Please help (Western Shoshone)

[H2O Man]

{Hello, DUers: I am hoping that you will consider signing this petition, and sending it to friends and other groups who may be interested in helping. Thank you for your consideration. Your friend, H2O Man)



Tell Barrick to Stop Mining on Sacred Grounds

April 25, 2007

Dear Friend:

Tell Barrick Gold Corporation to stop mining on sacred grounds.

What would you do if someone came onto your land and started drilling for gold?

It's happening right now to the Western Shoshone people of Nevada. A mining company called Barrick Gold has been mining Shoshone lands without consent and is now expanding into Mount Tenabo and Horse Canyon, areas considered sacred to the Shoshone.

Even though the Shoshone have repeatedly protested these incursions and the UN stated last year that no companies should mine these Native American tribal lands without the Shoshone's permission, Barrick has continued its operations.

Please help us tell Barrick to stop mining on sacred grounds.

The Western Shoshone people have invited Barrick officials to discuss the matter, but the company has refused. Even worse, Barrick has continued its activities, bringing in drilling rigs and erecting a locked fence preventing access to certain areas.

We want Barrick to know that the Western Shoshone peoples have strong support among concerned citizens around the world. Please sign the petition to show your support and to tell Barrick to stop drilling without Shoshone consent. Send this message to your friends to help us make a strong statement for justice.

On May 2, Western Shoshone representatives will attend Barrick’s annual stockholder meeting in Toronto to restate their opposition to the mine and call on Barrick to make a good faith effort to resolve the issue. To strengthen their case, we are asking you to sign our petition calling on Barrick to stop mining without Shoshone consent.

Thank you for your support,

Tim Fullerton
OxfamAmerica

For more information on the Western Shoshone, click here:




http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/barrick?rk=QpSrzLs1s5BuE

[mike_c]

1. done, kicked, and recommended....

Thanks for posting the opportunity to sign this petition.

[H2O Man]

3. Thank you.

I think that this is a very important issue.

[loudsue]

25. You realize that Barrick is George H.W. Bush's company, right?

He tried to sell off so that his "name" wouldn't be involved, but the bush crime family is STILL very much involved in Barrick.

Just another arm of republican corruption, Barrick.

Thanks for posting this, H2O man.

:kick::kick::kick:

[H2O Man]

29. I'm hoping that

many DUers will add information for the rest of the community here. Can you share more about the Bush connection?

thank you.

[TheBaldyMan]

39. please read this link from my post #38

it has all the dirt on the Bush / Barrick Gold link.

http://www.think-twice.org.uk/2002/palast/#barrick

like I said in my first post - pure corporate evil.

[H2O Man]

41. Thanks!

Great information. And, yes -- the definition of evil.

[formercia]

98. I think he's still on the Board of Directors.

Making Policy.

The Bush Gang hates native Americans. Remember prescott and his buddies digging up Geronimo's grave to take trophies for the Skull And Bones?

[babylonsister]

2. For you, H20 Man, absolutely! Rec'd, signed, sealed, delivered! nt

[H2O Man]

4. Thanks!

A couple friends have asked me to try to find support for this effort. I am hoping that DUers will help. I surely do appreciate it!

[veness]

5. k & r. n/t

[H2O Man]

23. Thank you, veness! n/t

[acmavm]

6. Done.

I'm confused. Why have the no recourse to the federal government? I know its the bush** administration but there should be some way to get this company into a court of law, right? They not only need to be stopped, they need to be punished.

[H2O Man]

17. Good question.

One of the friends who sent me the e-mail had also called me to discuss the case. I'm expecting to have more detailed information within the week. Native Americans and progressive environmentalists do need to continue to confront these types of actions in the state and federal courts. And there needs to be a significant change in the executive and legislative branches of our federal government.

[EFerrari]

7. Done and sent to the L.A. Green network.

This could be sent to Amy Goodman at [e-mail]. She's great at covering these stories.

[H2O Man]

10. Thank you.

I will send it to Amy Goodman, and hope others will, as well.

[EFerrari]

35. Greens sent it out to their list --3K or so. And, I will send to Amy. nt

[Cabcere]

8. Done, and a K&R for you.

:kick:

[H2O Man]

18. Thanks.

I appreciate your support on this.

[Joanne98]

9. Done. BTW you should do a piece about Barrick....

It's a company with a long criminal past as I'm sure you know.

[H2O Man]

16. Thanks, and actually

I do not know as much about Barrick as I should. Over the years, I have done a fair amount of work in burial protection/repatriation and preserving Sacred sites, but mostly in the northeast. It is, of course, all connected. But if you have any "recommended readings" that you could suggest for me, I would very much appreciate it.

[bbgrunt]

27. done.

[H2O Man]

30. Thanks, bbgrunt! n/t

[malta blue]

49. I am a trained archaeologist in upstate NY and have

dealt with several NAGPRA issues involving local institutions. Where are you?

[H2O Man]

50. Chenango County.

[malta blue]

51. Beautiful pieces.

I did contract work for a while and did some work with NYSM.

If you need any preservation work or spare shovel bums PM me...

[H2O Man]

53. Thanks!

I will remember that.

[mntleo2]

11. Done

This is terrible. the disrespect for people other than Christian is disgusting. And I say that as a Christian myself who deeply respects, indeed embraces other religions than my own.

Oxfam is a worthy organization. Well worth supporting too.

Cat in Seattle

[H2O Man]

22. You raise an

interesting point, regarding the need for people to have mutual respect for people with differing beliefs or value systems.

Years ago, Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman taught me that the mindless corporate machine that is destroying the Natural World will unconsciously target Sacred Sites. The first case in the US that tested the Native American Burial Protection & Repatriation Act involved machine politics targeting a Sacred Site as a source of gravel, which was used to "cover" a large toxic waste dump site.

[mntleo2]

88. Wow

The wisdom of that Elder does not surprise me. As my kids are Yaqui, I also learnt from NW native elders and their take on the world is so much different than the Euro side of me, but right in sync with my Celtic side (I am a a poet, instinctively writing poetry since I was 8, only to find out not long ago that my Celtic side of the family were bards in Ireland, and I did not even know it).

The NW Natives were actors of the finest kind, though few carry on that tradition. One time, I saw a dancer become an eagle, much like English actors of old could transform themselves like their height and their faces without makeup. The NW Natives are also great story tellers as well and their stories tell deep truths. It was there that I really came to appreciate the art of theater and how important the arts are to further the sacred inside all of us.

It was also because of them I began to see that Jesus tried to teach that same sacredness, but with the "machine" politics we grow up in that you speak about, that part of us is smothered and not respected as absolutely vital to our existence. In reality if we could listen to the sacred inside ourselves, we would not be piling gravel on top of toxic waste which is smothering something far more important not only to the Shoshone, but to the world at large.

My 2 cents

Cat In Seattle

[YankeyMCC]

12. Done k&r

[H2O Man]

32. Thanks! n/t

[Spazito]

13. Signed and sent to others

Barrick Gold is the epitome of a rapacious, despicable multi-national company and I am ashamed it's roots are in Canada. I became an opponent of free trade primarily because the despicable behavior of Barrick Gold is encouraged by the free trade agreement.

[H2O Man]

44. Here is a link

to the Western Shoshone:

http://www.wsdp.org/

[Spazito]

89. Thanks for the link, much appreciated! n/t

[malta blue]

14. Done. nt

[H2O Man]

45. More:

Here is more information on the conflict:

http://www.nodirtygold.org/western_shoshone_nation_usa.cfm


Thank you for your support!

[ms liberty]

15. Done - K&R n/t

[H2O Man]

54. Thanks, ms liberty! n/t

[ms liberty]

70. Anything for you, H20Man - thank you for the opportunity to sign and pass on! n/t

[snappyturtle]

19. Done. K&R

Is it any wonder the mining company is doing this? They know our president doesn't know the meaning of sovereign!

edit-word useage

[H2O Man]

55. This president

and vice president are the faces of the type of policies that destroy the Natural World for selfish reasons.

[Joe Fields]

20. done and passed along

[H2O Man]

61. Thanks!

I really appreciate your support!

[G_j]

21. Done. K&R

thanks!

[H2O Man]

62. Thank you!

Keep fighting the Good Fight!

[PATRICK]

24. Done

n/t

[H2O Man]

63. Thanks!

[hwmnbn]

26. Done.....K&R...... nt

[H2O Man]

64. Thank you!

[TheBaldyMan]

28. k&r

Aren't Barrick Mining the company that bulldozed all those african miners underground while they were still alive? Pure corporate evil.

[H2O Man]

31. I am hoping that

DUers who are familiar with Barrick's history of anti-social actions will provide more information for the rest of the DU community. If you could find more information, or a link to the issue you mention, I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you!

[TheBaldyMan]

38. the incident allegedly took place at Bulyanhulu in Tanzania, Africa in 1996

According to an Amnesty International report published back then. The reporting of the incident tangentially to a story about George Bush Sr. in the UK newspaper The Observer resulting in a court case where damages were paid to Barrick Gold and a retraction printed. IIRC The case was decided under UK libel laws, one of the most favourable to the plaintiff in the world. The case was upheld on the grounds that Barrick Gold did not own the company responsible at the time and so could not be held responsible for the alleged incident.

Despite suppression of evidence by the Tanzanian government and the existence of video tape witnessing the massacre no investigation has been established.

Poppy strikes Gold is a DU article from 2003 highlighting the original story run by Greg Palast in The Observer that started the law suit. It was published in the Palast's book 'The Best Democracy Money Can Buy'. The reporting and following libel case earned Palast a Global Censorship award.

http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Barrick"> Here's a link to a Canadian organisation that keeps a grass roots eye on the mining industry. Barrick is a Canadian company. The site provides lots of information on the enviromental and social degradation that has followed in Barrick Gold's wake. They've made quite an unenviable reputation in Africa and South America already.

(on edit) Here's a link to a transscript of Greg giving a public talk organised by think-twice on the original article: Poppy Bush and Barrick He specifically states that the article was 100% factually correct, to quote one part ...

Now I have to be very cautious. As I said, one thing happened, then another thing happened. Bush was pushed out of office, there was an expedited procedure by his administration, Barrick Gold got ten billion dollars of ore, and he ended up being paid to join their Board of Directors. Don't make any connections, because my paper The Observer and The Guardian Newspapers were sued - not because those facts were wrong, they're indisputable, but because I implied a connection. Now all I did was write the facts as you've heard them, but they said "Anyone reading that might conclude that George Bush was given that position because of the gold mine that we obtained". So, I don't want anyone here making connections, because The Observer signed an agreement that we would not imply connections.

[H2O Man]

40. Thank you.

I appreciate this information.

[roody]

33. yes

http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Chile_en/Barrick_judgement

Good on Al Gore
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/13/america/LA-GEN-Chile-Al-Gore-Barrick.php

[rosesaylavee]

34. How horrible.

I sent the message above and a link to the petition out on my email list with the request for them to pass it along on their email lists before Wednesday's meeting.

First, how horrible that their lands are being abused and secondly that they are not deemed important enough to be listened to... I would be crazy mad if I were them.

Thanks for posting.

[H2O Man]

76. Thanks!

[kestrel91316]

36. They don't need a petition, it sounds like. They need a bunch of guns and

some ablebodied men and a few bulldozers to go in and throw the bastards out.

The Shoshone either have national sovereignty or they don't.

[H2O Man]

77. I think they need

another form of power.

[EFerrari]

37. Kick against the fat eaters.

[H2O Man]

57. Here is a photo

that you might appreciate:




It is from a reburial ceremony near the Jamesville prison near Syracuse, NY.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

42. K&R and off to go sign

:kick:

[H2O Man]

72. Thank you.

I really appreciate your support on this.

[quiet.american]

43. Done. n/t

[H2O Man]

78. Thank you

for speaking up!

[Annces]

46. Done

I came across a website on Indian Arts Project, and an interesting painter named Ernie Smith. You probably have heard of this before.

http://www.rmsc.org/museum/exhibits/online/lhm/IAPmain.htm

[H2O Man]

80. Interesting site!

Thank you!

[Garbo 2004]

47. K & R n/t

[H2O Man]

100. Thank you!

[Cleita]

48. I tried to sign your petition but every time I try, my browser

shuts down. This is something I feel strongly about and I'm on the side of the Shoshone. Is there another way?

[H2O Man]

52. I am not sure

why it would not work for you. The petition is linked on a number of other sites I found by googling, but they all go back to the same one I linked. I'm not sure if it would make any difference if you tried the petition from one of those sites' links?

[EFerrari]

56. Cleita, try rebooting or shutting down the browser and going back.

If that doesn't work, pm me.

[Pastiche423]

58. Same thing is happening to me

I got the email a few days ago, and still can't get to the site. My browser simply hangs for hours.

[Jcrowley]

59. Kick and Rec n/t

[H2O Man]

101. Thanks, Jcrowley

[annabanana]

60. I consider myself honored to be able to sign.

Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

[H2O Man]

102. Thanks!

I appreciate your support!

[hankthecrank]

65. Signed K&R n/t

[H2O Man]

104. Thanks, hankthecrank! n/t

[calimary]

66. Done. Thanks!

Kick!

[H2O Man]

105. Thank you

for your support!

[Jelybe903]

67. You bet ...Thanks for posting this!

In the absence of compassion, integrity and truthfulness what is left?

A Band of Gold!

[H2O Man]

116. Thanks, Jelybe903!

[Chovexani]

68. Thank you so much for sharing this

I signed and passed it on to my friends. :thumbsup:

[H2O Man]

115. Thank you!

[bahrbearian]

69. This site has a long list of the BFEE crimes in Africa w/ Barrick

http://american_almanac.tripod.com/bushgold.htm

[H2O Man]

129. Thanks, bahrbearian

Barrick is criminal, beyond what I realized. Amazing. They are without conscience.

[Me.]

71. K & R n/t

[H2O Man]

118. thanks!

[nam78_two]

73. K&R.nt

[H2O Man]

127. Thanks, nam78_two

I appreciate your support.

[Norrin Radd]

74. done. n/t

[H2O Man]

120. Thank you!

[Terri S]

75. done & passed on... Thank you!! n/t

[H2O Man]

130. Thank you, Terri S!

I appreciate your support on this!

[Straight Shooter]

79. I live in Nez Perce country.

There is an ongoing battle between a landowner who wants to build a huge development on sacred land. He even put a temporary sign on the property, it said something like, "Sacred Land Is A Myth."

Then he took down that sign and put up another permanent big sign, "Private Property Is The Foundation For Freedom." Sounds just like Rove, doesn't it? And if you guessed that he then installed a huge frickin' flag pole for Old Glory to fly above Nez Perce land, you guessed right. Insult to injury, that's the Repub way.

This fight to preserve sacred land goes on everywhere. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to sign this petition for the Shoshone.

[H2O Man]

81. Same fight

against the same forces. Thank you!

[Straight Shooter]

82. The land adjoins Wallowa Lake, and there is a monument to Chief Joseph on that land.

You can just imagine the battle between those who believe in honoring sacred tradition and those who have no sense of honor at all.

[H2O Man]

103. That's a great photo!

We have sites here that look like the belly of a pregnant lady. "The ancestor and the womb are the same thing."

[recovering democrat]

83. Signed and forwarded it also

I have signed it and forwarded it to many friends including all those I know in Nevada.
Hope it helps.

[H2O Man]

114. Great!

Thanks for your support!

[Shoelace]

84. done and forwarded

thanks so much for calling our attention to this. Please update if possible so we can do it again if need be.

[H2O Man]

128. Thanks, Shoelace!

I will try to keep DU updated on this and some closely related issues.

[bleever]

85. Done, and thanks.

:thumbsup:

[H2O Man]

111. Thanks, bleever!

[Ghost in the Machine]

86. signed, forwarded to friends, kicked & recommended... n/t

[Time for change]

87. Done

Does anyone know if this has been taken to court? The article mentions the UN but not anything about a regular court.

[H2O Man]

131. Thanks!

I'm trying to find out more about possible court actions.

[ClayZ]

90. Done K and R

[H2O Man]

112. Thank you, ClayZ!

A really appreciate your support on this issue!

[tomp]

91. tried to sign but they insist i send to others.

sorry, won't do that.

[H2O Man]

121. Thanks

for trying. A few people have experienced odd things when they have attempted to sign the petition. I do appreciate that people at least are trying.

[Dystopian]

92. Done....K&R

peace~

[H2O Man]

126. Thanks, Dystopian

I appreciate your support!

[spuddonna]

93. Done! K&R! n/t

[H2O Man]

132. Thanks, spuddonna!

[Senator]

94. D&K&R

[H2O Man]

136. Thanks, Senator!

[rumpel]

95. done

[H2O Man]

135. Thanks, rumpel!

[ConsAreLiars]

96. Done. Thanks for the heads up (n/t)

[H2O Man]

137. Thank you!

[SalmonChantedEvening]

97. done, my friend n/t

[H2O Man]

134. Thank you!

I appreciate your support!

[blondie58]

99. done

and sent to all of the other sympathetic individuals on my list. Thank you for this, H2O man. This is a travesty to this great nation and has been a fascinating read to find out that Bush is involved.

I like the specimens that you have included pictures of. The Indians are to be respected- their ways are so genuine and the people are so pure.

[H2O Man]

117. Thank you, Blondie58

[EFerrari]

106. kick

[yellerpup]

107. Copied, signed and kicked.

I'm forwarding this to my friend with an extensive NA network. Thanks for letting us know. :kick:

[H2O Man]

119. Thanks!

[yellerpup]

123. Great truth in that mural painting

Bet it was a good concert, too.

[Irishonly]

108. Done

[H2O Man]

113. Thanks, Irishonly!

[Catherine Vincent]

109. Done!

Anything for you H2O Man. :hi:

[H2O Man]

110. Thank you cat_girl25!!!

I do appreciate your support.

[Catherine Vincent]

144. No problem, Patrick!

I appreciate the pics you're posting. Reminds me of my great-grandmother on my dad's side who was a full blood native American.

[va4wilderness]

122. Thanks for this post! I saw an elder from this tribe speaking...

about the mining and the taking of their lands a few years ago and was very moved. Thanks for posting this. Please sign this petition and pass the word everyone.

[H2O Man]

133. Thanks, va4wilderness

[juno jones]

124. Signed

And I will pass this on to my friend, a NA artist and activist who created 'Honor Day'. Check out: www.honorday.org .

[H2O Man]

125. Thank you, junofeb!

And thanks for the link to your friend's web site. It was very interesting!

[EFerrari]

138. kick

[EFerrari]

139. Kick for justice

[H2O Man]

140. Justice

This is a photo of Chief Paul Waterman, of the Onondage Nation's Turtle Clan. He is talking to an archaeologist at the March 8, 1997 repatriation at (Wysox) Towanda. Justice.

[EFerrari]

141. The library at my junior college was erected on a sacred site.

And it gets more complicated from there.

Let's do our best to honor our people.

[H2O Man]

142. This thread

is interesting.

[EFerrari]

143. I'm grateful there are six directions because I needed all of them.

lol

"Nobody said it would be easy." -- Silko

[nam78_two]

145. ....

:kick:

[MessiahRp]

146. Signed it....

Great cause and plus it was recommended by my favorite DU Boxing Historian, how could I not? ;-)

Rp

[H2O Man]

147. Thank you!

[Me.]

148. Kick n/t