No More Mullahs

NO MORE MULLAHS It is high time American Indian people take a good look at themselves and the river we have been sold down. The Bush Administration is pumping billions of dollars and countless lives into the rebuilding of Babylon. The 2005 budget for Afghanistan and Iraq is well over seventy billion dollars. The investment in lives and blood cannot be calculated. This lofty price for the ideals of freedom and democracy is gaudy but to reservation Indians it seems empty and hypocritical. How would it look if we applied American Indian Policy to the rebuilding of Iraq? It has been interesting observing the evolution of the American Government policy regarding the people of Iraq. As best as can be described, US policy appears to be; the empowerment of the Iraqi people to become an independent sovereign nation, to govern internal affairs, economy and security. American policy has taken painstaking efforts to recognize and honor the divergent ethnic groups and unite them under one banner of Iraqi democracy. For the most part Iraqis have responded positively by stepping up to the plate and taking their future into their own hands. How their version of democracy plays out will be directly connected to their ability to consolidate power, security, and economic independence. With the American financial engine behind them rebuilding infrastructures, training security forces, stimulating the economy, and restoring oil production; Iraqis should be well on their way to establishing national sovereignty. Iraq is testimony to the premise of empowerment. But just for the sake of speculation, let’s apply the principles of American Indian policy to the Iraqi equation. In order to establish American supremacy we must make them into a domestically dependent nation. We can accomplish this by first of all, destroying all cultural identity, humiliating traditional leadership, banning all religions, and making English the official language. By doing this we can take their land, superimpose our culture and values upon them, and strip the land of its natural resources (oil). To the victor goes the spoil! Remember the superiority of western civilization and the doctrine of manifest destiny. Surely we should replace the old fashioned middle aged eastern civilization with a more highly civilized democratic society. What happened to the good old policy of greed? Next we can subjugate each tribal group or sect by putting them on their own land, we can call them reservations. A small tract of land can be given to each family (to teach them the work ethic and to encourage the concept of ownership). Preferably, put them in the desert or in the mountains. Give them a monthly ration. Just enough to keep them going, but we don’t want to make them lazy, and preferably a high carbohydrate diet to keep them warm. We will set up medical clinics so we can practice the latest medical techniques, train doctors, and experiment with the latest pharmaceuticals. No more Mullahs! We must outlaw all religions and religious practices. Do away with mosques and shrines, and no more loud speakers in the streets. Instead give them a bland sterile form of westernized religion, something that will keep them poor, guilty, and subservient to the cloth. We must not allow pride or nationalism to rise up, and we surely do not want any free thinkers. We can allocate a religious denomination to each tribal group to facilitate control until they can be fully absorbed into normal society. Make sure the religious fathers continually remind them that their culture is from the devil. Use fear to suppress any form of personal expression, and they must always think they are dumb and lazy, and unworthy. An important element in destroying their cultural identity is to take their children away from them and educate them in the western model. Make sure they do not use their indigenous names or speak their native language; always let them know that English is a superior language. By teaching them the superiority of western culture we can degrade their native culture, and be assured they will be ashamed to be called Iraqis. By taking the language, we take the identity. Create a system of government for them that gives the illusion they have power and sovereignty, but in reality they are the scum of the earth. Create a maze of rules and regulations that will keep them in confusion and under stress. Allow a few of them to become experts at running the maze and they will become the best enforcers of the system. As long as we can keep them running the maze they will have no time to lift their heads up to see the light. Remember, who ever holds the purse strings, holds the power. Throw them a bone every now and then and let them think you are the benevolent father looking out for their well being. When you throw a bone into a bunch of hungry dogs you can watch them fight and tear each other up. You can depend on this kind of leadership to destroy each other. Keep their eyes on the bone. Native American people are the weakest people on earth. We have been exposed to and submitted to unimaginable betrayals. Its time to wake up. We see the nations of the world rising up and taking destiny into their own hands. Why can't we? I am sick and tired of Indian leaders kowtowing to a system of failure. It is time for a revolution of ideas. Ideas that will set the captives free.