As Governor Butch Otter of Idaho makes a declaration of the state of emergency in the counties that border the Nevada and the overlapping Duck Valley Reservation and Governor Jim "All Is Well" Gibbons tosses matches at a tobacco store north of Vegas along I-15. The grass roots efforts of faceless human beings came to the aid of The People of the Paiute Nation. The Raft River Rural Electric Cooperative is shipping a 2,000 kilowatt power plant to the stricken community from Denver Colorado today. The Red Cross said they have been in contact with the tribe for a week now and have been aware of the situation. Great, then what were they waiting for?? Power official said it would be 3 to 4 weeks before power was back on, still leaving people without a place to keep their food or electricity to run. pumps. Why do people have to be dead and bloated on the streets before help arrives anyway?
While all this is going on, the cob webs of ambivalence from the main stream media coupled with their Orwellian axiom of double speak have yet to respond in earnest to what I consider a true breaking news event. Thank goodness for the Native Telegraph. Si Thomas, educator and member of the Paiute nation and I breathed a little easier as assistance began to come their way and the phones began to ring from the wonderful and caring people who've gotten wind of this potentially life threatening situation on the Duck Valley Rez.
By no means is the drama over but the good news is people are calling to first verify this plight exists. I don't blam them since there are so many scams on the internet these days. So maybe when the next time my Native Telegraph announces another catastrophe or news item from out Native world, they will pay a little more attention.
As we all know we as Native people have become keenly aware of the lack of concern for our social issues and have followed the time honored practice of making false promises and not honoring their word. We've lived as a conquered people for a war we did not start and our oral histories are riddled with dead, betrayal and sorrow. So as the powers that be start to show face in light of our queries about our brothers and sister in Duck Valley, let it be known the Green Machine of our grass roots efforts made a difference since now "The eyes of the world are watching" and we know the truth of what transpired. No one cared till we did and it would not have happened if it were not for a little e-mail I received asking for help from a Native girl name Paz. Fore if it was not for her I would not have known, called the rez and ultimately find out the truth. She is a hero. You go girl………..
Then there is Robin Carneen, Producer and host of NAMAPAHH First People's Radio in Washington State and all her wonderful associates who've diligently used all the means at their disposal to get the word out. Are we evolving a Native Emergency Broadcast System? Sounds like a good idea to me. It's already known we can't depend on anyone else but ourselves. The Green Machine, our version of FEMA. Our logo could be, "No Tribe To Small". Hmmmmmmmmmm………
Si, Brent and the Smoke Eaters of the Sho-Pai Fire Station are also champions for their people and I am honored to be associated with them at this time of crisis. The two out-of-control fires have merged into one cataclysmic inferno so the struggle to survive presses onward. And fire crews are risking their lives to battle this blazing wall of destruction. The safety of the Fire Warriors on the line is always a concern and they have my prayers as well. I was a smoke eater and I've blazed a trail with my Pulaski a time or two and its hot grueling work with death just around the corner. I was also FEMA trained and certified at one time and believe me, there is nothing expeditious about how they do things now. I was an Emergency Management Director and worked in the Office of Emergency Management of the community I now reside. I was also a Level 6 Hazardous Materials Operations Coordinator so I don't buy into any of the empty words from excuse making government officials who will no doubt have many fancy excuses and reasons why there was no assistance for the People of the Duck Valley Rez.
FACT IS NO ONE CARED, till now.
Keep them calls coming……………
Your Devil's Advocate
Buffalohair
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Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
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