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Reporter's Notebook: Brenda Norrell

CNN Censors Dakotas Emergency; US Scams Dollars for Relief

Posted by Brenda Norrell - January 29, 2010 at 11:37 am

While CNN censors the emergency in the Dakotas, the US funnels relief dollars to the US military with George W. Bush taking the lead

UPDATE Friday night: Chairman Joseph Brings Plenty declares state of emergency on Cheyenne River Sioux Nation in central South Dakota; awaits federal declaration from Obama http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

By Brenda Norrell

Lakotas on Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Sioux Indian lands are suffering, while the United States focuses on Haiti. Today, Lakotas have organized a telephone campaign to demand CNN cover the emergency in the Dakotas, where people have been without power and water for up to six days. Many elderly and children are suffering without heat, water, medicine and food.

Alex White Plume, Lakota on Pine Ridge, S.D., is taking water to Cheyenne River Sioux. "We are starting a group to haul water to the residents on the Eagle Butte rez. They have been without water and electricity for six days today. My brother Percy is collecting fuel money to haul water to the people from Bridger, S.D. We have it hard here, at least we have water. We have to help our relatives."

Meanwhile, 33 cents of each US dollar to Haiti is going to the US military. Bill Quigley, human rights attorney and Katrina survivor from New Orleans, sleeping on the ground with everyone else in Haiti, reports that very little food and water is reaching Haiti communities. This comes as little surprise to those who noticed that Obama selected war criminal George W. Bush to cochair the Haiti relief with Bill Clinton. Instead of being held accountable for war crimes in violation of the Geneva Conventions, Bush is once again in a noble position, one which allows him to disappear US funds.

Join the call in campaign to CNN today, 5 pm Eastern. Message from Autumn Two Bulls:

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/01/cnn-censors-emergency-in-dakotas.html

US Relief Scam: AP/Haiti Relief: "Each American dollar roughly breaks down like this: 42 cents for disaster assistance, 33 cents for U.S. military aid, nine cents for food, nine cents to transport the food, five cents for paying Haitian survivors for recovery efforts, just less than one cent to the Haitian government, and about half a cent to the Dominican Republic. "
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_haiti_us_aid

Bill Quigley in Haiti:

http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley01292010.html

 

About Brenda Norrell

Personal Website
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

Biography

Brenda Norrell has been a news reporter in Indian country for 27 years. She is currently based in Tucson and covers Mexico, the U.S. borders and the West, focusing on Indigenous Peoples and human rights. She cohosted the five-month Longest Walk talk radio across America, with American Indians walking for sacred Mother Earth and publishes Censored News.

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