Dog Soldiers of the American Indian Movement (AIM)

Vanity | 2-`0-05 | Vanity

[Snapple]

An Indian publication points out that when he speaks Colorado's radical professor Ward Churchill is "shielded apparently by his own American Indian Movement (AIM) security team." http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410293

[Ladypixel]

Well, you nailed it, except for one small part - the so-called existence of "Dog Soldiers" within AIM was an FBI fabrication - for what purpose, I don't recall, but it later came out that the FBI had bad data, and it was, shall we say "exaggerated" .

Aha - I didn't know that, you're right. No surprise here, though; the FBI had quite a bit of bad info in regards to the tribal folk at that point. They still do, in some cases... but that's slowly but surely getting remedied, I think.

[Snapple]

The Boulder University is reportedly investigating Churchill for plagiarism. They don't know the half of it in my opinion.

I think Churchill concocted this fake story about mysterious killings at Pine Ridge by plagiarizing the real FBI file of the Osage Indian Murders in the 1920s. Here are Churchill's words: http://www.noparolepeltier.com/churchill.html

The Osage killings were described as a "reign of terror." Churchill even copies that expression "reign of terror."

The FBI prosecuted a man named Hale for planning these killings and a man named John Ramsey for actually doing the killings. Hale wanted the oil head rights of these very wealthy Indians.

A US congressman and retired FBI agent named Laurence Hogan wrote a book based on the FBI Osage Indian Murders file. They went in under cover and interviewed the Osage in a town called Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to catch the killers. The Indians were really afraid to talk for fear they would be retaliated against.

In the Ward Churchill Pine Ridge "reign of terror" it is alleged that all these people were murdered and that the FBI was complicit with the killers. Ward Churchill says the FBI are a terrorist organization.

Here is the opposing view by a retired FBI agent:
http://www.noparolepeltier.com/debate.html#6

Churchill is a huge liar. He makes up total fairy taales.

[Snapple]

I think that there are really these Dog Soldiers around Churchill.

The Indian papers also mention he shows up with his AIM security. Other witnesses have seen it, too.

Now you can say they aren't "really" Sog Soldiers but the people who killed Anna Mae Aquash wanted to be considered Dog Soldiers/were Dog Soldiers.

I think these people are called "Dog Soldiers."

You may say they aren't "real" Dog Soldiers, but that is what they seem to consider themselves.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I know... I know... that Churchill guy made up everything about what was happening at Pine Ridge...

I had RELATIVES there - people who's word I would take over yours, Churchills, or, quite frankly, even the FBI...

[Snapple]

Nobody likes Churchill because he pits people against each other instead of trying to give people understanding.

He is a total phoney and a vicious bully. Those bullies he goes around with are probably scaring people, too; but now I think people are talking to the college about what has happened to them. I hope the professors can demonstrate his scholarly ineptitute and plagiarism. I have tried to show how he made up events at Pine Ridge based on an FBI file he plagiarized and distorted.

He also will cause trouble for Indians because some people will mistake Churchill's words for the words of Indians.
Indians have contributed money for the victims and don't agree with Churchill about 9-11.

There were Indians working on the WTC the day of 9-11. They saved themselves and tried to rescue people. A lot of Indians build those NYC skyscrapers. They don't seem bothered by the heights.

[Ladypixel]

I think that there are really these Dog Soldiers around Churchill.

There are people around Churchill, yes. They are not Dog Soldiers. The Dog Soldier societies would never have them - they have not been raised and taught properly, or else they would have been Dog Soldiers instead of goons. The Dog Soldier societies do not like people pretending to be Dog Soldiers.

The Indian papers also mention he shows up with his AIM security. Other witnesses have seen it, too.

The papers say that he shows up with security. Very few of them specify it as "AIM security", and even then, I would find it difficult at best to believe that it's AIM security, because I've seen what AIM security entails. To be blunt, AIM security is a slang phrase for "getting someone to look menacing and follow you". They don't /have/ organized security details... not even Denver.

I've extremely familiar with the Indian-owned and operated papers and publications. They are not infallible to the problems of tribal bias. For example, Indian Country Today is owned by the Oneida Nation - which means that anything in that publication which is Oneida in origin is a good story, and a lot of stuff around the Lakota tribe (and, for that matter, anything about the former editor of Indian Country Today) is slightly warped. Furthermore, Indian Country Today tries to distance itself from much of the AIM-related news out there, because the Oneida wishes to distance itself from AIM.

News From Indian Country (which is a different publication) is considerably less biased, and their articles do not list the security detail that supposedly follows Churchill as being AIM in any way. Either way you go about it, though, the Indian papers do have bias one way or another. It just depends on which direction the bias leans as to how the articles turn out.

Now you can say they aren't "really" Sog Soldiers but the people who killed Anna Mae Aquash wanted to be considered Dog Soldiers/were Dog Soldiers.

Actually, the people who killed Anna Mae Aquash were not Dog Soldiers. A Dog Soldier would have had nothing whatsoever to do with something like this. They may have called themselves Dog Soldiers, but it's more likely that the FBI's error (which Chad Fairbanks mentioned) is what got them that name. The people who likely killed Anna Mae are part of the goon squads who were common in the Pine Ridge issues in the 1970's. There were a great many fights between traditionals and non-traditionals in the last few decades, as well, and it's entirely possible that Anna Mae got killed over one of those fights, too.

I notice you focus quite intently on Anna Mae. Surprisingly enough, there were an awful lot of other people who were killed in similar circumstances; have you not read about those people?

You may say they aren't "real" Dog Soldiers, but that is what they seem to consider themselves.

No, actually. Most of the folks up in that area of the country /know/ what a Dog Soldier is, and if they're smart, they also know not to claim membership in a society that they're not a member of. That's a great way to get your family and tribe to throw you out. The clans and societies of the Plains tribes are not only social organizations, they're also spiritual organizations. The Dog Soldier Societies, I can say with all conviction, have never involved themselves in the Pine Ridge squabbling, nor have they involved themselves in AIM-related squabbles. Heck, most of the Dog Soldiers also avoid AIM. (At least the ones I know do, anyhow - they think AIM's rather pitiful.)

[Snapple]

Churchill was involved in writing up all the allegations about people who had supposedly died on Pine Ridge of murder that was said to be accidents. That is an idea he copied from the FBI files about John Ramsey who killed the Osage who owned oil.

He didn't provide specifics even though he is a professor and would be able to make a good case. He even claimed the FBI was complicit with the killers.

He showed no scholarly balance in criticizing AIM's actions along with the actions of the leaders of Pine Ridge.

AIM (Churchill and Lee Hill) are very obsessed with the FBI. They live to discredit the FBI because they are anti-American, not because they are trying to help Indians.

[Ladypixel]

I think Churchill concocted this fake story about mysterious killings at Pine Ridge by plagiarizing the real FBI file of the Osage Indian Murders in the 1920s.

I know people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I'm sorry, but I know the families of some of the people who were killed. I have friends up there. Churchill may have faked an awful lot of other things, but he did not write fake articles claiming the deaths of many people. That actually happened.

Now, whether Churchill's right about the FBI or not is another matter. And it's true that the FBI has, in its time, had a lot of faulty information on the tribal and extra-tribal organizations up in the northern plains. I don't think that this makes the FBI terrorists, nor do I necessarily believe Churchill's accusations that the FBI killed the people on Pine Ridge. I do, however, know for certain that people did die up there.

[Snapple]

Anna Mae was murdered. One has been convicted and more are sought. The killers were trying be be Dog Soldiers.

Indian Country Today specified AIM security was protecting Churchill. I posted that article.

[Ladypixel]

Churchill was involved in writing up all the allegations about people who had supposedly died on Pine Ridge of murder that was said to be accidents.

Um, no. He wrote up a few allegations about people dying up there, linking it to the FBI during a time period in which the tribes themselves were not very trusting of the federal government. But he did not help with writing /all/ of the allegations about people who were murdered there.

He didn't provide specifics even though he is a professor and would be able to make a good case. He even claimed the FBI was complicit with the killers.

This is because Churchill (not AIM, but one lone man) wants to discredit the FBI. He has wanted to discredit the FBI for years. However, if you noticed, he also thinks that everyone who died in 9/11 deserved to die. The man has some very radical and unrealistic ideas, and his criticisms have about as much reality and focus behind them as a pink elephant has importance to a drunk. (In other words, the ideas are all fluff, and you end up with a massive headache and an empty gut when you're done with 'em.)

[Snapple]

Anna Mae seems to have been killed because of what she knew about the murder of the FBI agents. See the trial of her killers. A lot has beeb in the Denver Post.

[Snapple]

I just posted Churchill's own words.

[Ladypixel]

Anna Mae was murdered. One has been convicted and more are sought. The killers were trying be be Dog Soldiers.

No. If they were trying to be Dog Soldiers, they would not have been involved in that. You obviously have no knowledge of the society I'm talking about, but you may want to research the historical Dog Soldier Societies, rather than assume that the goons who killed Anna Mae were Dog Soldiers. Big, big difference.

Indian Country Today specified AIM security was protecting Churchill. I posted that article.

Yup, and Indian Country Today also likes to poke their fingers at the "security" who was involved - Russell Means and a couple of his buddies. They are not "AIM security". Then again, Russell Means also sells memberships for AIM on his personal website (and pockets the money), so you can see just how much Means respects AIM.

However, I personally think the only reason Indian Country Today posted that it was "AIM security" is because it's another reason to dislike AIM, and the Oneidas don't want to be affiliated. Ah, the joys of tribal politics... they convolute the issues so very much...

[Snapple]

Everyone saw his security.

In the murder trial the killer said he wanted to be a Dog Soldier.

Check the papers.

[Snapple]

Here is a chronology about the murder of an AIM member named Anna Mae Aquash.
The Lakota Dog Soldiers are mentioned.
http://www.jfamr.org/trialtime.html

I can't say how accurate this chronology is, but it does mention the Dog Soldiers and post it for that reason.

[Trident/Delta]

You are absolutely correct. AIM, specifically, the Colorado American Indian Movement has co-opted the Dog Man society to be their "secret warrior society" it is a bit of a secret society, not unlike the "Fruit of Islam" is to the Nation of Islam.

Just for the record, Chruchill and Dennis Means are big players in the Colorado AIM group. The REAL AIM movement (out of Minnesota) have denounced both of them as poseurs. It is interesting that Leonard Peltier has maintained connection with BOTH groups.

Semper Fi

[kingu]

Here is a chronology about the murder of an AIM member named Anna Mae Aquash. The Lakota Dog Soldiers are mentioned.

Err.. Great, and? Hillary can call herself a conservative, but that doesn't make her one. Ward Churchill is a Russel Means pet; he supports Ward to keep the support of Denver AIM because everyone else has basically given up on him.

Why do you continue to get distracted by these things?

[kingu]

Damn, stop stealing my braincell. :)

[Ladypixel]

Everyone saw his security.

Yes, and that security was Russell Means and a couple of Means's friends. They're a joke in the Indian community. Russell Means is a laughingstock, we all make fun of him. They're no more security than I'm the Pope. (Although I did have the flu recently... hmmmm...)

In the murder trial the killer said he wanted to be a Dog Soldier.

And this means... what, exactly? If he'd wanted to be a real Dog Soldier, he wouldn't have gone out and committed murder. That's against their ways. Just because he made a comment in a trial doesn't mean he's a Dog Soldier.

Check the papers.

This amuses me, as I've written for both Indian Country Today and News From Indian Country before. I'm pretty well informed about the news. :)

[Snapple]

Here is some of the trial of Anna Mae's killer.
I don't really care to parse whether these AIM security Churchill has are "real" Dog Soldiers or not. The point I am making is that Churchill has thuggish security and I think they are what they call Dog Soldiers. They have had these people for a long time as shown in this trial transcript:

October, 1975: Peltier brags to Annie Mae, Ka-Mook and others about shooting the two FBI agents on June 26, 1975. Testimony of KaMook (Darlene) Nichols, the former wife of Dennis Banks on February 4, 2004 during the trial of Arlo Looking Cloud, AIM Security Guard convicted of murder.

Q. While you were camping in Washington, were there any discussions had in which you and Anna Mae were present in which sensitive material that you wouldn't have wanted in the hands of law enforcement was discussed?

KaMook Nichols: Yes.

Q. Give me an example?

KaMook Nichols: We were sitting one day at the table in this motor home. Anna Mae was sitting by me and my sister was on the other side, and Dennis was standing in the aisle, and Leonard was sitting on this side, he alternated between sitting and standing. And he started talking about June 26, and he put his hand like this and started talking about the two FBI agents.

Q. What did he say? (By MR. McMAHON)

Q. Tell the Court as best you remember exactly what he said?

KaMook Nichols: Exactly what he said.

Q. Exactly what he said?

KaMook Nichols: He said the motherfucker was begging for his life, but I shot him anyway.