Fwiw, have been thinking about aspects of this discussion, particularity our historical measures/rationalizations, many strange, driven by academia via the body politic, to paint a softer particular view of what was done to Indians - it was genocide then, as has been said, and hey are gone now, their voices lost, yet their memories remain in those here now.
I've also been reading Gilad Atzmon's book,
The Wandering Who? in language of the politics of negation and identity, in this case, of Jewishness. Moving that same language to the west, to our various periods in American history (Canada too), the politics seemed to have imbued a specialness in order to have carried out what was,
and still is done, to Indians. What is done, may not have the familiar face of genocide now, yet it has never stopped, and the politics, which becomes many peoples thinking, is just so great at whitewashing the picture, especially blaming the victims.
Of that face of genocide now, it seems to have every bit continued under a mask that has been constructed by policy, by economic relations, by presenting a picture of hope, that fairness will rule. In reality, osit, and not just to the Indians, genocide now is silent, a quite genocide, it hides in our present day pharmaceuticals, in our gene spliced food that is nothing more than a delivery system for chemicals. It hides in law, in policies that effect all. Underneath it all, it seems an alien hatred for people prevails on-high, whether Indians, Blacks, Asians, White et al. In essence, whether it be pre civil war times or post, overt or covert, genocide is a staple of the mostly warped (pathological) political processes, with exceptions, that we experience and what
Political Ponerology well lays out as the genesis for these acts. Guess what I'm saying here is that what happened and happens to the Indians, is happening to most everyone now, its just dressed up in sheep's clothing, where for them though, it is as obvious as can be, yet miraculously people do not even see it for what it is.
Laura offered a powerful video a few posts back, which reminded me of this
SotT article on the passing of Russell Means (November 10, 1939 - October 22, 2012). The article (a remembrance) is worth the time to read. Further checking on SotT and here on the forum, there was a video (that some may have seen) of an interview with Russell Means that is worth watching that could not be found previously posted. Some may not share his exact thinking, yet he holds up a mirror that is difficult to look at from the standpoint of the identity of those who live in the west (other places in the world may share this reflected view too), and yet, it may very well capture the image of the past/present rather well. Of the image, it must be directed to those at the top who are indeed alien in thought and practice. Their corruption of mind also seems to have enamored the followers, as in authoritarian followers, including those who may not follow, yet just refuse to look.
Just a word to you, Robert. Thank you very much for sharing your work here on the forum. It seems to me that you finding the forum had duel purposes in that you are helping people to see what should be seen, and you are also receiving things that you needed to see and hear, things that will add weight to your future work which will benefit others.
When it's my time to go, it's my time to go. I've told people after I die, I'm coming back as lightning. When it zaps the White House, they'll know it's me.
Russell Means