Reel Wamps

For the benefit of those of you who don’t know, or don’t remember, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acknowledged that our fishing and hunting rights were “ancient and aboriginal.”  Having attained federal recognition further enhanced the legitimacy of our claims.  Why would we need to have the Commonwealth take charge of or alter our rights?  The compact that the Cromwell regime “negotiated” with the state is a confusing mishmash of concessions by the  Tribe and total lack of protections.  Let us refuse the language in the compact.

Here is the 1982 resolution.  Click to enlarge:

Last nights meltdown resulted in Traditional leaders looking to meet with the Governor and legislative leaders to discuss the make up of the controversial compact  or “treaty” between the tribe and the Commonwealth.  The Cromwell administration is now back peddling and trying to hold a forum to review the compact with tribal members after the fact. After the fact .

Tribal members had no input nor were they  consulted, as is the tradition in the tribe, or allowed to review the deal.  Council members were given an hour to review the document and then it was taken up.   Carlton Hendricks, Jr. as always complained bitterly about the process that shut out any participation.

Quan Tobey who heads the tribal environmental department red flagged the deal and informed the committee members who were enraged.

Leaders of the  the Game and Fish committee were furious with Cedric Tobey Cromwell and his cousin Aaron Tobey,   who negotiated the deal,  because both are considered ill equipped to represent the cultural and traditional needs of the tribe…..or anything else.  Traditionalist were angry about  a host of sections in the plan that erode aboriginal rights.

Cromwell has so disenfranchised the tribe from the process, tribal members want to make sure that Governor Patrick,  the Speaker and Senate President  know that they have no confidence in their representation of tribal needs to the Commonwealth. The issue has also shown that the Governor has no interest in ensuring the integrity of the process  by continuing to deal with an  administration so reviled by it’s people and operate without a mandate or authority.

Sen. Montigny says slow this baby down

This afternoon, New Bedford Senator Mark Montigny “ laid it ( compact ) on the table.” That basically means the legislation is dead in most legislative proceedings, because it is too controversial to deal with right now. It may be delayed, but even Montigny said it was moving “too swift and speedy.” There may be other reasons involving his constituents in Southeastern Ma…..but whatever, he granted the tribe a reprieve from one of the worst treaties in Indian Country. If we had LIT the Feds would never accept the 21.5 to be paid to the state.  It almost appears intentional.

It explains why  the Cromwellians are trying to get an extension on the July 31 deadline.

They can’t get it done.

Lookin' for something?

The Cromwell Crew is trying to stay in office anyway it can. With CeddieLou’s popularity plummeting to an all time low, the alleged tribal chairman  is launching his campaign with a spying expedition aimed at one of his presumed opponents and that would be David Pocknett.

He’s assigned Pocknett’s neighbor and cousin Billy Pocknett to the task of monitoring who comes and goes from D Pocknett’s house. B Pocknett is the leader of Aaron Tobey’s Bomber Jacket Elders….you know, the made-up elders…..any way, true to form the CeddieLou’s crew is part of the clown patrol that can’t do a damned thing right.

You see, all B Pocknett’s reports will have to be oral cause they say he can’t read or write.

Well  sah.

For years we have talked about the Tribal Court having no authority or jurisdiction, because we have no trust lands, and below is a Federal case that parallels our situation to prove it.

http://turtletalk.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dct-order-granting-pi.pdf

It further goes to the heart of the challenges this administration faces with its serious issues of legitimacy.   The elections fraud, and the tribal courts role in that fraud is alarming.  Even with the membership understanding how abusive this group is…. The Tobey Cromwell administration continues to dupe some tribal members into thinking they have some redress when they clearly do not.

It continues to make fools of tribal members who file cases thinking something is going to happen. Nellie Hicks went to tribal court to make a point and she was very effective in doing so.

Tonight Cedric Tobey Cromwell and Mark Harding will make another run at the Federal Charter because it will enshrine them and allow them to be in power indefinitely. They will establish another tribe.  It is such an unpopular idea that they had dredge up ” Parables” ( Greg McKinney) to pitch the idea again.  He actually thinks he’s going to get something out of this. The approval of the Charter will literally allow Cedric and Company to  push us over the cliff.

Not a single tribal member outside the family members of these Council members and staff have benefited (unless it was Indian Health or the Environmental Department) from this administration.  The housing loans alone are outrageous, the ” Tribal Goodwill” of millions and millions of dollars to unknown people.  The $600k of monthly expenditures by the Council.  Outrageous and consistent. They are relentless about getting that pay check and spewing propaganda to the few newspapers that write about their fraudulent actions.

Say what you will about Russell  Peters or Glenn Marshall.  At least they would face you when you disagreed and cussed them out.  They were accountable to you politically and morally. If you’re a “New Jessie Baird” tribal member recently added to the rolls and don’t know what we’re talking about, that tells you about your Johnnie Come Lately status.

With these outsiders, there’s nothing like that accountability.  It’s so unconscionable the real Mashpee literally do not know how to react.  It is foreign for sure.

We will remember this dark time in our tribal journey when no one stepped up or spoke up except the Elders who were banished and abused.  True leaders are at their best when challenged and their people are in trouble.

We are being governed by an illegitimate government that has destroyed the essence of who we are. Sad.

Nellie Hicks asked tribal judge Robert Mills for two things; to see the sign in sheets for the 2009 election and to invalidate that election because of constitutional violations of the process for the resolution of the election challenge filled by Nelllie. You will recall that Nellie filed the challenge 24 hours after the election and  elections chair Patricia Keliinui dismissed it without calling together a tribunal of Elders to decide on the complain as specified in the Constitution.

The Tuesday hearing or whatever it was, lasted all of 10 minutes.  The tribal attorney was clueless and mouthed the same foolishness that Howard Cooper filed in the motion to dismiss ( that he delivered to Nellie, months ago, as though it were a ruling) saying that Nellie filed the request too late.  Of course he didn’t know that Nellie filed the request on February9, 2009, because there’s no record of that. Patricia Keliinui has no record of that, indeed.

Just like there’s no sign in sheets…no tribal court , to legitimate government, no audio tapes of hundreds of Council meetings, no land into trust, no sovereignty,  no plan for our financial security, no financial report,s no education strategy for the survival of the nation, no respect for the Elders no nothing.

Patty Oakley asked Mills. ” Where’s your judicial authority Robert? We don’t have land in trust.  You know this is bullshi-.”

The White lawyer said ” You’re quite the conversationalist.” That boy was lucky Nellie was in the room.  Patty gave him the look but not the finger.

Robert said ” I cannot compel the Council to give you the documents.”  ”  Course,” Patty said ” Course you can’t, you have no authority, plus they’ve been destroyed, if they’re not at the BIA in Nashville.”

If you’re wondering where our man Socabasen was…he was in Salem…and we’re in the ditch with an illegal government of really scary people, negotiating with the state like they’re legitimate.