And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:02:08 EST MENDOTA UPDATE Dear Friends, Today we made the front pages of the papers! They were covering what happened yesterday down at the Site. Picture this. Approximately, 1000 people, lots of dogs, lots of kids all standing in a formation that spelled out Stop 55 go oaks! Pictures were taken from a low flying airplane with everyone waving away, a brass band playing and lots of cheers. It was great! The sun was shining and everyone was happy to be there. When I get my copy of the picture I will show it to you. This has now become an annual event. Last year there were only about a hundred people. Who knows how many next year! Just before the pictures were taken, there was a drama unfolding that gave the event a special importance. Mike Haney and other members of the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota, were denied access to the Sacred Spring. Mike Haney was almost arrested. After the photo shoot, we gathered outside of the locked and policed gate into the Spring. Mike, Bob and others expressed their outrage that they were not allowed to have access to their "church". Mike explained that they had just come back from the funeral in Wisconsin and needed to wash his hands and face in that pure, medicine water but was denied! It is interesting to note that Clinton recently, gave a new federal law allowing access to sacred sites to Native Americans even if they are on Federal property. This event yesterday shows how crucial it is to get the senate resolution HF#712, and the senate bill HF#711 passed. This will bring the State law up to the Federal level and if Minnesota wants to keep it's reputation as the "great progressive" state, it needs to pay attention now. We have asked you for your help by contacting Minnesota legislators and Senators and we are so grateful for your help. Remember that Friday is the deadline so please let's put out one final big burst of effort! Realize that if we fail, it may be your State next! If we succeed, we have set a precedent that can help others all over the country. This affects everyone not just us. If you are in the State, call them, if you are out of State email them. To make it simple, go to http://members.aol.com//dmkerr9/Mendota_Sacred_Sites.html Click onto Tom's page (a link listed on my website MSS), on Tom's page (site), scroll down to Linda Brown's updates regarding legislation and mediation and Find Minnesota Legislator and contact them. This will give you all of the phone numbers and email addys that you need. There is also a ready made blank email you can fill in too on his page. Speaking of websites, my website Mendota Sacred Sites has some new cool stuff you need to check out. One are the pictures from the Unity ride (link is indicated on front page), and newest of all is this fabulous brochure put out by a bunch of supporters (indicated on front page). It is so great! It puts all the facts all together in a very succinct way with nice pictures. Share it with others. Other news On Thursday and Friday, the 18th and 19th, the Elders are coming to town to testify at the State Office Building! This will be a phenomenal event, try and make it if you can. When I have more specifics I will let you know. There will also be a pot luck Feast on the Thursday night. The location is to be announced. Yesterday morning at dawn, I went to the Sacred Spring to offer prayers. It was so beautiful it made me weep. Here it is this beautiful Sacred place locked behind big chain link fences (we snuck in lol) with these ugly Bureau of Mines buildings near it. What were they thinking when they built all of that ugly crap around that heavenly spot? My co-conspiritor (my husband) made a very interesting comment. he said " The red race, look for what the Creator has made sacred and honors that, while the white race looks for what man has made and honors that." Sad but true. Judging by the amount of people who came yesterday to stand up for the trees, I think this is definately changing! Hallaluya! For those of you who do not have AOl I have attached the picture of the Sacred Spring. What else? Oh yes, I hate to appeal for money buy we are desperate! This fight cost money big time! We are dragging the bottom of the well right now and we only make this appeal because we have no other choice. Legal fees, camp fees, phone fees, on and on, are all adding up. None of us are rich, we have all used our own fees and now we have nothing left but still have a long way to go to win this thing. Any donations are appreciated, look under the "what you can do to help" on the website for addresses and any other details. Finally, I would like to invite you to a very special forum. It is called Medicine Hair's Lodge. I spend some time there helping out with the Lodge, tidying up, puttin out the cat, doin what I can for my wonderful, brother Medicine Hair whose Lodge has become my other home! THere are some cool messages about MEndota there as well. Come and visit. <A HREF="http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=MEDICINEHAIR&tid=19"> MEDICINE HAIR'S LODGE Message Board</A> http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=MEDICINE HAIR&tid=19 Hope it works. If not, email me and I will see how to get you there. Because it is on Delphi you have to become a member to enter but it is free. Last, thing, we cannot thank all of you enough for all that you have done and especially the love in your hearts, and the prayers from your souls. This has made us family forever. Peace, Diane March 16th update: >From Linda M. Brown: Dear Friends, we had a setback again in the legislation today, last thursday Tom Workman, Chanhassen, Chair, house transportation committee, told myself and 3 others that were lobbying as well as Senator Gary Leidig, he would hear our bill, he also told Mike Haney on Monday not to worry that something would be worked out. Today he made a decision to not hear the bill, this was heartbreaking news for us. We now have to go back to Rep. Rhodes and again ask him to hear this bill in his committee. We have spent so much time running around trying to get these people to honor their words, we are all exhausted. I quess I just need some R&R. We still have 3 days to get this bill heard, I quess we are having some effect I heard today that the Representatives and Senators have been complaining about all the phone calls, emails, etc. they are getting on this issue. We need to thank Senator Gary Leidig for standing up in the full senate chamber today and stating that this bill should be heard, and ask why was no chair was willing to do this. If we don't get the hearing we will attack this legislation from a different direction, so please hang in there with your support and prayers. We need to again thank Senator Ellen Anderson for authoring this bill for us against so much opposition as well as Representative Mark Gleason and Representative Karen Clark, and all the others that did not buckle under to all the pressure from their own colleagues. They are truly our Heroes. My prayers are with all of you and we need to stay strong. Pidamiya, :Love Linda &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
