 29th 2009
Date: Nov 26, 2008 3:32 PM
THE NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=DVKY6_Z2dtU
On Thanksgiving Day, many Native Americans and their supporters gather at the top of Coles Hill, overlooking Plymouth Rock, for the "National Day of Mourning."
The first National Day of Mourning was held in 1970. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts invited Wampanoag leader Frank James to deliver a speech. When the text of Mr. James’ speech, a powerful statement of anger at the history of oppression of the Native people of America, became known before the event, the Commonwealth "disinvited" him. That silencing of a strong and honest Native voice led to the convening of the National Day of Mourning.
The historical event we know today as the "First Thanksgiving" was a harvest festival held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors and allies. It has acquired significance beyond the bare historical facts. Thanksgiving has become a much broader symbol of the entirety of the American experience. Many find this a cause for rejoicing. The dissenting view of Native Americans, who have suffered the theft of their lands and the destruction of their traditional way of life at the hands of the American nation, is equally valid.
To some, the "First Thanksgiving" presents a distorted picture of the history of relations between the European colonists and their descendants and the Native People. The total emphasis is placed on the respect that existed between the Wampanoags led by the sachem Massasoit and the first generation of Pilgrims in Plymouth, while the long history of subsequent violence and discrimination suffered by Native People across America is nowhere represented.
To others, the event shines forth as an example of the respect that was possible once, if only for the brief span of a single generation in a single place, between two different cultures and as a vision of what may again be possible someday among people of goodwill.
History is not a set of "truths" to be memorized, history is an ongoing process of interpretation and learning. The true richness and depth of history come from multiplicity and complexity, from debate and disagreement and dialogue. There is room for more than one history; there is room for many voices.
COMMENTS ON THE DAY OF MOURNING
BY RUSSELL M. PETERS
Russell Peters is Wampanoag, born and raised in Mashpee, less than twenty miles from Plymouth Rock. Mashpee was considered an Indian community and was, in fact, an Indian District within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, until it was illegally dissolved in 1870.
Mr. Peters has been involved in Native American issues at a state, local and national level. He is the President of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1976 to 1984, a member of the Harvard Peabody Museum Native American Repatriation Committee, a member of the White House Conference on Federal Recognition in 1995 and 1996, a board member of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, a board member of the Pilgrim Society, and the author of Wampanoags of Mashpee (Nimrod Press), Clambake (Lerner Publications), and Regalia (Sundance Press).
Mr. Peters’ notes that the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council is constantly working to improve the spiritual and material lives of their people. They are not opposed to demonstrations but are opposed to needless confrontations that serve no purpose for the Native American people they purport to serve.
"When Frank James, known to the Wampanoag people as Wampsutta, was invited to speak at the 1970 annual Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth, he was not prepared to have his speech revised by the Pilgrims. He left the dinner and the ceremonies and went to the hill near the statue of the Massasoit, who as the leader of the Wampanoags when the Pilgrims landed in their territory. There overlooking Plymouth Harbor, he looked at the replica of the Mayflower. It was there that he gave his speech that was to be given to the Pilgrims and their guests. There eight or ten Indians and their supporters listened in indignation as Frank talked of the takeover of the Wampanoag tradition, culture, religion, and land.
"This was a missed opportunity to begin a dialogue between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims. Instead the ..Day of Mourning’ began, and continues to this day. I commend Frank for taking the stand that he took, and we and our supporters recognize the token role the Wampanoags had played in this pageantry. It was not appropriate for the native people to feast in thanksgiving; instead we decided to fast and show by contrast our way of remembering our history.
"As the years went by, the numbers at the Massasoit statue increased and the presentations, skits and demonstrations did indeed show a contrast between feasting and fasting. Reporters arrived from local news media as well as the New York papers, the Atlanta Constitution, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times, and told the stories of the Wampanoag to the American people.
"Some of the Wampanoag people who live in the vicinity of Plymouth began to look at positive ways in which we could impact our lives, both past and present. It occurred to us that the Europeans had a history of the colonists, well documented, albeit quite Eurocentric. The history of the Wampanoag people in southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard was barely mentioned. Ironically, the Indian communities of Mashpee, Aquinnah (Gay Head) and Herring Pond still exist just a short distance away from the Plymouth Rock.
"The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe. Their Tribal roll lists 1000 Wampanoags. Under the leadership of their chief, the tribe conducts daily business, economic development, as well as community and social activities for its tribal members. The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, of which I am President, has a tribal roll of 1200 Wampanoags. It conducts business and other related activities on a daily basis. Our annual Pow Wow took place in Mashpee on July 3, 4 and 5, 1998. We own and maintain the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum with plans to expand the facilities. We are very active in revitalization of our language which was taken from us by the colonists. And we are doing research and writing of the Wampanoag history, particularly concerning the relationship with the English and other European colonists during the early seventeenth century up to the present.
"These are some of the positive ways in which we can balance the scale of history and establish pride in the Wampanoag identity and heritage. Ours is as much a part of the American story as that of the Pilgrim, in fact more so since it was our land.
"While the ..Day of Mourning’ has served to focus attention on past injustice to the Native American cause, it has, in recent years, been orchestrated by a group calling themselves the United American Indians of New England. This group has tenuous ties to any of the local tribes, and is composed primarily of non-Indians. To date, they have refused several invitations to meet with the Wampanoag Indian tribal councils in Mashpee or in Gay Head. Once again, we, as Wampanoags, find our voices and concerns cast aside in the activities surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday in Plymouth, this time, ironically, by a group purporting to represent our interests.
"The time is long overdue for the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags to renew a meaningful dialogue about our past and look towards a more honest future. Our history is a vital and dynamic part of pre-American and American history. We must be the ones who research, write, and interpret that history."
Body:
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: United Native Americans,Inc.
Date: Nov 26, 2008 1:35 PM
----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Indians Invade Mount Rushmore August 29th 2009
Date: Nov 26, 2008 3:32 PM
THE NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=DVKY6_Z2dtU
On Thanksgiving Day, many Native Americans and their supporters gather at the top of Coles Hill, overlooking Plymouth Rock, for the "National Day of Mourning."
The first National Day of Mourning was held in 1970. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts invited Wampanoag leader Frank James to deliver a speech. When the text of Mr. James’ speech, a powerful statement of anger at the history of oppression of the Native people of America, became known before the event, the Commonwealth "disinvited" him. That silencing of a strong and honest Native voice led to the convening of the National Day of Mourning.
The historical event we know today as the "First Thanksgiving" was a harvest festival held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors and allies. It has acquired significance beyond the bare historical facts. Thanksgiving has become a much broader symbol of the entirety of the American experience. Many find this a cause for rejoicing. The dissenting view of Native Americans, who have suffered the theft of their lands and the destruction of their traditional way of life at the hands of the American nation, is equally valid.
To some, the "First Thanksgiving" presents a distorted picture of the history of relations between the European colonists and their descendants and the Native People. The total emphasis is placed on the respect that existed between the Wampanoags led by the sachem Massasoit and the first generation of Pilgrims in Plymouth, while the long history of subsequent violence and discrimination suffered by Native People across America is nowhere represented.
To others, the event shines forth as an example of the respect that was possible once, if only for the brief span of a single generation in a single place, between two different cultures and as a vision of what may again be possible someday among people of goodwill.
History is not a set of "truths" to be memorized, history is an ongoing process of interpretation and learning. The true richness and depth of history come from multiplicity and complexity, from debate and disagreement and dialogue. There is room for more than one history; there is room for many voices.
COMMENTS ON THE DAY OF MOURNING
BY RUSSELL M. PETERS
Russell Peters is Wampanoag, born and raised in Mashpee, less than twenty miles from Plymouth Rock. Mashpee was considered an Indian community and was, in fact, an Indian District within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, until it was illegally dissolved in 1870.
Mr. Peters has been involved in Native American issues at a state, local and national level. He is the President of the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1976 to 1984, a member of the Harvard Peabody Museum Native American Repatriation Committee, a member of the White House Conference on Federal Recognition in 1995 and 1996, a board member of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, a board member of the Pilgrim Society, and the author of Wampanoags of Mashpee (Nimrod Press), Clambake (Lerner Publications), and Regalia (Sundance Press).
Mr. Peters’ notes that the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council is constantly working to improve the spiritual and material lives of their people. They are not opposed to demonstrations but are opposed to needless confrontations that serve no purpose for the Native American people they purport to serve.
"When Frank James, known to the Wampanoag people as Wampsutta, was invited to speak at the 1970 annual Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth, he was not prepared to have his speech revised by the Pilgrims. He left the dinner and the ceremonies and went to the hill near the statue of the Massasoit, who as the leader of the Wampanoags when the Pilgrims landed in their territory. There overlooking Plymouth Harbor, he looked at the replica of the Mayflower. It was there that he gave his speech that was to be given to the Pilgrims and their guests. There eight or ten Indians and their supporters listened in indignation as Frank talked of the takeover of the Wampanoag tradition, culture, religion, and land.
"This was a missed opportunity to begin a dialogue between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims. Instead the ..Day of Mourning’ began, and continues to this day. I commend Frank for taking the stand that he took, and we and our supporters recognize the token role the Wampanoags had played in this pageantry. It was not appropriate for the native people to feast in thanksgiving; instead we decided to fast and show by contrast our way of remembering our history.
"As the years went by, the numbers at the Massasoit statue increased and the presentations, skits and demonstrations did indeed show a contrast between feasting and fasting. Reporters arrived from local news media as well as the New York papers, the Atlanta Constitution, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times, and told the stories of the Wampanoag to the American people.
"Some of the Wampanoag people who live in the vicinity of Plymouth began to look at positive ways in which we could impact our lives, both past and present. It occurred to us that the Europeans had a history of the colonists, well documented, albeit quite Eurocentric. The history of the Wampanoag people in southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard was barely mentioned. Ironically, the Indian communities of Mashpee, Aquinnah (Gay Head) and Herring Pond still exist just a short distance away from the Plymouth Rock.
"The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe. Their Tribal roll lists 1000 Wampanoags. Under the leadership of their chief, the tribe conducts daily business, economic development, as well as community and social activities for its tribal members. The Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, of which I am President, has a tribal roll of 1200 Wampanoags. It conducts business and other related activities on a daily basis. Our annual Pow Wow took place in Mashpee on July 3, 4 and 5, 1998. We own and maintain the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum with plans to expand the facilities. We are very active in revitalization of our language which was taken from us by the colonists. And we are doing research and writing of the Wampanoag history, particularly concerning the relationship with the English and other European colonists during the early seventeenth century up to the present.
"These are some of the positive ways in which we can balance the scale of history and establish pride in the Wampanoag identity and heritage. Ours is as much a part of the American story as that of the Pilgrim, in fact more so since it was our land.
"While the ..Day of Mourning’ has served to focus attention on past injustice to the Native American cause, it has, in recent years, been orchestrated by a group calling themselves the United American Indians of New England. This group has tenuous ties to any of the local tribes, and is composed primarily of non-Indians. To date, they have refused several invitations to meet with the Wampanoag Indian tribal councils in Mashpee or in Gay Head. Once again, we, as Wampanoags, find our voices and concerns cast aside in the activities surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday in Plymouth, this time, ironically, by a group purporting to represent our interests.
"The time is long overdue for the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags to renew a meaningful dialogue about our past and look towards a more honest future. Our history is a vital and dynamic part of pre-American and American history. We must be the ones who research, write, and interpret that history."
Xmas drive leonard peltier
Monday, November 24, 2008
Leonard Peltier Holiday Gift Drive
Leonard Peltier is organizing a holiday gift drive for the
children of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. Leonard and his family have grown up in Turtle Mountain and many of his family members still live on the reservation. This is one way Leonard continues his humanitarian work for his people despite his 32-year
incarceration. Help him reach out beyond the bars that imprison him. The gift drive helps not only the children and families, but also Leonard himself, keeping his spirit strong through the difficult holiday season.
Mail all gifts to:
Tamara Patneaud
PO Box 308
Rolla, ND 58367
701-278-6121
The Gift Drive will serve ages newborn to 18 years.
Ideas for Christmas Gifts per Age Range:
Infant/Toddler
Puzzles, Board Books, Building Blocks, Stuffed Animals, Blankets, Trucks,
Musical Instruments for Toddler, Riding Toys, Push Toys, Baby Dolls.
Children Ages 3-6
Baby Dolls, Dolls or Barbies (All Ethnicities), Puzzles, Books,
Developmental Board Games (Counting Games), Arts and Crafts Sets, Race
Tracks, Legos, Dress Up Clothes, Children's Videos, Bikes, Clothes
Children Ages 7-12
Board Games, Books, Purses and Wallets, Art Sets, Boom Boxes, Sports
Equipment, Barbie Dolls (All Ethnicities) , Arts and Crafts Sets,
Journals, Model Car Kits, Clothes, Bikes, Jewelry, Clothes
Teens Ages 13-18
Books, Journals, Bath and Body Gifts, Make Up Sets, Sports Equipment,
Purses and Wallets, Jewelry and Watches, Art Supply Kits, Gift
Certificates to Wal-Mart or Target, DVD's or Videos, Clothes
Mail all gifts to:
Tamara Patneaud
PO Box 308
Rolla, ND 58367
701-278-6121
Leonard Peltier Holiday Gift Drive
Leonard Peltier is organizing a holiday gift drive for the
children of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. Leonard and his family have grown up in Turtle Mountain and many of his family members still live on the reservation. This is one way Leonard continues his humanitarian work for his people despite his 32-year
incarceration. Help him reach out beyond the bars that imprison him. The gift drive helps not only the children and families, but also Leonard himself, keeping his spirit strong through the difficult holiday season.
Mail all gifts to:
Tamara Patneaud
PO Box 308
Rolla, ND 58367
701-278-6121
The Gift Drive will serve ages newborn to 18 years.
Ideas for Christmas Gifts per Age Range:
Infant/Toddler
Puzzles, Board Books, Building Blocks, Stuffed Animals, Blankets, Trucks,
Musical Instruments for Toddler, Riding Toys, Push Toys, Baby Dolls.
Children Ages 3-6
Baby Dolls, Dolls or Barbies (All Ethnicities), Puzzles, Books,
Developmental Board Games (Counting Games), Arts and Crafts Sets, Race
Tracks, Legos, Dress Up Clothes, Children's Videos, Bikes, Clothes
Children Ages 7-12
Board Games, Books, Purses and Wallets, Art Sets, Boom Boxes, Sports
Equipment, Barbie Dolls (All Ethnicities) , Arts and Crafts Sets,
Journals, Model Car Kits, Clothes, Bikes, Jewelry, Clothes
Teens Ages 13-18
Books, Journals, Bath and Body Gifts, Make Up Sets, Sports Equipment,
Purses and Wallets, Jewelry and Watches, Art Supply Kits, Gift
Certificates to Wal-Mart or Target, DVD's or Videos, Clothes
Mail all gifts to:
Tamara Patneaud
PO Box 308
Rolla, ND 58367
701-278-6121
leonard peltier letter
Thursday, November 06, 2008
A Letter from Leonard Peltier
A Letter from Leonard Peltier 11/5/08
My Relatives and Friends,
Last night a change in this country took place that not too long ago many people said would never happen. An African-American was elected to the White House and by a major landslide, which gives him a mandate by the public to fulfill his promises. This landslide indicates the people have placed their hope with this man they call their president for a change in this country.
HOPE. There have been times if I can even recall what it really means to have hope that justice is right around the corner. I've been mislead and disappointed so many times that I would soon see justice and to have it denied upon a technicality in legal appeals. Or like what happened eight years ago. Everyone placed their hope and trust with a couple named Bill and Hillary, but we were betrayed at the last minute. I know that many of my friends, family and supporters were crushed. I began to feel the weight and pressure of a lifetime being unjustly imprisoned began to crowd me into a corner of my cell and then in my mind. But, it was this thing that has been our battle cry for so many years, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse". I remembered what he stood for and remained a warrior until his last breath. It is a strength that we stand upon when we are right. We were right to be in Oglala and we were right to be prepared to defend ourselves. What wasn't right is that a jury never got to hear any of this testimony, and the rest of the trial was a product of the fabrication and then manipulation of the FBI. This spirit of Crazy Horse is a spirit of being in total resistance to the wrongs perpetuated towards your people, community, family and yourself. Some of us called it outrage, but that is just merely an emotion without resolving the issue. It is when we make a conscious choice to try and balance the wrongs in this society that we are being compelled by this spirit of resistance to stand in defense of the wronged.
That spirit cannot be conquered, and I refused to submit and give in when it appeared there may be no hope It was because of the letters of support and encouragement from so many people that I continued on for another eight years. And now people seem to feel there is a change blowing in the wind and that the election of Obama is a manifestation of that change.
I sincerely hope so, because I am now 64 years old and coming up on my 33 year of being confined and fighting for justice and my freedom, Obama may be my last chance at securing my freedom. If there is one thing I learned from earlier campaigns on my clemency is that he won't just be able to do it by himself. He is going to need your support in the form of public opinion on the case. That isn't going to happen until we can create education and awareness on the circumstances of my case across this country and send letters. Be a Branch Support Group to help create public opinion. My case has to be a national issue on justice denied, it may sound easy, but it isn't. The FBI has been an opposing force in attempting to discredit my cause and that of Native people since they focused their attention on the American Indian Movement in the 1970's. When it appeared that Clinton mightactually grant clemency, the agents went and demonstrated at the White House and utilized their resources to create doubt in the mind of Clinton.
So in the national awareness goals of the branch support groups it is going to be your challenge to keep the public interest focused. It is also another hope that with a whole generation of people who were born after my wrongful conviction that there will be a renewed source of energy and actions.
One point that I would like everyone to focus on right now is a "30 year law" regarding my sentence and parole. At the time I was convicted, the guidelines said:
"Any prisoner, …shall be released on parole… after serving thirty years of each consecutive term or terms of more than forty-five years including any life term, whichever is earlier: Provided, however, That the Commission shall not release such prisoner if it determines that he has seriously or frequently violated institution rules and regulations or that there is a reasonable probability that he will commit any Federal, State, or local crime." 28 U.S.C. section 28 U.S.C. §4206(d)
I've served more than 30 years of this sentence and have been considered a model prisoner And the likelihood of committing any crimes is non-existent due to my age and the humanitarian work I've pursued to help my people since my incarceration. According to this law, they have to grant me a parole to my next sentence. But as we've learned from the past, we cannot take anything for granted so your letters should be focused on this law to the parole commission and congressional leaders. If the commission complies with the letter and spirit of this law, we will have made a significant step towards my freedom and we will need to maintain and increase this momentum.
The Committee and I have been discussing several ideas and projects to make this a pro-active campaign. We are currently rebuilding the former LPSG's into LPBSG's. This is necessary due to a breakdown with the former Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. I had to turn to my sister and niece to help me rebuild my defense committee from scratch. We had no files, records, and merchandise. We have not been able to make contact with the former coordinator of the LPDC. We are still hoping to resolve this issue, but until then we needed to keep moving with the campaign.
We still need all of our former contacts and supporters to reconnect with us and to update the information so that my Committee can handle correspondences and contributions. We need everyone who has supported me to contact the LPDOC and sign onto our list serve so that you can be updated with information on progress or activities needed in my campaign.
I will need everyone to work with my Committee and clear any action with the appropriate people within the Committee. It is important that we all work together cohesively, instead of scattering our efforts or resources. We do not intend to discourage ideas or creativity, but we would like to incorporate such ideas into a unified larger effort and not act prematurely on some plans we may have not disclosed due to timing or details being worked out.
Some of the projects we have discussed are conducting rides, walks, runs and events across the country to create this awareness of my case. We are initiating efforts to ask bands and artists to host fundraisers in their area. We've talked about strategies we could undertake to further my cause, but a lot will depend on how quickly people come to form my BSG and start organizing in their area.
I also understand that some of us have personality issues with other people. I hope that many of you can pray or find a way to rise above this obstacle and work together for one common purpose. I would like to see so many of my supporters come together in a show of solidarity. If there really is a change in the air, we will need each other to bring about change in so many other areas. For me it has been about our culture and right to be who we are, but foremost it has been the children and the next generation. WE were supposed to leave a better world behind for them and how much have we accomplished? I know that somehow and someway my sacrifice will not be in vain and that the years I've endured this pain of loneliness and suffering in confinement will make a better world for those children and coming generations. That along with my freedom is my hope, but I will not be able to fulfillit without you. So take a few minutes and educate yourself on the injustices of my case. It may shock and outrage you, but you can do something about it, so join us.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
www.WhoIsLeonardPeltier.info
A Letter from Leonard Peltier
A Letter from Leonard Peltier 11/5/08
My Relatives and Friends,
Last night a change in this country took place that not too long ago many people said would never happen. An African-American was elected to the White House and by a major landslide, which gives him a mandate by the public to fulfill his promises. This landslide indicates the people have placed their hope with this man they call their president for a change in this country.
HOPE. There have been times if I can even recall what it really means to have hope that justice is right around the corner. I've been mislead and disappointed so many times that I would soon see justice and to have it denied upon a technicality in legal appeals. Or like what happened eight years ago. Everyone placed their hope and trust with a couple named Bill and Hillary, but we were betrayed at the last minute. I know that many of my friends, family and supporters were crushed. I began to feel the weight and pressure of a lifetime being unjustly imprisoned began to crowd me into a corner of my cell and then in my mind. But, it was this thing that has been our battle cry for so many years, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse". I remembered what he stood for and remained a warrior until his last breath. It is a strength that we stand upon when we are right. We were right to be in Oglala and we were right to be prepared to defend ourselves. What wasn't right is that a jury never got to hear any of this testimony, and the rest of the trial was a product of the fabrication and then manipulation of the FBI. This spirit of Crazy Horse is a spirit of being in total resistance to the wrongs perpetuated towards your people, community, family and yourself. Some of us called it outrage, but that is just merely an emotion without resolving the issue. It is when we make a conscious choice to try and balance the wrongs in this society that we are being compelled by this spirit of resistance to stand in defense of the wronged.
That spirit cannot be conquered, and I refused to submit and give in when it appeared there may be no hope It was because of the letters of support and encouragement from so many people that I continued on for another eight years. And now people seem to feel there is a change blowing in the wind and that the election of Obama is a manifestation of that change.
I sincerely hope so, because I am now 64 years old and coming up on my 33 year of being confined and fighting for justice and my freedom, Obama may be my last chance at securing my freedom. If there is one thing I learned from earlier campaigns on my clemency is that he won't just be able to do it by himself. He is going to need your support in the form of public opinion on the case. That isn't going to happen until we can create education and awareness on the circumstances of my case across this country and send letters. Be a Branch Support Group to help create public opinion. My case has to be a national issue on justice denied, it may sound easy, but it isn't. The FBI has been an opposing force in attempting to discredit my cause and that of Native people since they focused their attention on the American Indian Movement in the 1970's. When it appeared that Clinton mightactually grant clemency, the agents went and demonstrated at the White House and utilized their resources to create doubt in the mind of Clinton.
So in the national awareness goals of the branch support groups it is going to be your challenge to keep the public interest focused. It is also another hope that with a whole generation of people who were born after my wrongful conviction that there will be a renewed source of energy and actions.
One point that I would like everyone to focus on right now is a "30 year law" regarding my sentence and parole. At the time I was convicted, the guidelines said:
"Any prisoner, …shall be released on parole… after serving thirty years of each consecutive term or terms of more than forty-five years including any life term, whichever is earlier: Provided, however, That the Commission shall not release such prisoner if it determines that he has seriously or frequently violated institution rules and regulations or that there is a reasonable probability that he will commit any Federal, State, or local crime." 28 U.S.C. section 28 U.S.C. §4206(d)
I've served more than 30 years of this sentence and have been considered a model prisoner And the likelihood of committing any crimes is non-existent due to my age and the humanitarian work I've pursued to help my people since my incarceration. According to this law, they have to grant me a parole to my next sentence. But as we've learned from the past, we cannot take anything for granted so your letters should be focused on this law to the parole commission and congressional leaders. If the commission complies with the letter and spirit of this law, we will have made a significant step towards my freedom and we will need to maintain and increase this momentum.
The Committee and I have been discussing several ideas and projects to make this a pro-active campaign. We are currently rebuilding the former LPSG's into LPBSG's. This is necessary due to a breakdown with the former Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. I had to turn to my sister and niece to help me rebuild my defense committee from scratch. We had no files, records, and merchandise. We have not been able to make contact with the former coordinator of the LPDC. We are still hoping to resolve this issue, but until then we needed to keep moving with the campaign.
We still need all of our former contacts and supporters to reconnect with us and to update the information so that my Committee can handle correspondences and contributions. We need everyone who has supported me to contact the LPDOC and sign onto our list serve so that you can be updated with information on progress or activities needed in my campaign.
I will need everyone to work with my Committee and clear any action with the appropriate people within the Committee. It is important that we all work together cohesively, instead of scattering our efforts or resources. We do not intend to discourage ideas or creativity, but we would like to incorporate such ideas into a unified larger effort and not act prematurely on some plans we may have not disclosed due to timing or details being worked out.
Some of the projects we have discussed are conducting rides, walks, runs and events across the country to create this awareness of my case. We are initiating efforts to ask bands and artists to host fundraisers in their area. We've talked about strategies we could undertake to further my cause, but a lot will depend on how quickly people come to form my BSG and start organizing in their area.
I also understand that some of us have personality issues with other people. I hope that many of you can pray or find a way to rise above this obstacle and work together for one common purpose. I would like to see so many of my supporters come together in a show of solidarity. If there really is a change in the air, we will need each other to bring about change in so many other areas. For me it has been about our culture and right to be who we are, but foremost it has been the children and the next generation. WE were supposed to leave a better world behind for them and how much have we accomplished? I know that somehow and someway my sacrifice will not be in vain and that the years I've endured this pain of loneliness and suffering in confinement will make a better world for those children and coming generations. That along with my freedom is my hope, but I will not be able to fulfillit without you. So take a few minutes and educate yourself on the injustices of my case. It may shock and outrage you, but you can do something about it, so join us.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,
Leonard Peltier
www.WhoIsLeonardPeltier.info
leonard peltier
Monday, October 20, 2008
Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer!!!!!
Urgent!!!! Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer!!!!!
October 16, 2008
As we reported in a previous email, Leonard is once again being uprooted and relocated to another prison. Although this seems to be a strategy by the federal government to disrupt his defense committee, we can take advantage of the limbo Leonard is in right now by demanding that the Bureau of Prisons transfer him to a facility closer to his home reservation. Turtle Mountain is requesting that Leonard be transferred to the reservation's custody, and in the meantime there are federal facilities in Sandstone, Minnesota and Oxford, Wisconsin which could accommodate him.
Please send the following correspondence or similar as soon as possible to:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC)
Grand Prairie Office Complex
U.S.
Armed Forces Reserve Complex
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051
Re: Leonard Peltier 89637-132
Dear DSCC:
I am contacting you seeking consideration for Mr. Leonard Peltier who will be transferred from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in the near future. Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner and deserves to be transferred to a lower security prison. Also, Mr. Peltier should be transferred to a facility close to his home based on the hardship policy of the Bureau of Prisons, because his family has grown older, is on a fixed income which limits the time they can visit him. Mr. Peltier has served over 32 years in prison and deserves to be close to his family during this crucial time in their lives. For these reasons I ask that you transfer Mr. Peltier to the Turtle Mountain Reservation's custody as soon as possible.
The alternatives that would help satisfy this request are either the federal facility in Sandstone Minnesota or Oxford Wisconsin as both are near in proximity to his
family.
In the name of all things good and humane, I ask you to do the right thing for compassion's sake in the transfer of Leonard Peltier today. Thank you and may the Creator bless you.
Sincerely,
..
..
..
Mail UPS or E-mail to: GRA-DSC/PolicyCorrespondence&AdminRemedies@bop.gov
Or Fax to: 972-352-4395
Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer!!!!!
Urgent!!!! Write to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of Leonard Peltier regarding his transfer!!!!!
October 16, 2008
As we reported in a previous email, Leonard is once again being uprooted and relocated to another prison. Although this seems to be a strategy by the federal government to disrupt his defense committee, we can take advantage of the limbo Leonard is in right now by demanding that the Bureau of Prisons transfer him to a facility closer to his home reservation. Turtle Mountain is requesting that Leonard be transferred to the reservation's custody, and in the meantime there are federal facilities in Sandstone, Minnesota and Oxford, Wisconsin which could accommodate him.
Please send the following correspondence or similar as soon as possible to:
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC)
Grand Prairie Office Complex
U.S.
Armed Forces Reserve Complex
346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051
Re: Leonard Peltier 89637-132
Dear DSCC:
I am contacting you seeking consideration for Mr. Leonard Peltier who will be transferred from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in the near future. Mr. Peltier has been a model prisoner and deserves to be transferred to a lower security prison. Also, Mr. Peltier should be transferred to a facility close to his home based on the hardship policy of the Bureau of Prisons, because his family has grown older, is on a fixed income which limits the time they can visit him. Mr. Peltier has served over 32 years in prison and deserves to be close to his family during this crucial time in their lives. For these reasons I ask that you transfer Mr. Peltier to the Turtle Mountain Reservation's custody as soon as possible.
The alternatives that would help satisfy this request are either the federal facility in Sandstone Minnesota or Oxford Wisconsin as both are near in proximity to his
family.
In the name of all things good and humane, I ask you to do the right thing for compassion's sake in the transfer of Leonard Peltier today. Thank you and may the Creator bless you.
Sincerely,
..
..
..
Mail UPS or E-mail to: GRA-DSC/PolicyCorrespondence&AdminRemedies@bop.gov
Or Fax to: 972-352-4395
council of indian nations
Home
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CIN helps address the many devastating effects of poverty.
Native Americans living on the rural and remote reservations of the Southwest struggle daily with isolation, limited employment opportunities, and a harsh and resource-poor environment. Poverty is all too common, and weighs most heavily on those most fragile – especially Elders and their multi-generational extended families.
CIN volunteers not only
provide services, but also
reach out to isolated Elders.
Many of the communities we serve are not accessible by paved roads, and are reachable only by four-wheel drive vehicles and in some instances even helicopters. Most of these communities receive no revenue from casinos, and provide few employment opportunities. The needs of this fragile population are huge. However it is important to provide help in a way that reduces dependency and at the same time draws on the strong sense of pride and community, prevalent among Indian people.
A helping hand, not a handout.
Our approach is to help Native Americans improve the quality of their own lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their own communities. Through the Council of Indian Nations, we offer a helping hand, not a handout.
From Elder nutrition to home improvements.
CIN provides the tools so communities can help
their most needy.
The Council of Indian Nations sponsors programs that address a wide variety of needs, from Elder nutrition to home improvement, for Native Americans on rural and remote reservations in the Southwest. We work with Gift-in-Kind organizations and donors who provide items like food, clothing, shoes, blankets, baby goods, personal hygiene products, and cleaning supplies. We store these goods in the CIN distribution center, process them, match them up with the appropriate programs, and ensure the delivery to the program site. All of CIN’s programs are guided by nine guiding principles, the CIN Way.
Community involvement is the key.
This is where CIN differs from many other social service programs. CIN insists that substantial community volunteerism be a part of the processing or distribution of these goods, or that the goods be used in an incentive program.
Program Partners.
CIN Program Partners play an essential role in motivating their communities.
Volunteerism by those who benefit from our programs is the key to CIN’s vision of strong, self-sufficient Native American communities. We achieve this by working through Program Partners.
CIN Program Partners are members of the community that will benefit from a CIN program and who have an intimate understanding of the needs of their community. Program Partners identify needs, arrange volunteer support, provide lists of people who need assistance, obtain facilities for events, and volunteer their own time to help their communities.
Working with Program Partners, CIN ensures that we are addressing the genuine needs of a community. As important, working on our programs helps Program Partners develop their capabilities and establish a volunteer base. The community develops a shared purpose, and the Program Partner grows in ability to seek resources from other institutions and from the people in the community.
Volunteers carry out much of the preparation and distribution work associated with CIN programs. Volunteers of all ages give of their time to help with projects such as delivering food to homebound Elders, sorting bulk deliveries of diapers into family-size packages for Baby Baskets, or making quilts for babies. This unique relationship with the communities we serve makes CIN’s programs more of a partnership and less like charity.
Incentives.
CIN's Gift-in-Kind donations are
used as incentives in a wide range
of highly successful programs.
In many CIN programs, incentive items such as baby food, clothing, and personal care items are distributed to program participants to thank them for putting forth the extra effort to improve their lives or their community. Many recipients face overwhelming challenges in their daily lives, such as finding transportation to get to a prenatal appointment or enduring difficult medical treatments such as dialysis. Incentives are also utilized as positive reinforcement for youth activities such as community clean-ups or assisting Elders with household chores.
Gift-in-Kind organizations and donors.
CIN works closely with corporations and Gift-in-Kind charities who donate a wide variety of supplies. CIN staff work with Program Partners to match these supplies with appropriate programs. These donated items allow CIN to distribute new, quality goods in the most cost effective manner.
CIN distribution center.
CIN’s warehouse in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, is the hub through which supplies flow from our Gift-in-Kind partners and donors, to Native Americans in need. CIN staff efficiently receive, sort, pack and ship millions of dollars worth of goods ranging from diapers and baby food to blankets and coats. CIN’s fleet of trucks and drivers deliver the goods to Program Partners for distribution to reservations in our partners in the Southwest.
How can I help?
return to top
home | the CIN way | programs | living conditions
reservations | history & culture | biographies
success stories | how to help | resources
site map | IRS form 990
A Program of National Relief Charities
© 2005 Council of Indian Nations
Program Office:
P.O. Box 1800
Apache Junction, AZ 85217-1800
Phone: (800) 811-6955
Email: info@cinprograms.org
Web site: www.cinprograms.org
Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 11, 2008
Web design: Web Weaver Web Design LLC
The CIN Way
Programs
Living Conditions
Success Stories
How To Help
Reservations
History & Culture
Biographies
Resources
Site Map
IRS Form 990
MEMBER LOGIN
username:
password:
Not a member?
Join today >>
Forgot password?
CIN helps address the many devastating effects of poverty.
Native Americans living on the rural and remote reservations of the Southwest struggle daily with isolation, limited employment opportunities, and a harsh and resource-poor environment. Poverty is all too common, and weighs most heavily on those most fragile – especially Elders and their multi-generational extended families.
CIN volunteers not only
provide services, but also
reach out to isolated Elders.
Many of the communities we serve are not accessible by paved roads, and are reachable only by four-wheel drive vehicles and in some instances even helicopters. Most of these communities receive no revenue from casinos, and provide few employment opportunities. The needs of this fragile population are huge. However it is important to provide help in a way that reduces dependency and at the same time draws on the strong sense of pride and community, prevalent among Indian people.
A helping hand, not a handout.
Our approach is to help Native Americans improve the quality of their own lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their own communities. Through the Council of Indian Nations, we offer a helping hand, not a handout.
From Elder nutrition to home improvements.
CIN provides the tools so communities can help
their most needy.
The Council of Indian Nations sponsors programs that address a wide variety of needs, from Elder nutrition to home improvement, for Native Americans on rural and remote reservations in the Southwest. We work with Gift-in-Kind organizations and donors who provide items like food, clothing, shoes, blankets, baby goods, personal hygiene products, and cleaning supplies. We store these goods in the CIN distribution center, process them, match them up with the appropriate programs, and ensure the delivery to the program site. All of CIN’s programs are guided by nine guiding principles, the CIN Way.
Community involvement is the key.
This is where CIN differs from many other social service programs. CIN insists that substantial community volunteerism be a part of the processing or distribution of these goods, or that the goods be used in an incentive program.
Program Partners.
CIN Program Partners play an essential role in motivating their communities.
Volunteerism by those who benefit from our programs is the key to CIN’s vision of strong, self-sufficient Native American communities. We achieve this by working through Program Partners.
CIN Program Partners are members of the community that will benefit from a CIN program and who have an intimate understanding of the needs of their community. Program Partners identify needs, arrange volunteer support, provide lists of people who need assistance, obtain facilities for events, and volunteer their own time to help their communities.
Working with Program Partners, CIN ensures that we are addressing the genuine needs of a community. As important, working on our programs helps Program Partners develop their capabilities and establish a volunteer base. The community develops a shared purpose, and the Program Partner grows in ability to seek resources from other institutions and from the people in the community.
Volunteers carry out much of the preparation and distribution work associated with CIN programs. Volunteers of all ages give of their time to help with projects such as delivering food to homebound Elders, sorting bulk deliveries of diapers into family-size packages for Baby Baskets, or making quilts for babies. This unique relationship with the communities we serve makes CIN’s programs more of a partnership and less like charity.
Incentives.
CIN's Gift-in-Kind donations are
used as incentives in a wide range
of highly successful programs.
In many CIN programs, incentive items such as baby food, clothing, and personal care items are distributed to program participants to thank them for putting forth the extra effort to improve their lives or their community. Many recipients face overwhelming challenges in their daily lives, such as finding transportation to get to a prenatal appointment or enduring difficult medical treatments such as dialysis. Incentives are also utilized as positive reinforcement for youth activities such as community clean-ups or assisting Elders with household chores.
Gift-in-Kind organizations and donors.
CIN works closely with corporations and Gift-in-Kind charities who donate a wide variety of supplies. CIN staff work with Program Partners to match these supplies with appropriate programs. These donated items allow CIN to distribute new, quality goods in the most cost effective manner.
CIN distribution center.
CIN’s warehouse in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, is the hub through which supplies flow from our Gift-in-Kind partners and donors, to Native Americans in need. CIN staff efficiently receive, sort, pack and ship millions of dollars worth of goods ranging from diapers and baby food to blankets and coats. CIN’s fleet of trucks and drivers deliver the goods to Program Partners for distribution to reservations in our partners in the Southwest.
How can I help?
return to top
home | the CIN way | programs | living conditions
reservations | history & culture | biographies
success stories | how to help | resources
site map | IRS form 990
A Program of National Relief Charities
© 2005 Council of Indian Nations
Program Office:
P.O. Box 1800
Apache Junction, AZ 85217-1800
Phone: (800) 811-6955
Email: info@cinprograms.org
Web site: www.cinprograms.org
Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 11, 2008
Web design: Web Weaver Web Design LLC
national relief charities
OUR MISSION
“To help Native American people improve the quality of their lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their communities.”
MEMBER LOGIN
username:
password:
Not a member?
Join today >>
Forgot password?
National Relief Charities (NRC) provides program services that benefit Native Americans throughout the United States. Our mission is "To help Native American people improve the quality of their lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their communities."
Lacking resources but strong in values and tradition.
NRC provides administrative oversight and outreach support for seven programs areas, which provide basic support and education programs to rural communities on economically depressed reservations in the Northern Plains and the Southwest. We work towards our mission in a way unique to most charities in the United States, and certainly unique to charities working with Native Americans, and we have found that our approach creates enormous benefits for our target populations. We adhere to nine guiding principles that we call "The NRC Way".
Who NRC serves.
NRC meets basic needs like stoves and fuel.
Most of our programs serve small, isolated communities in terrain so rugged that it can only be reached by four-wheel drive vehicle. In these communities, many residents lack access to basic resources such as food, water, utilities, medical care, and education. Water may come from a tap at the high school half an hour away. Phone companies may not run wires to these rural areas and sometimes the electric companies will do so only after charging large fees. Often the most basic medical resources, stores, and schools are an hour or more away even in good weather. In these communities, there are few opportunities for employment. The middle generation of working adults is often forced to move in order to find jobs, leaving behind grandparents to raise grandchildren. These communities are strong in tradition and values, but exist at the edge economically. Their residents are in need, and NRC is there for them.
Learn more about:
The NRC Way | Our Strengths | The Programs
More a partnership than a charity.
"... bountiful blessings to
all those at AIRC."
read this story
NRC receives substantial donations from corporations in the form of goods such as food, shoes, clothing, medical supplies, blankets and personal health care items, and uses monetary donations to purchase such goods at a substantial discount. NRC takes responsibility for the shipping costs from the manufacturer to our warehouses in South Dakota and Arizona and for warehousing costs. NRC distributes these vitally important goods to its programs, which work through Native American Program Partners to ensure that the goods reach the most needy in their communities. NRC and its programs work with reservation communities in a way that promotes volunteerism within the Native American community and provides incentives that encourage a higher standard of health awareness. Because it focuses on helping Native Americans to help themselves, NRC is more a partnership than a charity.
Program Partners.
NRC accomplishes its goal of strong, self-sufficient communities by forging close working relationships with Program Partners, who are Native Americans living in the reservation communities we serve. They work with us on a volunteer basis to provide help to their most needy. Through their intimate knowledge of the communities they live in, Program Partners accurately identify needs, effectively recruit volunteers, efficiently execute the programs, and intelligently assess changes for future programs. NRC’s more than 400 Program Partners, and the volunteers they recruit, commit more than a hundred thousand hours a year in their communities. They are the backbone of our programs.
NRC's Seven Major Programs.
NRC is comprised of the following seven program arms:
American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF)
Supports Native American education by providing students with scholarships and the tools to learn.
American Indian Relief Council (AIRC)
Provides broad-based programming in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Council of Indian Nations (CIN)
Provides food and other programs in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Utah.
Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC)
Provides broad-based programming in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF)
Brings food programs to Sioux Elders who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
Navajo Relief Fund (NRF)
Serves communities on the largest of all Indian Reservations in the United States, the Navajo Nation.
Native American Aid (NAA)
Assists needy children, adults, and Elders on reservations in the Northern Plains states.
Supports Indian education by providing students with scholarships and the tools to learn.
> learn more
> view AIEF website
Provides broad-based programming in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
> learn more
> view AIRC website
Provides food and other programs in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Utah.
> learn more
> view CIN website
Provides broad-based programming in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
> learn more
> view SWIRC website
Brings food programs to Sioux Elders who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
> learn more
> view SNRF website
Primarily serves communities on the largest of all Indian Reservations in the United States, the Navajo.
> learn more
> view NRF website
Assists needy children, adults, and Elders on reservations in the Northern Plains states.
> learn more
> view NAA website
Home | Printer Friendly | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Contact Us
NRCST ©2006 All rights reserved.
“To help Native American people improve the quality of their lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their communities.”
MEMBER LOGIN
username:
password:
Not a member?
Join today >>
Forgot password?
National Relief Charities (NRC) provides program services that benefit Native Americans throughout the United States. Our mission is "To help Native American people improve the quality of their lives by providing opportunities for them to bring about positive changes in their communities."
Lacking resources but strong in values and tradition.
NRC provides administrative oversight and outreach support for seven programs areas, which provide basic support and education programs to rural communities on economically depressed reservations in the Northern Plains and the Southwest. We work towards our mission in a way unique to most charities in the United States, and certainly unique to charities working with Native Americans, and we have found that our approach creates enormous benefits for our target populations. We adhere to nine guiding principles that we call "The NRC Way".
Who NRC serves.
NRC meets basic needs like stoves and fuel.
Most of our programs serve small, isolated communities in terrain so rugged that it can only be reached by four-wheel drive vehicle. In these communities, many residents lack access to basic resources such as food, water, utilities, medical care, and education. Water may come from a tap at the high school half an hour away. Phone companies may not run wires to these rural areas and sometimes the electric companies will do so only after charging large fees. Often the most basic medical resources, stores, and schools are an hour or more away even in good weather. In these communities, there are few opportunities for employment. The middle generation of working adults is often forced to move in order to find jobs, leaving behind grandparents to raise grandchildren. These communities are strong in tradition and values, but exist at the edge economically. Their residents are in need, and NRC is there for them.
Learn more about:
The NRC Way | Our Strengths | The Programs
More a partnership than a charity.
"... bountiful blessings to
all those at AIRC."
read this story
NRC receives substantial donations from corporations in the form of goods such as food, shoes, clothing, medical supplies, blankets and personal health care items, and uses monetary donations to purchase such goods at a substantial discount. NRC takes responsibility for the shipping costs from the manufacturer to our warehouses in South Dakota and Arizona and for warehousing costs. NRC distributes these vitally important goods to its programs, which work through Native American Program Partners to ensure that the goods reach the most needy in their communities. NRC and its programs work with reservation communities in a way that promotes volunteerism within the Native American community and provides incentives that encourage a higher standard of health awareness. Because it focuses on helping Native Americans to help themselves, NRC is more a partnership than a charity.
Program Partners.
NRC accomplishes its goal of strong, self-sufficient communities by forging close working relationships with Program Partners, who are Native Americans living in the reservation communities we serve. They work with us on a volunteer basis to provide help to their most needy. Through their intimate knowledge of the communities they live in, Program Partners accurately identify needs, effectively recruit volunteers, efficiently execute the programs, and intelligently assess changes for future programs. NRC’s more than 400 Program Partners, and the volunteers they recruit, commit more than a hundred thousand hours a year in their communities. They are the backbone of our programs.
NRC's Seven Major Programs.
NRC is comprised of the following seven program arms:
American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF)
Supports Native American education by providing students with scholarships and the tools to learn.
American Indian Relief Council (AIRC)
Provides broad-based programming in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Council of Indian Nations (CIN)
Provides food and other programs in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Utah.
Southwest Indian Relief Council (SWIRC)
Provides broad-based programming in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
Sioux Nation Relief Fund (SNRF)
Brings food programs to Sioux Elders who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
Navajo Relief Fund (NRF)
Serves communities on the largest of all Indian Reservations in the United States, the Navajo Nation.
Native American Aid (NAA)
Assists needy children, adults, and Elders on reservations in the Northern Plains states.
Supports Indian education by providing students with scholarships and the tools to learn.
> learn more
> view AIEF website
Provides broad-based programming in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
> learn more
> view AIRC website
Provides food and other programs in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Utah.
> learn more
> view CIN website
Provides broad-based programming in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
> learn more
> view SWIRC website
Brings food programs to Sioux Elders who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
> learn more
> view SNRF website
Primarily serves communities on the largest of all Indian Reservations in the United States, the Navajo.
> learn more
> view NRF website
Assists needy children, adults, and Elders on reservations in the Northern Plains states.
> learn more
> view NAA website
Home | Printer Friendly | FAQ | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Contact Us
NRCST ©2006 All rights reserved.
prayer
Psalm 118:6-The Lord is on my side.Psalm 119:84-When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?Psalm 119:150-They draw near who follow after wickedness.Psalm 119:151-You are near,O Lord.Psalm 119:153-Consider my affliction and deliver me.Psalm 119:158-I see the treacherous and am disgusted.Psalm 119:173-Let Your hand become my help.Psalm 126:1-We were like those who dream.Psalm 129:5-Let all those who hate Zion,Be put to shame and turned back.Psalm 132:14-Here I will dwell.
prayer
Psalm 107:27-They stagger like a drunken man.Psalm 109:6-7-Set a wicked man over him,And let an accuser stand at his right hand.When he is judged,let him be found guilty.Psalm 109:8-Let another take his office.Psalm 109:11-Let the creditor seize all that he has.
prayer
Psalm 101:5-Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,Him will I destroy.Psalm 102:8-Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
prayer
Psalm 86:14-A mob of violent men have sought my life.Psalm 91:14-He has set his love upon Me.Psalm 91:15-He shall call upon me,and I will answer him.Psalm 94:1-O Lord God,to whom vengeance belongs-O God,to whom vengeance belongs,shine forth.Psalm94:4-They utter speech,and speak insolent things.Psalm 94:23-He has brought on them their own iniquity.
prayer
Psalm 69:12-I am the song of the drunkards.Psalm 69:22-Let their table become a snare before them.And their well-being a trap.Psalm 70:2-Let them be turned back and confused Who desire my hurt.
prayer
Psalm 64:5-They encourage themselves in an evil matter.They say,Who shall see them?Psalm 64:8-All who see them shall flee away.
prayer
Psalm 58:2-You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.Psalm 62:4-They only consult to cast him down from his high position.psalm 62:10-Do not vainly hope in robbery.
prayer
Psalm 56:2-My enemies would hound me all day.Psalm 56:5-All day they twist my words.All their thoughts are against me for evil.Psalm 56:9-God is for me.
prayer
Psalm 53:5-You have put them to shame.because God has despised them.Psalm 54:1-Vindicate me,by Your strength.Psalm 54:5-He will repay my enemies for their evil,Cut them off in Your truth.Psalm 55:3-They bring trouble down upon me.Psalm 55:9-11-Destroy,O Lord,and divide their tongues,For I have seen violence and strife in the city.Day and night they go around it on it's walls.Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.Deceit and guile do not depart from its streets.Psalm 55:15-Let death seize upon them.For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
prayer
Psalm 48:6-Fear took hold upon them there.Psalm 49:14-Death shall feed on them.Psalm 50:18-You have been partaker with adulterers.Psalm 50:19-You give your mouth to evil,and your tongue frames deceit.Psalm 52:4-You love all devouring words,you deceitful tongue.Psalm 52:5-God shall likewise destroy you forever,He shall take you away,and pluck you out of your dwelling place.Psalm 52:6-They shall laugh at him,
Sunday, November 23, 2008
serpent code
Serpent CodeSerpent worship was once common in Ireland until Christianity’s dominance systematic wiped it out. Yet according to Philip Gardiner the signs of this ancient wisdom lore can still be found today throughout the world.
Ireland, St Patrick and the Pests
Ireland was once infested with snakes. So say the Christian stories of St. Patrick, who supposedly expelled them with his Baculum Jesu or Staff of Jesus [1]. Of course Ireland has no indigenous snakes at all and so he must have been speaking of a symbolically. But to what was he referring?
For years, scholars, Christians and even alternative historians have been arguing over what exactly St Patrick was eradicating. There is precious little evidence of St Patrick even coming to Ireland, just as there is no evidence that St Paul went to Malta and kicked out the snakes there too! So what's the truth? And is there any spiritual relevance for us today?
Across Ireland there are hundreds of crosses, many of which can be proven to have pre-Christian origins, and many are entwined with images of serpents. The same is true of other locations, such as Malta as I’ve just mentioned, , Rhodes, India, Greece and many more. In all these places snakes are found on ancient megalithic monuments and Christian buildings. These are remnants of a pre-existent serpent-worshipping cult. The serpent cult, is so often misread as consisting of solar worshippers. They worshipped the esoteric or inner sun. For us today this inner light is the realisation of our own connection to the greater universe, of our own inner balance and our own growth towards a more ‘in-tune’ attitude to the world around us. It is also the part of ourselves and our outer world, which gives life, sustains and gives growth.
The sun, found in the sky and as an inner light found within via methods pertaining to the inner serpent energies, [2] as they were perceived. These inner serpentine and solar linked visions were physically represented in megalithic monuments, oral folktales and art.
The existence of this universal cult can also be discovered in other elements of the Irish and Celtic tradition. There is scarcely a design or ornament in Ireland from ancient times that do not show the serpent or dragon image. There is scarcely a myth, a folk tale or a legend, which does not include the serpent. These are not just pagan ornaments or myths - they also bled into the Christian world, or more accurately, the Christians could not keep them out it was so deep in the Irish culture.
The Church had spent many years trying desperately to demonise the serpent, making it the evil snake in the Garden of Eden or even picturing Lucifer, the angel of light, as the serpent. The reason is simple. Knowledge is powerful, but knowledge of yourself is much more powerful - the Church, as the intermediaries between us and knowledge of the Divine could not allow this. But the snake maintained its position steadfastly within the Church, clinging on like limpet. It was in fact the only animal in the Bible to speak using it's own voice; it was used by Moses in the wilderness to heal the Israelites and it was used by the first Christians as the symbol for the Christ himself.
Serpents can be found on Irish Christian crosses such as those of Killamery in Kilkenny County and the font of Cashel, amongst others. Indeed, even the Crozier (priests staff) of Cashel has a serpent emerging from a vagina – which itself is covered in serpents – therefore symbolising ‘new life’ via the born-again serpent.
The crozier itself basically resembles the staff of Moses or Aaron, or even that of an Etruscan or Babylonian priest – all cultures linked to serpent worship. Unfortunately fundamentalists and strict Protestants removed many of these serpents found adorning such crosses, in an attempt to hide the true history.
Also seen on Irish crosses are strange figures, which have extra large heads in relation to their body. Some have said that this is due to the predominance of a "Celtic Head Cult", but the evidence we uncovered in The Serpent Grail [3] pointed to the fact that both the serpent cult and the head cult are one and the same. We found that this was due to the internal psychological and spiritual process brought on by the serpent energies.
In Irish tales these great serpents or "piests" (pests), were said to be "as big as a horse, and have a great mane upon it, so it has." (Legend of the Lakes, Croker, relating to Lough Kittane of Killarney). This has baffled many and has given rise to the link between the snake-serpent and the fabled dragon in many cultures. The tales of the great serpents of huge size and even compared to mountains reveals much. Many of these serpent tales refer to actual locations whereby ancient man created great centres of healing, initiation and ritual – all linked to the universal worship of the serpent.
The Fenian heroes of ancient Ireland are recorded orally in song and one of them, Fionn, was their ‘dragon slayer.’ One of the legends tells us that:
"It resembles a great mound, its jaws were yawning wide;
There might lie concealed, though great its fury,
A hundred champions in its eye-pits.
Taller in height than eight men,
Was its tail, which was erect above its back;
Thicker was the most slender part of its tail,
Than the forest oak which was sunk by the flood."
{mospagebreak}
Fionn asked where this great monster had come from and was told, "From Greece, to demand battle from the Fenians." Perhaps serpent worshippers had come to Ireland from Greece, and had fought the ancient inhabitants, leaving behind such terror that they became symbolised by this great ‘dragon mound.’ Fionn, it is said, opened the side of the dragon and released the men, going on to kill it. It may be that there is a mixture of wartime fact entwined with the symbolism of this legend. Emerging from the side of the dragon, according to all the myths, gives new life, leaving us no doubt that these serpentine monuments were places of initiation and rebirth.
Evidence of ancient serpent worship in the Americas can be verified from the many serpent mounds that appear across the continent. In Ohio, there is a large serpentine mound with a large head of the snake swallowing (or throwing up) a large egg. Similar snake mounds can be found across the world. Some are man-made, others natural and adapted - such as Hackpens Hill near Avebury in England, where Hack means snake and pen means head - thereby giving us "snakes head hill". These large serpents, still seen in the land today were ancient burial mounds, earthworks and places of ritual for the serpent worshipping cults of our ancestors. The great mane upon the mound, being grass or trees.
In 1871 at the meeting of the British Association in Edinburgh, a certain Mr. Phene gave an account of his discovery in Argyllshire, Scotland, of a mound, "several hundred feet long, fifteen feet high and thirty feet broad." The tail tapers away from a circular cairn, which he presumed to be a solar disk above the head of the "Egyptian uraeus". [4] This fiery Uraeus serpent, or more properly Wadjet, anoints the head with flames, as referred to in the Bible in Apostles, Acts 2, where the Apostles are filled with the holy spirit, and flames lick above their heads. Here we have a clue to the serpents connection to spirituality.
In the Pyramid Texts the Wadjet is linked strongly with nature. The papyrus plant is said to emerge from her and she is connected to the forces of growth, fertility and creative power. The Uraeus is an indication of the divine wisdom and solar-force, emerging from the brow of the head, symbolically represented in the serpent mounds appearing on the brow of a hill. The brow is known as the ‘temple’. Within the Temple is the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in a human’s body. In Native American traditions many underground caverns within landscaped mounds are where known to be places where initiation rites occurred. From our research, it appears these places were ritualistic re-birthing portals as if from the womb of the creative serpentine mother. In Egyptian history Osiris entered the serpent and emerged reborn and invigorated, and our European and American ancestors mimicked this belief. In all cases it was the wisdom of the serpent, which gave the strength to empower the individual to move on in life, as if born again.
Serpent mounds – a worldwide phenomenon
Further references to serpent mounds can be found across the world. In the Persian holy book Zend Avesta one of the story’s heroes takes a rest on what he thinks is a bank – only to find out that it was a green snake. In Mauritania, Iphicrates says that "there were dragons of such extent that grass grew up on their backs." In Strabo (Lib xv. P.1022) two dragons are said to have resided in the mountains of India, one eighty cubits long and the other one hundred and forty. From Syria Posidonius tells of a dragon which was so large that horse riders on either side could not see each other. Each ‘scale’ was as big as a shield, so that a man "might ride into his mouth." It is thought that these must be ruins of Ophite (serpent worshiping) temples. In some parts of Syria serpent worshippers were known as Hivites (linked with the root word hivvah which from which came the biblical name of Eve which could then be equated with "female serpent"). In India serpent deities are known as the Naga.
From South America text said to have been written by Votan (Quetzalcoatl), in the language of the Quiches says he left Valum Chivim [5] and came to the New World to apportion land among seven families who came with him and were said to be of serpent origin or culebra. Passing the "land of thirteen snakes" he arrived in Valum Votan, founding the city of Nachan (City of Snakes), thought to be Palenque, possibly around 15 BC or even earlier. In reference to Serpent Mounds there is the description of a subterranean passage, that terminated at the ‘root of heaven’ – referred to as a ‘snake’s hole’ while snake heaven was Patala. Votan was only allowed entry because he was ‘the son of a snake’ from which we can infer he was an initiate in the serpent cult.
{mospagebreak}
Serpent Wisdom
There are two distinct elements of practical wisdom originating in the serpent tales, fables and folklore. Firstly that the physical snake itself not only sloughs off its skin and appears to be re-born from within a cave or under a rock, but that the very elements of the physical snake could actually prevent disease and cures ill health. The knowledge of amazing regenerative properties of the various parts of the snake have been discovered in hundreds of ancient medica materia, alchemical texts and hidden within folklore. The venom of the snake was used as an Elixir to help prevent disease through boosting the immune system with high levels of protein. And secondly mixing the neurotoxic venom with the blood of the snake or mammalian host such as a horse brings on altered states of consciousness much akin to certain drugs used by shaman across the world from ancient times. Visions of ‘otherworlds’ seen in such trances are often depicted as tombs, wombs or caves, within which sometimes benevolent, sometimes terrible, serpents are encountered.
In any discussion of serpent wisdom we cannot fail to also mention the ancient Hindu Kundalini practice. Kundalini means simply "coiled serpent" and in the Indian system the ida and pingala energy (through serpent channels) are raised up and down the spine to raise the consciousness of the adept. There are six chakra energy vortices aligning the spine, with a seventh emerging from the top of the head, which is called the bindu. Each chakra location must be traversed upwardly, and in balance, before one can achieve the bindu enlightenment reminiscent of the reference in Apostles, Acts 2 where enlightenment is reached and described as fire licking at the head in the bindu position.
I recently met up with the dowser Hamish Miller who has followed the Michael and Mary lines of telluric energy across Europe finding many examples of Kundalini images and the dual serpentine caduceus known to all health practitioners the world over. We shared our amazement at the widespread frequency of the serpent in myth and folklore
Mankind has from time immemorial searched for longer life and divine wisdom. The result is a sacred and often, secret code, hidden in the landscape, locked away in ancient texts and deep within our own inner energy system. It is a secret code of the divine and wise serpent that has survived the attempts of the Christian Church to eradicate it. If you hear its call, there is a wellspring of knowledge out there for you to discover.
Notes
1 According to Giraldus Cambrensis or Gerald of Wales.
2 Today, the inner traditions of the serpent energy are most prominent in the Kundalini and Chakra based systems practised by Eastern adepts and many New Age societies in the West.
3 The Serpent Grail by Philip Gardiner with Gary Osborn, Watkins, 2005.
by Philip Gardiner Gary Osborn, Watkins, 2005.
4 The Ureaus, also known as Wadjyt, Wadjit, Uto, Uatchet and Edjo was a pre-dynastic ‘cobra goddess’ of Lower Egypt (approximately 4,000 BC) who took the title ‘The Eye of Ra.’
5 Chivim is a Hebrew word, meaning "sons of the female serpent" (or Eve) and may imply a greater knowledge of this journey from a Judaic perspective.
More Information
• ,The Serpent Grail: The Truth Behind the Holy Grail by Philip Gardiner with Gary Osborn, is available here
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
lakota people
MORTALITY - Lakotah men have a life expectancy of less than 44 years, lowest of any country in the World (excluding AIDS) including Haiti.
Lakotah death rate is the highest in the United States.
The Lakotah infant mortality rate is 300% more than the U.S. Average.
Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S national average for this group.
POVERTY:
Median income is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year.
97% of our Lakotah people live below the poverty line.
Many families cannot afford heating oil, wood or propane and many residents use ovens to heat their homes.
UNEMPLOYMENT:
Unemployment rates on our reservations is 85% or higher.
Government funding for job creation is lost through cronyism and corruption.
HOUSING:
Elderly die each winter from hypothermia (freezing).
1/3 of the homes lack basic clean water and sewage while 40% lack electricity.
60% of Reservation families have no telephone.
60% of housing is infected with potentially fatal black molds.
There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home (may only have two to three rooms). Some homes, built for 6 to 8 people, have up to 30 people living in them.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL:
More than half the Reservation’s adults battle addiction and disease.
Alcoholism affects 8 in 10 families.
Two known meth-amphetamine labs allowed to continue operation. Why?
DISEASE:
The Tuberculosis rate on Lakotah reservations is approx. 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S national average.
The rate of diabetes is 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Federal Commodity Food Program provides high sugar foods that kill Native people through diabetes and heart disease.
INCARCERATION:
Indian children incarceration rate 40% higher than whites.
In South Dakota, 21 percent of state prisoners were Native, yet they only make up 9% of the population.
Indians have the second largest state prison incarceration rate in the nation.
Most Indians live on federal reservations. Less than 2% of Indians live where the state has jurisdiction!
THREATENED CULTURE:
Only 14% of the Lakotah population can speak the Lakotah language.
The language is not being shared inter-generationally. Today, the average age of a fluent Lakotah speaker is 65 years.
Our Lakotah language is an Endangered Language, on the verge of extinction.
Lakotah death rate is the highest in the United States.
The Lakotah infant mortality rate is 300% more than the U.S. Average.
Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the U.S national average for this group.
POVERTY:
Median income is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year.
97% of our Lakotah people live below the poverty line.
Many families cannot afford heating oil, wood or propane and many residents use ovens to heat their homes.
UNEMPLOYMENT:
Unemployment rates on our reservations is 85% or higher.
Government funding for job creation is lost through cronyism and corruption.
HOUSING:
Elderly die each winter from hypothermia (freezing).
1/3 of the homes lack basic clean water and sewage while 40% lack electricity.
60% of Reservation families have no telephone.
60% of housing is infected with potentially fatal black molds.
There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home (may only have two to three rooms). Some homes, built for 6 to 8 people, have up to 30 people living in them.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL:
More than half the Reservation’s adults battle addiction and disease.
Alcoholism affects 8 in 10 families.
Two known meth-amphetamine labs allowed to continue operation. Why?
DISEASE:
The Tuberculosis rate on Lakotah reservations is approx. 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S national average.
The rate of diabetes is 800% higher than the U.S national average.
Federal Commodity Food Program provides high sugar foods that kill Native people through diabetes and heart disease.
INCARCERATION:
Indian children incarceration rate 40% higher than whites.
In South Dakota, 21 percent of state prisoners were Native, yet they only make up 9% of the population.
Indians have the second largest state prison incarceration rate in the nation.
Most Indians live on federal reservations. Less than 2% of Indians live where the state has jurisdiction!
THREATENED CULTURE:
Only 14% of the Lakotah population can speak the Lakotah language.
The language is not being shared inter-generationally. Today, the average age of a fluent Lakotah speaker is 65 years.
Our Lakotah language is an Endangered Language, on the verge of extinction.
Tara Watch
TaraWatch
Hill of Tara / M3 Motorway - Activists Site
10.29.08Tara M3 questions to political parties - The Irish TimesPosted in News at 9:31 am by Vincent
Tara M3 questions to political parties
The Irish Times- 29 October 2008
TaraWatch has sent questionnaires to the political parties in advance of next year’s local and European elections asking them to outline their positions on the controversial M3 upgrading.
The parties are asked 10 questions, in particular whether they support the current route of the M3 or a route farther away from the Hill of Tara.
TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said it is considering fielding candidates if the response from the political parties is not sufficient.
PRE-ELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Please return answers to TaraWatch, Suite 108, Mary’s Abbey, D.7, or mail them to info@tarawatch.org, by Tue 4 November.
1. Do you agree that the M3 motorway being built through the Hill of Tara archaeological complex is damaging a site of national and international importance?
2. Do you agree that the M3 Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract is a bad deal for Irish taxpayers, as it will see the lions share of revenue go to a multi-national company, for the next 45 years?
3. Do you agree it is necessary to build four motorways going through County Meath, from the M50?
4. Do you agree that the approximately 16 billion euros over spend by the National Roads Authority on the roads programme in the National Development Plan (NDP), between 2000-2008, is the biggest waste of taxpayers money in the history of the State, that must be
investigated?
5. Do you agree with the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the NDP should be subjected to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), before any more money is spent on it. If so, will you commission an SEA of the NDP, before allowing any
projects that are likely to have a significant effect on the environment, to proceed further?
6. Do you agree that a new cost-benefit analysis of Transport 21, and every single project within it, should take place before any further money is allocated?
7. Do you agree that reducing climate change gasses, due to transport, is a moral and economic imperative that must be addressed immediately?
8. Do you agree that alternatives to the current transport plan for Meath and Dublin need to be re-examined, in order to design more efficient alternatives?
9. Do you agree that the M3 should be re-routed, or cancelled, before Tara is made a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
10. If you enter Government will you ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption, which Michael McDowell promised, but failed to do?
11. If you enter Government, after the next Election, will you seek to have the M3 altered, in order to protect the Hill of Tara?
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10.26.08Tara Features in New Book on Endangered Sites - ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear’Posted in News at 5:03 pm by Vincent
Photograph: The Irish Image Collection/Corbis
THE STAR: Last Chance Saloon for ‘Dying’ Landmarks - Threatened Sites Highlighted
Tara Features in New Book on Endangered Sites - ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear’
The Hill of Tara features in a new book entitled ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear‘, published October 20 by Frommers, and written by Holly Hughes. This is further evidence of how negatively the international community still views the M3 motorway works. Tara is currently on the 100 Most Endangered Sites List published by the World Monuments Fund in 2008, and will remain on the watch list until 2010. The entry in the Hughes book for Tara reads, in part: “Hill of Tara, Co Meath, Ireland: The ancient seat of Ireland’s high kings is threatened by the proposed M3 highway which runs close by and is due to open in 2010″ The Frommers web site catalogue reads as follows:
“500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully- chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travellers of all ages. Each entry explains why it’s been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travellers to locate attractions across the world.”
The Hill of Tara -Going to ruins
500 Places to See Before They Disappear, by Holly Hughes, published October 20 2008 by Frommers. (p.247)
Ireland is a nation of story tellers where seemingly every mossy stone and country crossroad has a tale spun about it. But even so, there’s no disputing the legendary significance of the Hill of Tara, traditional seat of the high kings of Ireland. No wonder plans to run a new superhighway past it has generated storms of outrage.
On first glance, Tara today doesn’t look like much – a 90m (300 ft) hill dotted with grassy mounds, some ancient pillar stones, and depressions that show where the Iron Age ringfort, Raith na Riogh, encircled the brow of the hill. But audiovisuals at the visitor center deconstruct just what these mounds represent, as if peeling away the centuries from this time-harrowed ridge. Prominent on the hilltop are the ring-barrow called Teach Cormaic (Cormac’s House) and the Forradh, or Royal Seat, with a granite coronation stone known as the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), standing erect at its center. The trenches of three other smaller ringforts are nearby, as well as an excavated passage tomb just to the north, the astronomically aligned Mound of the Hostages, which dates to 2000 BC.
The wood timbers of the old royal halls rotted a long time ago; the last great feis – triennial banquet of princes, poets, priests, and politicians – was held in A.D. 560, after which the rise of Christianity forced ancient Celtic traditions into hiding. But Tara was always more than just one hill – it was the epicentre of Ireland’s foremost kingdom and several other important pre-historic sites are in the same valley. From the Hill of Tara, in the distance you can spot the great burial mound of Newgrange and the Hill of Slane, where Saint Patrick readies himself to take on the Irish pagans – which, of course, he needed to do at Tara, Ireland’s symbolic heart.
The N3 highway, heading northeast out of Dublin towards the town of Kells, already ran close enough to Tara to shake its foundations; now a larger limited-access motorway, the M3, is being built even closer, with a major interchange right near the sacred hill. During construction, a number of megalithic souterrains – underground buildings – some dating from the 7th century, have been bulldozed, probably the homes of important nobles and courtiers living near the kings fort. When a 2000 year old henge named Lismullin, with Megalithic decorations on its stone, was unearthed in March 2007, construction was temporarily halted – but work proceeds on other sections of the road, despite vociferous citizen protests. Alternative routes have been proposed, but to no avail. The ghosts of the high kings must be weeping.
In an effort to stop or at least slow the destruction of the Hill of Tara, conservationists and Government supporters are working to make the Hill of Tara a World Heritage Site. This would help preserve the Gabhra Valley between the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Skryne, and protect the surrounding landscape by preventing commercial development along the path of the new motorway.
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10.15.08Finfacts - Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Lenihan’s “call to patriotic action”Posted in News at 8:56 am by Vincent
Source: Davy Research
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Lenihan’s “call to patriotic action”
FINFACTS: By Michael Hennigan, Founder and Editor of Finfacts - Oct 15, 2008 - 7:26:39 AM
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Minister for Finance Brain Lenihan said in his speech Tuesday on the Budget, that “it’s a call to patriotic action.” Apart from evoking Samuel Johnson’s most famous quotation: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel,” while incompetence is not incompatible with patriotism, it’s rich indeed to be lectured about such noble values, by people who used short-term political interest to the detriment of the economy and many thousands of people. The fallout from the toxic cocktail of self-interest, incompetence, negligence and laziness, has been covered in another article this week. Click for Finfacts Main Budget 2009 Page
Before moving onto economic analysis, it’s interesting to observe how the Green Party has so seamlessly filled the impotent shoes of the near-defunct PDs. Like so-called “independents” who sell their votes for time security and some baubles to impress constituents, small niche parties, such as the Green Party in its present role, have zero impact on most areas of policy but the priority is to have some crumbs to offer supporters and copperfasten the self-interest of the leadership. So Green Party leader John Gormley has highlighted what he called “Green Party gains” including: a substantially increased budget for water services; new funding for home energy efficiency and warmer homes scheme; increases in petrol prices; the bicycle initiative; and an increase in motor taxes. The introduction of the €200 annual charge on second properties, was described by Gormley as a “watershed moment” in local government funding. Watershed or not, Fianna Fáil will always be happy for their support as long as they stick to “saving the planet” but who saves Ireland?
Environmental group Tarawatch, says spending on the roads programme is inefficient, because the overspends by the National Roads Authority have already reached €16 billion and there is no indication that it is slowing. Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:”Continuing the roads programme at this rate, while reducing spending on public transport, is the height of fiscal irresponsibility, given the current economic climate. “It is clear the Green party have had zero impact on Government policy, with no –reallocation of funds from roads to public transport, and no significant carbon emission reduction programme whatsoever.
“We will update our complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General, seeking a review of spending on the roads programme, before funding is allocated, in the wake of the E16 billion overspend by the NRA.”
The views of 3 economists (below):
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10.13.08Irish examiner: TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspendPosted in Corruption Watch, News, Tolls, Transport at 2:19 pm by Vincent
TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend
Irish examiner - Monday, October 13, 2008 - By Eoin English
ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt. TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects. It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.
“The C&AG has primary responsibility for ensuring value for money in public spending,” TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said. “It should not allow one penny to be spent until there has been cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on every single road plan. “It is illegal and disgraceful for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to now negotiate more cost-plus, rather than fixed-price contracts, and a continuation of business as usual. “The NRA didn’t even have an accountant in their office until 2004. They have gotten away with murder, as have the construction companies that hauled off truckloads of taxpayers’ money.” He said TaraWatch wants the C&AG to freeze all public spending on NRA projects under the National Development Plan, until a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.
The C&AG has expressed concerns about the spending controls on roads projects. In 2002 the NRA was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a massive €6.6bn overrun. By 2004, the overrun had gone up to €10bn. TaraWatch said an engineers report it commissioned, and submitted to the Department of Finance on Friday, shows how the M3 motorway will cost the taxpayer an extra €1.8bn, and will be responsible for €320 million in emissions penalties. The NRA was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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10.11.08Pre-Budgetary Submission to Dept of Finance - M3 motorway will lose moneyPosted in News at 2:03 pm by Vincent
Download TaraWatch Pre-Budgetary Submission
Dowload TaraWatch financial analysis of M3 motorway
M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Irish examiner - Breaking News - 10 October 2008
The proposed M3 motorway will lose money, according to a financial analysis included today in TaraWatch’s pre-Budgetary submission. The primary conclusion is there is a need for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the National Development Plan (NDP), before any spending decisions are made on Transport 21. These conclusions are supported by the EPA Report on the Irish Environment, released on Wed October 8, which calls for SEA analysis of the NDP. The submission also details legal cases being taken against the Irish Government, by the European Commission and in the Supreme Court, regarding alleged breaches of SEA law.
The M3 Motorway PPP contractor, Ferrovial, is also examined in detail. A financial analysis of the M3 motorway, performed by a licensed engineer, Rodney Aldrich, claimed that the M3 motorway will be a losing proposition for taxpayers in collecting toll revenues, based on the NRA traffic projections, in order to cover construction and operating costs. Aldrich concluded that: “The tolls will fall short by a total of 1.165bn euro in repaying a 45-year financing.” Mr Aldrich concluded: “If a rail link supplements improvements to the current N3, the possibility exists to avoid 180,000,000 euro in excess carbon emissions penalties that might very well result if the M3 is completed. “The Department of Finance should perform a fresh cost-benefit analysis, and investigate all real and shadow costs associated with the M3 before funding it any further.
Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said: “The National Development Plan, and the M3 motorway, are losing propositions for the Irish taxpayer. “Even a cursory analysis of the PPP numbers shows that the M3, and the NDP, are examples of ‘cowboy economics’, and the figures simply don’t add up.” “The recent EPA Report on the State of the Irish Environment 2008 supports our findings, by calling for cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment of the NDP.”
Related stories
Irish independent - Principals in plea to spare schools from ‘disastrous’ cuts (6 Oct)
BreakingNews.ie - M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Ireland Online - M3 motorway will lost money, says TaraWatch
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10.07.08TORONTO STAR: Celtic Tiger threatens ‘very soul of historic Ireland’Posted in News at 2:27 pm by Vincent
Archaeology Magazine - News Headlines: “Here’s a summary of what preservationists have tried to do to save Ireland’s Hill of Tara from highway construction. Their new argument suggests that the downturn in the country’s economy requires Ireland to save its historic resources as tourist destinations.”
Celtic Tiger threatens ‘very soul of historic Ireland’
MITCH POTTER - TORONTO STAR Europe Bureau - Oct 07, 2008
HILL OF TARA, Ireland–It is a battle worthy of the old Irish legends, pitting history against modernity. But as a controversial highway creeps ever closer to the spiritual home of the early Celtic kings, it now appears both sides may lose. For advocates of the twin ribbons of asphalt called the M3 now under construction north of the Irish capital, there is no choice but to live pragmatically with the roar of a commuter corridor in the shadow of the sacred Hill of Tara, because getting to nearby Dublin is a nightmare without it. For opponents, the new toll highway is the most painful example of the Celtic Tiger’s propensity for gnawing through all obstacles – up to and including “the very soul of historic Ireland” – in the pursuit of the almighty euro. Worse, they say, the highway is arriving just as the economy curls up into what many expect will be a deep slumber, worn ragged by a broken property bubble and the global credit squeeze.
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10.01.08EU Speak out on TaraPosted in News at 9:22 am by Vincent
Irish Examiner - Open letter to the Irish Government from MEPS - January 2008
EU Speak out on Tara
South Meath Post 30-9-08 by Evan Short
Tarawatch anti M3 protesters claimed last week to have been backed by the EU in their continuing campaign against the motorway.According to Vincent Salafia, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament has expressed its “ongoing concern” regarding the impact of the M3 on the Hill of Tara archaeological complex and the demolition of the Lismullin National Monument. In its annual activity report from 2007 released last Wednesday, the Committee commented specifically on the absence of any assesment in advance of a 2007 decision to remove a national monument situated at Lismullin in the path of the M3 Motorway project near Tara in County Meath. The Lismullin Henge, described by the American Archaeological Journal as one of its most signiicant finds of 2007, was removed in January to permit the M3 to go ahead.
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09.26.08Alternative proposals for M3 motorway soughtPosted in News at 12:16 pm by Vincent
Now that Ireland is in recession, and the National Development Plan, which funds the M3 motorway, is going to be slashed, TaraWatch is seeking proposals and analysis for alternatives to the current plan to complete four motorways, through County Meath, including the M3 motorway through the Hill of Tara.Over the years, a number of proposals have been put forward by local residents and campaigners, including:
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09.12.08‘M3 Misinformation Designed to Improperly Influence Budgetary Spending on Roads’Posted in News, Transport at 12:41 pm by Vincent
PRESS RELEASE -TARAWATCH.org -12 September 2008
‘M3 Misinformation Designed to Improperly Influence Budgetary Spending on Roads’
TaraWatch refutes claims made in The Irish Times and the The Evening Herald today about the M3 motorway, that the M3 motorway is far ahead of schedule, and accuses the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, of wasting more taxpayers’s money on Transport 21 propaganda. The Irish Times quoted a “well-placed source close to the project”, who said it was going “exceptionally well”. The un-named source “estimated that building works are at least 10 months ahead of schedule.” and would “open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010.” The claim is false, as the M3 is actually behind schedule, after delays due to the discovery of new archaeological sites, financial difficulties with contractors and court challenges. The estimated date of opening, found on the SIAC-Ferrovial contractors’ web site is 2011. It states: “M3 Motorway between Clonee and Kells: Contract is due to commence in the Spring 2007 and the contract duration will be approximately 4 years.”
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Irish Times: Controversial M3 motorway through Tara may open earlyPosted in News at 12:26 am by Vincent
Meath Chronicle - ‘No delay’ to M3 despite difficulties
Evening Herald -’Motorway a year ahead of schedule despite Tara row’
Controversial M3 motorway through Tara may open early
The Irish Times - Friday, September 12, 2008
ELAINE KEOGH
THE CONTROVERSIAL M3 motorway is understood to be nearly a year ahead of schedule and it is hoped it may open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010. The progress on the project has been welcomed by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who is a TD for Co Meath. However environmental group TaraWatch has repeated its call for the scheme to be cancelled and a heritage trail to be created, which, it said, would bring more benefit to the county. The motorway passes through the rich archaeological landscape of the Tara-Skryne valley. Last year a national monument was discovered in the middle of one of the lanes of the motorway itself.
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« Previous entries
Pages
‘Truth on Tara was buried deep due to culture of lies’ - Mail on Sunday
Action brought by EU Commission v Ireland over Tara
An Bord Pleanala - Inspectors Report on Lismullin
Archaeological Method and Theory and the M3
Brendan Myers, Dept. Philosophy, NUI Galway: On Tara
Contact us
Directions by Minister Roche for Lismullin Henge
Historical books and articles about the Hill of Tara
International News Stories
Irish Times: Is nothing sacred?
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Hill of Tara / M3 Motorway - Activists Site
10.29.08Tara M3 questions to political parties - The Irish TimesPosted in News at 9:31 am by Vincent
Tara M3 questions to political parties
The Irish Times- 29 October 2008
TaraWatch has sent questionnaires to the political parties in advance of next year’s local and European elections asking them to outline their positions on the controversial M3 upgrading.
The parties are asked 10 questions, in particular whether they support the current route of the M3 or a route farther away from the Hill of Tara.
TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said it is considering fielding candidates if the response from the political parties is not sufficient.
PRE-ELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE
Please return answers to TaraWatch, Suite 108, Mary’s Abbey, D.7, or mail them to info@tarawatch.org, by Tue 4 November.
1. Do you agree that the M3 motorway being built through the Hill of Tara archaeological complex is damaging a site of national and international importance?
2. Do you agree that the M3 Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract is a bad deal for Irish taxpayers, as it will see the lions share of revenue go to a multi-national company, for the next 45 years?
3. Do you agree it is necessary to build four motorways going through County Meath, from the M50?
4. Do you agree that the approximately 16 billion euros over spend by the National Roads Authority on the roads programme in the National Development Plan (NDP), between 2000-2008, is the biggest waste of taxpayers money in the history of the State, that must be
investigated?
5. Do you agree with the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the NDP should be subjected to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), before any more money is spent on it. If so, will you commission an SEA of the NDP, before allowing any
projects that are likely to have a significant effect on the environment, to proceed further?
6. Do you agree that a new cost-benefit analysis of Transport 21, and every single project within it, should take place before any further money is allocated?
7. Do you agree that reducing climate change gasses, due to transport, is a moral and economic imperative that must be addressed immediately?
8. Do you agree that alternatives to the current transport plan for Meath and Dublin need to be re-examined, in order to design more efficient alternatives?
9. Do you agree that the M3 should be re-routed, or cancelled, before Tara is made a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
10. If you enter Government will you ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption, which Michael McDowell promised, but failed to do?
11. If you enter Government, after the next Election, will you seek to have the M3 altered, in order to protect the Hill of Tara?
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10.26.08Tara Features in New Book on Endangered Sites - ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear’Posted in News at 5:03 pm by Vincent
Photograph: The Irish Image Collection/Corbis
THE STAR: Last Chance Saloon for ‘Dying’ Landmarks - Threatened Sites Highlighted
Tara Features in New Book on Endangered Sites - ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear’
The Hill of Tara features in a new book entitled ‘500 Places to See Before They Disappear‘, published October 20 by Frommers, and written by Holly Hughes. This is further evidence of how negatively the international community still views the M3 motorway works. Tara is currently on the 100 Most Endangered Sites List published by the World Monuments Fund in 2008, and will remain on the watch list until 2010. The entry in the Hughes book for Tara reads, in part: “Hill of Tara, Co Meath, Ireland: The ancient seat of Ireland’s high kings is threatened by the proposed M3 highway which runs close by and is due to open in 2010″ The Frommers web site catalogue reads as follows:
“500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully- chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travellers of all ages. Each entry explains why it’s been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travellers to locate attractions across the world.”
The Hill of Tara -Going to ruins
500 Places to See Before They Disappear, by Holly Hughes, published October 20 2008 by Frommers. (p.247)
Ireland is a nation of story tellers where seemingly every mossy stone and country crossroad has a tale spun about it. But even so, there’s no disputing the legendary significance of the Hill of Tara, traditional seat of the high kings of Ireland. No wonder plans to run a new superhighway past it has generated storms of outrage.
On first glance, Tara today doesn’t look like much – a 90m (300 ft) hill dotted with grassy mounds, some ancient pillar stones, and depressions that show where the Iron Age ringfort, Raith na Riogh, encircled the brow of the hill. But audiovisuals at the visitor center deconstruct just what these mounds represent, as if peeling away the centuries from this time-harrowed ridge. Prominent on the hilltop are the ring-barrow called Teach Cormaic (Cormac’s House) and the Forradh, or Royal Seat, with a granite coronation stone known as the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny), standing erect at its center. The trenches of three other smaller ringforts are nearby, as well as an excavated passage tomb just to the north, the astronomically aligned Mound of the Hostages, which dates to 2000 BC.
The wood timbers of the old royal halls rotted a long time ago; the last great feis – triennial banquet of princes, poets, priests, and politicians – was held in A.D. 560, after which the rise of Christianity forced ancient Celtic traditions into hiding. But Tara was always more than just one hill – it was the epicentre of Ireland’s foremost kingdom and several other important pre-historic sites are in the same valley. From the Hill of Tara, in the distance you can spot the great burial mound of Newgrange and the Hill of Slane, where Saint Patrick readies himself to take on the Irish pagans – which, of course, he needed to do at Tara, Ireland’s symbolic heart.
The N3 highway, heading northeast out of Dublin towards the town of Kells, already ran close enough to Tara to shake its foundations; now a larger limited-access motorway, the M3, is being built even closer, with a major interchange right near the sacred hill. During construction, a number of megalithic souterrains – underground buildings – some dating from the 7th century, have been bulldozed, probably the homes of important nobles and courtiers living near the kings fort. When a 2000 year old henge named Lismullin, with Megalithic decorations on its stone, was unearthed in March 2007, construction was temporarily halted – but work proceeds on other sections of the road, despite vociferous citizen protests. Alternative routes have been proposed, but to no avail. The ghosts of the high kings must be weeping.
In an effort to stop or at least slow the destruction of the Hill of Tara, conservationists and Government supporters are working to make the Hill of Tara a World Heritage Site. This would help preserve the Gabhra Valley between the Hill of Tara and the Hill of Skryne, and protect the surrounding landscape by preventing commercial development along the path of the new motorway.
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10.15.08Finfacts - Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Lenihan’s “call to patriotic action”Posted in News at 8:56 am by Vincent
Source: Davy Research
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Lenihan’s “call to patriotic action”
FINFACTS: By Michael Hennigan, Founder and Editor of Finfacts - Oct 15, 2008 - 7:26:39 AM
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Minister for Finance Brain Lenihan said in his speech Tuesday on the Budget, that “it’s a call to patriotic action.” Apart from evoking Samuel Johnson’s most famous quotation: “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel,” while incompetence is not incompatible with patriotism, it’s rich indeed to be lectured about such noble values, by people who used short-term political interest to the detriment of the economy and many thousands of people. The fallout from the toxic cocktail of self-interest, incompetence, negligence and laziness, has been covered in another article this week. Click for Finfacts Main Budget 2009 Page
Before moving onto economic analysis, it’s interesting to observe how the Green Party has so seamlessly filled the impotent shoes of the near-defunct PDs. Like so-called “independents” who sell their votes for time security and some baubles to impress constituents, small niche parties, such as the Green Party in its present role, have zero impact on most areas of policy but the priority is to have some crumbs to offer supporters and copperfasten the self-interest of the leadership. So Green Party leader John Gormley has highlighted what he called “Green Party gains” including: a substantially increased budget for water services; new funding for home energy efficiency and warmer homes scheme; increases in petrol prices; the bicycle initiative; and an increase in motor taxes. The introduction of the €200 annual charge on second properties, was described by Gormley as a “watershed moment” in local government funding. Watershed or not, Fianna Fáil will always be happy for their support as long as they stick to “saving the planet” but who saves Ireland?
Environmental group Tarawatch, says spending on the roads programme is inefficient, because the overspends by the National Roads Authority have already reached €16 billion and there is no indication that it is slowing. Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said:”Continuing the roads programme at this rate, while reducing spending on public transport, is the height of fiscal irresponsibility, given the current economic climate. “It is clear the Green party have had zero impact on Government policy, with no –reallocation of funds from roads to public transport, and no significant carbon emission reduction programme whatsoever.
“We will update our complaint to the Comptroller and Auditor General, seeking a review of spending on the roads programme, before funding is allocated, in the wake of the E16 billion overspend by the NRA.”
The views of 3 economists (below):
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10.13.08Irish examiner: TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspendPosted in Corruption Watch, News, Tolls, Transport at 2:19 pm by Vincent
TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend
Irish examiner - Monday, October 13, 2008 - By Eoin English
ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt. TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects. It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.
“The C&AG has primary responsibility for ensuring value for money in public spending,” TaraWatch spokesman Vincent Salafia said. “It should not allow one penny to be spent until there has been cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on every single road plan. “It is illegal and disgraceful for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to now negotiate more cost-plus, rather than fixed-price contracts, and a continuation of business as usual. “The NRA didn’t even have an accountant in their office until 2004. They have gotten away with murder, as have the construction companies that hauled off truckloads of taxpayers’ money.” He said TaraWatch wants the C&AG to freeze all public spending on NRA projects under the National Development Plan, until a cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.
The C&AG has expressed concerns about the spending controls on roads projects. In 2002 the NRA was summoned before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a massive €6.6bn overrun. By 2004, the overrun had gone up to €10bn. TaraWatch said an engineers report it commissioned, and submitted to the Department of Finance on Friday, shows how the M3 motorway will cost the taxpayer an extra €1.8bn, and will be responsible for €320 million in emissions penalties. The NRA was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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10.11.08Pre-Budgetary Submission to Dept of Finance - M3 motorway will lose moneyPosted in News at 2:03 pm by Vincent
Download TaraWatch Pre-Budgetary Submission
Dowload TaraWatch financial analysis of M3 motorway
M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Irish examiner - Breaking News - 10 October 2008
The proposed M3 motorway will lose money, according to a financial analysis included today in TaraWatch’s pre-Budgetary submission. The primary conclusion is there is a need for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the National Development Plan (NDP), before any spending decisions are made on Transport 21. These conclusions are supported by the EPA Report on the Irish Environment, released on Wed October 8, which calls for SEA analysis of the NDP. The submission also details legal cases being taken against the Irish Government, by the European Commission and in the Supreme Court, regarding alleged breaches of SEA law.
The M3 Motorway PPP contractor, Ferrovial, is also examined in detail. A financial analysis of the M3 motorway, performed by a licensed engineer, Rodney Aldrich, claimed that the M3 motorway will be a losing proposition for taxpayers in collecting toll revenues, based on the NRA traffic projections, in order to cover construction and operating costs. Aldrich concluded that: “The tolls will fall short by a total of 1.165bn euro in repaying a 45-year financing.” Mr Aldrich concluded: “If a rail link supplements improvements to the current N3, the possibility exists to avoid 180,000,000 euro in excess carbon emissions penalties that might very well result if the M3 is completed. “The Department of Finance should perform a fresh cost-benefit analysis, and investigate all real and shadow costs associated with the M3 before funding it any further.
Vincent Salafia of TaraWatch said: “The National Development Plan, and the M3 motorway, are losing propositions for the Irish taxpayer. “Even a cursory analysis of the PPP numbers shows that the M3, and the NDP, are examples of ‘cowboy economics’, and the figures simply don’t add up.” “The recent EPA Report on the State of the Irish Environment 2008 supports our findings, by calling for cost-benefit analysis and Strategic Environmental Assessment of the NDP.”
Related stories
Irish independent - Principals in plea to spare schools from ‘disastrous’ cuts (6 Oct)
BreakingNews.ie - M3 motorway will lose money, says TaraWatch
Ireland Online - M3 motorway will lost money, says TaraWatch
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10.07.08TORONTO STAR: Celtic Tiger threatens ‘very soul of historic Ireland’Posted in News at 2:27 pm by Vincent
Archaeology Magazine - News Headlines: “Here’s a summary of what preservationists have tried to do to save Ireland’s Hill of Tara from highway construction. Their new argument suggests that the downturn in the country’s economy requires Ireland to save its historic resources as tourist destinations.”
Celtic Tiger threatens ‘very soul of historic Ireland’
MITCH POTTER - TORONTO STAR Europe Bureau - Oct 07, 2008
HILL OF TARA, Ireland–It is a battle worthy of the old Irish legends, pitting history against modernity. But as a controversial highway creeps ever closer to the spiritual home of the early Celtic kings, it now appears both sides may lose. For advocates of the twin ribbons of asphalt called the M3 now under construction north of the Irish capital, there is no choice but to live pragmatically with the roar of a commuter corridor in the shadow of the sacred Hill of Tara, because getting to nearby Dublin is a nightmare without it. For opponents, the new toll highway is the most painful example of the Celtic Tiger’s propensity for gnawing through all obstacles – up to and including “the very soul of historic Ireland” – in the pursuit of the almighty euro. Worse, they say, the highway is arriving just as the economy curls up into what many expect will be a deep slumber, worn ragged by a broken property bubble and the global credit squeeze.
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10.01.08EU Speak out on TaraPosted in News at 9:22 am by Vincent
Irish Examiner - Open letter to the Irish Government from MEPS - January 2008
EU Speak out on Tara
South Meath Post 30-9-08 by Evan Short
Tarawatch anti M3 protesters claimed last week to have been backed by the EU in their continuing campaign against the motorway.According to Vincent Salafia, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament has expressed its “ongoing concern” regarding the impact of the M3 on the Hill of Tara archaeological complex and the demolition of the Lismullin National Monument. In its annual activity report from 2007 released last Wednesday, the Committee commented specifically on the absence of any assesment in advance of a 2007 decision to remove a national monument situated at Lismullin in the path of the M3 Motorway project near Tara in County Meath. The Lismullin Henge, described by the American Archaeological Journal as one of its most signiicant finds of 2007, was removed in January to permit the M3 to go ahead.
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09.26.08Alternative proposals for M3 motorway soughtPosted in News at 12:16 pm by Vincent
Now that Ireland is in recession, and the National Development Plan, which funds the M3 motorway, is going to be slashed, TaraWatch is seeking proposals and analysis for alternatives to the current plan to complete four motorways, through County Meath, including the M3 motorway through the Hill of Tara.Over the years, a number of proposals have been put forward by local residents and campaigners, including:
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09.12.08‘M3 Misinformation Designed to Improperly Influence Budgetary Spending on Roads’Posted in News, Transport at 12:41 pm by Vincent
PRESS RELEASE -TARAWATCH.org -12 September 2008
‘M3 Misinformation Designed to Improperly Influence Budgetary Spending on Roads’
TaraWatch refutes claims made in The Irish Times and the The Evening Herald today about the M3 motorway, that the M3 motorway is far ahead of schedule, and accuses the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, of wasting more taxpayers’s money on Transport 21 propaganda. The Irish Times quoted a “well-placed source close to the project”, who said it was going “exceptionally well”. The un-named source “estimated that building works are at least 10 months ahead of schedule.” and would “open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010.” The claim is false, as the M3 is actually behind schedule, after delays due to the discovery of new archaeological sites, financial difficulties with contractors and court challenges. The estimated date of opening, found on the SIAC-Ferrovial contractors’ web site is 2011. It states: “M3 Motorway between Clonee and Kells: Contract is due to commence in the Spring 2007 and the contract duration will be approximately 4 years.”
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Irish Times: Controversial M3 motorway through Tara may open earlyPosted in News at 12:26 am by Vincent
Meath Chronicle - ‘No delay’ to M3 despite difficulties
Evening Herald -’Motorway a year ahead of schedule despite Tara row’
Controversial M3 motorway through Tara may open early
The Irish Times - Friday, September 12, 2008
ELAINE KEOGH
THE CONTROVERSIAL M3 motorway is understood to be nearly a year ahead of schedule and it is hoped it may open to traffic in advance of the official completion date of June 2010. The progress on the project has been welcomed by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, who is a TD for Co Meath. However environmental group TaraWatch has repeated its call for the scheme to be cancelled and a heritage trail to be created, which, it said, would bring more benefit to the county. The motorway passes through the rich archaeological landscape of the Tara-Skryne valley. Last year a national monument was discovered in the middle of one of the lanes of the motorway itself.
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‘Truth on Tara was buried deep due to culture of lies’ - Mail on Sunday
Action brought by EU Commission v Ireland over Tara
An Bord Pleanala - Inspectors Report on Lismullin
Archaeological Method and Theory and the M3
Brendan Myers, Dept. Philosophy, NUI Galway: On Tara
Contact us
Directions by Minister Roche for Lismullin Henge
Historical books and articles about the Hill of Tara
International News Stories
Irish Times: Is nothing sacred?
Jonathan Rhys Meyers speaks out against M3 motorway (video)
M3 motorway will lost money - Pre-Budgetary Submission
Memorial to 1798 Battle of Tara Hill
Minister Gormley Q and A on Tara
NRA Report on New Discovery in Lismullen
Press statements about new discovery, May 1
Recent letters to papers
Saving Tara on MySpace
SIGN THE NEW UNESCO SAVE TARA PETITION
Take the Tara Protection Pledge
What you can do?
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bebo TaraWatch
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