Powell Gammill
Letters to the Editor • Immigration
My O'opinion
Oyate has asked for an O'odham take on the matter of whatevers in the news. Well I'm here speaking for everyone when I say "It is racist to think we would all have the same opinion because we are the same race!"
There have always been disagreements between people of the same "ethnicity" or "race" such as Amos and Andy an issue which black people were divided on from the 20's through the 50's and the border issue relating to American Indians is no different. Need I remind or even tell all of you about the water jugs being left out on the Tohono O'odham reservation a few years ago?
The tribal government didn't want water jugs left out for illegals because they were damaging the ecosystem and contributing to the crime rate. The illegals smuggling drugs across the border and the reservation were not only leaving trash in the desert but also used needles and other biowaste which was a danger to people and wildlife. Yet the "humanitarians" wanted to leave them water because they were dying in the desert. Even after the tribal government passed a resolution specifically saying not to leave water stations out there and began taking these stations down the activists put out more water.
On SB 1070 well we each have our own opinions there as well a lot of O'odham are against it but thats only what I'm seeing in the media and even there its not shown as much you have to really dig around the internet to find that and as such you would have to really dig around even more to find O'odham on the internet who support SB 1070.
To think that I only one man here, could give an O'odham opinion that is a "peoples" opinion (O'odham is the O'odham word for people we use Akimel and Tohono to distinguish between us) is wrong. I can only give my perspective here, to say my opinion is an O'odham one while technically true is not entirely correct.I cannot give my opinion and pass it off as that of all O'odham people without first talking to at least a few other O'odham. We are all our own person with our own spirit and free will, we have our own opinions on politics and such and these opinions will differ from person to person. I am not a spokesperson for the Tohono O'odham people no one asked me to be. While I could give my opinion as an O'odham opinion I choose not to because I already give my opinion as "Concerned Patriot".
P.S. this may look like crap so if it does I'm still in high school so take it easy on me I need to work on grammar and sentence structure and the like.
Editors Reply
The Tohono O'odham reservation is located on Arizona's Southwestern corner and crosses into Mexico. They are a people split by two nations, and have a rather geographically sizable reservation. They are not a large population due to the very harsh living conditions in this desert area that their people have inhabited and managed to thrive in for millennia.
The Mexican government has been known to harshly treat them.
Travel of their people between the northern and southern parts of their reservation is hampered by both nation's border guards and rules.
Their police force has been entangled and used by the U.S. government to conduct internal and now declared illegal checkpoint stops on the highway from time to time.
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5 Comments in Response to My O'opinion
Whats this?
"Freedom Forum"?
I had no idea this was here i just jumped into this website and started messing around like i knew what i was doing i didnt bother to look at the links or anything at the top of the front page.
Anyway I don't think i'm going anywhere with this stuff who knows i might be wrong on something and i could go all the way here.
But as for the rez thing i said i dont know what it is like there because i have never been there. The only reservations ive been to are the Gila River and Salt River Pima Maricoopa Indian Communtys(SP) so I cannot give a report or realy say what its like on the T.O. res or any of them really, but if i can ill update you guys whenever i hear something of some signifigance pertaining to the indian community.
Boys and gaIs think we have another rising star on our horizon.
This kid is gonna be a superstar. I know. I know star quality.
Hey kiddo, you are running with the big dogs now. You proved yourself. Hey, you make our eyes bright. I approve of you, young one, you make us proud.
I'm your uncle Oyate. I am so very proud of you. Keep it up.
Young one, what you have done is very brave and tears are coming from my eyes. I knew you could do it. I had faith in you. From the moment you started posting I said "here is something special".
I now instruct my brothers Earnie and Ed to put you in touch with me. They know my phone number.
Young one, this is not an easy path but I am here for you. Your voice rings clear as a cool stream of clean water. I encourage you, I believe in you, our ancestors rise with your words like the coulds that bring us rain. You have an important voice young one, my little brother or sister. And I can feel the love.
You have seen me publish my words of war.
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Opinion/068276-2010-05-02-my-proposal-regarding-illegal-immigration-in-az-attn-gov-jan.htm
Now hear my words of peace and love. I am 6th Generation. I am here to observe and protect. You are 7th Generation, you are the warriors come back to life. And now that you have found your voice, we are here behind you, we go before you, we are on your right hand and your left hand. You are always welcome in my camper. Lights are always on, door is always open.
TO US. Nobody else. Just us. There is no justice, there is just us. Oyasin. And if they kick us out and ban us, tt hen you will start the new blog that invites all of us. But for now, watch and learn little one. Learn how Constitutionalists hold the law above all and notice how treaty obligations are held to be as high as the law itself. And realize that Consitutionalists are the only people left that can actually UNDERSTAND US.
And then you see how threatening socialists are to us because they will take away our land and use it for "common good".
You don't want that and neigher do I. We want to be free. We want to range over the land and let the spirits instru s as to where to find a feather or a turtle shell. And I will confirm for you something that will really piss the patriots off: you know and I know and our people know that YOU CANNOT OWN THE LAND, IT OWNS YOU. They don't understand that. So you know who's job that is? To help them understand?
Yours and mine little one. We must do this. We are warriors. Our job is to protect the people, the Odham. Even the ones with red hair and blue eyes. Happened on Cherokee. And it's interesting (remotely) that you bring up whats-his-name, that guy, Harris something, hey young one you can ask what Russel Means or what Dennis has in the Banks and every time you will find that we are the wealth.
Hey Powell thats pretty good.
What was this guy thinking?
Look at the headline he misspelled "opinion" was that supposed to be funny or just offensive?
And that letter dont get me started on the letter!
This guy really needs to work on getting his thoughts together before he types, such an assault on the english language. Horrifying really and what point was he trying to gat across that he cannot and will not give his own opinion and say its from an O'odham perspective? Becasue I'm assuming thats what he was trying to say here.
What I'm gathering here is that he is an indian but does not think he can give an indian viewpoint on these issues. But he knows other indians why doesnt he talk to them? Is it because not all of them think the same as is implied in his letter?
I think thats what he was trying to get at here. He is not an O'odham representative(at least by choice) not all O'odham will think the same and he thinks illegal immigrants are bad? Of the first two i am positive but as for the last one we will just have to wait and see...