Russell Means: The US Dog and Pony Show

[walksalone11]

Posted by Brenda Norrell
<http://narcosphere. narconews. com/users/ brenda-norrell> - March 18, 2010
at 9:47 am

By Brenda Norrell

Russell Means, Lakota, speaks out on latest attempt by the US State
Department to cover up its crimes against Native Americans with the US
State Department "Listening Conferences" for reports to the United
Nations. Means said the US has violated all treaties made between the US
and Indian Nations and has no real interest in admitting its dismal
human rights record to the world.

Means statement is in sharp contrast to the ongoing news reports on
human rights issues and Indigenous Rights violations by the US media.

Like the great Houdini, the US media have been grand magicians,
convincing the public of the need to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan
and gaining smiling approval for US military aid to Israel to imprison
Palestine. The US media have been grand escape artists, escaping the
truth, while packing the pockets of the corporate thieves, from
warmonger corporations to assassins, border wall builders, disaster
profiteers and drug manufacturers. With smoke and mirrors, the US media
has transformed truth into fiction and facts into lies.

Russell Means describes the latest dog and pony show of the US
government. The listening sessions were held Tuesday and Wednesday in
Albuquerque and on the Navajo Nation.

*Statement by Russell Means, Republic of Lakotah*

/on the Occasion of the United States State Department "Listening
Session" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 16 March 2010
/
Once again, the occupation government of the United States of America
has trotted out its dogs and ponies to provide a smokescreen and
diversion from its continuing crimes against the indigenous peoples and
nations of the Western Hemisphere. The reason for today's media
spectacle is supposedly for the US State Department to "listen" to input
from indigenous peoples and nations for inclusion in the U.S.'s report
to the United Nations Human Rights Council, universal periodic review
process.

As we can see, many indigenous people have been duped to participate,
yet again, in a lying and duplicitous process of the United States. The
United States has absolutely no interest or intention of admitting to
the world its human rights record that is neither justifiable nor
defensible. In particular, the record of the United States with regard
to historical, and ongoing, violations of over 370 treaties that were
negotiated and signed with indigenous nations must be, but will not be,
addressed by the United States. Instead, as is its ongoing practice, the
United States will use this session, and the one tomorrow on the
territory of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, as its justification that
indigenous peoples were "consulted," and "listened to," while the U.S.
simultaneously lies to the world about its disgraceful human rights record.

The Republic of Lakotah will not legitimize this embarrassing process.
Instead, we will submit our report directly to the UN Human Rights
Council, not to be filtered or sanitized by the State Department. Let us
be clear, our report will be scathing. The United States continues, on a
daily basis to violate the terms of the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie
Treaties with the Lakotah. Our report will indicate that the United
States never intended to abide by the terms of the treaties, and has
violated them consistently from the time of their signing to the present.

Our report will also cite the United States' own language in
acknowledging that "the treaties retain their full force and effect even
today because they are the legal equivalent of treaties with foreign
governments and have the force of federal law." Periodic Report of the
United States of America to the UN Committee on the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination, April 23, 2007, paragraph 335. In light of the
United States' own admissions, in addition to reporting to the Human
Rights Council on the egregious human rights record of the US towards
indigenous peoples, the Republic of Lakotah will report to the Council
and to the world, the exercise of its own rights under principles of
international law. The United States has continually breached the
treaties with the Lakotah, and international law allows the Lakotah to
return to our status quo ante position prior to the signing of the treaties.

On March 30, 2010, the Republic of Lakotah will repeat its position to
the United States, and will transmit its communication to the President
of the United States and to the Secretary of State, demanding that the
United States cease and desist it activities in Lakotah territory, and
insisting that the United States withdraw its presence from our homeland.