Special OP-ED to The American Indian Reporter
by Ernie C. Salgado, Soboba Tribal Elder
PERSEVERANCE: Determination, Resilience, Grit, Tenacity, Persistence or just plan Stubbornness.
Regardless of which adjective you employ, it matters not because we are still here and many of us still carry the old ways in our hearts.
The American Indian people are the survivors of centuries of oppression, first by Spain and the Catholic Church, Mexico and most recently by the U.S. Government.
The American-Mexico war was from 1846 to 1848. Gold was discovered in 1848 and much of it was on lands occupied by the native people. California became the 31st State of the Union on September 9, 1850.
The State legislator authorized a $5 bounty on the scalp or head of Indians. By today's standards $5 does not seem like worth the time but in the 1850’s the average wages for a days work was 25 cents. At a current rate of $10 per hour, the 1850’s quarter would be equal to $80 and the $5 becomes $1,600.
The U.S. Government reimbursed California for its expenditures thus sanctioning the murders, slavery, genocide, and the sexual abuse of our men, women and children.
No one really knows how many tribes were completely terminated.
Next came the reservations and tribal boarding schools systems and brainwashing. The primary objective was to train the American Indian youth as domestic servants to the dominate “White Society.”
And even though the American Indians were granted American citizenship on June 2, 1924, many were not allowed to vote until after WW II and only because Indian leaders such as the Mission Indian Federation were fighting back.
In California American Indians were not legally allowed to buy alcoholic beverages until 1953.
MOVIE QUOTE: "Endeavor to persevere." -Chief Dan George as Lone Watie in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976).
PRESENT DAY
Even in this day and age (2018), the U.S. Government is operating sub-standard reservation and boarding schools for American Indians with little or no oversight. And all this with the approval of the “BIA Indians” who support the concept of “Separate but Equal” and because we are American Indians, the educational bar needs to be lower.
If anything the American Indian educational bar should be set higher and the “Separate but Equal” theory is pure unprocessed sewage.
EDUCATION
Education holds the key for the seventh generation and the true advancement of our people. The “Dumbing Down” of our children must not be tolerated or accepted under any circumstances. None!
Regardless of what the Socialist profess, “Competition” is a good thing and has been a part of our culture for centuries. Peon and Rez Ball are only a couple of examples.
Let us not forget to give credit to our very own “Hollywood Indians” with their headbands and ponytails and little or no understanding of “Tribalism” as opposed to “Socialism.”
“Socialism” is the U.S. Government imposed system of governance for the American Indian Tribes. And it continues to this day.
Although the tribes were allowed to elect their own tribal leaders as a pretense of “Democracy” while they had no authority as it remained with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The late Russell Means, a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), once told a Senate subcommittee that the American people were the “New Indians.”
By the “New Indians” he explained that the Socialist policies that have been forced upon the American Indian Tribes are now bring forced on the American People.
All this is not by accident, it is the Saul Alinsky Doctrine: The 8 steps to topple a nation and create a socialist state.
Healthcare: Take control of healthcare and you control the people. (Obamacare)
Poverty: Increase the Poverty level as high as possible; poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live. (2008-16: 40 million Americans on food stamps and 90 mil-lion unemployed. And California is in lock step.
Debt: Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty. (From 2008 to 2016 our National debt increase from 9 trillion dollars to over 19 trillion dollars and growing everyday. This was no accident it was planned and deliberate and met the Alinsky goal.)
Gun Control: Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state. (The proposals for gun control are relentless and Chicago is proof that it works. But the real pur-pose is as stated above.)
Welfare: Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income). (Welfare reform was a name change from Aid For Dependent Children (AFDC) to Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF.)
Education: Take control of what people read and listen to. Take control of what children learn in school. (This is one area that has almost been totally accomplished. K–12 is totally con-trolled by the Teachers Unions. And the universities and colleges are nothing more than Socialist indoctrination and recruitment centers. Free speech is not al-lowed on most campuses.)
Religion: Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools. (“God” or the mention of “God” is not allowed. In fact at the 2016 Democratic Convention they had a vote to use the word “God” in their platform. I will give you 10 to 1 odds it will not be used at the 2020 convention).
Class Warfare: Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor. (The George Soros funded Anti-American demonstrations, “Moveon.Org” and “Occupy Wall Street” are only a preview of what’s coming with “ANTIFA” the thugs of the left and their congressional supporters.)
It’s not a matter of Republicans vs Democrats, it’s Our Freedom vs Socialism or Progressivism.
It seems like some things never change, “As long as the grass shall grow and the rivers shall run” appears to be the same message from the Socialist as the American Indian people got when they gave up their lands, guns and freedom with the promise that the Government would provide for their well being.
And what is truly heartbreaking, and as hard as it is to believe, many of our tribal leaders and people, knowing our history are hell bent on repeating it since it proved to be extremely successful for our people.
Again, the late Russell Means was right on with his analysis: “The American people are the New Indians.”
And the Saul Alinsky Doctrine is at the heart of the Democratic Socialist Parties agenda.
Over 500 years and counting of domination and we are still here.
We, as Americans, both Indian and non-Indian people must become more aware of the manipulation of the masses by the media.
PERSEVERANCE, folks!
PERSEVERANCE!
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