Where I'm From
American Dreams
Bill of Rights
The Nacirema Eating Habits
Veiling
Islam
Farewell to Manzanar
Haiku
The Anti-Terrorism Bill and Student Privacy

Interview with Leonard Peltier



I am from the pink bottle of medicine
Kept in the fridge.
I am from the frozen icicles
Hanging from the deck,
Which I brought inside and melted
In a bowl over the heater.
I am from the sun shining through the chandelier
making rainbows on the walls.
I'm from the wooden train set.
I'm from the three minute time-outs
and the "What's the magic word?"
I am from the candles burning in the window
Every December, while we played dreydel.
I'm from the duck pond
Where we brought our bread crusts.
I'm from oatmeal and dried apricots
Which rotted my teeth.
I'm from the music playing in the waiting room
At the dentist's office.
I'm from the seven cats my grandma keeps.
I am from my past.
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Equality is the main goal of America. Equality among everyone. There should be equal opportunity for everyone. If I come to America as a foreigner looking for a job, I should be considered equally against someone already here. But unfortunately that is not how it actually happens here. Some races of people are favored over others for certain jobs. That is not how we would like it, but that is how it is. It is only because we in America are still humans. We have our likes and dislikes. We tend to dislike an entire group of people because we see one person from that group do something we don't like. Stereotyping is very natural for humans to do. In some cases it helps us make decisions more efficiently. A common stereotype, but not of people, is "expensive = quality." What also follows is "low cost = low quality." The word "cheap" has both meanings in it. Cheap means not expensive, and bad quality. Most of the time that rule serves us well. In other words it holds true the majority of the time. Some stereotypes can be good. But a stereotype can also form from only one example, and therefore not be truly valid. If we are conscious of when we form a stereotype, then we can use it to our advantage. We should be able to turn off and completely ignore the automatic stereotyping whenever we want. Once that is possible, then we will be able to treat all people equally, and the American Dream will be that much closer to being fulfilled.
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Every human has the right to:
1. equality
2. human dignity
3. freedom from slavery, servitude and forced labor
4. privacy
5. to speak their mind at will
6. freedom of the person including freedom of expression
7. freedom from discrimination
8. citizenship
9. an education provided by the government
10. health care provided by the government
11. social security
12. to vote on national and local affairs
13. a job paying minimum wage
14. to join a trade union
15. freedom of trade or profession
16. paid leave time
17. a clean environment
18. ownership of land
19. housing
20. freedom of movement of residence
21. freedom of marriage
22. children
23. personal posessions
24. to join cultural, religious, linguistic or other communities
25. freedom of association with any group
26. language and culture
27. freedom of religion
28. freedom of opinion
29. to assemble, demonstrate, picket and petition
30. to access public information
31. access of courts
32. just administrative action in the case of an accusation
33. protection from unreasonable search and seizure

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A typical meal of the Nacirema People is made of the following.
They grind up grass seed and mix it into a paste. They burn it over a fire, and then smear a creamy substance, which I will describe next, over it. They extract fluid from an animal and when there's enough they put it into a tub. Then begins a ritual in which all of the members of the family over the age of 13 join. One at a time, they walk around the tub several dozen times. This is repeated for up to several hours. Sometimes, they chant as they are walking. The next part of the meal consists of embryos of certain birds. They are cooked over a fire, then mixed and mashed into a crumbly paste. Sometimes ground up seeds of plants are added. Lastly, they kill an animal and slice up its belly. They cook it in a fluid made from the decaying bodies of other animals. It is all served on a thin sheet of hardened dirt.
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Not all Middle-Eastern women wearing head coverings fit our common stereotype of them. We commonly think of them as having their marriages pre-arranged. We think they are submissive and controlled by their husbands. We think they stay at home and do the housework and take care of the children, that they can't even think about getting a real job because they don't get an education. But in reality, our vision of them is completely wrong. They are not all beaten housewives who don't have an education. They can study at a university and have a job. They can even become doctors or have other high level professions. In 1988, the Prime Minister of Pakistan was a woman. They can also choose their own husbands, but in Iran, forced marriages are still practiced. That is an issue now that many women are fighting, as well as other women's rights. The veils they wear are not forced upon them. It is their choice to wear them. Some choose to because of their faith. Others who are not as strong believers do not wear them. The choice is theirs.
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The word Islam comes from the Arabic word for peace, Salaam. Salaam also partly means submitting. A Muslim is a person of the faith of Islam, which means one who submits him/herself to Allah (God). Islam is all about submitting oneself to Allah. Islam does not condemn other religions or those who follow them. Islam says there is room in heaven for everyone.

There are six articles of faith one must follow in order to be considered a Muslim:

1. Belief in Allah as the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator, and the only God. This is the same God as in Judaism and Christianity.
2. Belief in the angels of Allah. The angels are the "hands" of Allah. They obey every word of Allah. They are beings who remain angels. They never come down as a person, and people do not become angels when they die.
3. Belief in the prophets of Allah. A prophet is something you hope to make every quarter. A prophet is a person chosen by Allah to give a message to the people.
4. Belief in the books of Allah. The Qur-an is the final book of Allah, and it is exactly what Allah wants Muslims to follow. It contains everything one needs to know in order to live wisely.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment, when Allah decides whether you go to Heaven or Hell. Hell is a place of temporary punishment, and one will not stay forever in it. It is possible to go to Heaven after being in Hell.
6. Belief in the decree of Allah. Basically, whatever Allah says, goes. Allah can manipulate the laws of nature.

There are five things one must do to become a recognized Muslim:

1. The declaration of faith. One must declare that Muhammad is the main prophet that all the other prophets must follow. Muhammad is the pinnacle of prophets.
2. Observance of prayers. One must pray five times per day. The usual times are at dawn, in the early afternoon, in the late afternoon, in the evening, and at night before bed. This is so that you will never forget about Allah at any time. Praying is customarily done facing Mecca.
3. Pay Zakat. Every year, 2.5% of one's wealth must be paid toward a charity. The Mosque can collect it, or one can give it directly to a charity. This is because in order to be wealthy, one's wealth must have come from somewhere. That somewhere is the poor people. So this is giving something back to them.
4. The Pilgrimage to Mecca. If one is physically and financially able, one is required to go visit Mecca and pray. At Mecca, millions of people gather together.
5. Fasting for the month of Ramadan. No food or beverage is allowed between sunrise and sunset during the month of Ramadan. This is done to remember Allah. Eating becomes a routine. When the routine is broken, it is impossible not to remember Allah.

Islam is very open to interpretation. It does not have rigidly defined laws that everyone must follow. You can read the Qur-an, and interpret it, and follow your interpretation. This does not, however, mean taking things out of context and using that to your advantage. For example, the Qur-an's view of war and fighting is this: If you are attacked because of your religious practices, you have the right to return the attack. It also says that if you die while defending your religion you will go to heaven. It has a story in it where a village is being invaded because they are Muslim. One of the leaders of the village says, "Kill everyone who's not a Muslim!" The only people who were not Muslim and were in their city, were attacking them, so it was okay. And if they died while fighting, they would go to heaven because they were fighting for their religion. However, Osama bin Laden took this quote and relayed it to his followers. Since they are mostly illiterate in the language the Qur-an is written in, they had not actually read the Qur-an. So all they heard was, "The Qur-an says to kill everyone not a Muslim, and if you die in the process you will go to heaven." This coming from an inspirational leader was enough.
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This book is written by a Japanese woman who was seven years old when the Japanese were all put into internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She describes her life in the camps and also her life after they were freed. But she and her father had very different reactions to the time spent in the camp. The time in the camp made her father feel more and more against America. But for her, it made her want to become more American. Exactly the opposite. How can the same experience have such different effects on people? Especially people from the same family? The answer comes from the differences in their pasts.
Jeanne's father immigrated from Japan, meaning he could not become an American citizen. When the questionnaire came around in camp asking if he would be willing to give up his Japanese citizenship to fight in the US army, it only separated him more from America. If he disavowed allegiance to the Emperor, he would have citizenship in no country. He couldn't do that. When he was growing up, he was the oldest child. He was used to being at the top and being spoiled. This carried into the life at the camp. He was tyrannical. He always needed to be in charge, even when he was drunk with the alcohol he brewed in his room. He became an alcoholic shortly after he entered the camp because he was so depressed. Wanting to be in control but not being able made him stubborn. He resorted to beating his wife both verbally and physically. The only thing he had control over was Jeanne who was seven at the time. He didn't like her participating in "American" activities such as baton twirling and singing in the school choir and such. Even after the camp, when she was in high school, he was furious when he found out she had won the controversial position of the annual carnival queen. But Jeanne enjoyed these things. Even though it was America who had put her family behind barbed wire fences, she still embraced its culture.
The reason for these differences has mostly to do with age. Jeanne's father was older and more established in his ways of thinking. But she was younger and was still developing hers. She was more malleable than her father, and willing to accept new ideas.
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The anti-terrorism legislation, the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" (USA PATRIOT Act), has just been passed. It reduces the requirements for law officials to access databases of student information. Before this bill, law enforcement officials had adequate tools to access directory information from universities, such as a student's name, phone number, address, date of birth, major field of study, etc. Generally the kinds of things not considered harmful or an invasion of the student's privacy. With this bill, however, the colleges must disclose this directory information to anyone who asks, not just law-enforcement agencies. These educational institutions must disclose more detailed and personal information in response to a court order. But it doesn't take much to get a court order: it only needs to be relevant to an investigation.
This bill is an invasion of privacy. An invasion of the privacy of students. Together with the automatic racial discrimination by law enforcement officials, this could put a lot of people at risk. Here is a possible scenario.
Carlos was born in Columbia. He always had an interest in mixing various ingredients in the kitchen together to see what color they would turn, or to see if they would fizz. One time he made dinner for his whole family, and purposely added a special concoction he mixed up to the meal. Everyone had the runs for the rest of the week. When he was 13, he family moved to Fargo, Wisconsin with his family. He was never interested much in nature or any natural things, really. He spent a year in public school in the 8th grade. It was too easy for him, so the next year he skipped right to the 11th grade. When he was 16, he enrolled at Beloit college and graduated four years later. His major was chemical warfare. He did poorly, however, in environmental studies. To pay his way through college, he did various side jobs. One of which was at a munitions depot. He was certified to transport large volumes of hazardous materials. This, of course, was written on his student record being held by the university.
During a peaceful protest of the protection of endangered wildflowers, Carlos was walking by and made a debilitating remark about the protesters out loud. A cop overheard it and came and took his name. With that, they were able to find out everything the university kept about him, including test scores, specific classes taken, and grades in each of the classes.
This bill does more harm than good. It gives the government easy access to detailed personal information about students from universities. It also gives the general public free access to the directory of students enrolled at any specific university. including students' addresses and telephone numbers.
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This is a (fictional) dialogue between me and Leonard Peltier who I (fictionally) visited in prison. He is currently being held in the maximum-security prison of Leavenworth, Kansas.

Aaron: "I heard how you got in there."

Peltier: "The FBI just needed someone and I guess I was an easy enough target."

A: "I have heard different versions of what happened in Ogallala on June 26, 1975. Let me tell you the FBI's version and then you can tell me your version."

P: "Okay."

A: "Two FBI agents were chasing a red pickup truck they believed fugitive Jimmy Eagle was driving. Jimmy was a Native American. They followed him onto the Jumping Bull property, your reservation. Some Indians in the car started firing at the agents. The agents realized they didn't have time to turn around and leave, so they attempted to defend themselves. But before they could get their high-powered weapons out of the trunk, they had both been shot. All they had to defend themselves were two service revolvers. None of the shots they received were fatal, but then you went up to them with your high-powered rifle, and shot them both in the head through their outstretched hands."

P: "That is completely absurd! They made up that story just to pass the blame off to us! How can those white men manufacture blunt lies and still call it legal?! And Jimmy Eagle! They call him a 'fugitive'? He was a boy who stole some cowboy boots."

A: "If that's true, then it only makes the government's story that much less credable. So let me hear what actually happened."

P: "Okay. On the morning of June 26th, 1975, I had awoken to the smell of pancakes. It was a beautiful morning. You know the type: the crisp fresh air after a night of rain. But that tranquility was quickly shattered by the sound of gunfire. At first I thought it was just practice in the woods, but then I heard the screams. I grabbed my rifle and ran up to the house on the hill where our hosts stayed. Shots were whizzing by me as I ran. But thankfully when I got there, they were both gone. They had gone to a steer auction in Nebraska early that morning. Then I heard children's voices screaming. I ran to the shack next door where they were coming from. Afraid of drawing fire to them and endangering them more, I shouted at them to stay under the bed. I ran and hid behind some trees to try to figure out what was going on. I saw two shiny cars parked in the field. Shiny cars always mean trouble for us here. The shots were coming from all around me. I fired a few into the air to tell whoever was attacking us that we wouldn't just be slaughtered. After a while, we realized the drivers of the cars were dead and lying beside their cars in pools of blood. When we took a closer look, we saw they were FBI agents. We were stunned. We all knew we were in serious trouble. I had not seen them die. I had no part in their killing. But they fabricated evidence to blame it on me. Oh, and I forgot to mention, one Indian was killed. His name was Joe Stuntz. But the government hasn't investigated his killing at all. They just ignored it."

A: "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but both stories seem believable. Yours comes from your point of view, and the government's comes from many sources. The fact that more than one person heard the radio transmissions makes it more credible. Unless, of course, they just made up the transmissions like they did the bullet casings and firing mechanisms. What I believe from all this is that it was not you who killed the two agents, but they were killed deliberately, and not just in crossfire."

P: "I can't stand the way the government twists and creates the facts to suit them. I tell you, I didn't kill those two agents. The only thing I'm guilty of is being an Indian. We Indians are all guilty, guilty of being ourselves. We're taught that guilt from the day we're born. We learn it well.
I say this to the families of the two agents who lost their lives. I don't understand how my being in prison away from my family, my grandchildren, can possibly mend your loss."

A: "Well, so much for having a just, unbiased legal system. Anyway, people have been trying for 26 years to get you out. They have tried to bring evidence to the court, but every time it fails. It doesn't look like you're going to be getting out anytime soon. So why not tell me a little about your life before prison."

P: "Well when I was eight years old I was living in Butte, Montana where my uncles worked in a copper mine. One day several white boys about my age started calling me a 'dirty Indian' and told me to go home. Then they started throwing rocks at me. I was a little hurt. I picked up a rock the size of a marble and threw it at one of them. It hit him in the forehead and he started bleeding. The boys started screaming and ran home. Later that day, the boy's mother who I hit drove to my house. She was screaming for my parents to come out. They weren't home, but my grandma went outside to see what all the racket was about. She didn't speak English, and could barely understand it. The fact that she couldn't speak English only made the woman angrier. This was one of the factors in my grandfather's decision to move back to the reservation where it was safe. I grew up on the reservation with a constant lack of food. The conditions there were poor, but better than living with the disrespectful white people."

A: "When did you start getting interested in the American Indian Movement (AIM)?"

P: "It was there on the reservation. When I saw the desperate lack of food, that really got me going. I was also exposed to lots of organized protesting. I was actually one of the most active members of the AIM. What we did was try to protect our rights based on the treaties signed. That really shouldn't have been difficult since there were treaties signed. We shouldn't have had to have a movement to make the government stick to their word."

A: "So, moving on, tell me a little about what it's like in prison."

P: "Here? It's hell. I get no respect at all. The guards continually look for ways to humiliate or annoy me. One time, they were talking to each other just loud enough for me to hear. They were saying how dirty we Indians are, and that our children should be shot, and that our women are ugly. I think they want to provoke me to start yelling at them. Then they will have an excuse to beat the shit out of me. They always spit in my food, and sometimes they even urinate in it. That always gets a laugh. They make me eat it even if I refuse. I am constantly moved from cell to cell. Just before they abolished the death penalty, I had a cell between two inmates on death row. When I was first here, they assigned a guard to keep a constant eye on me. I was known as the 'cop-killer.' He was supposed to constantly watch me, never take his eyes off me. Literally. Sometimes I would just stare right back at him. That would make him mad. He even had to watch me go to the bathroom. In some ways, he was more trapped than I was. But that really isn't anywhere near a complete picture of the life in here. It's much worse. Prison is a means of torture. And to wonder every day, every hour, whether or not you will ever be free again is a very special form of torture."

A: "What do you do all day?"

P: "Well I write in my journal for one. I bought the pad of paper at the prison commissary. I have lots of time to think. I write poetry. I also respond to the many letters I receive every day. I give money to different organizations working for American Indian rights. But every day it's the same old thing. I haven't even seen a sunset in years. They don't let me outside, and my current cell has no window."

A: "Do you want to get out?"

P: "Of course I do. What prisoner doesn't? I am an Indian man. My only desire is to live like one."

A: "But since you're here anyway, what good do you think has come out of it?"

P: "I am in prison for my people. I am doing this for my people. My being in prison has kept these issues in the light. People are standing up for me, for the rights of Native Americans. Maybe in my lifetime I will even see the day when this prejudice against us is gone. Maybe I won't. But that's what I'm here for. My life is a prayer for my people. No prison bars can stop a prayer."

Bibliography
Peltier, Leonard. Prison Writings. St. Martin's Press, 1999
Sullivan, George. Not Guilty. Scholastic Biography, 1997
http://www.noparolepeltier.com
http://www.freepeltier.org
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