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Native Americans who attended Jesuit schools in the Northwest and Alaska just learned they will share in a $166.1 million settlement for offenses including childhood sexual abuse. But plaintiffs in South Dakota--nearly half of whom are women--face a legal barrier.
"When the nuns wanted you at night, they'd come get you from the dorm," recalled Mary Jane Wanna Drum, 64, who as a young child lived at one of South Dakota's several Catholic-run boarding schools for Native American children.
"My older sister would tell them I had an earache. 'Take me,' she'd say. It wasn't until this year, when my siblings and I began talking about all this, that I realized she protected me whenever she could. How do I thank her for that?" asked Drum.
The sexual abuse suffered by Drum and her seven brothers and sisters as grade-school students was both continual and depraved. In a phone interview, she recalled nuns, priests and lay employees subjecting both boys and girls to a barrage of violent assaults and bizarre molestations. Among many examples, the mother superior forced girls to simulate sex acts with a large doll before abusing them herself. Priests raped boys and girls, and the priest in charge also placed girls as "foster children" with single men.
Drum and her siblings have now filed childhood-sexual-abuse lawsuits against the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls and other Catholic Church entities that provided the orphanage's staff and supervision. (During the 1970s, most of the institutions were transferred to the tribes or closed down.)
Rhoades' law firm is part of a team that recently completed negotiations for a settlement with the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, on behalf of clients who were abused at the order's schools in the Northwest and Alaska. The result: about 400 Native people and 100 others will receive $166.1 million. In South Dakota, 77 plaintiffs have complaints in various stages concerning abuse at a half-dozen boarding schools. Some, like Drum's, are in an early phase while others have already been before judges, said Rhoades. On March 18, Drum was dismayed to learn that a South Dakota court had dismissed 18 plaintiffs' suits.
Nearly half the South Dakota plaintiffs are women, a much higher proportion of abused females than the Catholic Church claims is typical for its institutions as a whole. In 2002, dioceses nationwide self-reported that just 19 percent of molested children were girls. However, the church requested information only on priests and deacons, not on nuns, lay employees and others, which may have skewed the data.
"The church also takes sexual abuse of girls less seriously, so may not record it," said David G. Clohessy, director of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. "There isn't any good, independent data. From our experience as a support group, though, I'd say the South Dakota proportion is
More info at http://womensenews.org/story/in-the-courts/110408/catholic-church-evades-sex-charges-in-south-dakotaNative Americans who attended Jesuit schools in the Northwest and Alaska just learned... more
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Gov. Sean Parnell’s appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage.Gov. Sean Parnell’s appointee for the panel that nominates state judges... more
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Five members and associates of a Fairbanks, Alaska, right-wing militia group were arrested yesterday for allegedly plotting to kidnap or kill Alaska State Troopers and a state judge.
The five include Francis "Schaeffer" Cox, the founder and leader of the Alaska Peacemakers Militia. Cox also founded a pro-gun group and advocates armed resistance to gun control.
Cox and the other defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit arson, in addition to gun charges and other crimes.
According to an Alaska Department of Public Safety statement, an investigation of the militia group "revealed extensive plans to kidnap or kill Alaska State Troopers and a Fairbanks Judge."
"Cox et. al. had conspired a plan to launch an attack on Alaska State Troopers and Court Judges. Investigation also revealed that extensive surveillance on troopers in the Fairbanks area had occurred, specifically on the locations of the homes for two Alaska State Troopers. Furthermore, Cox et. al. had acquired a large cache of weapons in order to carry out attacks against their targeted victims. Some of the weapons known to be in the cache are prohibited by state or federal law."
Also arrested were Lonnie Vernon, Karen Vernon, Coleman Barney and Michael Anderson.
An arrest warrant for Cox was issued last month when he failed to show up for a court appearance on a separate weapons charge.
I previously reported for the Anchorage Press the unusual circumstances surrounding that gun charge and Cox's subsequent bizarre court appearances in an article on the Alaska militia movement last December:
"Back in March, right around the time he was organizing his militia ... Cox responded to a distress call on the Liberty Bell Network, an online community of anti-New World Order conspiracy theorists, which sends out mass email bulletins whenever one of its members feels his or her constitutional rights are being violated."
"In this case, a Liberty Bell Network member in Fairbanks claimed that police were conducting a warrantless search of his residence. (Police said they were responding to a 911 hang-up). Cox arrived on the scene armed with a concealed Ruger .380 semiautomatic pistol. Alaska state law requires that anyone carrying a concealed firearm must immediately notify any law enforcement officer they come into contact with of the concealed weapon.
"Cox, who doesn't regard state or federal laws as valid, did not do so and was subsequently charged with a crime."
Cox is a self-declared "sovereign citizen," a movement that preaches violent resistance to the federal and Alaska state government.
In a major report covering the rise of the sovereign citizen movement in recent years and the corresponding violence against law enforcement officers, the Southern Poverty Law Center last fall characterized it as a "sprawling subculture" of "hundreds of thousands of far-right extremists who believe that they -- not judges, juries, law enforcement or elected officials -- get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and who don't think they should have to pay taxes."
Cox is also the founder of the Alaska-based Second Amendment Task Force, a "pro-gun rights" group. Its website details a supposed United Nations-orchestrated conspiracy to deprive Americans of theirs constitutional right to bear arms.
Previously Cox voiced his beliefs like this:
Cox was addressing a crowd of about 150 militia members and supporters in March at the Second Amendment/Constitutional Task Force, held in Kenai. His speech was laced with Sovereign Citizen code.
"God gave you rights, just as a human being He didn't give rights to a government that they can then give to you if they want, which would leave you begging at the feet of government as a subject. As a sovereign, you have the right to life, liberty and property, and a corresponding individual duty to protect those rights," Cox said.
"My greatest fear is that they're not going to hear us until we speak to them in their language, which is force," Cox said. "America is headed to bloody force. If we sit on our hands until it hits the fan and it's go time, we won't be able to exercise that warlike force with a clear conscience. So we need to be very faithful with what's at hand right now.
"I am not opposed to violent, bloody force."
Cox echoed that endorsement of revolutionary violence during an interview with Andrew Sheeler for a January article in the UAF Sun Star about Cox deliberately violating university regulations by carrying a handgun on campus. "[The government] doesn't operate under the rule of law, they operate under the rule of force. My greatest fear is the only time they are going to hear us is when we speak their language," Cox said.
"If there was a gun ban in the city of Fairbanks, that's an act of war. And it would have to be met with war. And we are prepared to do that, we won't back down on that principal. We would spill blood before we let that happen."
Yesterday's arrests were carried out by a joint task force consisting of the Alaska State Troopers' Special Emergency Reaction Team, Fairbanks Patrol Troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service and the Fairbanks Police Department.
An update posted on Cox's Facebook page last night said: "Schaeffer has been taken into custody by the FBI. Please pray for his safety and the safety of his family."Five members and associates of a Fairbanks, Alaska, right-wing militia group were... more
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Carlos Boozer’s complete name is Carlos Austin Boozer. He was born on 20th November 1981. He is a professional player of basketball. He plays on behalf of Chicago Bulls. Chicago Bulls is a participant of National Basketball Association. He has won an Olympic bronze medal on behalf of Team USA. This bronze medal he won in 2004’s Summer Olympics. After this he won a gold medal in the same Olympics in 2008.Carlos Boozer’s complete name is Carlos Austin Boozer. He was born on 20th... more
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An earthquake hit Honshu, Japan today. This quake did not create tsunami. Other areas of Japan what came in quake struck regions are Morioka, Sendai and Fukushima. The intensity of quake on Richter scale was told 7.2. This quake shakes buildings up to Tokyo. However, according to statements of Alaska and West Coast’s warning centres, this quake did no produce a tsunami. But the areas of Alaska coast, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California are not in danger due to the tsunami.An earthquake hit Honshu, Japan today. This quake did not create tsunami. Other areas... more
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I'm With Stupid should be the new Tea Party slogan.
Don’t you love people who shoot themselves in the foot? I sure do. It makes me very happy and few things make me very happy. Like a Percocet and a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or watching the snow fall from my bedroom window, which overlooks downtown Manhattan. Red Carpet arrivals always make me happy, too. But in the case of Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, their perfunctory need to yattle off at the mouth–spewing Tea Party nonsense–well, it makes me very happy. Sure, my work is cut out for me, in my zeal and commitment to render them useless. But thankfully, they help me along the way because every time they say something, it is as though they shoot themselves in the foot.
Michele Bachmann’s rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday proved how desperate she is to be the key voice of the Republican Party. And Sarah Palin is by no means willing to give up her place in the spotlight for Bachmann, who doesn’t have as good a head of hair. My suggestion is that we do a special episode of MTV’s Celebrity Death Match with these two broads and “May the best woman win”, as per Ru Paul. Oh and ny the way Michele, next time you make a grand weeping statement to the United States, talk into the camera. You looked retarded. And Sarah, figures you would have a comment about Sputnik, since you can see Russia from your backyard. To quote Bugs Bunny, “What a bunch of maroons.”
Read more: http://imeanwhat.com/youcallthisfashion/sarah-palin-and-michele-bachmann-as-in-turner-overdrive#ixzz1CLsC6MPmI'm With Stupid should be the new Tea Party slogan.
Don’t you love... more
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"Thailand is cool. At a Family Dollars Store in Thailand you can actually buy a family for a dollar." Stand-up comedian Chris Martin gets all up in your grill July 7, 2010 at Refried Comedy @ Aztek Grill in Richmond, VA. MC is Odyssey Michaels.
http://www.chrismartincomedy.com"Thailand is cool. At a Family Dollars Store in Thailand you can actually buy a... more
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recorded by Shawn Jackinsky on an old busted 4track in winter 2008/2009, Alaska ..... It sounds at turns like floating through space, sitting on an iceberg travelling down a frozen river, wandering across an alien beach at night, walking around a tiny fog-enshrouded rocky lighthouse island, and travelling through the arctic on a dogsled. It is truly a work of art that can be listened to (or rather, slept to) again and again.... http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/ambient/18757-owlfacerecorded by Shawn Jackinsky on an old busted 4track in winter 2008/2009, Alaska ........ more
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worrg
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Recently Complete News Updates Today Mr John and Mr Hank Green in 2007 as a way for them to communicate visually to each other for one year, the public channel has grown into much more. While you may not have heard of Nerdfighteria, it is a real place.Recently Complete News Updates Today Mr John and Mr Hank Green in 2007 as a way for... more
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Lisa Murkowski has been officially declared winner of the US Senate contest in Alaska, following a long legal challenge by rival Joe Miller.
Ms Murkowski lost the Republican nomination in August to Mr Miller, a candidate backed by the Tea Party.
But she ran a write-in campaign, asking her supporters to add her name to the ballot paper to vote for her.
She is the first Senate candidate to be elected in a write-in campaign since 1954.
State authorities said Ms Murkowski's margin of victory in the officially certified result was 10,252 votes.
Mr Miller had appealed after votes were hand-counted following the 2 November election.
He said ballots on which Ms Murkowski's name was not spelt correctly or the oval next to her name was not filled in, should not count.
Voter intent
A federal judge, Ralph Beistline, lifted his hold on the certification of the results after Alaska's Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that allowed misspellings.
Voter intent was "paramount", the state Supreme Court said.
The certification is expected to be hand-delivered to Washington, in order to avoid delays that could prevent Ms Murkowski being sworn in with other senators on Wednesday, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Mr Miller is expected to announce on Friday whether he will mount a further legal challenge over the election.
Analysts have described Ms Murkowski's victory as a rebuke for Ms Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate and Tea Party figurehead.
She has been openly at odds with Ms Murkowski since defeating her father Frank Murkowski to win Alaska's governorship in 2006.
The last US senator to win an election via a write-in was Strom Thurmond in the US Senate contest in South Carolina in 1954.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12097046Lisa Murkowski has been officially declared winner of the US Senate contest in Alaska,... more
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The Alaska Supreme Court delivered another stinging setback to Republican Joe Miller, refusing to overturn election results that favored his GOP rival, Lisa Murkowski, in the states U.S. Senate race...
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/ap/National/68795The Alaska Supreme Court delivered another stinging setback to Republican Joe Miller,... more
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The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears,
Greenspace (Los Angeles Times)
Obama administration moves to protect polar bear
November 24, 2010 | 9:02 pm
The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could restrict future offshore drilling for oil and gas. The total, which includes large areas of sea ice off the Alaska coast, is about 13,000 square miles, or 8.3 million acres, less than in a preliminary plan released last year.
Tom Strickland, assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks at the Interior Department, said the designation would help polar bears stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change.
"This critical habitat designation enables us to work with federal partners to ensure their actions within its boundaries do not harm polar bear populations," Strickland said. "We will continue to work toward comprehensive strategies for the long-term survival of this iconic species."
Designation of crucial habitat does not in itself block economic activity or other development, but requires federal officials to consider whether a proposed action would adversely affect the polar bear's habitat and interfere with its recovery.
Nearly 95% of the designated habitat is sea ice in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off Alaska's northern coast. Polar bears spend most of their lives on frozen ocean where they hunt seals, breed and travel.
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell and the state's oil and gas industry had complained that the preliminary plan released last year was too large and dramatically underestimated the potential economic impact. The designation could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic activity and tax revenue, they said.
Parnell said that the state is pleased that existing man-made structures will be exempted from critical habitat considerations. But, he said in a statement, the state is disappointed it was not consulted on other recommendations. "This additional layer of regulatory burden will not only slow job creation and economic growth here and for our nation, but will also slow oil and gas exploration efforts," Parnell said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said reductions included in the final rule were mostly due to corrections that more accurately reflect the U.S. border in the Arctic Ocean. Five U.S. Air Force radar sites were exempted from the final rule, as were Native Alaskan communities in Barrow and Kaktovik, Alaska.
The Interior Department has declared polar bears "threatened," or likely to become endangered, citing a dramatic loss of sea ice. Officials face a Dec. 23 deadline to explain why the bears were listed as threatened instead of the more protective "endangered."
Kassie Siegel, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that has filed a lawsuit to increase protections for the polar bear, hailed the decision. "Now we need the Obama administration to actually make it mean something so we can write the bear's recovery plan — not its obituary," she said. Siegel called for a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in bear habitat areas. "An oil spill there would be a catastrophe," she said. "That seems like an understatement."
The Arctic Slope Regional Corp., which advocates for Alaska native business interests, said in a statement that the decision disproportionately affects Alaska natives and called the designation the "wrong tool" for conserving the polar bear because it does nothing to address climate change.
"The burden of the impacts will be felt by the people of the Arctic Slope," said Tara Sweeney, vice president of external affairs for ASRC, which is based in Barrow, Alaska. "This is a quality-of-life issue for our people."
Kara Moriarty, deputy director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Assn., said the action would hurt oil and gas exploration in Alaska by creating more delays and added costs to projects in what already is a high-cost environment.
"The companies and the industry will be required to go through more permitting and create mitigation measures without a direct benefit to the polar bear or oil and gas development," Moriarty said. "The Fish and Wildlife Service has found over and over again our activities pose no threat to the polar bear."The Obama administration is setting aside 187,000 square miles in Alaska as a... more
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Scientists have observed the highest rate of beak abnormalities ever recorded in wild bird populations in Alaska and the Northwest, a study by two federal scientists said.
:http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-11-09-beak-disorder_N.htmScientists have observed the highest rate of beak abnormalities ever recorded in wild... more
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suzane
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"Sarah Palin's Alaska" portrays the show's heroine as an adventure-loving wife and mother enjoying a whirlwind of activities amid spectacular settings in her home state. There are no overt clues to her future political ambitions.
However, throughout the first episode of the eight-part TLC documentary series beginning Sunday, Palin's outdoorsy image against the stunning scenery often plays nicely with her familiar political message.
One telling scene shows Palin and members of her family fishing near a bear and two frolicking cubs. Cut to the Tea Party darling and her self-sufficiency speech. For months, Palin has referred to strong Republican female candidates as "mama grizzlies."
"I love watching these mama bears," Palin tells the TLC camera. "They've got a nature, yeah, that humankind could learn from. She's trying to show her cubs, 'Nobody's gonna do it for ya. You get out there and do it yourself, guys.'"
Translation: Stop relying on government. That scene and others are sure to suggest to some viewers that the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee is positioning herself for a 2012 presidential run.
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/article_1d5aef5f-f7e6-54e0-87cf-7a6a74e56a90.html"Sarah Palin's Alaska" portrays the show's heroine as an... more
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BP report finds Alaska pipelines in decay | UPI
Severe corrosion is rotting BP’s pipelines in Alaska, an internal company report says.BP report finds Alaska pipelines in decay | UPI
Severe corrosion is rotting... more
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Politico reports that Joe Miller (R) and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) "are gearing up for a legal battle set to begin this week, when election officials will start officially counting write-in votes in the Senate race. Write-in votes, most of which were presumably cast for Murkowski, garnered 41 percent of the vote tally in Tuesday's election - 13,439 more votes than Miller's total. But Alaska election officials will not know for sure how many votes Murkowski received until they begin totaling the write-in ballots on Nov. 10 - a process that could take days or even weeks, depending on any legal challenges.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44801.htmlPolitico reports that Joe Miller (R) and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) "are... more
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The U.S. Geological Survey says a revised estimate for the amount of conventional, undiscovered oil in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska is a fraction of a previous estimate.
The group estimates about 896 million barrels of such oil are in the reserve, about 90 percent less than a 2002 estimate of 10.6 billion barrels.
The new estimate is mainly due to the incorporation of new data from recent exploration drilling revealing gas occurrence rather than oil in much of the area, the geological survey said.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/27/alaskas-untapped-oil-reserves-estimate-lowered-90-percent/?iref=NS1The U.S. Geological Survey says a revised estimate for the amount of conventional,... more
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The new Daily Kos/Public Policy Polling survey of Alaska, unveiled a real shocker in its approval ratings section where President Barack Obama has a higher favorability rating in the state than former Gov. Sarah Palin. Obama’s job approval is 38% in Alaska compared to Palin’s favorability rating of 35%. Yes, Obama is now more popular than Palin in Alaska.The new Daily Kos/Public Policy Polling survey of Alaska, unveiled a real shocker in... more
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