Monthly Archives: September 2024

Paula brings back memories….all the bad ones

Paula made a rare appearance at a Council meeting. She began chirping, full of theatrics and  complaints. Clearly, she presumed that people actually cared about her whining, since her roommate Mark Harding and the Child King are so cosey…such good friends these days. She’s the messenger for the “boys” don’t cha know.

Chirp Chirp has difficulty reinventing herself because she gravitates to the same bad guys every time, dragging Trish right along.

But her hiding in plain sight made her lambasts disingenuous for sure. She launched into this contrived diatribe about her dissatisfaction with the Council.  That they “ain’t doing nothing.” That ” she wasn’t voting for anyone on the Council.” She ticked off issues: no economic development, “we can’t speak the language.” It’s some kind of weird PR campaign for sure. Were’s she been for 15 years?  The barricades to progress are her people.

And it’s a diversionary tactic.  She and Mark Harding are jam-up-jelly-tight with the Weedens who notoriously have an aversion to work. They are experts at doing nothing and getting paid. By February, CK will have squeezed between $500 k – $560 out of the Tribe according to best estimates.  Magpie is still getting paid as the THPO officer, without the required credentials (Bachelors, or Masters degrees). He has milked us for $400k so far. But we really don’t know do we? No budget.

And that’s a lowball guestimate. Magpie refuses to do the most minimal maintenance on the museum, the Meeting House (still not pressure washed, or painted) and bungled the town funding to renovate the Parsonage. He defies chastisement from the chief as does CK.

Paula’s pretty nervy. Complaining that Indian Health Services doesn’t pay her bills.  Well hell, she made over $3.5 m off the Mittark.  Yeah $3.5 million off a propaganda rag that recently showcased Magpie’s work on the Parsonage. It was pure fantasy. He did nothing. He does nothing. He will do nothing ever! We know Vice Chairman Hendricks and Secretary Jackson went to DC lobbied, worked with US Senators Marky, Warren and Rep Keating to get the $1.6 m (check Reel Wamps April ’23). Remember, the museum was infested with rats and racoons right up until the Sec of the Department of Interior arrived…..he was in Bermuda with Trish and crew partying. The museum is still an absolute disgrace. He wouldn’t pay Anita, probably cause he was too busy paying himself. So she quit. We also know that the Mittark  has little news content of use to the core Mashpee. That’s because, Paula is telegraphing to an audience she has groomed for a long long time.  They are members with minimal if any contact with the Tribe. They absorb the misinformation like gospel. They are certified outsiders. The fabrication about Magpie was another politicized effort to salvage his February reelection bid.

THE PROLOGUE

Let’s go back to the 2009 election where the nightmare began. Remember Paula and her cousin Trish, orchestrated the election of Cedric Cromwell. That strategy completely undermined all the safeguards in place that protected the integrity of the election process.  We will give you the short version. Paula was campaign manager, and Trish was the elections committee chair. From the start, Paula knew Cedric could not win the Mashpee vote. So anxious to redeem herself she pivoted after a series of humiliating personal  circumstances.

With federal recognition, our casino prosects triggered hundreds of people trying to get on our Tribal roll. Those were “pending” tribal members. Your lineage could trace back to Massasoit, but the enrollment chances were slim because of numerous criteria check points. It’s a rigorous process, that’s standard in most tribes. The majority of the Casino Stalkers were not going to make it. Not so mysteriously the

Removing Elders from the tribal governing process was punitive and egregious. CK has also refused to restore them to their rightful status for obvious reasons.

“pending” people, were merged on to the election voting list. Paula and her crew supporting Cedric and her roommate (the despised) Mark Harding, phone banked all the “pending” members telling them to come and vote. The Elders were removed from the process. As the election police the Elders literally eyeballed voters and had the authority to remove people who were underage or not identifiable. They knew the Tribal members and families. The guard rails were gone. There were hundreds of pending people who voted.  When asked “Who the hell are these people?” Trish said, “I got this.” She really did.

The doctored list, the removal of Elders allowed the Casino Stalkers to vote handing victory to Cedric and Mark who were also outsiders. They had no idea who we were, and it was a horrific 15-year journey. Outsiders gave Paula and Trish entre that they would never receive from the Mashpee.

But the saddest thing was the loss of fellowship surrounding our voting process. It’s been soured for 15 years. Tribal members used to see family and friends and were all smiles.

Tribal members still ask about the status of the disgraced chairman, “What’s going on with Cedric?” He

Ain’t they cunnin’? Actually no. No, they were not.

was convicted of kickbacks and 5 other charges, jeopardized land in trust and owes the Tribe hundreds of thousands of dollars. Three years later he’s still waiting for his appeal to be heard. Ya, Paula’s guy.  Trish’s guy, Magpie, Winona, Winnie, and TAT”s guy. These nuts have transferred membership to the Cliff Walkers cult clinging to power with the erratic Child King.

Paula & Trish at it again…

It was the same playbook, same target audience, same end result but this time it was the (Steve) Peters family Clan Mother designation. It became a politicized contest controlled by…wait for it…. the outsiders of the family. These members had minimal contact with the family or the Tribe, let alone fellowship or knowledge of the culture. After several family zoom meetings it was determined that Trish and Gina were the candidates. As the process played out it became clear that the election itself lacked integrity. Greg Mckinney controlled the election that had Keisha and Jaimie, (Trish supporters), accessing and sending ballots out on a Google doc (right).  He would not allow Gina’s daughter to participate to even give the appearance of fairness. Nor would he accept Gayle’s recommended election app that was secret and secure. “We’re all set.” Right, they controlled who got ballots via email, saw how people voted and counted the ballots.

 

Okay…so what’s happening here?

Let’s back up for a minute.  The whole Clan Mother business was Anita’s idea but did not have cultural legitimacy so never received Tribal support, including the Peters’.  And the Elders adamantly resisted their efforts on every front. They tried to pick the Chief when Clan Mothers tradition did not exist. Anyway, Anita was able to restrict the effort to the Steve Peters family. Cutting out Steve’s brother Charlie (“Todd”), eliminated a huge core Mashpee family, immersed in family and Tribal history.  That’s Hazel, Joe, Freddie, Eleanor, Stacey and all their kids and grandkids over 18. Though fiercely independent, it’s a good guess that many of them would not have supported Trish. But to her credit, Anita pulled her family (John’ s 7) out when the outsiders took over. It was another blow to Paula’s powerplay. As usual, Paula all but abandoned the project as it lost momentum.

Other problems:

  • No definition of ” Clan Mother”
  • Abandoned the matriarchal tribal protocols
  • A man controlled the process and allowed men to vote
  • No basic criteria for duties
  • No protection from political exploitation

The candidate contrast was dramatic. The Clan Mothers met every Sunday for 3 years. Sometimes there were only three present for conversations with tribal members and other discussions.  It was a forum for listening, learning

Gina continues to share research and other useful information to help Tribal members. Her interest in serving is genuine.

, sharing and helping. Gina was at those meetings without fail. She also took time to talk with family members, whose children knew nothing about family history and has a Facebook page that chronicles that legacy.

Trish on the other hand came to 3 meetings. Total.  She was thrown out of one because she brought David Weeden to pitch for a campaign endorsement.  The 2 other times were also to benefit David. Paula of course only hovers around when she can leverage the Clan Mothers politically.  Little success there.

But Trish won reportedly by 7 votes and so now the Outsiders are trying to have a coronation. Not going well. The dates for it have been changed 3 time (Since late August). To show you how inept they are, they tried to get the Chief to preside, and he won’t return the calls. Marla tried to have the event during Ancestors Day last Saturday. That was an absolute no. You know who presides over the Meeting House Committee and Ancestors Day.  Marla, you have to be deceased to be an ancestor. Talk about being clueless. And then David went back in to try again. This is the guy who refuses to maintain the Meeting House. Keep on reading the Mittark, ok.

Now Trish did her Clan Mother tour of the of the pow-wow circuit.  Blanket dancing in contests brings criticism of dancing for money.  That’s what happens when everyone has their own definition of a “Clan Mother.”

Great job girls. The family is divided into 3 factions. John (7children), Anne-Randy-Amelia(part),

Muriel-Clara(2 kids)-Amelia(part)-Russell. The Clan mothers seem to have disbanded since this election debacle. Very few get on the family calls.  Trish hasn’t had any meetings probably because she would have to hold them in Newton.

 

Hate to say it…the Weeden Administration is worse than the Cromwell’s

FOUR WEEKS AGO

He kept acting like he didn’t know there was an emergency. TAT actually showed up to the Emergency Meeting and was totally defensive about his role in the mishandling and ignoring the Tribe’s financial crisis. The short story here; Bobby wants to grab very small pots of random money (he’s found…hmmmm) and exploit grant Indirect Costs (IDC) funds to cover a large shortfall.

Forgot to tell you. Our poll showed that this picture was voted the “Most Unidentifiable Tribal Member of the Year.” Stress will do that.

So, he launched into this really bizarre Trump like babble of excuses about the inability to complete the audits, the comptroller’s sleepless nights….(because for more than a year he refused to release them). The most recent denial series began in early June. Our mysterious Comptroller denied Vice Chair Hendricks’ request saying it had to be approved by the Treasurer.  Of course that was a lie.  The Tribal Court ruled that any Council member request must be answered within 7 days.  That was almost three months ago. Not only did TAT sputter absolute deniability, but he also called his finance department “a mess.” A profound understatement.

The council was playing to a packed audience in the chamber.  About 30 tribal members showed up (additional 8 on zoom) and witnessed a frustrated Chief say ” We have serious budget issues to meet, and we need to get it together.” As the meeting went on the chairman sat on zoom solemn, silent without guiding the dialogue. He was at a leadership conference. The irony was too much.  At one point it was clear he was reading the bullet points distributed to those in need of “leadership skills.” It was awful

Once again the Chief snapped, “Who’s running this meeting? Everything is

The Chief was able to reign in Council members who were out of line. But now even the most basic common-sense solutions seem out of reach.

willy nilly.” To TAT he said “You’re talking about spending money you don’t have.  The Tribe has no income.  Why don’t we have an income.  You’re the Treasurer, your job is money.” Then they got into the consultants hired at $250 k a pop who never fixed a damn thing. They just kept taking the money right under the nose of the so-called comptroller who still can’t put a budget on the table. We still don’t even know if the comptroller is a CPA. What’s your bet?

Bobby sputtered on about his work with the chair to get a smoke shop going. That outdated concept is more trouble than it’s worth and would raise $300K annually at best. Surprisingly, some of David Weeden’s ideas made sense until he lapsed into his real passion, the smoke shop, like that was a viable option.

Councilman Nelson Andrews reminded everyone of his efforts to get

 Andrews continues to deliver to the Tribe and partner with fellow council members on projects that move us forward.  His go to status and contacts in Indian Country benefits us too.

support for a variety of businesses and partnerships that would bring in upwards of $75 million dollars annually. He pointed to the Eastern Band of Cherokees partnering on a resort, gas stations and other investments in the Tribe. The opportunity to set up a turnkey cannabis operation and expand solar electricity to sell. Solar would also cover the cost of government center, and housing utilities. He never ever got a response from CK who has yet to generate a dime for the tribe. To keep the lights on and basic maintenance costs $1.6m. And VC Hendricks reminded everyone that they still owed the land in trust lawyers $1.3 m.

The Tribe will have only $2.8 by the new year.

So, the touchy subject of salaries was next. For certain departments that

Hopefully Nitana understands that her school may not make it past the new year. She’s been told for the longest to crank some grants. That didn’t happen so after school it is.

have no grant funding its beyond serious. They are broke. Enter the controversial Weetamuw School lead by Councilwoman Nitana Hicks Greendeer, PhD. With ten students it’s heavy on teachers and staff (18) with hefty pay checks that eat up most of the budget. But according to many sources Nitana’s salary will make your eyes water. Worse is the overall price tag is between $750k-$900k annually with no grant funding. She really had the nerve to ask for that kind of money.  No doubt she was egged on by CK. Okay, so the Indigenous Montessori program hasn’t lived up to whatever it’s supposed to prepare our children for. And no one believes it’s worth the money.  Tribal members and Council members say the Weetamuw amounts to an after school-latchkey program at best. That warrants a third of the budget request.

But that didn’t stop the money grab.  And where did they go to get the money for Ellen,  Nitana, and Magpie’s salaries? They turned to opioid settlement revenues. Well, that is an absolute no-no. And Shelly Pocknett went off about it during the last Sunday meeting and she fried Nitana “good and proper” as the old timers used to say. Nitana’s disregard for the tribal members is stunning. Her indifference to family complaints about the treatment of their children and the ones she expelled, is remarkable. All parents get  is her blank stare. Apparently she doesn’t understand that serving on the Council doesn’t guarantee the protection of her program. Quite the contrary. She was elected to serve the Tribal members.

Despite the Chief’s prodding, CK said nothing through the majority of the meeting pouting like a teenager. It reminded you that every one of the 5 Council members, who often oppose CK loyalists, proposed or have offered legitimate projects to fix the looming deficit. Every one of those efforts have been blocked by the Cliff Walkers, who contribute NOTHING. Their fealty to CK is cultlike. Just like the Trump MAGA.

Remember these Cliff Walkers ignored his abhorrent defiance of Tribal police.CK lead followers on to the Tribal land on Pow Wow weekend. Unlike Trump during January 6, the chairman ushered them on to the farm despite the police efforts to stop them. His do-nothing loyalists refused to sanction or even remove the problem child. And lastly, there was no police report. Jesus Kevin. Who the hell do you work for?

Turning a blind eye only leads to problems escalating. What are they going to say then?

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Rise…

Soni, Natalie and Vicki sport their shirts that say it all. In true Mashpee fashion, humor is the best medicine.

The headline should make you laugh when you think about the Tribal Court. The latest was the boondoggle or boondoggle x 2 with the case against Natalie’s granddaughter. It was so unnecessary.  But to compound the first overreach they clap a $200 bond on the young woman.  We all know a bond is set to guarantee a court appearance. Well she showed up, the court settled on what appears to be 2 years of probation. With all that, Vicki should have gotten the $200 back. That’s pretty standard. but not in the Tribal Court…..somekinda way they conjured up this stupid condition that she would not get her money back for the two years. The controversy has started a movement because of the absurdity of the disappearing $200 and the Romper Room Court. Herrin and Roe said they’d take up a collection but decided to just tell people to contribute to Natalie.

But, there’s more.  It’s not as if the court has a real docket or anything.  And since when does real work or rulings matter? Amazingly Nancy Frye Rose showed up at the last Council meeting talking about how the court deserved $180 K raise. Someone in the audience almost gaged. Right. The Tribes’ in financial straits and she’s talking about raises for people nobody ever sees and renders absurd rulings that hurt Elders.

Meanwhile Councilwoman Roxanne was endorsing the raise too. The ethics of

According to sources, CK chats with Roxanne before every Council meeting. A surprising alliance for many reasons.

her role as the Council Laison to the Tribal Court comes into question in that her brother is the chief judge of the Supreme Court. Roxanne is also the chair of the Elders Judiciary which should no longer exist.  It was established to substitute as mediators of sorts until the true court was up and running. Not a good look at all.

The parents of college bound students complain bitterly about the lack resources coming from the Roanne’s education department. The Rhode Island Indian Council has filled the void for years because our grants and other funding resources have not grown. Here we are at the start of another school year, and parents that can do it are forced to take out loans because our education department is outta gas. There’s more on where RIC resources designated for scholarships are going.  That’s not a good look either.

Accountability or the lack thereof is the ultimate deal breaker for elected officials.  There’s no way to survive politically because there’s always someone watching ready to rat you out.