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Cameco violates Australian Aboriginal lands

URANIUM MINERS ASKED TO “PLEASE EXPLAIN” AFTER INTERFERING WITH TWO ABORIGINAL SITES

Press statement

Part owners of the Kintyre Uranium Deposit, Cameco Australia Pty Ltd, are being asked to explain why they recently graded an old track that runs through two different registered Aboriginal Sites without permission from the Department of Indigenous Affairs (DIA).

The Native Title holders of the land for the Martu people Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation (WDLAC)* are outraged that Cameco, a Canadian owned company, could commit an offence that was not only illegal but also showed such a lack of respect for Martu heritage.

Nyaparu Landy, Chairperson of WDLAC, said it was disappointing to see that a company who claims to respect Martu people and culture and the legislation in place to protect their rights could not even follow legal process so early on in the high profile project.

“We have been given numerous assurances that they will not disturb any sites and already they have disturbed two sites located some distance apart without consent,” he said.

“If Cameco can’t even follow 40 year-old legislation now, how can we trust them with mining uranium?”

Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (“The Act”) it is an offence to damage or alter an Aboriginal site without permission from the Minister for Indigenous Affairs. Cameco did not have any consent from the Minister nor did they advise WDLAC that they would grade the track through the registered sites.

“There is simply no excuse – not only has WDLAC warned them about the existence of the sites, they are also listed on the DIA’s Register of Aboriginal sites for all to see,” Mr Landy said.

“It seems Cameco can’t even be bothered to do their homework. This incident doesn’t leave us with much confidence on their promises to respect our culture throughout the rest of the project.

“But we will continue to fiercely protect our culture and insist that Cameco and other miners with leases on our land respect it by following their requirements by law.”

The DIA have begun an investigation to determine whether Cameco should be prosecuted under the Act.

All enquiries should be directed to Christina Araujo, In House Counsel on 9486 9797.

*The Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation (Jamakurnu-Yapalinkunu) RNTBC holds the exclusive native title rights and interests of the Martu People to approximately 136,000square kilometres of land in the Western Desert region of Western Australia.



Anne-Marie Hagan Future Acts Project Officer
Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation (Jamukurnu-Yapalinkunu) RNTBC (ICN 4207)
11 Gordon Street West Perth WA 6005
PO Box 331 West Perth WA 6872
Telephone (08) 9486 9797 Fax (08) 9486 9798

Indigenous Peoples Southern Border Rights Campaign

Indigenous Peoples Southern Border Rights Campaign

By Brenda Norrell

Censored News

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

TUCSON -- In the new Southern Border Rights Campaign, the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders, is working toward national guidelines to ensure border rights for Indigenous Peoples in their homelands, from California to Texas.

Indigenous Alliance Without Borders director Jose Matus, Yaqui, said recent meetings were held with members of the Gila River Indian Nation, Cocopah Nation and Kumeyaay Nation, along with meetings in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The purpose was to network and solicit support for a Southern Border Rights Campaign. The Alliance is working toward national guidelines and a manual for Southern Indigenous Border Rights at the U.S./Mexico Border region.

Matus, Yaqui ceremonial leader, has traveled to Yaqui communities in Sonora, Mexico for thirty years to bring Yaqui ceremonial leaders to the United States for temporary stays for ceremonial purposes. At the US border, there were repeatedly harassments and detainments of ceremonial leaders and their families.

Indigenous Peoples living along the border in their traditional homelands, from California to Texas, continue to be harassed and intimidated by US federal agents, including the US Border Patrol, and local enforcement agencies working with Homeland Security. The situation has not improved under the Obama Administration.

While the United States piously demands that other countries assure basic human rights to their citizens, the United States remains one of the greatest offenders of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the four countries that refused to vote in favor of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The stated rights include the right to prior and informed consent and the right to traditional territories.

The Alliance said, "The militarization of the southern US border with Mexico threatens the survival of Indigenous Peoples living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico borderline. Our survival as Peoples depends largely on our ability to practice our ancient Indigenous languages, spiritual beliefs, culture and ceremonies in privacy and community without interference. This is not merely a cultural and spiritual concern; it is a matter of human right that exists in the U.S. legal statues, U.S. Constitution and International Law."

Matus said the following statement by the Indigenous Alliance Without Borders was completed in cooperation with the International Indian Treaty Council:

"Southern Border Crossing for Indigenous Peoples And the Lack of U.S.-Mexico Border Rights & Justice

By Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders

The United States is quiet about the U.S. vote of ‘NO' to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples"

‘We did not Cross the Border, The Border Crossed Us'

The militarization of the southern US border with Mexico threatens the survival of indigenous peoples living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico borderline. Our survival as Peoples depends largely on our ability to practice our ancient Indigenous languages, spiritual beliefs, culture and ceremonies in privacy and community without interference. This is not merely a cultural and spiritual concern; it is a matter of human right that exists in the U.S. legal statues, U.S. Constitution and International Law.

It is well known that the US was one of four countries voting against the recently adopted United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is dishonest for a government that lauds itself throughout the world as a Nation of Laws and protector of Human Rights to vote against the basic rights of Indigenous Peoples in its own country as well as the rights of hundreds of millions of Indigenous Peoples throughout the world.

To restore American credibility and make progress on these issues the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras will advance a vision of responsible local, regional and international engagement that emphasizes human rights, solidarity and cooperation in an interdependent world, realizing that progress on compelling southern border problems will require the active support of friends, allies, and other major stakeholders in the local, regional and international community.

With that purpose, the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras is spearheading the first ever Southern border transnational collaboration of Indigenous Peoples to address the rights of mobility and passage, militarization of the southern border and seek national policy on Southern Indigenous Peoples' border rights, justice and recognition for the cultural and religious rights of Indigenous Peoples, and their traditional ceremonial leaders.

Our goal is to create a strategic collaboration along the US-Mexico border among Indigenous Nations/communities and their organizations, allies and partners. We also propose future collaboration, mutual support and solidarity with northern border tribes including the Dakota-Nakota 7 Council Fires of South Dakota, who engaged in similar issues along the US-Canada border. Our aim is to unite Indigenous communities across borders in bringing key Indigenous Rights issues to the U.S. Government and 00international arena, in particular to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and the United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

As Indigenous Peoples, we must come together as one organized voice - we must speak for ourselves. Therefore, the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras asks for the support of all Indigenous Peoples, friends, community allies and partners to stand in support of the fundamental sovereign principles of our traditional Indigenous cultural beliefs. Our social justice journey is to establish Indigenous human/civil rights, cultural survival and protection of our Indigenous languages, and the protection of mother earth and sacred sites at the southern border.

Networking and Coalition Building to promote Indigenous Southern Border Rights & Justice

Solutions may only be possible with consistent political pressure, an organized Indigenous community and the support of human rights organizations locally, nationally and internationally. Assistance and support will also be required from federally recognized border tribes who would also benefit from the restoration of mobility for their members on the south side of the border fence.

The best strategy for defending Indigenous rights, the rights of indigenous people's mobility and passage of the U.S.-Mexico southern border must involve a combination of factors and strategies, including mobilizations of Indigenous communities and tribal councils, creating political pressure, the use of domestic courts and international human rights mechanisms.

Approaches through U.S. Domestic Law and Policy

Southern Indigenous Peoples can seek remedies to secure border crossing rights for their Mexican Indigenous relatives through:

· Federal Indian law and legislation, both at the State and Federal level;

· Internationally-established human right to maintain their cultures and cultural connections across international boundary which may be secured by seeking the proper interpretation of the Native American Languages Act of 1996, and the American Indian Religious Act of 1978 as amended in 1996;

· Seeking legislative changes to ensure that all Mexican Indigenous Peoples are allowed access to the United States equal to that of Canadian Indigenous Peoples and the Jay Treaty;

· Extending the program used for one southern border tribe, the Kickapoo, by issuing American Indian cards (Form I-872) to all southern border tribes and creating new guidelines under which a tribal membership/tribal affiliation card from southern border tribe would be sufficient for entry for Mexican members of that tribe;

Strategies for gaining Southern Indigenous Border Rights

· Generate pressure on the US Government to accept the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

· Pursue remedies for violation of their internationally-recognized human rights through two major international human rights systems, the United Nation (UN) and of the Organization of American States (OSA);

· Seek solidarity and support from other allies, friends and partners;

· Reinforce our efforts by conducting trainings, conferences, and disseminating information about our rights.


Approaches through International Law

Communicate our concerns to UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures, such as the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, and the newly created mandate, the Independent Expert on the Right to Culture;

File Shadow Reports with appropriate Treaty Monitoring Bodies under UN Human Rights Treaties to which the US is a State Party, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD);

Consider using the CERD Committee's Urgent Action/Early Warning procedure in urgent cases;

Attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as several of its agenda items for 2010 are appropriate for the raising of these trans-border issues; Meet and network with other Indigenous Peoples from North America concerned with trans-border issues."

For Immediate Release, October 15, 2009

Contacts: Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, (602) 999-5790
Taylor McKinnon, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 310-6713
Roger Clark, Grand Canyon Trust, (928) 774-7488


Public Supports Protecting Grand Canyon and One Million Acres of Public Lands From Mining

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Today conservationists join tribal leaders, city and county officials, and people from throughout Arizona in supporting the protection of one million acres of public lands near Grand Canyon. Supporters of the protections will attend a public hearing this evening in Flagstaff to tell the Interior Department to move forward with a mineral withdrawal to protect the lands from future mining activities. The hearing will be held at the High Country Conference Center at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff starting at 6:00 p.m.

“This is an exciting opportunity to provide protections for the land and the waters around Grand Canyon as well as for the Colorado River and the drinking water for millions of people in the Southwest,” said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “We are asking that the Department of the Interior move forward with a proposed action to safeguard this area from uranium mining for the next 20 years.”

In August, Interior announced its preparation of an environmental impact statement evaluating a proposed 20-year “mineral withdrawal” that would prohibit new mining claims and the exploration or mining of existing claims without valid existing rights across nearly one million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. The purpose of the mineral withdrawal would be to protect Grand Canyon’s watersheds from the adverse effects of new uranium exploration and mining. If approved, the withdrawal would extend and strengthen protections set forth in the two-year land segregation announced by the Department on July 20, 2009.

“New uranium mining would pose unacceptable risks to Grand Canyon’s watersheds and wildlife,” said Taylor McKinnon, public lands campaigns director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Department of the Interior’s proposed mineral withdrawal would help to abate those risks and secure the Grand Canyon’s future.”

Spikes in uranium prices have caused thousands of new uranium claims, dozens of proposed exploration drilling projects, and proposals to reopen old uranium mines adjacent to Grand Canyon. Renewed uranium development threatens to degrade wildlife habitat and industrialize now-wild and iconic landscapes bordering the park; it also threatens to contaminate aquifers that discharge into Grand Canyon National Park and the Colorado River.

“Uranium mining has already done irreparable harm to our region’s people, water, and land,” said Grand Canyon Trust spokesman Roger Clark. “We should not repeat the mistakes of the past on our public watersheds surrounding the Grand Canyon.”

Proposed uranium development on the lands involved in the withdrawal has drawn criticism from scientists, city officials, county officials, former Governor Janet Napolitano, the Navajo, Kaibab-Paiute, Hopi, Hualapai and Havasupai tribes, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Statewide polling conducted by Public Opinion Strategies shows overwhelming public support for withdrawing from mineral entry the lands near Grand Canyon; Arizonans support protecting the Grand Canyon area from uranium mining by a two-to-one margin.

The deadline for public comment on the first phase of the mineral withdrawal analysis is October 26, 2009. Comments can be submitted at the meeting, emailed to azasminerals@blm.gov or mailed to Grand Canyon Mining Withdrawal Project, ATTN: Scott Florence, District Manager, Arizona Strip District Office, 345 E. Riverside Drive, Saint George, UT 84790-6714.

Southern Border Crossing Indigenous Peoples Rights

Southern Border Crossing for Indigenous Peoples
And the Lack of
U.S.-Mexico Border Rights & Justice

“The United States is quiet about the U.S. vote of "NO" to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”

"We did not Cross the Border, The Border Crossed Us"

The militarization of the southern US border with Mexico threatens the survival of indigenous peoples living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico borderline. Our survival as Peoples depends largely on our ability to practice our ancient Indigenous languages, spiritual beliefs, culture and ceremonies in privacy and community without interference. This is not merely a cultural and spiritual concern; it is a matter of human right that exists in the U.S. legal statues, U.S. Constitution and International Law.

It is well known that the US was one of four countries voting against the recently adopted United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is dishonest for a government that lauds itself throughout the world as a Nation of Laws and protector of Human Rights to vote against the basic rights of Indigenous Peoples in its own country as well as the rights of hundreds of millions of Indigenous Peoples throughout the world.

To restore American credibility and make progress on these issues the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras will advance a vision of responsible local, regional and international engagement that emphasizes human rights, solidarity and cooperation in an interdependent world, realizing that progress on compelling southern border problems will require the active support of friends, allies, and other major stakeholders in the local, regional and international community.

With that purpose, the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras is spearheading the first ever Southern border transnational collaboration of Indigenous Peoples to address the rights of mobility and passage, militarization of the southern border and seek national policy on Southern Indigenous Peoples’ border rights, justice and recognition for the cultural and religious rights of Indigenous Peoples, and their traditional ceremonial leaders.

Our goal is to create a strategic collaboration along the US-Mexico border among Indigenous Nations/communities and their organizations, allies and partners. We also propose future collaboration, mutual support and solidarity with northern border tribes including the Dakota-Nakota 7 Council Fires of South Dakota, who engaged in similar issues along the US-Canada border. Our aim is to unite Indigenous communities across borders in bringing key Indigenous Rights issues to the U.S. Government and international arena, in particular to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and the United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

As Indigenous Peoples, we must come together as one organized voice ― we must speak for ourselves. Therefore, the Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras asks for the support of all Indigenous Peoples, friends, community allies and partners to stand in support of the fundamental sovereign principles of our traditional Indigenous cultural beliefs. Our social justice journey is to establish Indigenous human/civil rights, cultural survival and protection of our Indigenous languages, and the protection of mother earth and sacred sites at the southern border.


Networking and Coalition Building to promote Indigenous Southern Border Rights & Justice

Solutions may only be possible with consistent political pressure, an organized Indigenous community and the support of human rights organizations locally, nationally and internationally. Assistance and support will also be required from federally recognized border tribes who would also benefit from the restoration of mobility for their members on the south side of the border fence.

The best strategy for defending Indigenous rights, the rights of indigenous people’s mobility and passage of the U.S.-Mexico southern border must involve a combination of factors and strategies, including mobilizations of Indigenous communities and tribal councils, creating political pressure, the use of domestic courts and international human rights mechanisms.


Approaches through U.S. Domestic Law and Policy

Southern Indigenous Peoples can seek remedies to secure border crossing rights for their Mexican Indigenous relatives through:

· Federal Indian law and legislation, both at the State and Federal level;

· Internationally-established human right to maintain their cultures and cultural connections across international boundary which may be secured by seeking the proper interpretation of the Native American Languages Act of 1996, and the American Indian Religious Act of 1978 as amended in 1996;

· Seeking legislative changes to ensure that all Mexican Indigenous Peoples are allowed access to the United States equal to that of Canadian Indigenous Peoples and the Jay Treaty;

· Extending the program used for one southern border tribe, the Kickapoo, by issuing American Indian cards (Form I-872) to all southern border tribes and creating new guidelines under which a tribal membership/tribal affiliation card from southern border tribe would be sufficient for entry for Mexican members of that tribe;


Strategies for gaining Southern Indigenous Border Rights

· Generate pressure on the US Government to accept the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

· Pursue remedies for violation of their internationally-recognized human rights through two major international human rights systems, the United Nation (UN) and of the Organization of American States (OSA);

· Seek solidarity and support from other allies, friends and partners;

· Reinforce our efforts by conducting trainings, conferences, and disseminating information about our rights.


Approaches through International Law

Communicate our concerns to UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures, such as the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, and the newly created mandate, the Independent Expert on the Right to Culture;

File Shadow Reports with appropriate Treaty Monitoring Bodies under UN Human Rights Treaties to which the US is a State Party, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD);

Consider using the CERD Committee’s Urgent Action/Early Warning procedure in urgent cases;

Attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as several of its agenda items for 2010 are appropriate for the raising of these trans-border issues; Meet and network with other Indigenous Peoples from North America concerned with trans-border issues.

Charges dropped for priests praying at the border

October 6, 2009
Contact:
Leslie Klusmire and John Heid
520-305-3276 520-305-3276
Jack and Felice Cohen-Joppa
520-323-8697 520-323-8697, cell - 520-603-1917 520-603-1917

Charges Dropped for Pair Who Prayed at Virtual Border Tower Under Construction

Memorial Circle Commemorating the Lost Lives of Migrants to be Held
in Green Valley on October 7 at 9:30 a.m.
Two men were scheduled to be on trial Wednesday, October 7 at 10:30 a.m. in Green Valley, Arizona. They learned on October 5 that due to prosecutorial discretion, their charges were dismissed without prejudice, which reserves the right of the prosecutor to reintroduce the charges at a later date. They were charged by Pima County with trespass after "refusing to quit praying" at the virtual fence communication tower under construction near the U.S./Mexico border on August 6, Hiroshima Day.
John Heid, 54, a Quaker with Christian Peacemaker Teams and Fr. Jerome Zawada, 72, a Franciscan priest, had gone to pray at the site out of deep concern for the deaths of migrants resulting from border walls and virtual fences. The pair were arrested, and then processed and released from the Pima County Adult Detention Center in Tucson.
Because the deaths of migrants continues, the men and their supporters will still hold a Memorial Circle that was scheduled to take place before court. The circle will commemorate the more than 200 lives lost in the Sonoran Desert along the Tucson Sector in the last fiscal year alone, as well as remembering the more than 5,600 people who have died along the Mexico/Arizona border since Operation Gatekeeper began nearly 15 years ago. The Memorial Circle will take place from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. at the southeast corner of N. La Canada Drive and W. La Canoa in Green Valley, Arizona (near the Pima County Justice Court).
John Heid states, "The dismissal serves to keep the role of Tucson-1, the 'virtual fence', out of court, out of sight, out of legal and public scrutiny. The Tucson-1 towers are part and parcel of an escalating militarization of the U.S./Mexico border. Deaths have only increased along the border since the construction of Tucson-1's prototype, "Project 28", to over 200 this past year."
Zawada and Heid had the following statement with them at their August 6 prayer vigil:
"On this, the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, we call for an end to militarization in all its guises. An end to bombs, nuclear and conventional. An end to the use of Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles). An end to walls, fences and their virtual counterparts that divide us and promote fear of each other. An end to war without end."This morning we vigil at the gates of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, home of a Predator UAV unit which now flies missions around the clock in Iraq and Afghanistan armed with Hellfire missiles which have killed hundreds of unarmed civilians. We demand an end to the unilateral slaughter."This afternoon we vigil at a communication tower, "Tucson-1" (virtual fence) construction sight. Fences and walls, solid and virtual, have funneled people in migration deeper into the harsh, dangerous terrain of the Sonoran desert, resulting in more than 5,000 deaths since 1994."These three - bombs, drones and fences/walls - are lethal weapons directed specifically at noncombatants. Cities like Hiroshima, villages in Iraq and Afghanistan and the U.S.-Mexico borderland have been deliberately targeted and violated. These are crimes against humanity. A betrayal of civility. In spiritual terms, a sin.
"Today we pray without ceasing for a world without weapons and fences. We pray for peace, for justice, for unity which makes walls and war obsolete."

- 30 -

Canada: Clergyman asking Pope to identify graves of First Nations children killed by Catholic Church

International Media Advisory

October 2, 2009
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com


Canadian clergyman to ask Pope to identify grave sites and pray with him for those killed by the Catholic church

A clergyman from Canada who helped to force the Pope to issue an apology for the harm suffered by Indian children in Catholic boarding schools will hold a memorial service for those who died in these schools outside the Vatican on the Via Della Conciliazione at 12 noon on Sunday, October 11. He will also be asking the Pope to tell the world where these children are buried.

Rev. Kevin Annett, an award-winning film maker and activist from Vancouver, Canada, wrote to the Pope in February of 2008 on behalf of hundreds of aboriginal families whose relatives died or were killed in Catholic Indian schools. Annett asked the Pope to surrender the remains of these children and identify those responsible for their deaths. The Pope did not reply.

Annett will be asking for an official response from the Vatican to the letter and has invited the Pope to attend the memorial service, "in memory of those killed in the name of Christendom" .

Rev. Annett will be on a speaking tour of Italy from October 9 to 19. He will screen his award-winning film UNREPENTANT with Italian subtitles at public meetings in Rome, Genoa, Firenze, Milan and Parma. He has asked Italians to boycott the 2010 Olympics in Canada until the residential school children are given a proper burial.

Rev. Annett will also be speaking in England and Ireland during October and November.

For more information, contact Kevin Annett at hiddenfromhistory@yahoo.ca
His website is www.hiddenfromhistory.org


COMUNICATO STAMPA
2 Ottobre 2009
Pastore Canadese chiede ufficialmente al Papa di identificare i luoghi di sepoltura e pregare con lui per i bambini nativi canadesi uccisi nelle Scuole Residenziali Cattoliche

Un pastore canadese, Kevin Annett, che ha cercato di ottenere dal Papa le scuse per il male e le violenze sofferte dai bambini nativi (indiani) canadesi nelle Scuole Residenziali Cattoliche, officerà una funzione commemorativa per ricordare tutti coloro che sono morti in queste scuole domenica 11 Ottobre in Via della Conciliazione a Roma, fuori dalle mura del Vaticano. In questa occasione chiederà al Papa di rivelare a tutto il mondo dove sono sepolti i corpi di questi bambini.

Il Reverendo Annett, vincitore di un premio come regista di un documentario su tali accadimenti e attivista di Vancouver, ha scritto al Papa nel febbraio del 2008 da parte di centinaia di famiglie di nativi canadesi, parenti delle vittime uccise nelle Scuole Residenziali Indiane Cattoliche. Annett ha chiesto al Papa di consegnare i resti di questi bambini ed indentificare coloro che si sono resi responsabili di queste inacettabili morti. Il Papa non ha risposto.

Annett chiederà nuovamente una risposta ufficiale dal Vaticano a tale lettera ed ha invitato il Papa a partecipare alla funzione commemorativa, “in memoria di coloro che che sono stati uccisi nel nome della Cristianità”.

Il Reverendo Annett sarà in Italia dal 9 al 19 ottobre e girerà diferenti città per diffondere la sua battaglia civile. Mostrerà il suo documentario con sottotitoli in Italiano “UNREPENTANT”, vincitore di un premio internazionale, durante incontri pubblici che avranno luogo nelle città di Roma, Genova, Firenze, Reggio Emilia e Parma.

Egli ha chiesto al popolo italiano di boicottare le olimpiadi del Canada del 2010, fino a ché i bambini uccisi nelle Scuole Residenziali Indiane non otterranno una degna sepoltura.

Per maggiori infromazioni, contattare Kevin Annett al seguente indirizzo e-mail: hiddenfromhistory@yahoo.ca e visitare il suo sito: www.hiddenfromhistory.org.

Read and Hear the truth of Genocide in Canada, past and present, at this website: www.hiddenfromhistory.org

Film Trailer to Kevin's award-winning documentary film UNREPENTANT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8HB5cbKHDU&feature=related

Sierra Club honored to work with Hopis and Navajos

October 1, 2009
Contacts: Oliver Bernstein, Sierra Club, 512.289.8618
Alph H. Secakuku, Hopi Organizational Political Initiative (H.O.P.I.), 928.737.2222
Tony Skrelunas, Grand Canyon Trust, 928.774.7488 or 928.699.6984
Enei Begaye, Black Mesa Water Coalition, 928.213.5909

Environmental Groups, Southwest Tribes Stand Together to Promote Clean, Renewable Energy

Flagstaff, Arizona -- As Hopi and Navajo leaders in the American Southwest evaluate their energy policies, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups remain committed to working with their tribal partners to find clean energy solutions that work for everyone.

"We are proud of our longstanding partnerships with tribal leaders in the Southwest, and we are committed to supporting efforts to transition from dirty coal to clean energy solutions," said Sierra Club President Allison Chin. "Together, we can rekindle our economy, reduce greenhouse gases and support people who have been left in the dust by a dangerous and dirty, coal-based economy."

For decades, Southwestern tribes have suffered from poisoned groundwater, air pollution, and sacred land destruction caused by coal mines and power plants. But the Navajo Nation’s recent unanimous green jobs resolution and the solar power projects in the Hopi village of Hotevilla are strong signs that clean energy solutions are gaining momentum. Dirty coal pollution also threatens nearby Grand Canyon National Park, a treasure for all Americans.

"We, the Hopi/Tewa people, have worked closely for many years with our allies from the environmental community to protect sacred lands from development and to stop uranium mining from poisoning our water," said Alph H. Secakuku, Sipaulovi Council Representative for the Village of Sipaulovi, Second Mesa, Arizona, Hopiland. "We will continue to work together—tribal communities and other clean energy jobs advocates—to bring green economic development to our lands that respects our air and water."

A report soon to be released by Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS) shows in stark detail how a combination of renewable energy development deployed with aggressive energy efficiency measures provides far more, long term, sustainable job creation, along with overall economic benefits, than traditional sources such as coal.

"Black Mesa Water Coalition appreciates the non-native individuals and environmental organizations that have supported our leadership as a Navajo grassroots organization," said Black Mesa Water Coalition Co-director Enei Begaye. "Native grassroots people are and should be in the lead on these issues in and around tribal lands."

"We were quite amazed," said report author Paul Sheldon, Senior Economist of NCS. "In some cases the models show ten times the number of jobs created from certain solar technologies verses coal-based generation." Sheldon said the lands of the Southwest hold some of the country's greatest solar and wind potential, resources that will still be there centuries after the last ounce of coal has been mined and burned.

To address climate change and to support communities, Southwest tribes and environmental groups have worked in partnership for years to promote clean energy, health and water issues by cleaning up dirty coal plants and promoting solar and wind projects on the reservations.

"NRDC is proud to have longstanding relationships with Tribal Nations across the country," said Phil Gutis, communications director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We are committed to continuing our work with Tribal Nations, including local Navajo allies, to find productive, clean and sustainable economic development opportunities that power and protect their communities."

"It is truly heartening to see that the indigenous grassroots organizations have become highly proficient in working with their governments from the local to the central levels," said Tony Skrelunas, Native America program director for Grand Canyon Trust and former Navajo Nation executive. "This is something that should be welcomed by all Navajo and Hopi communities since many members of these organizations will be our future leaders."

"Global warming is a threat on and off Navajo and Hopi lands," said Hertha Woody, a member of the Navajo Nation and a Sierra Club volunteer leader in Flagstaff. "There is great potential for solar and wind projects to help reduce the emissions that contribute to global warming, and we are proud to continue to support a transition from coal to clean energy that will create a more sustainable economy."

Sierra Club is honored to work with our tribal partners in transitioning to a clean energy future, including the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Dooda Desert Rock, Hopis Organized for Political Initiatives (H.O.P.I.), the Navajo Green Economy Coalition, To’ Nizhoni Ani, C-Aquifer for the Diné, and other community organizations.