Monthly Archives: April 2011

3’s the Charm

This makes the 3rd time the Council has failed to meet.  Last week it was due to a lack of a quorum…the week before who knows.Tonight they were supposed to discuss funding for the Juvenile Justice program by phone. They can’t explain what they did with the $280 k brought to the tribe for the program by the ” Previous Administration.”  It ain’t no way to run a government is it?

More troubling is the fact that recently hired Comptroller  Milton Pratt is reportedly leaving.  When asked by a Council member if he was quitting he said, ” No comment.”  You know what that means.

Another interesting indicator.   The Malaysians have  reduced the installments to $2.5m every 3 – 4 months and they want the Tribe to have a meeting with the Governor to clarify where he’s going with commercial gaming.  So why would the Governor meet with the tribe and why would he tell them what his plans are?  It’s a bad place to be.  No Elected official shows his hand in such a contentious issue.  Again we look like fools.

Let’s review where we are:

ICWA is in shambles

Housing Program also in shambles is under direction of a  HUD expert

No Reservation

No Land in Trust

Middleboro Resort Casino  (90% complete)   ditched for Fall River

Fall River Folly Commercial Casino publicly abandoned by the  Mayor

First Light Inc. financial statements binding Tribal Members to Malaysian debt remain secret

$25m in Malaysian loans secured in 17 months in the name of the 1700 legitimate Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal members has only the salaries of certain Council members and officers to show for expenditures.

No one has seen any records of any expenditures.

No  one knows anything accept that we are worse off than we were when the “Commission” was in charge of us.  Course only real Mashpee knows about that because it happened in the 1870’s when we became a town.  Just so you know, the Mills’s and Peters’s weren’t running things then.  And you better believe they wouldn’t have us in this mess if they were in charge now, and that’s a fact.

 

 

The Harrassment of Marie Stone

The Cromwell Administration has now waged an assault on Marie Stone.  They have been harassing her off and on for a while…they have poked and prodded her psyche, that quite frankly has been pretty fragile, for quite a while.

Shes been crying  because they have been questioning her constantly, asking  her who she’s been talking to and so forth.  So what’s that all about? Cause it’s not a tribal thing, and  Marie is afraid.

Monday April 18 is a bad day, because Marie is being hauled before Aaron the Tobey, to be interrogated further about who she’s been talking to, and probably ordered not to talk to anyone  anymore.  About what Aaron? About what ?

Cedric called Marie a “Whistleblower.”

So, whatever she knows is of interest to people with real authority to do more than harass people into submission for which the Tobes are so famous.

Marie wants Joan Avant to accompany her, obviously to have a witness…….if that’s true, that’s a sorry commentary to what’s going on in those Council offices…very sad.

 

 

Stop the Elder Abuse & Misrepresentation of the Tribe

Chief Vernon Lopez resigned April 2008

Every Mashpee Wampanoag  who was able should have attended the coin dedication (3/25/11) by the US Treasury.  That was the crowning moment for our tribe.  For that moment, all the hurt and the pain of the past 2 years were washed away.  For that moment we could have been proud and stood tall and remembered how we made so much progress and were about to live out our destiny.

Well, you really  had to close you eyes and pretend …here’s why.

All three of the officers representing us at the event are foreigners   to our traditions, and essentially know nothing about Mashpee  families.  That’s why they continue to destroy our identity adding insult to the injury they inflict. In addition to there not being able to represent us at all.  Here’s why.

Cedric (Tobey)Cromwell--Grew up in Boston/Dorcester and spend his adult years there.  He had nothing to do with Mashpee until very late in life.  His mother Connie left Mashpee when she was 5 returning to visit much later in life.  Course Cedric LIES about ” being raised in the tribal community”….ha in where? Dorchester? He never came near Mashpee. Cedric thinks wearing  lots of  wampum makes him original and authentic to the White people.  It actually makes him look like a cross-dresser trying to be accepted. He has never been accepted. $ 130-150k annually to do nothng( no one really knows but the Malyasians )

Aaron Tobey–Never came over the bridge to Mashpee, which has to be seen as a blessing now, in hind sight. He ran 5 times before he was finally elected, the last time was an illegal election.  Aaron is a guy who has to be in charge.  Aaron you will recall thought that our land went into to trust automatically when we were federally recognized.  So, yes he didn’t know that our sovereignty was as incomplete then as it is now. Aaron is the only man who would abandon a beautiful wife, of consequence  and his children, for a straight up…..well, you know….and the new companion was his cousin’s wife…Aarons trying to be an Indian now with his slicked back hair and his Lumbee Lie girl friend who has no where to go. $95k to do nothing.

Mark Harding– was very busy being White, also on the other side of the bridge…and …well,  until he decided it was time to be Indian. A dollar a dollar a dollar, his heritage for a dollar. Mark Harding despised by everyone….and loved by a secret few….Markie Poo. Everyone knows his story. At least $70k that we know of, discounting contracts  under investigation)

Marie “Tah Tah“–She’s the only one that’s Mashpee.  She’s the only one who could have actually helped her own.  But she just couldn’t handle it.  They treat her badly, manipulating her. Calling her a ” Whistleblower” when theywant to because she knows of the check rec’s. And her issues get in the way, complicated by tragedy. Marie actually knows better. She just can’t help herself…or her people.  Now she will tell you in firery terms that ” She is a Mashpee Woman God Damnit!” But …well you know.

At the ceremony , Cedric purposely refused to  recognize Earl Mills. Earl is not only a Chief, but he is a living breathing testament  to every traditonal part of our being.  “Flying Eagle” is Mashpee.   So it confirms a lot of things doesn’t it?

The Elder abuse is connected to the current Council dragging “Bunny” around when it suits them.  “Bunny” has been a pawn of this Council for all of their illegal actions, currently under investigation. Bunny is clearly aged. He is dragged into Council meeting to vote when Earl Mills was in fact designated Chief in 2008 when Bunny resigned.  But Cedric knew he could not manipulate Earl Mills.

No one tells Earl what to do.  Everyone know that.  But let’s be honest.  Earl is Mashpee.  Cedric, Aaron, and Mark Harding are carpetbaggers who back in the day whould have gotten their asses kicked and sent down the road. Who knows, it could still happen…that’s why Cedric is always running around with the “One armed …”

But the coin event was unseemly and embarassing.  Bunny did not seem to know what was going on.  But if  you don’t know us, if you are not Mashpee, why would you care?

Round up your .50 Indians Cedric Bro… and call it a day.

 

Herrin’ & Roe “Tah Tah’s off the Reservation….again”

Herrin: ” They let her out.”

Roe: “Who?”

Herrin: ”  Tah Tah.  She’s out talking and rambling about

investigations….she says ain’t nothin  going on.”

Roe: “Oh yah?  She’s gut a pipeline to O’Keeffe  and Coakley does she ?

Herrin: ” Oh…you know her, she’s certifiable. She and Mark Harding  prove that the 09 election was rigged cause nobody in their right minds would vote for either one of  ’em.”

Roe: “They threw her off the ticket didn’t they?”

Herrin: ” Yah.   But why would those people who do investigations, tell the people who are bein’ investigated, that they’re trying to catch ’em?”

Roe: ” Course not, we all know that.  But then again they gut her telling people that Coakley and OK’eefe can’t touch her, Cedric and the rest of them,  cause we’re a federally recognized tribe. Well that’s true about being federally recognized but  there’ s a big problem. We don’t have any official land. We’re not for real without land.”

Herrin: ” Yup…that’s like the state of Massachusetts saying its sovereign without any land, or the Narragansett being sovereign without a reservation.   Regardless, the tribes and states all answer to the federal government. Right now with no court, no laws no land into trust, we’re worse off  than before.”

Roe: ”  Well worse than than that, they gut Tah Tah out in public talkin.'”

Herrin: ” What do ya expect…they’re Tobes. You know there are Tobeas,  and  them Tobes. Them damned Tobes …now they can really mess things up. Them Tobes wanna be Tobeas so bad…but they can’t do it.  They can’t break that strain.  It’s in their blood.  Can’t neva be a Tobea.”

Roe: ” Yah….it something watching them in denial, trying act normal and be decent.  It’s painful to watch. But shoot.. Tah Tah needs to get going…yah know.  She needs to do is find those audio tapes of the meetings for the last two years.”

Herrin: ” Good luck on that one..ain’t no tapes. There are no records.  Let her explain that to the investigators that ain’t touchin’ em.”

Roe:  ” Maybe she forgot to take her meds.”

Herrin: ” That’s a charge right there don’t ya know !”

Roe: “Yup.”

Herrin: “There she goes,  driving all over the road…

Roe: “Damn shame.”

Herrin: ” For us it is.”

 

 

 

The Beginning of the End for Joanne

It is the Beginning of the End for Joanne Frye.  That came a couple of weeks ago when it was made clear that the Tribal Council was hiring a Tribal Administrator. Course this is a mandate that should have happened months ago. This is just one of many of the violations of federal law that the Cromwell Administration  has ignored for 2 years.  On the Administrator, we have a pretty good idea who it’s going to be, and we definitely know who it ain’t gonna be, and that’s Joanne.  Joanne was hot.  Too late Joanne, too late.  They made you do all their dirty work, firing people who were actually doing important things….valuable things for the Tribe.  You cried a lot….a lot, but regrets are worthless now.

You saw a lot of really bad stuff, and it’s still going on despite the fact that investigators are everywhere….But Joanne…if you and Bobby could turn back the hands of time….you might have done things differently.

Maybe you would not have padded the Feb 2009 voter list with 250  illegal voters given to you by Ca and Carol Lopez to throw the election. You were afraid then of being fired by Putnam Peters who ran for chair and  promised to get rid of people who didn’t do a GD thing to earn their paycheck. That was no idle threat and you knew it.  So you and Yvonne made that fatal mistake of hookin’ up with the Tobes. Who does that ?

Maybe you would have had real election monitors, like Patty and Rhoda, able to identify every ineligible pending voter because they knew the rolls… we wouldn’t be in this embarrassing mess. We are in  full reverse of every gain made for us. Full reverse.

Now, you don’t bare full responsibility. Election Committee Chair  Trish Keliinui allowed you to do your thing by relinquishing the voter list to you….the office manager, to manipulate as you pleased.

Course no one can produce that dubious voter list now.  It is an indictment of the pathetic stereotypical incompetence of people who just should not be in charge of money…or a government. These people have no fear of facing Mashpee…because they are not real Mashpee….but you are. That’s what brought the tears.

Then again….the demands to fire you before the election never happened.  Others bare significant responsibility for dropping the ball.

But…the complaint was filed…Elections fraud….and we haven’t had an honest,  good election since. Here is the complaint  filed.

Ms. Patricia Keliinui

Chair, Election Committee

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649

February 9, 2009

 

Dear Ms. Keliinui,

We are gravely concerned with a number of circumstances surrounding the February 8, election.

First, there was no consistent verification of voter identification, despite the startling number of hundreds of voters who had never set foot on tribal land. Election workers were not directed to ask voters to produce a roll number, tribal identification or photo identification. This makes the verification of voter identification impossible.

Second; this allowed the genealogy pending members to be placed on the eligible voter list that was used.  Carolyn Turner, was the only one who had access to the genealogy pending files with access afterhours.  It is clear that she turned the information over to her sisters Joanne Frye, tribal office manager and Council Woman Yvonne Frye Avant, a campaign manager for Cedric Cromwell, who had possession of the list to be used for the election. This allowed pending voters to participate in our election even voting twice (because no ID required), which is a violation of our constitution and obvious election fraud.

The week before election day, Carol Lopez was copying the eligible voter list and contacting pending voters telling them  “There is a new list and you will be allowed to vote.”  Some of these pending voters attempted to register early and informed Election Committee members of this fact. The Genealogy Department was also inundated with calls from pending voters who were told they could vote.

The tampering and access to Genealogy /Membership files continues with a second day of genealogy staff being locked out of the office. The Frye family has the keys to all the offices and continues to tamper with files and the lists they concocted.   This is one of the most egregious violations of tribal member privacy and sovereignty, and confirms the use and tampering of pending files to control the tribe. Because the voter ballots and sign in sheets are not in your possession, but in the possession of the Frye/Tobey families, and the potential for destruction of ballots and sign-in sheets is likely, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lakeville has been apprised of this situation and is acting accordingly.

We are asking for a new election because of the obvious voter fraud that has occurred.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nellie Ramos

 

cc: US Department of Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Lee Flemming

 

Election Committee Members