Monthly Archives: March 2012

That Mumbo Jumbo Tribal Court

The Tribal Court is a fake, as the Elders say.  They told Judiciary Committee members just that during their last meeting.  Vivian Bussiere and Barbara Harris were giving some kind of update.  Shortly thereafter, they resigned from the Judiciary Committee.  There were raised eyebrows, because Barbara especially, felt so empowered on the committee.  Finally someone had to pay attention to Barbara! We’ll get back to this in a minute.

Harold Tobey, never felt accepted by the tribe.

Harold Tobey was there.  Yes indeed.  Harold Tobey, is also a member of the Judiciary Committee. Harold Tobey also has the distinction of having no proof of Wampanoag blood according to those who would know. But, being the purveyors of chaos, the Tobeys put him on the roll.  Tobey’s history is tawdry.  Again according to those who would know, he was the flunky of the Cape police departments.  When they wanted to arrest a Mashpee…they sent Harold in. In a recent newspaper article he said he “never felt accepted by the Mashpee”….guess not. Now he has his revenge. But luckily, he’s on yet another committee without power.

The last remaining judge on the Tribal Court, or the Tribal Supreme Court or the Tribal Council Court  or the Fake Court,  or the Paper Cache Court, is Henry Sockbasen.  Henry is quite a guy.  He’s a Penobscot Indian from Maine.  He’s the first in his family to finish high school let alone law school. Many of us have similar stories.  He worked for the Pequot, and the Aquinnah….yah, he’s done the circuit alright.  Now he’s sitting alone on the bench…chillin’.  And you better believe he’s getting paid very wellLiving on Cape Cod and such.  He and Mark Tilden  probably play golf together being such superior Indians ya know. In article after article, Henry talks about tribal justice and in one in particular, he talked about bringing justice to the newly recognized Mashpee Wampanoag. Oh boy. We sure could use it right about now. Too bad you’re not on your job Henry.

There’s  an interesting twist to this little story.  Sockbasen may not have realized when he took the job that the tribe has no land in trust, which means it has no reservation, no compact with the town, police department, sheriff or any entity that

Judge Sockbasen, a judge in court without authority

works as the enforcement arm of a legitimate judicial system.  He was reportedly running around bad mouthing Cedric Cromwell calling him names because he was caught unaware about the status of the court.

In other words, the court has about as much judicial authority as a kindergarten class at Quashnet. He issues lengthy opinions, not rulings in legal formats that mean nothing. Totally unenforceable.  For someone that values the integrity of his professional reputation, this is pretty embarrassing.  But he keeps taking that check, and making speeches at Dartmouth and Harvard…. sitting on panels  pontificating about  tribal justice and the Native American Court system. If you need a true adjudication it has to be in Barnstable or a jurisdiction with authority.  Ask Bobby “I ain’t got no GED either” Foster.

Also, he’s supposed to be the chief judge of a Supreme Court with two other justices. (Oh ya, there’s no lower court).  The other judges were Rochelle Dechenaux, and Robert Mills. Mills  refused to set foot in the building because he knows two things.  The Tribal Court is a mirage.  It has no rules of procedure, or anything that constitutes a true body of judicial authority.  Dechenaux skedaddled after she admitted to throwing the 2009 election in favor of Cromwell. No one has seen her since.

This could be why Barbara and Vivian resigned. It’s gotten to be very problematic and certainly without prestige or power. No one respects this inept administration.

So Sockbasen sits there holding court like it’s real. The tribe pays big money to attorneys to play lawyer before him and tribal members have actually appeared in court with lawyers as though it’s going to amount to something. Nothing happens.  In the Harvard Project report.  Sockbasen was asked  if the Tribal Council interfered with his decision making.  “Oh Nooooo,” he says.  Cue the Cedric Wink. Followed by  Aaron licks his lips….

Well, he’s never opined against his employer, the Council.

Now we come to the most important part of this intriguing saga.

Nellie Hicks Ramos vs Patricia Keliinui, Chair of the 2009 Elections Committee.  The complaint attached bellow lays it out pretty good. This complaint has been sitting there since mid January.  Nellie calls Marietta Scott on every  one of the 3 days they’re open ( heavy docket ya know).  And Marietta  tells Nellie she’s going to get her that court date real soon. Sure she is.

No court date necessary.  Henry, just ask Cedric to produce the voter sign-in sheets from 2009.  Let’s see if there are any illegal voters on the list and we’ll be all set.

The federal  government takes voter fraud seriouslyThe government has jurisdiction over us.  Henry knows that. If he continues to cover up and will not even ask Cedric to produce the voter list.  There’s a problem  

Just think. We could wipe away the tragedy of the Cromwell Administration.  Haven’t they done enough  damage Henry Sockbasen ?

 

MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBAL COURT

 

Nellie Hicks Ramos,

vs.

Plaintiff

 

Patricia Keliinui, 2009 Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Election Committee Chairman

Defendant

 

COMPLAINT

Plaintiff alleges:

1. Defendant failed to fully perform their duties as required by the Constitution under Art. IV, and Art. III, section 8, Election Ordinance, Section 1, requiring election records be kept and archived following an election.

2. Because of the Election Committee Chairman’s  negligence, the voter list was never seen after the 2009 election, the ballot box was not properly secured, and there was evidence of tampering and the fact that pending voters, were allowed to vote illegally, has disqualified the election of February 8, 2009

3. As a result, the voter list/sign in sheet has never been produced in order to verify the results of the 2009 election, and the ballots and other election materials have disappeared.

4. Further, Nellie Hicks Ramos challenged the election results in a letter. Chairperson Keliinui failed to follow Election Ordinance procedures for resolution of an election dispute by allowing the Elders of the Tribe, a review, as dictated by the law.  Because of the time constraints set out in the ordinance, the action of the Chairwoman amounts to substantial breach of the responsibility of her office.

 

WHEREFORE, plaintiff(s) pray(s) for judgment against defendant as follows:

1. That the voter list, sign-in sheets, ballots, and all other election materials for the Mashpee Tribe February 8, 2009 election be produced in accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of the Election Ordinance Section 1, and that the voter participants be validated as eligible to participate in the Mashpee Wampanoag tribal election.

DATED this 17th day of January, 2012.

 

Nellie Hicks Ramos

 

The “Itty Bitty Taunto Casino” is now “Teenie Tiny”

Memo to CCT : Only 4o  acres of the 135 secured by the Mashpee is casino buildable. That is one of 2 solid lots.  The  second solid lot of  34 acres  is (also detached from the 40), surrounded by water,  swamp and other impediments  that prohibits  a  casino under any circumstances.The remaining acreage is a buck shot of lots that are 3, 5 , and 10 acres scattered around the area.  So The Tribe’s resort casino is supposed to be built on 40 acres.

Okay. And in Taunton.

Great Aaron, Cedric and Mark Harding..  You boys are really smart.

That should impress Governor Duval Patrick who is so very very  interested in helping us. He’s so very very interested in helping us.

Ghetto Governance

There has to be something said about how things used to be.  Whether it was  Russell Peters or Glenn Marshall, there has never been such a breach of decorum in the government process and the treatment of tribal members in the tribe’s history. Course if you’re in charge and have no  family members who can hand these leadership skills down to you…..well yah, it’s tough.  But why didn’t you ask somebody?  No, you just keep bullshi-ing your way to a paycheck that you will never have again….in this life after this.

Why not resign Cedric?

Cedric Cromwell was unable to control the last Council meeting.  It imploded.  Tribal members were outraged, demanding answers. It was so explosive, people  almost came to blows.  He was insulting women, Autum Banks and Crystal Maddox. He was doing his Cedric  thing. Cedric had to convene an  executive session.  He had no answers on the Harvard Project review.  That assessment of the tribal government…the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council got a F+. The buck buckshot “Itty Bitty Taunto  Casino” reconfirmed the fact that the Cromwell Administration had no long or short term plan for economic development for the tribe. No plans for self determination as it were. No cash flow beyond the oppressive indebtedness of Genting, that has produced nothing for the tribe.

Who picks the worst casino site in the state four months before the deadline and thinks the tribe is to be take seriously? The property is all broken up.  The largest buildable lot is 40  acres.

Russell Peters and Glenn Marshall had plans and so did their teams.  Whether you liked them or not, they had our best interests at heart.

Look at us.

Look at the government we worked so hard for.  Our self sufficiency destroyed by the least capable at the helm. The people who for generations were never in leadership roles are drilling holes in the canoe and see nothing wrong with it.  This is their little  odyssey  and our continuing nightmare. They can’t even find capable people to replace the people they have been forced to fire.

Cedric Aaron and Mark Harding don’t follow tribal law.  They just make it up as they go along according to the Harvard Project.

Leon, the tribal administrator is suddenly leaving….again.  Leon and Cedric put Michelle Fernandes  in the job.  They just fired her.  Reportedly money is missing from Housing and the files are in complete disarray with personal information being rummaged through by guess who ?  Since Alice died, the mandatory  reports to HUD have never been done. As we reported, the department is shut down and no draw downs are allowed.

 The return of Michelle Fernandes triggered a meltdown with Joanne Frye…who eventually became the interim Tribal Administrator. Who would bring that woman back?  How desperate are they ?  How about Leon doesn’t  even  come back and HUD comes in and shuts Housing  down for good. Nellie has been waiting for her windows for nearly 3 years. How about it ain’t happening. She challenged the election because they committed elections fraud.

This has gone on for 3 years. The  pilfering of money in Housing  and violations of federal law  repeats itself with negative audits. The  Housing Committee  is unable to do anything..  Nor has anyone who would know better ever told the authorities of any abuse. The Harvard Project says the committee is without authority.

At this point, it’s a moot point isn’t it? Going along to get along helps no one.  Trying to do something when it too late is worthless ain’t it?

Why not just resign Grungy?

The Curtis Frye Cathedral ain’t the Old Indian Church..Thank God !

Many Elders complain about the transformation of the Mashpee Baptist Church.  It’s become some kind of surreal place of worship.  The quaint little chapel of our childhood has be come a turned out very poor imitation of  a southern cathedral in cramped quarters.  The church comfortably holds about 100 people and has been decked  out  with huge flat screens that project hymns.  There are hymnals in the back of the pews.  The same hymnals we all used as children and adults.

Cluttered and tacky, the Mashpee Baptist Church with it’s  beautiful stained glass windows, so proudly installed by families over the years,  seems to clash with the loud drums and guitars that blast music of the new wave that is foreign. Gospel tunes are part of the transformation with poor  efforts by the northerners really struggling with the singing style.

The church parishioners have changed dramatically with very few Natives attending the place they once worshiped with their parents regularly.  Curtis never attended the church when he was a young man, and ironically he is now the pastor.  Maybe he doesn’t know any better, but he has done a lot of  damage to the church and what it represents to the tribe.  Curtis has

Restored interior of 1684 Old Indian Church without tacky flat screens

decided to claim the Mashpee Baptist and his new converts and says he wants nothing to do with the Old Indian Church.  Well that’s unusual and very sad.  No minister, let alone a Wampanoag has abdicated their responsibility to the Old Indian Church.  Not Rev. Negal, or  Rev. Wilson or  others who came after them.  Curtis needs to understand that the past is always with us.  Now, it’s the future we have to fear.

With that…his name was taken off the Meeting House sign.

 

That Ghetto fabulous crew on tour

Let’s start with the most ridiculous but the most entertaining scoundrel on  the Council staff….you know him….

Bobby Boo

” Eattin’ off the White mans plate,”  ” I’ll never give you the 2008 Pow Wow Report,”  “I stay so drunk I can’t remember what state I’m in or how many kids I got or by whom” and ” I love to lie about my income cause I don ‘t wanna pay my child support and I own 2 escalates…on $1600 a month.”!  The state should be happy to know that.

You know him Cedric’s do boy….Bobby ” I ain’t got a GED either!” Foster.   God won’t he stop? Neva! Fascinating in that his mother does his 1040.

On to the Ghetto Fabulous mistreatment of the Elders and children.  The  Children’s basketball team and 16 cheerleaders headed to the annual tournament in Connecticut.  While the kids stayed at a dump 30 minutes away, sleeping in chairs because there wasn’t enough money for rooms.  Meanwhile the chaperons partied and left the cheerleaders unsupervised  staying at posh Foxwoods.  Cedric, his crew and the ” bomber jacket Elders “…rode in limos to the game.  Cedric did his screaming yelling, pretentious enthusiasm for the kids , making a fool of himself as usual. $2,000 was allocated for the kids food.  About $150 was spent on these kids and that was a  generous estimate.

If  Bobby would pay his child support and Cedric would take better care of our  tribe, the kids and Elders, we could jump start the Massachusetts economy without a casino…we ain’t gettin’ paid anyway. Only Grungy Boy and his Council members.

The same thing happened to the Elders who took Genting up on it’s offer to go to their slot dump in  Queens New York.  What a  mess.  The little Genting spokesman offered up propaganda…and the Elders sleeping in crappy accommodations all for a $10 gaming gift card. Big spenders Genting is eh? Bet they won’t be hanging out with them anymore.

Ghetto Management pt.2

The tribal financial mismanagement is so bad that no one’s surprised anymore.  And the lack of planning along with the cobbling together of the “Taunto itty bitty casino”  4 months before the deadline, only heightens the absurdity of the situation.  (Oh, by the way, someone needs to tell the CCT that we can’t build on the 53 acres  ( of the 76) that we’ve talked about for weeks. The plan is to build on the even smaller adjacent parcel of 40 acres.)

But let’s go back to how it used to be.  The tribal leadership worked pretty hard to develop good relationships with community businesses, the Town of Mashpee, the State and Middleboro.  It is important that these entities believe that we will do business properly and be honorable in that process. Well of course all that evaporated before our eyes, and now we are the laughing stock.

When your leaders are completely clueless and have no strategy, there’s no game plan, no team  effort among the professional consultants. …and no end game.  You just have a bunch of people with their hands in the till  grabbing what they can get until we’re forced over the cliff.

No shame in this game

Worst part is, the tribal staff  who actually work, can’t even purchase supplies or other items because all the charge cards are declined.  And the tribe has no credit anywhere ! Staff buys things on their own credit cards and hope they’ll get reimbursed. That porn really did a number on the AMEX.

One thing that’s consistent and that’s a  paycheck for Cedric, Aaron, Mark, Marie ” Tah Tah”, Cheryl, Yvonne, Trish and Winne.  It’s $50k a month and totals  $2,000,000 ( that we know of) during this 3 year nightmare.

It’s a lotta money for a lotta nothing.  But that’s what you get with Ghetto Management.

 

One hand washes the other….

I don’t want to be an alarmist, but this Boston Herald story, “Robert A. De Leo tied to tribe flak,” does raise some red flags.

Are we going to get caught in a s__t storm? Of course we are. Brooke Scanell, who is also Credric, Aaron , Markie and Marie’s flak, is getting paid an outrageous amount of money  ($500k) to do a media campaign for the “Taunto itty bitty casino.”  Again, the  tribe’s spending big bucks on that  effort and it should cost about $100k at best. The Council Drones sat right there and voted to give her a$200k deposit.

Brooke is a fundraiser for Speaker DeLeo’s (House candidates) campaign.  She helps him rake in millions from everywhere to get his members back in office. And guess who gets a percentage of what’s raised?

Correct! Have a familiar ring?

How Ghetto Management works

Ghetto Management is unique. There  are no reference materials providing guidelines.  It’s just pure unadulterated mayhem. It’s particularly painful  if you’re forced to work under this management style, which is  used by the Cromwell Administration.

Examples:

There is no heat at the main Tribal Council offices.  The staff there has been forced to suffer,  and have space heaters all over the place to keep warm.  Clearly a hazard and code violations that the administration has ignored as they lounge in the comfort of their Forrestdale offices.   It’s been like this for at least a year.

There is no hot water there either.  The plumbing in the bathrooms rarely works.

Unlike the old days when the Councils office was alive and bustling,  no tribal members go near the place.  It is vacant, filthy and depressing. So the staff suffers in silence, to hold on to their pay checks.

More on the hazards of Ghetto Management later.

Good luck on your Listening Sessions in Taunton!

 

 

We’re not hearing it!

Cedric Cromwell hand delivered a letter to the Taunton Town Council  formally asking for a special election to vote on the “Taunto itty bitty casino.” Not only is the tribe paying for it, it’s also paying Brook Scanell $500k to do a PR campaign ( in 3 months) to convince voters that this is a good idea.

The Taunton Council will probably vote on holding the election Tuesday.  Since the Tribe is paying for it, it’s  an easy  to let the voters decide.  Of course the tribe has no such opportunity in the phoney  Cromwell government.  All we have are illegal elections, poor management, fiscal impropriety and absolutely no long term policy on anything  and no  economic development plan for the tribe.

Cedric says he’s also going to do Taunton ” Listening sessions in every neighborhood, to ensure that the the ideas, needs and concerns of our neighbors  and partners are met.”  That’s mighty White of you Brookie!  Too bad Cedric would not apply the same concept to the Mashpee Wampanoag.

Tribal members showed up  Sunday to hear about how much money they will get from the casino.  You don’t get anything from a commercial casino. Cedric,Aaron, Marie, Mark, Trish, Yvonne, Cheryl (TFL) and Winnie will get a check.   Tribal members will not. Too much debt to be paid off first. That’s why Cedric was talking crazy because he knows all those people he put on the rolls illegally, only care about a casino.

He continues to purposely mislead people.

Of course they got a side show.  Cedric performed like a crazed dictator. His Ghetto Management style reached new  heights  yesterday during the monthly tribal meeting when he shouted, threatened and cursed at Council and tribal members furious over the bungled Land into Trust application.  Certain Council members were angry that they weren’t told for 2 months that the application was rejected. No one would have  known if it weren’t for the  Taunton newspaper story.  They let Cedric know it.  He chastised them and Elders  for talking to the newspapers, saying we should keep everything secret.

Are you listening?

He refused to answer the question about whether he was negotiating  a commercial license that would mean signing our sovereignty away ….so we would be like Aquinnah,  begging the state for everything we need. But the Aquinnah is negotiating  for a casino in Lakeville,  right under Aaron Tobey’s nose.  A few miles off the highway no less.  Good location considering our resort casino in Taunton is actually on 40 acres (1 5 miles off the highway) because we can’t build on the 53 acres across the street ( on the river). Cedric threw away another $200k and many millions on land we can’t build on.  How do you build a $500m resort casino on 40 acres ? He showed drawings of the casino that is to be built on the Galleria’s 90 acres that we have not secured.  Hummmmmmm.

It was so bad, Cedric turned the microphone off as people tried to speak or question him.  He demanded that Council members swear their allegiance to him and his leadership as chair.  Tribal members booed him.  It was a circus.

Good luck on the Listening Sessions.

Proper punishment

To my Uncle Herrin’:

I want to apologize to you for months of delay, but to complete your assignment I had to be sure that I had all the knowledge available for absolute success.  I had a long talk with our Chief, Earl Mills.  I did not compromise him by letting him know of my assignment, I just asked for guidance in making sure I understood the true character of the Mashpee Wampanoag.  Those characteristics, he told me have  protected the real Mashpee for centuries and gave us the survival skills under  the most adverse circumstances.

Minnie Ah Ha, Mashpee Wampanoag Private Investigator

You know the Chief.  It was a long talk.  It went on for many weeks.  We sang all the Broadway hits. We danced around a lot.  I got really tired, but the Chief said we were high energy people and never gave up.  Then he said I betta do some jumpin’ jacks.  He had me review his latest book….phew! I said wow, you know everything! Not everything he said, but the Mashpee always  learn from every experience and retell the story.  They listen and instinctively know if people are truly good inside.  He said we love each other and talk to those we like to learn more everyday. We’re smart, we’re educated formally and informally because we have outsmarted many a White man who tried to take advantage of us.  I watched him cook some really good fish chowder and he said it was just one element of of traditions that are still alive and must be protected and respected….not recreated.  He said there’s no measure of our greatness, only the proof of our continued existence.  So armed with all that knowledge, and some wicked cool dance steps ( I do them in the mirror ), I went ahead.

The First Lady’s Shenanigans at Ole School Night:  Reports the Cheryl Frye Cromwell was really acting up at the club in December are all true.  Her husband, AKA, Ceddie, Grungy Boy, Awful, Atta Boy Attleboro and Foolish, formally known as Cedric Cromwell, watched in a chagrined state.  Several witness said it was a scene of drunken debauchery with the First Lady bumping and grinding on the dance floor with all makes of  strange men……and women, while her husband looked on. The much discussed scene in the women’s bathroom however was also revealed in many versions.  The activities there were far too unspeakable to reveal here. Unlike the pugilistic battle between TFL and the Pequot woman in a  Connecticut barroom last summer, Ceddie was able to contain TFL  in this latest episode  and drag her out of the place before even more humiliating behavior was displayed.

Request for Grief Counseling Revenues Rejected: Tribal Elders  anonymously submitted a  request for an undisclosed amount of money for grief counseling due to the death of the tribe.  Cedric Cromwell, Mark Harding, Aaron Tobey and Marie “Tah Tah” Stone, said reports of the tribes death are false.  “It’s on life support,” chuckled Harding.  Tobey said, ” Ya we’ve been trying to kill it for 3 years and it just won’t die.”  Tah Tah laughed, ” Yah, wait till they find out you made me tear up that sign in sheet for the 2009 election, you’ll be on life support Lip Licker.”   ” What’ll they do to you when you can’t produce the damned audio tapes?” CeddieLou said. “Least I didn’t take ’em seriously when Roe told you to take a bath in the flume to be accepted by the tribe,” Tah Tah snapped. Cromwell then banged the gavel repeatedly saying ” I’m the Chairman ! I want order.”

Nice ripe fish heads

 

Punishment: At a time certain, tribal members have agreed to pummel the Council wrong

Thorny ain't they?

doers with fish heads ( at least 4 days old ) and pine cones for as long as supplies last.  Dump trucks will be parked  at  the school tomorrow for your convenience.

That is my report March 10, 2012

Your niece,

Minnie Ah Ha