Why Council?

In the 21st Century, we have Facebook and Twitter, Tribe and Email. We have cells phones and Crackberries and a million tools to help us communicate, so why do we need to sit down in a circle on the land and council to create community and positive gatherings?

I'm glad you asked.

For those who don't know me, I'm not a Luddite by any means. I work in the bowels of computers all day long and have for close to twenty years. It's my paycheck and I'm completely comfortable with technology. If I weren't, I wouldn't have all these blogs and websites and send emails to hundreds of people on a regular basis and spend hours each day tuning queries and fussing over versions of dlls and hacking the registry. Yet, electronic communication only takes us so far.

So why Council?

Because when we sit in a circle with our brothers and sisters under an open sky with the soil beneath our butts, we communicate on so many levels.

Because when we pay attention to our brothers and sisters body language and breath, we are communicating on a non-verbal level.

Because when we hold open councils with lots of advance notice so everyone who wants to can participate, we increase the diversity of viewpoints represented (not just those we agree with).

Because when we council with people we don't like, don't trust, or don't know, we learn how to create peace in the world. Peace fails when people of differing beliefs, backgrounds, goals and desires cannot communicate with each other. Peace is a practice that we participate in when we council.

Because when we council on things some of us already know how to do, we are sharing our hard won knowledge with the next generation and paying it forward. We owe it to our ancestors to pass on the wisdom they shared with us.

Because when we council with fresh faces, we get fresh perspectives on problems we are facing.

Because when every voice has a chance to communicate by breath, words, body language, facial expressions, hand holding, and the sharing of thought, we create a bond, a community in the same way that two people deeply in love share physical contact to enhance their intimacy.

Because we truly have no leaders and the only way to make decisions in an open, respectful and peaceful process is to hold councils on the land and invite all people to participate.

Because when a gathering happens without councils and a decision needs to be made, it will be made by a small group of of people who have known each other for many years and may not consider the needs, desires and beliefs of all.

Because decisions need to be made at gatherings all the time: where to park cars, how to distribute food, how to keep ourselves and our family healthy, how deep to dig shitters, where to gather next month or next year, where do we want our family to be in the year 2020?

Because collectively we have so much wisdom and when we collect ourselves in one time and place to share that wisdom, we can change the world.

Because counciling is a practice just like meditation and practice gives us the tools and the strength to council or meditate when we are loosing our peace.

Because the only alternative to council is governments telling us what to do or how to live.

Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Because we are the future, and if we can't create peace by respecting the needs of everyone, who can?


(Thanks GB for the idea)

USFS Investigation into July 3 Incident

Some friends of mine put together an outline of how to submit information to the investigation. It's very useful, so if you haven't submitted your report yet, I suggest you read this and follow what ever you feel is revelant. As far as sending copies of your statement to them, do so if you like. If you don't like, that's cool too. If you want to make sure your statement is public info, I'd recommend emailing a copy to agr@welcomehome.org as well. If you don't want to, that's cool too. Please if you have thing to say, please submit it.

**************Begin forwarded message*************

D. Wirtshafter, Attorney at Law
S. Addison, PCU_/Free Assembly Project
```````````````````````````````````````````````````

1 January 2009 - PUBLIC RESOURCE INFO -


Rainbow Investigation by OIG - I. Full Info ~

~ Witness Statements & Evidence are needed for an Inspector General's
investigation of Rainbow Gathering harassment... a new opportunity
to bring extreme Forest Service tactics to light, and stop interference
in peaceable public gatherings for expression and prayer.


** BACKGROUND ~

In a phone conference with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on 12/9/08, outgoing Under Secretary Mark Rey disclosed that an investigation was launched last July in the USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG), related to incidents at 'Rainbow Gathering '08' in Wyoming. Our factfinding started the next day, with phone queries to OIG headquarters in DC, followed by a faxed letter on 10/13.
A response came by phone on 12/18 from their office in Denver, where this case was referred... the Assistant Special Agent In-Charge confirmed the protocol for public inputs, and discussed their procedures at some length.

This advisory draws on the counsel of experienced volunteers & legal workers around the gatherings, presented in 2 parts:
Here, "I. Full Info ~"... reporting complete facts on the OIG investigation, its scope, status, and requirements, and providing suggestions & resources for preparing submittals.
In tandem, "II. Discussion ~"... examining the process & politics of an Inspector General review, with concerns for key issues in any 'Rainbow' investigation, and cautions on possible outcomes.


** SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION ~

The stated focus is the July 3 incident at Kid Village -- defined at the outset by the original request within USDA, although the OIG Special Agent could not confirm the source or substance by phone.
In this light, it was made it clear to him that this was NOT an isolated incident, but "extreme and bellweather" in a long pattern of escalating harassment, crossing a new threshold of violence: It was the first 'Rainbow' gathering where LEO's had actually fired weapons (of any kind) at unarmed people -- although in recent years various provocations have approached this level of danger.

The July 3 incident is significant and worthy of investigation in its own right -- but it is inextricable from the broader history, and has to be understood in this context. To this end, some background perspectives were outlined in the call -- especially the 'Group Use' permit controversy which has raged for 12 years and remains unresolved, and the targeted police roadblocks which were found unconsitutional in 2 Federal courts, yet persist.

Curiously, the lead agent on this OIG case was unaware of the concurrent investigation and ensuing Report of ACLU-Wyoming. All this was explained on the phone, and their October 3 Report was conveyed with thanks in a followup eMail to the Denver office.


** SUBMITTALS TO USDA-OIG ~

The following address is confirmed, with a further option of using email:

attn: William Busby, Asst. Special Agent In-Charge
USDA Office of Inspector General -- Investigations
12136 W. Bayaud Ave. - Ste. 210
Lakewood, CO 80228
{OR}
Bill Busby

~ Reference 'Investigation.... Rainbow '08....' (this is flexible), Case # KC899-0025.
~ Send materials by Certified Mail to confirm delivery, if possible.

1st -- they need 1st-hand written accounts of the July 3 incident, as well as photos and video documentation provided by the makers... supported facts are useful, proselytic rants are not.
Then -- also document other incidents & issues at the Wyoming '08 Gathering, to establish the pattern of official actions and sway of applied policies at this event... (this may extend to previous gatherings as well, 'pushing the scope' -- more on this in Pt. II).
Send signed/affirmed originals*, with reliable contact information... agents may need to follow up by contacting witnesses directly, and sometimes interviewing them in-person.


** PREPARING MATERIALS:

-- Writing a Statement: Give a simple chronological account of the incident(s); short numbered paragraphs are best. State the location, date, and time, what you were doing there; describe what occurred with careful details on actions & statements made, and provide names, agencies, & badge numbers of the Officials involved. Say what YOU know or observed... reports from known sources can be noted, but unconfirmed hearsay is not useful.

If helpful, use this 'OIG-Rainbow' Statement Form, prepared as a formal
presentation to this case investigation, with instructions included --
downloadable in 'RTF' format, easily adapted as a clean final document.

-- *Signing with Affirmation: Per OIG, it was "not critical" to sign with a notary, but this is still the best way to confirm one's identity as signer. As an alternative, include the following affirmation at the end, which serves to authenticate the statement & signature under Federal law:

"I declare under the penalties of perjury pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1746
that the above statements are true."

-- Submitting via eMail: Sending statements by postal mail is better, but OIG agreed to accept information by email as well. You cannot actually 'sign' an email, so the above Affirmation is especially important. It's a good idea to compose your statement as a printable attached document (Word '.doc', 'rtf', or 'txt' format), cleaner than an in-line message on an email page. Also, request confirmation that it was received and entered into the case record.

- - Presenting Photos, Videos, & Audios: If you took photos or videos of an incident, or made an audio recording, such items must be 'authenticated' - i.e., affirmed as a true record of events, made by you personally. (Download an all-purpose 'Authentication' form here, ask for help if needed.)
This carries far more credibility than anonymous Web images or 'YouTube' videos... and it makes these items usable for legal purposes, and admissible as evidence if needed.

-- Preserving Documentation: Rights advocates & allies need to know what goes into this investigative record, what statements and records are presented, and to make sure that these materials are preserved for public-interest research and legal purposes. An agreeable attorney can protect this information and share it appropriately... please send copies of OIG submittals, and/or cc- by email:

Don Wirtshafter, Attorney email:
PO Box 18 (7002 State Rte. 329)
Guysville, OH 43735

Questions, ideas, debate, and support are encouraged.

______________________________

______________________________


Respectfully: scottie addison Don Wirtshafter
PCU_/Free Assembly Project Attorney at Law
St. Louis, Missouri Guysville, Ohio

Results of FOIA Requests - US Spending on Gathering

I'm tired and had a goal of getting this info out by the end of the year. I posted it all in my other blog, so you'll have to hop over there to see the info.

Karin's thoughts on Conference Call with Mark Rey

On Tuesday, December 9, I participated in a conference call with the Undersecretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Mark Rey. The best way to sum up this call was as a wrap up to the Rainbow trail we have all traveled together. I did not take minutes, but I did take notes on what I considered key points for people who are committed to the future of the rainbow gathering.

The call was recorded and is available online thanks to Marty Who Loves to Party. It has a little over 5 minutes of waiting music before the conference call begins and it only will play on bandwidth LOW so you have to click the BANDWIDTH ?LO? FOR THIS TO PLAY!

Last spring in a series of conferences calls with Rey, I kept pressing him to revise the Forest Service Group Use Regulations to make it clear that an unsigned operating plan could be used in lieu of a permit for peaceful assembly on public land. He said he would consider it after the July gathering. Well no surprise to anyone, now he says it’s too late in the Bush administration to initiate regulatory changes.

As to the gathering in Wyoming, my understanding of Mark Rey’s words were that things broke down because we did not use one of the sites on their list of recommendations based on site selection and USFS staff who would work well with gatherings – take that as you will.

Now to going forward into the future.

First off, Mark Rey had the Inspector General of the USDA open an independent investigation into the incident that happened at the Wyoming gathering on July 3 at Kid Village. This investigation is ongoing. Any statements or supporting documentation that you feel should be included in this investigation should be sent to

Case # KC899-0025
Mr. William Busby
c/o USDA Inspector General
12136 W. Bayaud Avenue
Suite 210
Lakewood, Co 80228
Email Electronic Media

Please include contact info along with any material, written or otherwise provided... A clearly marked item in terms of identifying its content will be best received. It does not sound as though telephone contact is desired, though he did sound enthusiastic about receiving other forms of evidence -- video, camera, written, etc.

He is willing to look at the tasing incident, as incidental to the main thrust - July 3 @ Kid Village.

Please cc your congressional representative and United States Senators with any information you send. I have no idea where this investigation will lead.

On the call, Mark Rey spent a lot of time outlining the process by which cabinet and subcabinet positions (such as his) are appointed.

A couple of major points.

• Our senators get to grill the nominated appointees, so we need to make sure our senators have a series of questions to ask the nominees. This needs to be done ASAP as the ball is rolling on this process
• We need to protest appointment of people who will not support our values and concerns.
•
My biggest concern at this point is getting people appointed to cabinet level positions such as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) and Department of the Interior (BLM) that will be Rainbow friendly as well as being a lover of the earth, not the timber companies.

The Obama transition team is currently falling into place.
A great list is available online.

Bart Chilton and Carole Jett seem to be the two people leading the USDA transition process. . They will be working to find nominees for all cabinet and subcabinet level positions. To make suggest or include input, visit the website and select topic “Transition Process” I’m still trying to find contact info for these two people.

My apologies if this information isn’t as focused as it could be. If you haven’t listened to the call, please do so as there are many more detailed ideas on how we might be able to continue to have a gathering that in the eyes of the USFS is “legal” and that does not require a permit.

December 17 Meeting with USFS

Dec. 17th at the FS HQ on Rodeo Road in Santa Fe, from 10 am to 11 am.

This is an open meeting but notice please that is planned as just an hour. The idea is to go over A) some other sites we like so the FS can vet them for problems (rare snails, archaeological sites, boy scouts, etc.) well in advance; B) the proposed alternative model (operations plan) that Mark Rey spoke about during the teleconference last week -- so that the process is set in motion in advance of regime change in D.C.; C) to talk briefly about the Inspector General's investigation of the FS Leo relations with the Rainbow; and D) a brief intro between some of our legal team here in NM and the Counsel that the FS uses here [when these lwyrs have met each other in advance in the past it has always proven beneficial]. Those are the topics that have come up so far.

Rainbow and Rainbow

The Rainbow Gathering has used the image of a rainbow for many years as has the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community (GLBTQ). Yet at rainbow gatherings, we don't discuss the GLBTQ community much. Years back the Southern California family held a council in Orange County and we told people to meet at the Rainbow Flag. Well there were two rainbow flags at the park that day and we were all flying the same colors.

The Rainbow Gathering is a coming together of many tribes. Some of our tribes are focused by religious beliefs, some by geography and some by participation in the GLBTQ community. If you've never been to Fairy Camp, then you're missing out big time. Colorful costumes, great music and lots of hugs. Usually a few pranks floating around as well. Every gathering Fairy Camp lights up the night dressed in fabulous costumes. If you haven't had a chance to experience your inner fairy, come on out and join the fun.

Today is the Day Without a Gay and even if you didn't call in "gay" to work, you can join the cause of civil rights for all people in the United States of America. Take the time to share information (like this post) with people in your community on the importance of all people having the same civil rights in the United States. Talk about the importance of separation of church and state with your friends. Talk about your GLBTQ friends and how discrimination is hurting them.

Come out for Light Up the Night on December 20 and join me in a nation-wide peaceful candlelight vigil taking place at commercial districts and shopping centers all across the country. Let the light of the Rainbow join with the flames of all our brothers and sisters across this land and demand equal treatment under the law.

Love is the answer. Be the peace you wish to see in this world.

Thanksgiving Council Notes Round 1

I'm told there is more to come, but for now, this is it.Click on the photo to enlarge it.