Reel Wamps

Fear and loathing people….fear and loathing.

Tonight’s council meeting is going to be a doozie.  It is the only thing Shovel Ready Ceddie has ever done that has the slightest semblance of  transparency. His paranoia is oozing through the pathetic double talk revealing an agenda loaded with items designed to end tribal members free speech. Exactly, and if they don’t like what you’re saying, you’re shunned, for a length of time befitting your outburst. All decided by the Council. And they don’t give a care if you like it or not. They work for Genting not you.

You may recall that the original shunning idea was the brain child of Vice Chair Jessie Baird,  that bastion of fantasy reasoning and famous self aggrandizement This latest shunning effort is likely hers. Poor Jessie, she never resolved her self esteem issues.  She will do anything to be important Her Tobey relatives still bare the scares of her last shunning episode.

When you’re corrupt,  you have to cover up.

Since the Tribe is sovereign in name only, you still have to follow US law. Free speech cannot be impeded, and the other problem is the lame attempt to cover up all the illegal activity in Housing. more about that later.

The other constitutional violation says that anyone running for the Council has to be a full time  employee of the Council. Who will leave their jobs to risk going to jail? This is totally transparent and targets Carlton Hendricks, Jr., Laura Miranda and others preparing to run in Feb. Why don’t they pay them part time now, if they’re so interested? If you’re working for the Council you damned sure aren’t going to challenge wrong doing and loose a pay check..And as we all know, Shovel Ready Ceddie and his crew are desperate to keep a lid on the gross theft and negligence that surrounds the Gaming Commission in particular.

Currently, tribal members have no knowledge or say in what happens to the over $ 2m a month funneled into the Gaming Commission…..that has no casino to govern or any prayer for a casino in the near future. We do know that $900,000 a month goes to Genting’s architect to redo the casino ( that will never be built).  If that ain’t money laundering what is? Genting knows we’re not good for anything else cause LIT ain’t happening cause the BIA can’t take the LIT even if we meet all the requirements  Jessie said LIT was going to happen in July. now Shovel Ready Ceddie says November.  Nobody’s listening anymore.

On to the funny stuff:

Marge launches search for financial documents-Somebody  got a hold of the Genting financial plans and left them in the copy machine. It says the gaming giant will cut us off at $150 million.  Jez…we’re at $90m now.  They just got another $10 m. Form a search committee Marge, they’ll help you find it.  Only requirement is that everyone has to be sober.

Shovel Ready Ceddie calls security…Actually “SRC” is so frightened he has Mashpee police on duty all the time…parked in front of  the Echo Chamber.  He can hire the cops, but he won’t pay for the things tribal members need.  But we got that $90m debt and his bobble head embarrassing us at every turn.

After 4 years of blatant mismanagement and discriminatory practices. Housing has a new supposedly permanent director from New Bedford, named Diedra Lopes.  Ms Lopes, you’re in our prayers.

Valerie shredded everything and screwed up the Housing files: This is according to our top notch Housing Committee that has worked so hard for tribal members for 5 years.The same Housing Committee that has as members the Tribal Secretary Tah Tah and her mother Carol who do as they please and take what they want from the till….unchecked. More later on the Housing Horrors. So don’t worry about all the  things that Tah Tah, Valerie and Leon did….HUD will find them quick, fast and in a hurry. 

One of the advantages of having a little education is discovering how various writers will analyze the many foibles of men who find themselves with power, while lacking the most basic qualities of justice.  Eugene O’Neill wrote two of my favorite plays, “The Hairy Ape” and “The Emperor Jones.”

Brutus Jones was an American convict serving time for murder, who escapes to a Caribbean Island, where he installs himself as a dictator, Emperor Jones.  I leave it up to you to read this great piece of stage drama, but will reveal, that in the end, Jones is on the run from the people that he oppressed.  He had let it be known that he could only be killed with a silver bullet.  The downtrodden people obliged him.

You may  be asking “what on Earth does this have to do with anything?”  Well, you may want to take a good look at the leadership of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, in particular, the Chairman, Cedric Cromwell.

He has taken for himself powers and privileges unprecedented in the history of our tribe.  I don’t want to alarm you, but this behavior is definitely not the “Indian Way.”  Our ancestors were never under any kind of dictatorship, but followed the leaders who performed, those who had the best interests of the Tribe in mind.  This administration, in particular the Chairman, has only its own interests in mind.  Could it be that this is the way things are in this age of diminishing liberty, the bitter dose that we must swallow to become a gaming Tribe?  I don’t think so.

Brutus Jones traveled far from his home to lord it over the people of the island.  Similarly, Cedric Cromwell, who grew up outside the bosom of Mashpee, has never lived here, nor do I think he plans to, lords it over us.  Now calling himself Dr. Cromwell, he is showing signs of some sort of strain.  As Aretha Franlkin sang, “I ain’t no psychiatrist, ain’t no doctor with degrees,” it doesn’t take a shrink to see someone falling apart.  Frankly, I’m concerned about his state, I wish someone close to him would  intervene, but I am more concerned about the state of our Tribe and its future.  Heaven help us.

Hey Henry, did you think you were a real judge or was it just to get a paycheck?

Tribal Judge Henry Socobasin is very unpopular with the Council these days.  For a couple of reasons. Daryl Tavares filed suit (from Barnstable County Jail) saying essentially that since the federal funding given the Tribe is for the Tribal members, they have a right to monitor it and see how it’s spent  etc.  You know transparency at best. Well  course! In the real world this is how it works…but in the Fryebal Council, it is not welcomed.

Well lower court Judge Robert Mills went along with the Fryebal Council concept saying the Tavares challenge was not valid because the Tribe was sovereign.  It was kicked up to Socobasin who said no not so.  He said the Tribe’s sovereignty was  spotty at best and does not apply to the question of federal funds. Course as we all know the feds rule. That’s the land in trust bugga boo we constantly talk about.

Well  people, the Fryebal Council went nuts…started passing all kinds of ordinances and resolutions ( violating the Constitutions for the umpteenth time) prohibiting the tribal members from even requesting financial documents and information from Housing in particular. It doesn’t matter anyway because no one gets anything from these birds who are clearly suffering from an extreme case of corruption.

Well, Socobasin agreed with Tavares, and refused to dismiss the case, so now CeddieLou and his peeps are going to hold a hearing on the 23rd to fire their former buddy. That would be Henry Socobasin, Pretender to the Tribal Supreme Court.

Ironically, Henry Socobasin is confirming what Reel Wamps has been saying for 5 years.  The Tribal Court is a worthless tribunal because it has no authority to do anything, without land in trust. Even though his ruling has no weight, it’s on the record confirming that the tribe is sovereign in name only. Henry and all the rest on the gravy train have been partying, golfing,and  eating lobster on the backs of our ancestors who brought us to a place where would would finally be able to hold our heads up. Now we’re ruined.

The Judicary Committee never did a thing either but mumble and complain …nothing to help us.   They did ensure that a lot of lawyers got paid to fight and ridicule tribal members. Guess what? We didn’t even have public defenders!!!!! We had to hire our own lawyers. The Judiciary Committee was so important weren’t they. Of course they’re all pals with the Fryebal Council.

Just like his former buddies on the Fryebal Council, Socobasin has been getting paid all these years to steal us blind and produce nothing….but injustice.

The echo chamber (tribal government center)had a little activity last week, but, sad to say, it only confirmed the pathetic state of affairs in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal government. The leadership is leader—less.

A tribal member named Larry B went to the tribal office to get help. Now keep on mind this guy was a big visible supporter of Cedric’s.  He’s the guy to the immediate right of tearful Cedric’s clenched Dorchester power fist.

Cedric worries not for the Mashpee but for his bank account victory.

Well, Larry B marched into Ceddie’s office confident he would get some help.

Cedric says ” You ain’t even Mashpee.”

Now this is coming from the guy that Glenn Marshall and Patty Oakley had to define the ROLL to and help him get on the ROLL so he wouldn’t take us  under.  The damned fool isn’t even one of the 1001.  Ask him what that means. Good luck on that too….cause his family is not even close to be part of it…but Larry B’s is.

Anyhow Larry B throws his head back and says, ” What ? You ain’t nothing but a ” Dorchester nigg–.”

Ouch! WampaLeaks said that too after researching the guy.

Larry B is dragged out of the echo chamber by the less than busy security hired to protect the frightened tribal chairman.

Poor Cedric.  He don’t get no respect.  He did a great job of destroying us in Indian Country with all his stupid hub bub and made up tradition and record breaking indebtedness of a tiny tribe.  Anyone with Google can search our tribe and see that all Jessie’s fabrication is just that.  If no one in the tribe believes Jessie, why should anyone else. There’s no land in trust on the horizon. But there’s a lot of debt.

Almost a billion for a faculty that will never be built. And upwards of nearly 60 million funneled through tribal Gaming Commission without a casino….better believe  the FBI is eyeballing this.

Can’t you just see all of them pointing at each other squealing especially Bobby, he always breaks down.  Anyone who get’s paid to go to funerals is slimy.

Well its come to that…When Cedric, Jessie, Robbie and Tah Tah are leading us.  Okay.  No more reminders.

Ain't that cunnin'. Maybe we can sell that robe and buy some food cards or maybe that fancy school will give us some scholarships. Heh heh.

You got nothing…Cedric get’s an HONORARY degree from Sulfolk law. It’s totally superficial. It’s like  a  plaque.  Cedric and Cheryl are so ghetto, so uneducated they think it means something, or they’re running game on our people who don’t know any better.You’re paying millions to  those lawyers who have brought us nothing for 5 years.And you accepted an honorary degree for bending over, to keep that pay check.

What are you doing for our kids, our elders, our future? We cannot blame the White man.  These non Mashpee are devouring us.

Trouble In Indian Country

In some Indian Tribes, particularly west coast tribes with casinos, disenrollment is a growing problem. Disenrolled members lose all their rights as tribal citizens and are cut off from all benefits. In the case of the Pechanga, that means the end of $20K checks each month—and the increase in the remaining members checks.

A young Mashpee Wampanoag posted a link to a YouTube video on the subject, followed by the usual likes and comments, mostly comments about the greed that can result from sudden riches for people who never had money before. $20,000 a month, that’s almost a quarter million a year. And that’s not enough?

Digging Up Bodies

So it went, as you scan down the page, until you reach this line:

Paula Peters Shameful to think how close we came to this. So glad our future is in the hands of tribe members like you Brian. Stay strong.

 What is she talking about, one wonders. Why is she coming from out in left field with a statement like this? Then someone who knows poses the question:

 Paul Mills So Paula, are you trying to say that the diligent and careful consideration of past enrollment workers is somehow equivalent to disenrollment? do you really want to go there?

 It would seem that Paula is attacking the integrity and competence of the genealogists and membership committees. But there’s even more:

 Paula Peters So that was diligent and careful consideration that disenrolled my Aunt Amelia and three others for asking questions??? Hmmm…. Like I said Brian, stay strong.

 So, There it is, she wants to dig up old bodies, and for what purpose? Is there going to be some sort of propaganda campaign to try to discredit the proper and constitutional means of placing candidates for membership on the rolls?

Let us continue:

Paul Mills First of all, Amelia was not disenrolled. Please do not spread lies. And the shunning was not for asking questions, it was for suing INDIVIDUALS in superior court, and in fact, making it impossible for my niece to refinance her house. The suit placed lis pendens on all properties and threatened peoples livelihoods. When are you going to smarten up? You may fool these young kids, but no one else.

Clearing The Air

Why don’t we start with the truth.

• Paula Peters lost her lawsuit in Barnstable Superior Court against the Tribe for not putting her on the ballot in a Tribal election. She could have easily gotten on that ballot had she done like all other candidates and showed proof of meeting attendance, but refused, in her own uniquely narcissistic way, because she was above all that.
• In the next chapter, we find Amelia Bingham and others filing another lawsuit, this time for $7 million, claiming financial mismanagement by the Tribal administration. The suit was not just against the administration as a governing body, but against each and every individual member, as well as against their property and assets. Are you hearing me? They tried to ruin people. Not only that, but they got their exhibits wrong through bad research, claiming property that was owned by non-Tribal people and supplying wrong addresses. Paula’s name was not on the suit, but I guarantee her hand was in it.
• At an emergency meeting of the Tribal Council subsequent to the papers being served, there was a discussion of what the Tribe could do to the individuals involved in the suit. Several remedies were discussed. Chairman Marshall indicated that disenrollment would be unconstitutional, whereupon Jessie “Little Doe” and Chief Lopez both advanced the idea of “shunning,” that is, suspending all rights of membership emanating from the Tribe, but not those due from federal sources. Chairman Marshall neither conceived of nor did he vote on shunning.
• At Barnstable Superior Court, the lawyers for Amelia Bingham, et al, encountered a skeptical judge, who questioned their motives for bringing the suit. The suit was without merit.
• The only thing that the judge ordered was that Tribal members had the right to see financial records. The Tribe promptly complied and gave the opportunity and with the Tribal office vacated, Stephen Bingham, Amelia’s son, was handed the books. Nothing came out of that inspection.

Is This Necessary?

Of course not. The problem here is the continued use, by Tribal and non-Tribal people alike, of the technique of the “Big Lie.” If you tell a lie loud enough and long enough it becomes the truth, right?  You the reader, who may not have been privy to the events that took place while you were in middle school or were too busy to pay attention, really need to learn what transpired and those who were the actors in this drama.  Not all things are as they appear, and there are many skeletons in closets.

We will continue to tell the truth.