CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

The council did not meet for five consecutive weeks (although it is rumored they have been meeting secretively). The council finally held a board meeting Tuesday, which allowed only those closely associated with the administration to be aware of such a change from their usual Wednesday meetings. In order to run for a board seat a member has to attend six meetings within the election year. This requirement is hard to meet when February is an election, several tribal meetings have been canceled, no meetings in the summer and numerous council meetings being held in 'executive session'. The five council meetings were strategically canceled just before a special election to disallow members to be able to meet the six meeting requirement.

Again, this is all in the name of 'UNITY'.

Sunday's election seems a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic .... very, very true. Will the boat sink already!

The council was not as ignorant to GM as they have stated. They knew full well what was ready to become public knowledge when they circulated the petition. Numerous tribal members have said that it was Yvonne who started the petition in support of GM.

They have their high-priced lawyers fight for their sovereign rights to keep the feds out. Then they have their high-priced lawyers fight to shun, disenroll, banish tribal members to kick members out. No one let in, members kicked out...problem solved. They are truly under the assumption that the lawyers can hide and fix everything. Go to tribalcorruption.com and see what is truly happening throughout Indian Country. The Feds are aware of what is going on. However, they continue to turn their heads and allow such injustices to continue to happen in the name of casinos at the expense of our people. Money, greed, corruption! Who do you turn to?

They have their high-priced lawyers fight for their sovereign rights to keep the feds out. Then they have their high-priced lawyers fight to shun, disenroll, banish tribal members to kick members out. No one let in, members kicked out...problem solved. They are truly under the assumption that the lawyers can hide and fix everything. Go to tribalcorruption.com and see what is truly happening throughout Indian Country. The Feds are aware of what is going on. However, they continue to turn their heads and allow such injustices to continue to happen in the name of casinos at the expense of our people. Money, greed, corruption! Who do you turn to?

The article did not only speak about land rights, it clearly stated the Mashpee tribe never existed until the 1600's. The article reached far beyond land rights!

Ideas... this article was a statement!

I am also very saddened by the above article. There appears to be no significance for such an article other than to continue to throw salt into the already severed wounds of our nation. Some of the articles on CC2day have been informative and helpful, but some articles leave me wondering what messages are they trying to convey? What is the ultimate purpose or mission... to help us or destroy us?

Is cc2day for or against the Wampanoag Nation? Is cc2day for or against helping to expose the injustice that is being done to our people by our people? Is cc2day for or against Casinos? Is cc2day for or against economic development for the Mashpee? Just when you think someone understands the plight of Native Americans they show their ‘true’ colors and hit you from behind. .

To discontinue in the discussions concerning our people is to continue the misguided truths that are presumed about us. I found it interesting that we have all had our opinion about the politics within our nation, but we all came together to defend who we are as a nation. We are more united than the outsider give us credit for, no matter what our differences may be.

I guess Indian Country should sit back and wait for the historical suppportable documentation from the non-native race to accurately describe what they have done to acquire all of this land. If Mashpee was not in existence until 1665, whose 5,000 year old remains were found at Maushop? The Wampanoag umbrella, as you put it, is the same umbrella every race uses to connect one another. Why is it so hard to conceive that Wampanoags roamed freely from Mashpee to Middleboro, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, etc. You can travel from Europe to the United States and still be called a European, but you can't travel from Mashpee to Middleboro and still be called a Wampanoag. History?

That is the problem with tribes they do not have lawyers. Investors have lawyers. Tribes go in with a peace pipe and pray to the Great Spirit. Times have got to change. The Great Spirit has guided us to sustain our existence, but it is up to us to use the brain he has provided us with.

I agree with blogspotter.. This site is getting a bit too twilight-zone...
do, do, do, do

I don't believe coloredguy is really who he says. He is trying too hard to appear 'colored'. What person of color is being referred to as coloredguy these days? If you want to express how you feel about the wamps don't hide behide some ridiculous character you have seen on TV. Although the situation does not fit your agenda, it would be appreciated if you not minimize what is happening to our nation by your offensive comments. Then again, could it be an investor trying to sway the conversation away from the shunning?

Shunning, banishment, disenrollment..potato, potaatoe.

Shunning is a tool for the casino investors throughout the US to keep the 'little indians' in line. Shunning stops any native from asking questions about finances. Shunning is being used by tribes that have casinos to stop tribal members from asking financial questions. There is currently a movement throughout the US with members from different tribes coming together and petitioning the BIA to stop this non-native practice. In Native American tribes you can murder, steal, or rape without being shunned, but do not ask for any information pertaining to finances or you will be shunned. To allow shunning to continue stops your constitutional right of freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of going to the press, and numerous other freedoms. If it were not for these freedoms we would not be able to participate in this blog. The BIA is currently reviewing this new "small pox" epidemic and is expected to rule to stop such a practice.

Obviously, yes a copy of the roll without personal information is needed. I believe I have expressed that personal information is not needed, only names. If a petition had 31 names that were not accepted by the geneologist there is some confusion as to who is 'considered' wamp. That is almost 25% of the people who signed the petition. A few non-enrolled wamps who would sign under the assumption they were wamp is one thing, but 25% definitely shows there is some mystification. No matter how many meetings anyone goes to, it seems nearly impossible for anyone to know all 1,500 tribal members no matter how small the number may appear.

No one wants your roll number. They just want what should be public information. The personal, private information should not be in cyberspace for anyone to see. However, general information should be made public. Why is roll-membership a secret? I for one am (I hope) proud to be on the roll. I know of no one who wants their name to be kept secret. If your wamp, your wamp. As for the meetings, everyone is watching. I do not attend the meetings, but I knew there was no quorum without Peters help.

To expect anyone to disclose sensative information such as social security numbers or mothers maiden name is unrealistic. This is not the information anyone is requesting. To know what country a person is from is common knowledge. There is no guess work if you are from Italy, Canada, US, or any other country. Citizenship is conveyed without personal data. Why is the Wampanoag nation able to keep their citizens a secret? The names of tribal members can be extracted from the data base with a simple excel program, no extensive software program should be necessary. Cut & paste folks, cut & paste.

The plot thickens!

Deltaman, how do you truly know if your actions are correct. What crystal ball is able to look into the future and let you know your actions are correct? When your heart tells you you need to help to protect future generations and the faces put before you show scorn. When you realize the role you choose is going to mean being an outcast amongst people you truly love for the rest of your life and may also cause the same pain for your children and grandchildren. When you know you are financially able to survive without help from the tribe, but the tribe will not survive if it continues on the current path. When you wake up thinking tribal, fall asleep thinking tribal.. how do you actually know what is right? The chiefs from long ago knew what they were saying when they referred to a “heavy heart”.

TWG - People are afraid of the retaliation involved from the council. If the council is going to this extent to disqualify a petition, what will they do when it comes to giving the brave individuals who dare to sign a petition any benefits. Desire Moreno has devised a letter and is going door-to-door to have individuals sign to have their names removed from the list. What is she afraid of? Does she think the community is that disconnected and not talking abount her latest tactics? Tribal members are watching and waiting for the Feds to do their job.

Once again, the petition was NOT for a recall. The petition is to call a special meeting for the council to answer specific questions.

Peter,

You have made it to Indian Country!!! The Indian Nation is reading your column... Keep up the good work. Sooner or later the U.S. Government will have to react to what you have been reporting.

Oooops!!! I should have used the word "hear" instead of here... for the English majors.

Peter have they gotten to you too!!! The information you have provided has forced the main stream media to step up their game. It appears when someone gets too close to what is going on with the Tribe strang things begin to happen!!! Your readers are anxiously waiting to here what you had previously stated would be disclosed on Sunday.... ummm today is Sunday. The Boston Globe was also suppose to release an article today and they have failed to do so.... The powers that be????
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EDITOR's NOTE: Peter's next dispatch is timed to appear at 7pm Sunday.
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