My Head Hurts - updated June 2, 2008

New Total Delegates Needed to Secure Nomination - 2118

Watching the coverage on MSNBC of the DNC's meeting in Washington, D.C. is giving me a major headache. Why must we give in to the Clinton camp and count every vote all the while ignoring the caucuses? What are the caucuses, chopped liver? It seems so disingenuous to scream about "counting every vote" while ignoring all the voices that were registered in the only way that residents of those states who hold caucuses rather than primaries have to register their political voices. I don't understand how the states of Iowa, Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington, Maine, and Wyoming can be so easily discounted by a campaign camp that claims to care so much about hearing every voter. How can Clinton claim to have more popular votes when by every machination of every analysis except her own she does NOT have more votes, she has fewer elected delegates, fewer super delegates, and fewer states? Her argument that she can win states that Democrats must win in order to win in November doesn't make any sense in that most of the states that she won, are states that Obama can also win, for example, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida. We may lose West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma, but it is likely that Democrats wouldn't carry those states anyway. Obama has strength in western states like Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Oy vey, I've gotta go take some extra-strength Excederin, my head hurts!

I'm back after taking a short break to sweep my floors, I forgot to mention in the earlier part of this post, how in the world can anybody say it's fair for Clinton to count Michigan as it was exercised without Barack Obama's name even on the ballot? Clinton herself stated back in October of 2007, regarding the Michigan primary: "It's clear. This election they're having is not going to count for anything." Now she is screaming to "County every vote." Well, what about the uncommitted votes? At least 40% of the votes recorded in Michigan were cast "uncommitted," against a sole name that was on the ballot, (although I thought Kucinich was also on the ballot in Michigan - just to be accurate), so how in the world can she claim a victory in this primary? It just boggles my mind!!!

Here are a few pithy thoughts from long-time feminist and Obama supporter, Susan Blesener:

"For the life of me, I cannot figure out how 'feminism' moves ahead so long as we constantly have to be worried about 'hurting' Clinton supporters' 'feelings.' As I recall, Obama's so-called misogynist 'likable enough' comment followed Hillary's assertion that it 'hurt her feelings' that people didn't think she was likable. Spare me the victim again."

"Clinton opened herself up to potential sexism when she used the moniker 'Hillary' as her campaign slogan. I have always been dismayed that commentators and such refer to both Clinton and Obama by their first names--a classic means of ranking individuals--like children. (I cannot think of a time I have heard McCain referred to as 'John.') However, in Clinton's case, she INVITED the sexist reference and set the tone. And then she used it to foment her victim argument."

"I was pleased that Donna Brazile and another woman talked about the people who DIDN'T vote because they reasonably believed it wouldn't count."
Susan Blesener, May 31, 2008.

Remembering Paula Gunn Allen

It will be thirty years ago this August when I first had the honor of meeting Paula Gunn Allen. I was a new student, transferring from Indiana University to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, ready to begin my sophomore year in the fall of 1978. I was all of nineteen years old, and I remember distinctly sitting down in Professor Allen's class - I believe it was called American Indian Philosophy and being blown away by her presence. I had chosen Fort Lewis College because of its strong Native curriculum and was eager to learn all I could about Native culture, poetry, literature and art. Professor Allen supplied many excellent lessons in Native culture, philosophy, literature and poetry. It is with great sadness that I learned yesterday of her death from lung cancer.

After two years at Fort Lewis College I transferred back to Indiana University to finish my degree in English literature, but I stayed in touch with Paula. We met in New York City after I graduated and took a job with People magazine. I went to a poetry reading that Paula did in NYC, and I still have a treasured signed copy of one of Paula's first books of poetry - A Cannon Between My Knees - in which she wrote "To Faye, who I think is a twin of the psychic kind, Paula."

It is thirty-one years since she directed the MLA-NEH Summer Seminar on Contemporary Native American Literature, held in Flagstaff in 1977. She edited the volume that came out of that seminar: STUDIES IN AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURE: CRITICAL ESSAYS AND COURSE DESIGNS (1983), the first book on teaching this literature. Her SACRED HOOP: RECOVERING THE FEMININE IN AMERICAN INDIAN TRADITIONS (1986) influenced many scholars. A very talented creative writer, Paula published several volumes of poetry and a novel, THE WOMAN WHO OWNED THE SHADOWS (1983). She also edited collections of Native American literature. Her most recent book was POCAHONTAS: MEDICINE WOMAN, SPY, ENTREPRENEUR, DIPLOMAT (2003).

Paula Gunn Allen died on May 29th at 10:43 p.m. She will be buried in Fort Bragg, California. Those who wish to memorialize her are encouraged to make donations in her memory to the Lannan Foundation; last year, it gave her a two-year fellowship.

Here's a link to a biography and a bibliography of Paula Gunn Allen and her work.

If you would like to visit Paula's memorial page, please see Paula Gunn Allen Online Memorial.

Meet Kevin Killer

Meet Kevin Killer, a young, dedicated, passionate member of the Oglala Lakota Nation who is running for the South Dakota House of Representatives District 27. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Killer at Campaign Camp 2007 - a week of training offered by INDN's List that took place at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, California, August 2007. (see older posts on this blog: Prez on the Rez). During that intense week of training, support and building comraderie for Native candidates and their staff we all bonded together behind a common goal - that of electing progressive Native candidates to local, state, and national political offices. Mr. Killer stood out among a crowd that included several other impressive candidates (among them Diane Benson - running for Congress from Alaska, Denise Juneau, candidate for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Ed Iron Cloud who is also running for the Democratic seat in District 27 in South Dakota). Mr. Killer has been endorsed by INDN's List and has the support of many of those who attended Campaign Camp.


Ed Iron Cloud & Kevin at Campaign Camp, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, August 2007.

INDN’s List is a Tulsa-based national not-for-profit organization that is the only grassroots political organization devoted to recruiting and electing Native American candidates and mobilizing the Indian Vote throughout America on behalf of those candidates. Since its founding in 2005, the organization has experienced an impressive 79% win rate of its endorsed candidates, with 22 of 28 being victorious in 2006 and 2007.

Information about Kevin Killer:
His campaign web site.
Article about Kevin in Indian Country Today.
Announcement of Kevin's candidacy in RezNet.
INDN's List endorses Kevin Killer for SD District 27.

Somber Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, the day that we all don't have to go to work, instead we sit around in our backyard, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers (no steaks this year, given the paucity of cash in our pocketbooks). But behind the back yard BBQs, there is an haunting thought that we are forgetting something, someone - somebody who should be there but is not, not because they weren't invited, but because they are dead. There I said it, "dead" - a word that most Americans would rather ascribe to a mosquito or a squirrel along the roadside, not to brave young soldiers who have fought and died for our country. Their deaths are all the sadder today, because so many of their deaths were unnecessary. We didn't need to invade Iraq, we shouldn't have invaded Iraq. Iraq was invaded based on lies told by an administration that knew it was lying when they were making the case for war, but made the case anyway and off to war we/they went.

To date I believe that 4080 soldiers have died in Iraq, but that doesn't begin to tell the story of how tragic this illegal and immoral occupation of a sovereign country actually is. Scores of soldiers made it back to the States alive, but are so grievously wounded that their lives are changed forever. Many returned with wounds that may not be obvious, but turn out to be just as deadly as a runaway infection or a fatal disease. They came home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a result of what they witnessed over there in Iraq, what they were called upon to do over there, what they remembered from watching their fellow soldiers get blown to smithereens. And so they bring these indelible images home with them to their families who missed them so much while they were away, only to have those same family members wonder who this stranger is that has returned to their home. Who is this guy who flies off the handle so quickly, who sulks around his children, who bangs his fist through doors and walls?

And saddest of all the results of this god-awful war are the numbers of suicides that have increased daily - the stories of those who came back, but just couldn't live with themselves anymore, and decided that enough is enough and ended it all. That is what Chad Oligschlaeger, age 21, decided to do this week at the Twenty Nine Palms base in California.

"We sent these kids over there, we're putting them through things that we'll never see in our lifetimes. Things we see in the movies that are not real, it's real to them," said Christine Judan, a family friend of the Oligschlaegers.

My thoughts go out to families who have lost a loved one in war and my wish is that human beings would evolve to the point where we no longer need to kill each other in order to address our differences, conflicts, and arguments.

In case you are curious, here's a link to political leaders who served and those that did not. You'll notice that those who are so keen to get this country involved in war are the ones who did not serve (mainly Republicans), while those who are eager to get us out of Iraq and warn us against starting another war in Iran are Democrats. Just an interesting observation, don't you think?