Reel Wamps

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 well.  Living 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 seriously.  The 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 17^th day of January, 2012.

Nellie Hicks Ramos

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?

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.

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?

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.