THE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

To all my Washington Football fans, according to history, here is a description of the term 'Redskin' - "Many claim the term is a particularly egregious racial epithet that represents a bloody era in American history in which Indigenous Americans were hunted, killed, and forcibly removed from their lands by European settlers. The claim often centers around a proclamation against Penobscot Indians in 1755 issued by King George II of Great Britain, known commonly as the Phips Proclamation.

The proclamation orders, “His Majesty’s subjects to Embrace all opportunities of pursuing, captivating, killing and Destroying all and every of the aforesaid Indians.” The colonial government paid 50 pounds for scalps of males over 12 years, 25 pounds for scalps of women over 12, and 20 pounds for scalps of boys and girls under 12. Twenty-five (25) British pounds sterling in 1755, worth around $9,000 today —a small fortune in those days when an English teacher earned 60 pounds a year.

However, since the proclamation itself does not use the word redskin, citing it as the origin of "redskin = scalp" has also been called "revisionist history". Explain to me why do you cheer for a team that uses a derogatory term. (Please don't use the answer because I was born in DC). What are you doing to show the Native American people that you care? Are you willing to make a stand or simply go along with the demeaning and degradation of a culture?

Understand this: I don't dislike the players, it's the name and symbolism that I object to. - Dr. Sinclair Grey III

CRUDE, the real price of Oil, 2009

“In the United States we used to say, ‘How much pollution can we clean up?” and now what we ask ourselves is, “how much pollution do we need to clean up for things to be safe for human health, and so the public may tend to think, “Oh, if you see something in the environment it must mean that it’s very bad.” When in fact people are exposed to hydrocarbons on a daily basis. The asphalt that is on our roads outside the window here are made from hydrocarbons, and made from crude oil, the gasoline we put in our tank. People encounter hydrocarbons on a daily basis that doesn’t mean those hydrocarbons are going to make you sick, and I note that‘s very difficult to explain because of the science behind it, but there is very proven science behind human health risk assessment approved by the US EPA and that what Chevron’s been doing to try to access whether these health allegations are true or not.” – Sara McMillan, Chevron chief environmental scientist after analyzing the damage to the rainforest in Ecuador in the aftermath of Chevron leaving Ecuador

Trudie Styler, film producer & wife of the musician Sting by Antonio Olmos

“Men, women, and children of the Cofán people I come from England and on behalf of my country, and my foundation and my husband I greet you all most humbly.  You are our teachers. Your connection to the most precious resource that we have: the rain forest of the world, which we call the Lungs of the Earth; we have learned that you have much important knowledge that must not be destroyed. When you lose your way, when you lose your rights to be able to fish, to hunt and to uphold the rituals that your ancestors passed down to you then we all lose our way. I want you all to know that I stand in solidarity with you and that I will take your message back to my country and back to the United States of America because I considerate it our fight as well.”

– Trude Styler, co-founder Rainforest Foundation Fund & wife of Sting speaking to the Cofán people in Ecuador in 2009 who are fighting Texaco for compensation and land restoration after destroying their lands, and displacing them to extract oil from their jungles. 
 
http://www.cofan.org/ 

Cofán children

And when we no longer walk the circle of life

maybe other life will still feed on our skeleton remains

and know that in our struggle

those tears that we dropped into the oceans

and those echoes we left on the mountains

and those footprints that fade on the paths

someone has acknowledged our creation

and thanked us for still following our ways.

The traditional ways,

the spiritual ways,

the earth ways,

the ways our ancestors

in humility and gratefulness

sought to honor the sacredness of the

Earth Mother

for it is She who gives birth

and it is her breasts which give us life

and we are taking care of her,

because we care.

From "The Earth Way" by ssipsis, Penobscot Elder

sacred poetry

And when we no longer walk the circle of life

maybe other life will still feed on our skeleton remains

and know that in our struggle

those tears that we dropped into the oceans

and those echoes we left on the mountains

and those footprints that fade on the paths

someone has acknowledged our creation

and thanked us for still following our ways.

The traditional ways,

the spiritual ways,

the earth ways,

the ways our ancestors

in humility and gratefulness

sought to honor the sacredness of the

Earth Mother

for it is She who gives birth

and it is her breasts which give us life

and we are taking care of her,

because we care.

From "The Earth Way" by ssipsis, Penobscot Elder

VALIDATION

hand of Joy Harjo

And when we no longer walk the circle of life

maybe other life will still feed on our skeleton remains

and know that in our struggle

those tears that we dropped into the oceans

and those echoes we left on the mountains

and those footprints that fade on the paths

someone has acknowledged our creation

and thanked us for still following our ways.

The traditional ways,

the spiritual ways,

the earth ways,

the ways our ancestors

in humility and gratefulness

sought to honor the sacredness of the

Earth Mother

for it is She who gives birth

and it is her breasts which give us life

and we are taking care of her,

because we care.

From "The Earth Way" by Ssipsis, Penobscot Elder

actress, Helen Mirren on set in her youth