Press Release: DEFENCE LAWYER QUESTIONS EXCLUSION OF RON CHARTRAND AS PLAINTIFF IN MMF SUIT

Did client defame everyone on MMF Board except Winnipeg Region Vice President?: Niederhoffer


PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
January 2, 2006


WINNIPEG - A lawyer for one of the defendants in a defamation suit brought by the Board of the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) is questioning why Ron Chartrand, the Vice President of the MMF for the Winnipeg Region, was not included as a plaintiff in the suit.

Terry Belhumeur and Clare Pieuk, respectively the domain-name owner and webmaster of CyberSmokeSignals (http://www.cybersmokesignals.com/), are being sued by the MMF for having posted on the website in January 2004 a petition containing allegedly defamatory comments about President David Chartrand and the MMF Board of Directors.

Jeff Niederhoffer, the lawyer for Pieuk, says the exclusion of Vice President Ron Chartrand makes no sense from a legal standpoint.

"Because Ron Chartrand is the only Director not listed as an individual plaintiff in the MMF's action, what they are essentially arguing is that Mr. Pieuk defamed everyone on the MMF Board except the Vice President for the Winnipeg Region," says Niederhoffer. "This is an untenable argument, to say the least, and in terms of basic civil procedure, there is no good reason for Vice President Chartrand not to be a plaintiff in this lawsuit."

Although the reasons for Vice President Chartrand's absence from the action continue to be enshrouded in mystery, Niederhoffer says that his client has received word from sources close to the Vice President that Chartrand has made a deliberate choice over the past year not to be associated with the MMF suit.


ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeffrey J. Niederhoffer
Barrister and Solicitor
PO Box 48081 RPO Lakewood
Winnipeg, MB R2J 4A3
Ph. 204-471-8682
Email: jjn@niederlaw.com
Website: http://www.jeffniederhoffer.com

Press Release: DEFENCE LAWYER CALLS ON MMF TO NAME CHARTRAND IN LAWSUIT

Emails prove Chartrand authored petition: Niederhoffer


PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
December 14, 2005


WINNIPEG - A lawyer for one of the defendants in a defamation suit brought by the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) is calling on the MMF to include Winnipeg lawyer Lionel Chartrand as a defendant to the suit.

Terry Belhumeur and Clare Pieuk, respectively the domain-name owner and webmaster of CyberSmokeSignals, are being sued by the MMF for having posted on the website in January 2004 a petition containing allegedly defamatory comments about President David Chartrand and the MMF Board.

Jeff Niederhoffer, the lawyer for Mr. Pieuk, says his client has emails which show that the petition was actually authored by Chartrand, a Metis lawyer with Legal Aid who at the time agreed to advise both Belhumeur and Pieuk on due-diligence issues involving the website.

“Chartrand wrote the petition, and the idea for it originated with him,” says Niederhoffer. “It was Mr. Chartrand who originally suggested the idea for a petition, and on January 21, 2004, he emailed a completed draft of the petition to my client and recommended he post it on CyberSmokeSignals.”

A few days later, Niederhoffer claims, Pieuk posted the petition on CyberSmokeSignals exactly as written by Chartrand.

Niederhoffer says he believes that, in the interests of fairness, the MMF should add Lionel Chartrand as a defendant to the action. However, the lawyer also indicates he is prepared to act on his own if necessary.

“If the MMF doesn’t take action within a reasonable time to include Chartrand as a party, we will likely bring a third-party claim of our own against Chartrand, or find some other way to bring him into this action,” Niederhoffer confirms. “At the very, very least, we are going to call Chartrand to testify in court as to his role in all this.”

Chartrand is currently retained by the MMF as a consultant.


ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeffrey J. Niederhoffer
Barrister and Solicitor
PO Box 48081 RPO Lakewood
Winnipeg, MB R2J 4A3
Ph. 204-471-8682
Email: jjn@niederlaw.com
Website: http://www.jeffniederhoffer.com

###

Press Release: MANITOBA METIS FEDERATION SUES WEBSITE!

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
November 30, 2005


WINNIPEG - The Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) has brought suit against Clare Pieuk, the webmaster of CyberSmokeSignals, for allegations made in an online petition posted on the website in January 2004.

In its Statement of Claim, the Manitoba Metis Federation contends that the following allegations in the petition are defamatory:

"And whereas the Manitoba Metis Federation has been needlessly spending vast amounts of money for inappropriate travel and accommodation for David Chartrand, as well as, some Board Members;

"And whereas David Chartrand has already spent tens of thousands of dollars on pre-election campaigning [. . . .];

"And whereas very large sums of money intended for appropriate purposes such as consulting with members on hunting and harvesting issues has already been spent by David Chartrand on campaigning;

"And whereas Metis people believe that MMF elections should be conducted fairly with all candidates having an equal opportunity;

"And whereas the Federation's Board has been illegally authorizing campaign spending for David Chartrand and unlawfully spending your public monies to pay his election court challenge fees;

"And whereas unnecessary Board travel has been authorized for public relations purposes to one candidate only, namely David Chartrand;

"And whereas Metis have no confidence that any extra funding provided to the Federation will be spent in a legal or appropriate manner but rather believe all principles of fair play will be set aside by the Board of Directors approving campaign and public relations expenses for David Chartrand only;

"And whereas the Metis believe that any extra money provided to the MMF will be used in attempts to hinder and suppress the rights of the other candidates for the presidential election rather than providing them with an equal opportunity."

Jeff Niederhoffer, the lawyer for Mr. Pieuk, has already indicated to reporters that his client plans to fight. "We intend to vigorously defend the truth of each and every one of the allegations in the petition. My client is in possession of evidence to back up what's written in the petition, and we look forward to using it at trial," Niederhoffer has said. "We are going to show what we have to a jury and let them make up their own mind as to who is telling the truth."

The MMF has alleged that the documents and evidence in Mr. Pieuk's possession have in fact been stolen from its offices.

In an unprecedented pre-trial motion, the MMF has not only demanded that Mr. Pieuk turn over all material in his possession, but that he disclose how he came into possession of it.

Niederhoffer confirms he plans to fight the MMF's motion when it comes up before the court. But Niederhoffer also indicates that the question of control of the documents may soon be academic. "Months ago, as a safeguard, we provided copies of everything we have to the Auditor General's office, and we also took other steps to ensure that the contents of the documents will be public knowledge by the time this comes to trial."


ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeffrey J. Niederhoffer
Barrister and Solicitor
PO Box 48081 RPO Lakewood
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 4A3
Ph: 204-471-8682
Email: jjn@niederlaw.com
Website: http://www.jeffniederhoffer.com

###

Cordex: Oil-For-Food For Thought Archive

This scandal reaches all the way to the top in Canada also.

• The Belmont Club:
  1. Roger Simon's Mystery 4/22/05
  2. Roger Simon's Mystery 2 While the DNS name servers... 4/22/05
• Small Dead Animals: Updated 5/6/05
  
  1. Maurice Strong Steps Down 4/20/05
  2. No War, For Oil: Paul Martin and Cordex 4/22/05
  3. More On Cordex 4/23/05
  4. Mr. Martin, Did You Have Relations With That Strong Man? 4/24/05
  5. BNP Paribas on Oil-For-Food Hotseat 4/27/05
  6. Oil-For-Food Reaches Saskatchewan Wheat Pool 4/30/05
  7. Canadian Oil-For-Food Connections 5/4/05
  8. Sask Wheat Pool Tip 5/4/05
  9. Al Banna 5/6/05
  10. Oil-For-Food: Naming Names 5/8/05
  11. Sask Wheat Pool: Outraged I Tell You! 5/12/05
• No Pasaran:
  1. Bush eliminates Canadian PM's conflict of interest 4/23/05
• On Maurice Strong:
  1. Maurice Strong (Hat tip SDA)
• Shaken, Occassionally Stirred (updated 5/13/05, hat tip SDA)
  1. Oil For Food: Sweet Home Al-Banna 5/6/05
  2. Oil For Food: More Bread for Bread 5/6/05
  3. Oil For Food: Bierut, Montreal connection continued
     5/6/05
  4. Oil For Food Documents Handed Over to Congress 5/5/05
  5. Kept on Trucking 5/4/05
  6. Oil For Trucks: A Cool $5 Million 5/3/05
     
  7. Oil For Food, Beirut/Montreal Connection Revisited 5/3/05
  8. Oil for Food - On the Trail of Pierre Mouselli 5/2/05
  9. Did Sask Wheat Pool Sell Oil for Food Wheat Through a Middleman? 5/12/05
  10. Oil For Food: Volcker Inquiry Funded with $30m 5/13/05

Corruption In The Great White North (Archive)

Update 6/3/05: Item 100 is the most recent post from Captain's Quarters. Item 99 is the most recent post of evidence. Item 6 is commentary and explanation as to why Captain Ed chose not to observe the publication ban. Item 7 is a translation into French of two pieces of testimony. Item 13 verifies and expands previously posted information based on sources available after the lifting of the publication ban. Item 14, Captain Ed says "Thank You".

Captain Ed reports on a corruption investigation now in process in Canada. His postings are as follows:

1. Corruption Scandal Breaks Wide Open
2. Adscam Trial May End Publication Ban
3. Canadian Visitors Find CQ
4. Liberals To Request Standing At Gomery Commission For Cross-Examination
5. Adscam: Brault Testimony Continues
6. G&M Shows Why Publication Ban Is A Farce
7. Scandale Des Commandites
8. Adscam Trials Delayed Until June

   "Interestingly, Gomery had given Liberals standing in the inquiry, which allows them to cross-examine witnesses such as Brault. Today he denied standing to Conservatives and BQ, stating that their parties have not been directly affected by the testimony. In a subtle way, Canadians should understand from that decision that the witnesses have testified to significant wrongdoing by Liberal politicians and bureaucrats, but have not implicated anyone else."

9. Adscam: It's Not Just For Liberals Any More
10. Publication Ban Decision Tomorrow
11. American Media Catches Up To Adscam
12. Adscam Updates And Notes
13. Publication Ban Lifted
14. A Big Thank You To My Friends In Canada
15. Adscam Reaches Prime Minister's Office 4/9/05
16. Adscam: Liberals Losing Ground -- And MPs 4/9/05
17. Canadian Corruption Moving Beyond Adscam? 4/10/05
18. The Race For The Money? 4/10/05
19. Martin To Claim Liberal Purity (Of Late) 4/11/05
20. Corruption Moves Past Gomery, Involves Martin Confidants 4/11/05
21. CTV: Liberals Melting Down In Polling 4/11/05
22. Check Register Corroborates Brault, Harper Won't Wait For Gomery 4/12/05
23. 'The Man On The Ship' 4/12/05
24. Chrétien Crony Got $6.7M In Adscam Contracts 4/13/05
25. Jack Kelly: Adscam Could Ease Energy Woes 4/13/05
26. Martin Runs From A New Adscam Connection 4/14/05
27. It's The Loyalty To The Ex-Employees I Find Touching 4/14/05
28. Do Canadians Need A Tax-Form Contribution To Political Campaigns? 4/15/05
29. Adscam: Canadians Probably Won't Get Much Satisfaction 4/17/05
30. Adscam Defender Has Cash Issues Of His Own 4/17/05
31. Painfully Slow Audits At Elections Canada? Mon Dieu! 4/18/05
32. Liberals Panic, Cancel Opposition Days 4/19/05
33. Two Lines Of Inquiry Approaching Martin 4/19/05
34. Adscam Middleman Netted $1.7M Without Catching A Fish 4/19/05
35. Liberals Fail To Secure May 19th Opposition Day 4/20/05
36. Martin To Plead Case On Television 4/20/05
37. Boulay Made Money From All Sides 4/21/05
38. Liberals Handed Out Judgeships For Political Favors: Witness 4/21/05
39. Martin Offers Elections ... In December 4/21/05
40. More Publication Bans In Gomery Inquiry 4/25/05
41. Adscam: The Graft In The Details 4/26/05
42. Martin Purchases NDP Votes To Retain Power 4/26/05
43. Layton Begins Rationalizations 4/27/05
44. No Publication Ban At CQ 4/27/05
45. Coffin: Adscam Used Front Agencies 4/21/05
46. Austin Bay: Will Canada Be The Next Failed State? 4/27/05
47. Layton Suffering From Projection 4/28/05
48. Has Harper Missed His Chance Already? 4/29/05
49. Chrétien Plays The Gay Card In Adscam 4/30/05
50. Tories Losing Their Nerve? 5/2/05
51. An End To The Publication Ban? 5/2/05
52. Harper: Tory No-Confidence Effort "Unanimous" 5/2/05
53. A Note On The Canadian Publication Ban 5/3/05
54. Are The Liberals Buying Their Survival? 5/3/05
55. Guité Testimony Upcoming On CQ 5/4/05
56. Guité: Gagliano Assured Gov't Revenue For Ad Agency 5/4/05
57. Guité Testimony Redacted On Personal Loan (Banned Testimony) 5/4/05
58. Liberals In Quebec: Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler 5/5/05
59. Will Liberals Refuse To Leave? 5/6/05
60. Does The Buck Stop At Béliveau? 5/6/05
61. Corriveau Spread The Wealth (Off The Books, Natch) 5/7/05
62. Beryl Wajsmann, In His Own Words 5/8/05
63. BQ Will Demand Action If Liberals Ignore No-Confidence Motion 5/9/05
64. Corbeil: Liberal Activists Tied To Martin Took Illegal Cash 5/9/05
65. Beryl Wajsmann Interview At CQ 5/9/05
66. Did Gagliano Intimidate Corbeil? 5/10/05
67. Parliament Votes For Gov't To Resign; Grits Defiant 5/10/05
68. Corbeil: Money Funded Covert Campaign Office 5/10/05
69. The Liberal Catch-22 5/11/05
70. Martin Offers Eight-Day Wait, BQ Says 'Non!' 5/11/05
71. Ottawa Gone Wild! 5/11/05
72. Adscam: Kickback Scheme Intentional 5/11/05
73. A Demonstration Of Liberal Powerlessness 5/12/05
74. Dezainde Gets Fanciful At Gomery 5/13/05
75. Reuters: Canadian Gov't Will Fall 5/13/05
76. One Roll Of The Dice 5/15/05
77. Harper Goes To The Mattresses 5/17/05
78. Belinda Sells Out 5/17/05
79. Belinda's Betrayal Also Personal: Canadian Press 5/17/05
80. Harper, Tories To Pass Budget, Oppose NDP Amendment 5/17/05
81. Tory MP: Liberals Tried To Bribe Me 5/18/05
82. Confidence Votes Come Down To The Wire 5/19/05
83. Liberals Survive No-Confidence Effort 5/19/05
84. Is Harper Finished? 5/20/05
85. NDP, BQ Join In Call For RCMP Investigation 5/21/05
86. Maybe They Should Have Chosen A Better Spokesperson 5/23/05
87. Canadians Paying For Liberal Party PR Offensive 5/24/05
88. Adscam Cost $355 Million: Auditors 4/25/05
89. Adscam Reaches Paul Martin's Office (Updated -- Not Quite!) 4/26/05
90. Morselli: Gagliano Was "The Big Boss" 4/14/05
91. Will The Tories Come Out Fighting? 5/28/05
92. CQ - The End Of The World As We Know It 5/29/05
93. Confidence Votes This Week? More Or Less 5/30/05
94. Accuracy In Media: CQ Is Journalism 5/30/05
95. Grewal Tapes Contain Bribe Offer: CTV 5/30/05
96. Guilty Plea In Adscam 5/31/05
97. Grewal Transcripts Released 5/31/05
98. Tapes Edited: Dosanjh 6/2/05
99. Have The Grewal Tapes Been Altered? 6/2/05
100. Liberal MP Calls For Suspension Of Murphy, Dosanjh 6/3/05

See also: Context For Understanding Gomery (updated 6/3/05). Check this Technorati search on the Gomery Commission for the most current postings on this and related topics.

I am sure the good Captain will have more new information forthcoming. There is, however, a group of dedicated bloggers in Canada who have been following the Gomery Commission for some time. Click on the button below to begin your exploration of The Blogging Tories.


Update: Wretchard comments, from his club chair, on the strange situation Canadian bloggers find themselves in regarding Adscam. Captain Ed has even become a name they dare not speak. There is talk of cross-border blogging. Now that smacks of fraternization.

Update 2: Wretchard provides insight into Canadian law regarding the publication ban and how Canadian bloggers are dealing with it. Here is a summary of the court's point of view:

Perreault warned that even if Brault's testimony has been outed by a U.S. website, it doesn't mean it's now public information. "Anyone who takes that information and diffuses it is liable to be charged with contempt of court," Perreault said. "Anybody who reproduces it is at risk."

The bloggers have a slightly different point of view.

Update 3: More from Captain Ed here.

Update 4: Conservative Life - Canadian Politics has two posts of interest, here and here.

Context For Understanding The Gomery Commission (Archive)

5/14/05 Andrew Coyne: The real Adscam mystery (Hat tip to SDA)

Where did they get the cash? Not the money -- we know where they got that.

5/9/05 THE LIBERAL FAMILY TREE (hat tip Conservative Life.)
4/30/05 GPC Research has ties to the sponsorship scandal?
4/30/05 Andrew Coyne: Mr. Dithers? We were too kind (Hat tip SDA, Kate says,"Ouch.")
4/30/05 Keeping The Scandal In Perspective (Ms. Kate, diarist of things roadkilled)
4/29/05 What "waiting for Gomery" really means Hat tip Conservative Life

The listing of posts from Captain's Quarters is located here.

NealeNews



www.AntiCorruption.ca (Hat Tip small dead animals)


Small Dead Animals Updated 6/5/05 (Blogger decided to eat most of my past posting. I will recover it as best I am able.):

1. Ban Partially Lifted 4/7/05
2. MSM Coverage Begins 4/7/05
3. Brault Testimony Transcripts 4/7/05
   
4. Call Your MP 4/08/05
5. Tip Of The Iceberg 4/8/05
6. Adscam Media Coverage: Know The Players 4/8/05
7. Neale, And The New Northern Alliance 4/09/05
8. The Martin Connection 4/10/05
9. Liberal Scandal Record 4/10/05
10. Auditing The Auditors 4/10/05
11. The Polls Begin 4/11/05
12. Quick Question 4/11/05
13. Gomery: Open A Window 4/11/05
14. Liberal "Audit" Conflict Of Interest? 4/12/05
15. Go West Young Librano! 4/12/05
16. Prime Minister Perjuror? 4/13/05
17. Keeping St.Boniface In Winnipeg 4/14/05
18. Paul Martin Knew 4/14/05
19. St.Joseph Corporation 4/14/05
20. Monopoly On Martin 4/16/05




21. Keeping The Scandal In Perspective 4/30/05
22. Chuck Guite Testimony Ban 5/1/05

So, watch for the Liberal mantra to "wait for Gomery" to intensify. This is crucial to their game plan.

If the Liberals can survive long enough for public rage to subside, and extend his government's life the full length of Gomery's mandate, he'll be in the clear - for Paul Martin is fully aware of the fact that Judge Gomery is prohibited from assigning blame under his terms of reference.



paragraph K;

The Commissioner be directed to perform his duties without expressing any conclusion or recommendation regarding the civil or criminal liability of any person or organization and to ensure that the conduct of the inquiry does not jeopardize any ongoing criminal investigation or criminal proceedings;

So, with the report effectively pre-sterilized and a national media overwhelmingly in his corner, Paul Martin is virtually assured of a report he can "take to the bank" when it comes to denying civil or criminal wrongdoing on the part of the Liberal party.

23. Paragraph K 5/1/05
24. Where Have We Heard This Before? 5/3/05
25. Old Habits Die Hard 5/3/05
26. From Saskatchewan Blog To Parliament Hill 5/3/05 (Just for fun.)
27. Guite Testimony 5/4/05
28. Paul Martin And Adscam: Gathering Up Threads 5/4/05
29. Get Your Popcorn 5/6/05
30. Wajsmann And Gomery 5/9/05
31. Corbeil Testimony 5/9/05
32. Gagliano, Canada Lands & Canadian Tobacco Co. 5/9/05
33. Interview With Gomery Witness Beryl Wajsmann 5/10/05
34. Sgro "Ethics" Investigation? 5/10/05
35. From Rogue Group To Rogue Government 5/10/05
36. Andrew Heard: The Confidence Convention 5/10/05
37. I Wonder What Makes Them Think That? 5/11/05
38. Where Have We Heard This Before? 5/11/05
39. The Power Of Blogs 5/11/05
40. All Hell Breaking Loose 5/11/05
41. Gomery Witness: Life Threatened 5/11/05
42. Adscam: More On The Judgeships 5/12/05
43. Translator Wanted 5/12/05
44. Gomery Bomb Jokes 5/13/05
45. Calling John Rae 5/13/05
46. It Must Be The Hat 5/14/05
47. Dead Parliament Walking 5/14/05 (just for fun)
48. Stronach Splits 5/17/05
49. Belinda Stronach: "Paris Hilton of Canadian Politics" 5/17/05
50. Back To The Major Story Of The Day 5/17/05
51. Paul Martin Withdraws Promise Of Election 5/18/05
52. Belindarella 5/18/05
53. Coyne 5/18/05
54. Belinda's Blackberry 5/18/05
55. Liberal Sponsorship "Trust Fund" 5/18/05
56. Bribing MP's Is A Criminal Offence 5/18/05
57. Gagliano Comes To Aid Of Accomplice 5/19/05
58. Vote Roundup 5/19/05
59. Paul Martin's Hidden Agenda 5/20/05
60. Grewal Tape Online(?) 5/20/05
61. I Concede 5/20/05
62. Belindarella, Up After Midnight 5/21/05
63. The Libranos Strike Back 5/22/05
64. The Libranos Strike Back II 5/22/05
65. Adscam: Follow The Money 5/23/05
66. Gomery Roundup 5/24/05
67. Ka-Ching! 5/24/05
68. Anatomy Of A Sponsorship Contract 5/24/05
69. What's He Going On About Today? 5/30/05
70. Grewal, Redux 5/31/05
71. Grewal Tape Transcripts Are Online 5/31/05
72. Groupaction Thaw 6/1/05
73. When Is A Deal Not A Deal? 6/2/05
74. Brace Yourselves 6/2/05
75. A Brief History Of Lying 6/3/05
76. Grewal: Ethics Commissioner Inquiry 6/3/05
77. The Belinda Tape 6/3/05
78. Grewal Tapes: Cheema 6/4/05
79. Things That Go *POOF* In The Night 6/4/05
80. Joe Volpe Out? 6/5/05
81. Trust The RCMP? 6/5/05

Shaken, Occasionally Stirred (updated 5/23/05)

1. Reserve Powers of the Crown 5/8/05
2. Jacques Hudon Rennaisance Man: Speechwriter, Lobbyist and Contracts Canada Poobah 5/8/05
3. Chairman Martin Dispenses With Parliament 5/12/05
4. Letter to the Governor General 5/13/05
5. Reuters Reports Liberal Government Will Fall 5/13/05
6. "She Will Be Responsible for Implementing Gomery Recommendations" 5/17/05
7. "This has nothing to do with Thursday's vote" 5/18/05
8. Need for Democratic Renewal Admitted 5/18/05
9. CCC s. 125 5/19/05
10. "Parliamentary precedents are clear" 5/19/05
11. Belinda: We Have to Wait for Ethics 5/22/05
12. The Tape That Keeps on Giving) 5/23/05

Music In America (Continued)

This recording is described in the SOAR recording catalog
as follows:

"One Holy Night" Is a beautiful recording to be enjoyed throughout the year and into the Christmas season. Written and Produced By Robby Bee and Brule', Two servants of God sharing the reason for the season.

Additional samples can be found here.

"Star People" is the other CD we purchased.
Samples from Brule' website (RealPlayer):
The Last Arrow
Black Hills (Lakota Homeland)
Star People
Additional samples can be found here.

The SOAR catalog quotes Paul LaRoche describing his personal history and the gensis of the CD title as follows:

Through out our human endeavors and over the course of a life time,we search for answers to many universal mysteries. I have searched and questioned as most but consider myself unusually fortunate, I'm privileged in this life to have walked through two worlds, parallel but vastly different. I was adopted at birth off the lower Brule Sioux reservation of S.D. and raised by two wonderful white parents in a small midwestern farming community. After the loss of both adoptive parents in 1987, my adoption papers were discovered which lead to an eventual re-union with my biological family (Lakota) and return to the Brule Sioux reservation after 38 years. Today after 8 years of assimilation into the Lakota Culture I view the world very differently. The Lakota Have A unique wonderful perspective on life which I found absent in my early years of development. Among them is the legend that we are decedents of the "Star People" and that we were first placed below the earth and were born unto land from a place called Wind Cave in the black hills of SD. Wakan Tanka (God) "The Great Mystery" has made this so. Our cosmic origins are 7 stars of the Pleiades star system. This journey to Native America has and will remain the grandest adventure of my life.

(I have include the complete quote as Mr. LaRoche describes his life in different detail than is given on the Brule' website here and here.)

One additional song, which is not on either of the cd's we purchased but will be on the next one , is "Stomp Dance" (RealPlayer). I'll give it the American Bandstand review, "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it. I give it a 98!" Brule' is one of the best million-selling bands you've never heard of. Their performance schedule, which includes the Edina Art Fair June 3, 4, and 5, 2005, is available here


You have seen the names "SOAR" mentioned several times in the above descriptions. That translates into:They are self-described as "Native American owned and operated and Specializing in Traditional & Contemporary Native American Music." They have, in their extensive catalog, a wide range of musical styles, from HipHop to Gospel to Jazz to Pow Wow (and everything in between). All recordings have samples available. There are many artists, including some you would have heard of. The website is first class and very attactive. One of my favorite parts of the website is SOAR Radio. Visit the link for information on the music playing or LISTEN here. I can only take so much Pow Wow music (that is what the musical form is called), but enjoy much of the rest. Give it a listen.

Meditations From A Mundane Mind, Part Four

And I, Mark Dayton , am illumined! (like Jesus - well, kind of )

Jesus, as we know, did not win all of his battles. He didn’t retire victorious and vindicated, He didn’t even get out alive. But what both the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita make clear is that the spiritual scorecard does not equate in the earthly outcome. It is measured at a different level. And in the Gita the Lord begins to describe that level in the most beautiful passage, “Not shaken by adversity, not hankering after happiness. Free from fear, free from anger, free from the things of desire. I call him a seer and illumined. The bonds of his flesh are broken. He is lucky, and does not rejoice. He is unlucky, and does not weep. I call him illumined. The recollected mind is awake in the knowledge of God, which is dark night to the ignorant. The ignorant are awake in their sense-life, which they think is daylight. To the seer, that is darkness. The man or woman who stirs up his own lusts can never know peace. They know peace who have forgotten desire. And live without craving, free from ego, free from pride. I call them illumined.”

OK, so I am, maybe, not all that Illumined.

I like that God, in the form of Sri Krishna, comes to Arjuna in his time of doubt and darkness, accepts him as he is; understands his fears; feels his pain. But the Lord is straight with him also. He says, “If you refuse to follow in your path to do your duty, to fight this righteous war, here are the consequences. But I will be with you; I’ll teach you the practice; I’ll show you the way.” That would make it all worthwhile for me. If the path, the work, the whatever - were a way to God, a way to connect with God and to serve God and to experience God in this lifetime. I don’t know that state. I can imagine it, but I haven’t experienced it. I don’t know how to attain it, or where to find it or even if it exists. But then, neither did Arjuna before his visitation.

(Hat tip to Dayton v. Kennedy and Powerline)

Meditations From A Mundane Mind, Part Three

The good Public Servant, Mark Dayton, gives us a little peek into his mind with this little quote:

I’m relieved that God visited Arjuna and taught him, while he was involved in the world, on the eve of a battle. It’s not one of those deals where you have to drop everything and drop out, find an Ashram with a guru, give up your inheritance, savings, and 401K and become an obedient devotee. I am not good at obedience. In the Gita story you are not only involved in the world, you have a point of view, an edge, a cause, a battle looms, the lines are drawn: the forces of good against the forces of evil.

Now God wouldn't expect me to take my wealth and start anything like this. No, God wants me to chase the money changers from the Temple. Well, except for that George Soros guy, and then there's that John F. Kerry guy and, well, there's that Edwards guy, and you gotta love all those Kennedy guys and then there is . . . Well, you know, chasing out all those bad, really bad rich Republicans. And why do I believe this? Because the Bible tells me so:

Jesus was an activist with a point of view and a moral outrage at what he saw; the social injustice, the hypocrisy, the profiteering. In Matthew chapter 21 he goes into the Temple of God and over throws the tables and throws the moneychangers out. He drives them and the profiteers out of the Temple saying, “My house shall be called a house of prayer and ye have made it a den of thieves.” Later in Luke, Jesus says, “I have come to send fire on the earth. Suppose ye that I have come to give peace on earth, I tell ye nay, but rather division. Whoever shall seek to save his life shall loose it. Whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”

But please do not confuse me with those evil Bible thumpers:

Worst are the self-anointed “super saviors”, the self-proclaimed, self-ordained, members of God’s chosen few who enjoy, they say, unique access to the holy hotline, where God tells them decidedly what is right. Which is almost exactly what they believe is right. And then, are they ever right! People who have memorized the Bible, and don’t practice what it says, people who love to hate in the name of God, to denounce and condemn in the name of Jesus Christ. Progressive politics has too often ceded God to the Right, and the flag, and the American dream. Those are three major mistakes, which have cost us our causes and our allies.

They are evil and I am Arjuna - Metaphorical Fighter of Evil! And I know they are evil because . . . . well, because they disagree with me and they are not progressives which means "for progress" and we all know that progress is good and therefore not evil.

(Hat tip to Dayton v. Kennedy and Powerline)

Meditations From A Mundane Mind, Part Two

More deep thoughts with Mark Dayton:

So in the march of so many years, for myself, in the midst of so many defeats and disappointments, I’ve searched for a faith that I could have faith in. I’ve struggled to gain a little understanding of what is senseless and incomprehensible. I sought meaning in what might actually be meaningless or ultimately become meaningless, because I need meaning in my life.

I’ve learned that to become effective in public affairs, you have to become a realist. But to remain effective you have to remain an idealist. And I need reminders and consolation and inspiration. Which is why I like the Bhagavad Gita, which I take metaphorically in its references to warriors and battles and wars, not literally. But I like that Arjuna is a warrior, a trying, doubting, questioning, agonizing mortal, facing something big that he is feeling not ready for and wondering if it is the right thing to do; if he can do it, and even whether he will survive it.

Notice the existential struggle recorded in this passage. Evidently ignorant of his own Presbyterian past, he struggles mightily "to gain a little understanding of what is senseless and incomprehensible." (For myself, that struggle was reason enough to cease being a Marxist.) But he soldiers on, "I sought meaning in what might actually be meaningless or ultimately become meaningless, because I need meaning in my life." Which certainly explains his dogmatic religious fervor in his pursuit of liberal political goals.

This struggle naturally leads all good Presbyterians to . . . . . Hinduism. No Adam and the serpent, Cain and Abel, Moses and Pharoah, David and Goliath, King David and Bathsheba (a Clinton favorite), or Jesus and the Pharisees for our thumbkin theologian. No, it is straight to "Arjuna and His Mighty (But Metaphorical) Sword". Perhaps he may have been able to find a suitable text for this homily in the story of "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho", but that was just a bunch of marching, horn blowing, and obdience to God, with Joshua "facing something big that he is feeling not ready for". But then Joshua wasn't much of "a trying, doubting, questioning, agonizing mortal". One can understand this, if one considers that the Bhagavad Gita works much better conversationally than "The Passion Of The Christ" at Kenwood, Upper East Side, or Brentwood dinner parties.

(Try substituting "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for "Bhagavad Gita". It works very well in this passage and one can easily envision the senior Senator saying it with a straight face. One assumes he delivered the rest of this homily with a straight face. I know this is juvenile, but given the subject, is that inappropriate?)

(Hat tip to Dayton v. Kennedy and Powerline)

Democracy Venezualan Style (Conclusion)

And we have this from NewsMax.com on Hugo Chavez's seizure of all independent media:

Marxist Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez today became even more like his idol, Cuban tyrant Fidel Castro, by seizing control of all broadcast media.

Even though Chavez is the one acting like a dictator, here's what he said during a speech late last night: "We can say that the Venezuelan people have begun to free themselves from ... the dictatorship of the private media."

But this must be the will of the Venezuelan people because none other than Jimmy Carter declared the elections to be free and fair. (On the other hand, he called for UN observers for elections in the US.) There are those who differ with our most feeble former fool president:

In the face of exit polls that showed 58 percent of voters favored ousting Venezuelan president and Fidel Castro stooge Hugo Chavez while only 41 percent wanted him retained, election officials blandly reported that 58 percent of the voters wanted him retained and only 41 percent wanted him out.

The most widely heralded outside observer of the election, former president Jimmy Carter, ignoring demands that the recall results be investigated, said that he was shown the computer vote tally by supporters of Chavez's regime and that everything seemed in order. He then skipped town, heading back to the U.S to celebrate his wife's birthday and leaving in the lurch the opposition groups that had naively relied on him to make sure the election was on the up and up.

Read the full text of "The Price of Dissent in Venezuela" by Thor L. Halvorssen here. Read Mary Anastasia O'Grady's report here, at the close of which she observes:

There is some speculation that Messrs. Carter and Gaviria threw a veil over a gross deception on the grounds that it will prevent further violence. But Americans have a right to expect a sterner approach from the administration of George W. Bush. State's endorsement of this referendum without a fair audit is a sorry betrayal of not only the Venezuelan people but American ideals. It is tantamount to yielding to terrorism. Observing Washington's supine reaction, Chávez will not hesitate to escalate his efforts to restore authoritarianism on the South American continent.

President Carter closed his rebuttal (as linked above) of Ms. O'Grady with this:

Our responsibilities do not end when votes are counted. We seek acceptance of the results by all sides, and reconciliation if distrust or disharmony is deep. We have already begun efforts to establish a dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the still-antagonistic opposition leaders.

When local citizens or foreigners disapprove of a political decision made in free and fair elections, the only legitimate recourse is to honor the decision, cooperate whenever possible, and promote future leadership changes through democratic means.

It would appear that, once again, former President Carter is in agreement with the Marxists. Mr. Chavez is forcing acceptance of the results, doing away with distrust(ers), establishing a (one way) dialogue, eliminating the possibility of non-cooperation and promoting his future leadership. Ms. O'Grady saw more clearly than Mr. Carter and, one day, Mr. Carter will awaken from his dogmatic slumbers in shocked disbelief, as he did after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And then he will promptly lay down for another nap.

Technorati Search on Hugo Chavez

AP Story: "Boosted by Vote, Chavez Eyes More Reform"

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