Pechanga FORGETS their Military History on Memorial Day. Thank You Veterans, For Defending Our Country

The Hunter Family, disenrolled from the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians after over 200 years of living in the Temecula area have many veterans who served, or are serving in our military.

Once the Pechanga Resort & Casino opened, corruption lead to exterminating these veterans from their membership rolls and history.

On this Memorial Day, which is meant to honor fallen servicemen, I wanted to honor my relations who served our country, while not giving their last full measure and give our readers the opportunity to do the same in the comments by sharing your veterans name..

Pechanga Veterans of the Hunter Family

We salute our Pechanga Veterans for your courage, honor and commitment.

Cuevas, Felipe - Army
Cuevas, David - Army
Cuevas, Thomas - Army
Vasquez, Robert - Navy
Harris, William  - Air Force
Miller, Dario - Army
Miller, John D - Navy
Miller, Louie - Army
Poole, Mary Ann - Navy  - Husband Paul A. Poole served in the US Navy.
Poole, Gregory - Navy
Smith, Matilda - Army    - Husband Frank Smith served in the Air Force.
Smith, Frank - Air Force
Smith, Ernest - Navy
Tavizon, Ernest - Army
Madariaga, Lawrence - Army
Madariaga, Thomas - Navy
Victor J. Jeffredo - Air Force
Mong, Wayne - Army
Mong, Glenn - Army
Poole, Brian - Air Force (active duty)

APIS FAMILY
William Salinas

I'm sure I've missed a few. Thank you to all Pechanga people who have served. And shame on the Pechanga Tribal Council for staining the memory of these fine people above.
We should honor their memory (and those still living) with our courage to maintain this fight to regain what is rightfully ours.

FEEL FREE TO Add your veteran's name in the comments.  THANK YOU TO ALL who served.

Rep. Mike Thompson Requests Rep. Nick Rahall Hold Oversight Hearing on ENFORCEMENT of the Indian Civil Rights Act.

REMEMBER WHEN? THANK you Congressman Thompson, for standing UP for what is RIGHT.

It seems our contingent in Washington D.C. as well as Rep. Darrell Issa have gotten the word out. We need a hearing on the enforcement of ICRA.

The Honorable Mike Thompson has requested Rep. Nick Rahall, who is Chairman of the Committee on House Resources, to hold and oversight hearing on the enforcement of the INDIAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACT.

Here is a copy of that letter, and THANK YOU, Rep. Thompson, for standing up for your constituents and for ALL who have been harmed by their tribes.

originally published September 14, 2010.

Indian Civil Rights Act 68 Ltr.doc[1] by OPechanga

Sen. John McCoy of Washington: I OPPOSE DISENROLLMENT

Washington State Senator JOHN McCOY speaks out against tribal disenrollment.  Contrast that to Democrat Party Candidate Andrew Masiel, who subverted his tribal constitution, violated civil and human rights of native Americans of his own tribe.   The difference?  HONOR.

I oppose disenrollment because our heritage is our heritage. Our lineage is our lineage. Our heritage and lineage define us as Indians—not residence, blood quantum, or other failed federal Indian assimilation practice. I oppose disenrollment because it undermines an Indian’s—and in fact all of our—heritage and lineage.

We as tribal governments should establish our citizenship by relying on Indian heritage and lineage. There are reliable modern tools to establish that criteria, like DNA testing. I appreciate that science as a determinant of Indian citizenship may pose challenges to tribal communities traditionally speaking—that is for each tribe to decide—but it is preferable to blood quantum.

Washington Post Writer: GIVE UP FIGHT AGAINST REDSKINS Nickname.

Looks like some of those who stood up against the Redskins nickname issue, are giving up the fight because a poll that was so skewed, as to not be trustworthy, told a story that Native Americans don't think the name is racist.

From Robert McCartney, senior of the WAPO

In light of the new facts, we non-Indian critics should stop pressing the team to change its name. We should drop the cause, even if we privately dislike the moniker. We shouldn’t let the name stand in the way of building a new stadium. If we really want to help Indians, we should instead advocate for better schools, job opportunities and social services for them.

I realize this lets down the minority of Native Americans who view the name as a vital problem. These advocates include many tribal leaders, educators, lawyers and journalists. They contend that the Washington team’s name perpetuates damaging stereotypes, as do other uses of Native American names and imagery as sports mascots.

A slur, no longer

I was most surprised by the finding that 4 out of 5 Native Americans said they would not be personally offended if a non-native person called them a “redskin.” That suggests that dictionaries should add some kind of caveat in defining the word as a slur. Perhaps the reference books should add a second, non-pejorative definition, with a capital “R”: “Redskins: a National Football League franchise based in the Washington, D.C., area.” There’s a good chance that decades of NFL publicity and millions of dollars of promotion have transformed the word’s meaning such that most people, on hearing it, think first of the team.
If so, it’s a fresh example of how language evolves. Another lesson may be that political and moral arguments can seem solid one day but flimsy the next.

FOR those of us who DO think it's a slur....do we give up the fight?  Or do you continue to educate?  Wrong is wrong, and when you let the wrongs pile up, they come back to harm you...quitting is easy, as we've seen in the disenrollment fight.

CORRUPT CHUKCHANSI TRIBE Stands AGAINST New Tribal Casinos. Concerned about RULES, after Eliminating 600 of their OWN TRIBE.

The CHAIRWOMAN of the CORRUPT Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which is missing $50 MILLION dollars, has eliminated 600 of their own people, elders and children included, wants YOUR  SUPPORT in keeping another tribe from bettering themselves with casino gaming.   All of a sudden PRCI is concerned about the...... rules.   

By now, you have probably heard that the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians is supporting the California Compact Protection Act, H.R. 5079. This is true. Because we are very aware that the North Fork and Enterprise Bands are circulating rumors that Picayune only supports this legislation out of a fear of competition, we felt it necessary to write to explain our position.

The North Fork and Enterprise Bands are proposing highly controversial off-reservation casinos well outside their existing tribal areas, in the aboriginal territory of other tribes. These projects are not only opposed by the surrounding tribes, they were also rejected by 61% of California’s voters. So, while Picayune will not pretend that it is not concerned about the economic impact that the North Fork off-reservation project will definitely have on our on-reservation casino, we are equally concerned about the anti IGRA backlash that has already been generated in California, and that will begin to be generated elsewhere, if North Fork’s off-reservation casino is forced on our State’s voters.

The federal court’s decision in North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians v. State of California, No. 15-cv-00419 (E.D. Cal.) represents the first time that a federal court has found a state to be acting in “bad faith” for refusing to sign an off-reservation gaming compact under a two-part determination on a site specifically rejected by a statewide referendum. It also represents the first time that a federal court has appointed a mediator who has requested the Secretary of the Interior to impose procedures allowing off-reservation Class III gaming on a site acquired in this manner. Allowing federal courts to authorize two-part determination off-reservation gaming sites over a state’s express objection presents a very real danger to IGRA, to on-reservation gaming operations, and to the delicate balance that many tribes have struck with their state neighbors.

The North Fork Band’s efforts to force the approval of an off-reservation casino site has already fueled anti-gaming sentiments in California and in Congress, and it would be unwise to ignore the risks of this decision being left unchecked. State officials across the U.S. are not going to sit quietly by and let off-reservation gaming proliferate. When this project was first advanced, it was the voters of California, not just its elected officials, who demanded a statewide referendum and vetoed the North Fork Madera site by a vote of 61% to 39%. This said something to us, and it should to you as well.  OP:  There SHOULD be anti-gaming sentiments, because of actions of tribes like Chukchansi, Pala, Pechanga, Enterprise, Redding...to name just a few

The proposals of the North Fork and Enterprise Bands also have put a proposed Carcieri fix in jeopardy. Specifically, certain members of Congress have already suggested that North Fork’s and Enterprise’s efforts justify their demands for adding additional limitations in any Carcieri fix that is proposed by any Member of Congress. Others have suggested that a Carcieri fix is no longer necessary due to these proposals. Other opponents of the project are using this decision to push for an expanded state and local government role in the review and approval of all future fee-to-trust applications. The House Natural Resources Committee has already taken testimony from the California State Association of Counties, which was already calling for a county government role in the approval of all new fee-to-trust acquisitions before the North Fork decision was handed down. Many members of the House Resources Committee, who ignored this organization’s request at the time of that hearing, may well take a difference stance if the North Fork proposal continues to advance. That will hurt every tribe in the country.

Given the increasing anti off-reservation-Indian gaming sentiments resulting from the federal court’s decision in the North Fork case, and from the aggressive demands for off-reservation gaming by Enterprise, federal legislation certainly was going to be introduced in Congress. With this reality in mind, Picayune recognized the importance of working with federal legislators at the outset to keep the legislation as narrow as possible. Due in large part to our efforts, H.R. 5079 deals only with Class III off-reservation gaming in California; deals exclusively with land thought eligible for gaming through a two-part determination over the objection of the state or its voting public; and does not add any new compact approval conditions to the California Class III gaming process. Picayune is determined to continue working with Congressional leaders to keep H.R. 5079 limited to the specific problems posed by these two-part determination projects in California.

Class III compacting did not come easy in California. It took years of work and millions of dollars. Anyone familiar with the history of Indian gaming compacts in California knows that the positive relationship that our casinos now enjoy with the State only came about when the California Tribes came together and agreed to keep Indian gaming on or contiguous to their existing Rancherias and Reservations. In fact, history reflects that anti-IGRA legislation only stopped being introduced in Congress when the California Tribes stopped threatening to place casinos in off-reservation urban areas of our state.

READ THE COMPLETE story HERE: Claudia Gonzales: Off-reservation gaming fuels attacks on tribes   

National American Indian Court Judges Assoc. Says NOOKSACK JUDGE FIRING a Clear Threat to Judicial Independence

When the judges are calling you out for you acts against justice...

The National American Indian Court Judges Association is expressing concerns about a closely-watched disenrollment dispute in Washington state.

The group isn't taking a position on underlying issue -- whether the Nooksack Tribe can remove more than 300 people from the rolls. But the board of directors is questioning whether the chief judge on the reservation was fired because she ruled against the tribal council.

"If that proves correct, the action represents a clear threat to judicial independence," the board said in a statement.

Tribal leaders have admitted they fired Susan Alexander because her rulings represented a threat to their sovereignty. But when local media asked for clarification, they were met with confusing and conflicting responses.

Chairman Bob Kelley told The Bellingham Herald that Alexander was trying to change "how courts work in Indian Country" but then said she was ousted because she waived the tribe's sovereign immunity. Council member Katherine Canete offered a similar reasoning to The Seattle Times but backtracked when she was told that the judge's most recent ruling never mentioned immunity.

“I’m trying to think of the best way to put it into words. I’d have to think about that," Canete told the Times. The paper said she never explained why she thought the tribe's immunity was at issue.

The tribe has indeed lost a series of rulings involving a group known as The Nooksack 306. But Alexander's decisions have largely focused on addressing due process rights and voting rights under tribal law. None have questioned the tribe's ability to remove people from the rolls or the tribe's immunity.

The tribe posted advertisements for a new chief judge after Alexander was fired. The application period closed May 6, according to one ad on Craigslist.

I'm guessing JUDGES R US was closed??

"The Chief Judge is responsible for fair and impartial hearings and deciding judicial matters within the jurisdiction of the Nooksack Indian Tribal Court pursuant to the Nooksack Tribal Law and Order Code, by laws, ordinances, regulations and applicable Federal and local laws," the ad stated.

Gov. Jerry Brown IGNORES Pala's Civil Rights Violations to Expand Gaming;

Gov. Jerry Brown Monday announced the signing of an updated state gaming compact with the Pala Band of Mission Indianss in northeastern San Diego County.  Brown made no mention of the abuses at Pala, and the lack of oversight of Robert Smith's council.

The agreement, which sets terms under which the tribe can operate the Pala Casino, supersedes a contract signed a dozen years ago.

It authorizes the tribe to operate 2,500 slot machines, an increase of 500 over the prior agreement. The casino has no plans to add gaming devices at the current time, however, spokesman Jack Taylor said.

Provisions in the compact cover revenue sharing with and mutual support of local jurisdictions for fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement, public transit, infrastructure improvements, education and other services that serve the needs of the community, according to the governor's office.

It also includes terms to stimulate investments in renewable energy, recycling or water conservation projects, non-gaming-related economic development and health care facilities that provide a mutual benefit to the tribe and the local community.

The Pala Band will also continue to share revenue with tribes that don't operate casinos.

The governor's office said the agreement is consistent with recent compacts reached with other casino-operating tribes, the professionalism of the tribe's regulators, and their constructive relationship with state gaming regulators.

Cobell Scholarships: IF YOU'RE DISENROLLED, GET LOST!

Tribal Disenrollment finds another avenue to harm the individual Indian.

Have heard from some sources that the COBELL SCHOLARSHIP described below is not available to those American Indians who have been disenrolled.

The Cobell Scholarship is annual, non-renewable, and available to any full-time and degree-seeking American Indian or Alaska Native post-secondary (after high school) student attending any nationally, regionally and industry accredited non-profit, public and private, institution while pursuing a vocational certificate or diploma, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, professional degree or certificate. All applicants must demonstrate an unmet need as indicated below.

As described to me:  I just learned yesterday that the entity managing the Cobell Scholarship money will not award scholarships to Indians who are not members

ELEM INDIAN COLONY FILES SUIT to PROTECT RIGHTS AS NATIVE AMERICANS

A group has filed a petition in federal court in an attempt to prevent more than 130 Elem Pomo Indians from being exiled through disenrollment and banishment. The group claims the action includes all of the of Elem Indian Colony residents. They argue the exile would leave an empty 52-acre reservation.

Despite disenrollment and banishment becoming widespread, especially in California, it would be unprecedented for a tribe’s entire residency to be exiled, according to attorney Little Fawn Boland who represents the group of 30 people listed in the lawsuit against the Elem Colony Executive Committee, the tribal council.

Indian Affairs REFUSES to Seek JUSTICE for San Pasqual Descendants; Should Sovereignty Apply to Fake Indians?

Decades of injustice still follow rightful San Pasqual descendants as they seek justice and their rightful place in the San Pasqual band.   As we've written before, the BIA has made such egregious errors on this issue, that they can't fix it because it's 'embarrassing'.   They hide behind sovereignty, when sovereignty shouldn't apply to fake Indians.

Here is another letter to Amy Dutschke, who has REFUSED again and again to move further in the quest for justice.   

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT for the BIA to do the right thing?

Letter to BIA Director Amy Dutschke on San Pasqual Membership issue by OPechanga