It was the saddest trip to Big Mountain I've ever made, due to the senseless, violent death of a young man with a good heart. Arrick Crittenden was being sent on his spiritual journey. Arrick's father, George is from the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, his mother, Louise Benally is at the heart of the traditional Dineh resistance to relocation. Arrick was raised and still lived on land in the center of the Navajo reservation known as Hopi Partitioned Land (HPL). He was connected to the place his mother's family has lived on for generations. Even though the US government had drawn lines on maps before he was born and given this place to the Hopi tribe (and the energy corporations) he knew he belonged there. He grew up in the shadow of the sacred Sundance arbor, with his grandmother, uncles, aunts, cousins and extended family. Arrick was the big brother to two sisters, Della and Waleesa, and one brother, little George. His mother says he was the backbone of the family, the one who held them together. In fact he died standing up for his sisters and some friends who were working on a sheep corral for an elder. He took a 12 gage shotgun blast to the chest at point blank range from an angry young man looking for trouble. It hurts even more because the young man who killed him is the eldest son of his mother's cousin. Arrick's life and death are a kind of microcosm of the bigger picture at Big Mountain. He lived his days on disputed land, officially a trespasser in his native country, surrounded by the isolation and difficult [big] "Dignified sorrow and grief have a special kind of beauty." [/big] circumstances of oppression. Just a year and a half ago he was arrested for taking pictures of BIA agents and Hopi Rangers as they bull-dozed the arbor, sacred tree and sweat lodges of the Sundance grounds that his grandfather, Joe Benally had established on the family homestead just before he was born. In the late 1970s Joe traveled to South Dakota and asked Lakota Sundance Chief Joe Chasing Horse to bring the pipe and ceremony to Big Mountain to pray for the land. An annual all nations Sundance was established and continued until the agents desecrated the sacred site in August of 2001, saying it was a dangerous, illegal, activity with out a permit. Arrick's grandmother, Alice Benally was a true traditionalist. She spoke only in her native tongue, loved her dirt floor hogan, wove incredible blankets from the wool of her sheep, and moved with the grace of a queen. She was a part of the land and the land part of her. In her later years, she was compelled to travel and defend that land through public speaking (with a translator), attending hearings and meetings and of course with ceremony and prayer. This is the kind of tension and struggle Arrick knew his entire life. So did the young man who killed him, and the two teen boys from the rez who died in a drunk driving wreck that weekend, as well as the three who died together in a suicide pact. Six teenagers in one weekend. That he remained a gentle, soft-spoken man despite the hardships and unfairness of his situation is a testimony to his beauty. In the same way his culture is being attacked and blown apart by forces from afar, with aid from within, Arrick paid the price for someone else's bad decisions and violent actions. One of Arricks uncles, Jean Paul Roy from the Lakota Nation reminded us often as he led ceremony, that his nephew had moved on to a better place, where there is no pain or suffering. It is those of us who are left behind that are sad and hurt. If the corporations and government drive the traditional people from the land (or kill them, the Dineh say to leave the land is to die), they too may move on to a better place and those of us left behind will be the sufferers. Dignified sorrow and grief have a special kind of beauty. The sadness becomes part of who we are, gives us empathy and understanding for others when they go through the worst of times. No life of any length is untouched by sorrow or hard times. It's not the absence of hard times that make a good life, but how you deal with the suffering you have. Arrick's family honored him and came together to send him off in a most beautiful way. They are facing this tragedy in a way that will help them make the best of what remains. [ed note: I'm listening to Blackfire's "Lying" while I read this and cry. (http://www.blackfire.net) ] I traveled to the ceremonies with my brother, Bear and his daughter Rose. We were honored to be treated like family. Bear and I prayed in the men's sweat lodge with George and several others, as Jean Roy poured the water of life on the hot rocks to help us all purify and purge. We helped with chores, visited with the family and friends, cried, hugged, laughed and reflected on Arrick's life. On Friday night Arrick's body was returned to the land. He had told Jean Roy he liked to stay in a tipi, so Jean brought one from South Dakota and set it up next to the small hogan Arrick lived in. Arrick was dressed by his parents and laid out with beautiful blankets covering him for a last night on the land, in a beautiful lodge. We sat up all night in his cleaned out hogan as Jean Roy led the special Native American Church funeral meeting with Louise, George, Della, Waleesa, little George, uncles, aunts, cousins, the boys who were with Arrick when he died and other friends. So much emotion, such sadness and confusion. As the drum and the medicine made their way around the fire, songs and prayers filled the night and the ceremony pulled us through the dark hours. The healing was starting. As the sun lit the sky red and poured through the open east-facing door, Jean Roy's young daughter Mazzie brought in the morning water and we all knew life would go on. We exited the hogan a couple hours after dawn and everyone made one last pass through the tipi to say good-bye to Arrick. The casket was closed and loaded into the back of a pickup with a camper shell on it for the trip across the wash to the cemetery, where he was laid to rest near his grandmother, Alice. Again there were songs and prayers, tears and laughter. We made it back to the big feast and for a few moments here and there, some things felt normal again. But between those moments the grief and questioning came rushing back. There is no sorrow like that of a parent that buries a child and I hurt even now to think about Louise and George and all the parents through time that have ever gone through this. It made me want to see and hold my children, it made me happy and proud to see my niece, Rose be there in support, it made me want to do something to stop the killing. It made me think George W. Bush doesn't go to child funerals, how else could you be willing to be responsible for starting a war that will have this effect on millions of people? [!--- ED NOTE: wow. heavy. I pause here just ---] [!--- to ask, how are you? You doin' ok? ---] After sharing the meal and a few good-byes, we were back on the road, heading south west in the afternoon sun. It was a tiring five days, including staying up all night, so we stopped in Flagstaff for the night. The next morning as we were leaving the land of the Navajo a bald eagle flew right in front of the car, then swept across the highway and dipped it's wing back at us. I think Arrick was letting us know he's all right. I pray everyone else will be too. You can send cards, letters and financial assistance to: Louise Benally PO Box 1042 Hotevilla, AZ /================================= You are watching ATI zine. This is an issue dealing with loss. Many different kinds of loss. For that there will be no fancy ascii art in this issue. Just text. OK? Hope so. If not, then forgive me, or don't. Those funeral words at the top of the page were written by my friend Mark Dyken. They came in about 5 hours before deadline for this zine, even though I know he wasn't writing it for any kind of deadline. And nor am I then. I worked on this zine for almost 3 full extra days. Hope you like it. Or at least get something out of it. So, ever aware that zine deadlines mean little to me these days, I began reading that first part and wondering in my head and heart, "should I include this in my zine tonite? Maybe, maybe not. Very quickly I began weeping openly. I knew Arrick, the young man from that piece, but I'll get into that some other time. I suspect even if I didn't Know him these words whould've affected me in this sort of sublime way. Beyond the tears, below the tears, and despite the tears I find myself needing to tell the world of Arrick's death, but especially of Arrick's life. Arrick was a warrior in the truest, oldest most pure sense. He was devoted to his mother and father, his siblings, his distant family members. I'm going to risk an assumption that he was opposed to George W Bush's diabolical plans to invade Iraq. I've heard him speak against war before. Way back when it was simple words, like "war sucks," or "war has never been right," stuff like that. I imagine the past few years, his words have been more complex, but I'm sure the meanings are all the same. Everything I knew about him was true to warrior form. To learn that he was taking a bullet so his sisters would not, just blows my mind. But should it? It sure sounds like a fitting death for a real warrior, right? But so young? Well, truly -- warrior society doesn't know age, huh? When I got arrested for taking pictures of surveillance cops here in Milwaukee at an anti-bush protest last summer I remember serving my 6 or 7 hours in jail and thinking of many heros of mine who withstood longer jailtimes before being given release. People such as Arrick, who if I remember right spent more than 5 days jail without recognizance, during the devastation at the Sundance ceremony the year before that. I remember thinking for a brief moment that I was doing some of the same things Arrick was doing when I got arrested. I was sharing the truth. I was illuminating the darkness, I was exposing a machine that is spawning right in front of our very eyes this millenium. But I digress. This is issue 344 of ATI, Activist Times Intentional; I'm marco and we are celebrating the loss of what little liberties we have left as citizens of the Untied States. It's quite a dance this ceremony. Participating in it is very frightening, while at the same time very exciting. Have you done any keyword searches where there are 3 or 4 words the US government might disapprove of? I don't know if you've noticed, but unlike in China, Germany and Switzerland, you'll get the pages you need through Google. So far. It usually takes a second or third try when you search for something like "george bush raped someone while governor" or "noelle really did hide crack in her sneaker." Is the software already in place? Just that GooglePeople are trying desperately to restrain the USGovt from doing domestically what they insist upon making Google do abroad. Will it last? Tune in tomorrow, eh? But again, I digress. Loss of our liberties. Here we go. Enjoy the rest of this zine, it's Monday, midnite my time, 3/4feb03. Can you believe this year is already 1/12th flown by? marco #'s http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/02/01/file_trading_manifesto http://artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Peaceful_Army,_The http://www.blackfire.net/IAM-site/!!WALLY-FINAL.rm http://www.blackfire.net/video/itaintover-28k.rm http://www.neo-comintern.com/features/audio.html http://www.nuzee.com/indymediaorgnewswire.php http://www.blackfire.net/IAM-site/home.html http://votetoimpeach.org/articles_rc.htm http://www.amy-martin.com/community.html http://www.silverbird.at/Index.html http://westernwalkout.tripod.com http://lmno4p.org/stockwatch.htm http://www.zmag.org/lacsite.htm http://www.takebackthemedia.com http://www.sameroomrecords.com http://home.no.net/ntc/thankU http://www.unitedforpeace.org http://www.baringwitness.org http://www.scaredsacred.org http://mozdawg.blogspot.com http://www.bartleby.com/139 http://www.washedmusic.com http://www.7fires.org http://warnomore.com LETTUCE to alt.2600.414 You out to be ashamed of yourselfs. azdreamer ==== From Sam Hamill, Cofounder of Copper Canyon Press: Dear Friends and Fellow Poets: When I picked up my mail and saw the letter marked "The White House," I felt no joy. Rather I was overcome by a kind nausea as I read the card enclosed: Laura Bush requests the pleasure of your company at a reception and White House Symposium on "Poetry and the American Voice" on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 at one o'clock Only the day before I had read a lengthy report on the President's proposed "Shock and Awe" attack on Iraq, calling for saturation bombing that would be like the firebombing of Dresden or Tokyo, killing countless innocent civilians. I believe the only legitimate response to such a morally bankrupt and unconscionable idea is to reconstitute a Poets Against the War movement like the one organized to speak out against the war in Vietnam. I am asking every poet to speak up for the conscience of our country and lend his or her name to our petition against this war, and to make February 12 a day of Poetry Against the War. We will compile an anthology of protest to be presented to the White House on that afternoon. Please submit your name and a poem or statement of conscience to: kokua@olympus.net There is little time to organize and compile. I urge you to pass along this letter to any poets you know. Please join me in making February 12 a day when the White House can truly hear the voices of American poets. Sam Hamill ==== F L A M I N G L I P S Thinking back on your day, your week, or your life, bring to mind a "Sacred Moment". Sacred in whatever way you wish to define the term. A moment that resonates. Can you remember a sound, a smell, perhaps a touch associated with that moment? Try to visualize it. PESTO RECEIPT LOTS fresh basil LOTS fresh garlic MANY pinon pine nuts TONS olive oil Chop up garlic and pine nuts very fine. Cut basil into fairly tiny shapes. Pour olive oil in a blender and then keep adding other ingredients a little at a time until it's very pasty. Refrigerate until ready to serve or use. [NOTE make sure you chop up the garlic finer than the pine nuts and basil no matter what. There are LOTS of people who absolutely hate garlic, yet they absolutely love pesto. They have no idea! Lets keep it that way.] AIRPLAY 101 ----------------- By Bryan Farrish http://www.radio-media.com Payola (part 3 of 5), How Stations React If You Try To Pay Them. Let's say you are a grassroots artist, or a small indie, or even a small-medium label, and up until now you've done no radio (or, you've always had someone else take care of it for you.) Now, you've decided that since you understand payola, you are going to spend some money and try to handle the promotion yourself, legally. You tell yourself that you are going to contact the PD at three or four major-market stations near you, and set up your own "contract" to play your record. You have enough money, and so you are finally going to get your exposure. Here's what will happen... First of all, most every beginner wants the major stations, so here is how it will go down in markets #1 to #20 (small markets would be different, of course). You make your phone call to the PD, but he/she is not available, so the secretary directs you to the MD. Since the MD has not heard of you, you will probably get the MD's voicemail. Or, you ask for someone who WILL talk with you... a jock, or even an assistant. You tell the person (or the MD if they answer) that you have some marketing money for airplay, and that you want to set up one of those "legal indie contracts". Without further thought on their part, you will be transferred or directed to the sales department, where you will get the newest entry-level account executive. This account executive will be confused by your "indie contract" request, but will say that if you are looking to get exposure for your release, you should start out with an advertising campaign (i.e., a spot schedule) on the station, and he/she will also say "if it's good, the PD may indeed start playing it, because I've seen it happen before." You think about it, and realize you've been sidetracked. You want airplay, not commercials. You try again for the PD, to no avail, and now the original MD or jock you talked to doesn't want to hear from you, except for maybe saying "send me the record." You have now been taken completely out of the airplay loop, and you would not have even realized it had you not read this first. You start rationalizing that you could indeed use some commercials anyway. Plus, the PD will certainly hear the spots, so this may actually be the way to go. But you want to make certain this will result in airplay, so you tell the AE (account executive) that you don't mind spending the $10,000 or $20,000 for a heavy three week spot schedule, but you want to get some kind of guarantee or promise from the PD that the record will go into rotation soon after you start; after all, the reason you called the station in the first place was to set up your "legal indie contract". You'll spend the money, if you get the spins. The PD and sales staff now have you where they want you. They have done their job of making you think that your pseudo "indie contract" starts out with an ad (not "add") schedule, and that it will "maybe probably" evolve into airplay. It's the most attention you've ever gotten from a station. But you keep prodding the AE for that "promise" that you seem to not be getting... that they WILL play your record if you buy the schedule. The AE says almost everything on the planet, except "yes, we promise". You do not feel so great about this. It must be easier than this... there is no way they'd treat Warner Brothers this way, you say. But you have no other choice... the major-market PD will not talk to you (again, small market would be different), and it looks as if there is nothing left to do but run the spots and hope for spins. Congratulations... you have now completed your dead-end trip. The spots will run, and finish; the station will have your money (legally), and you will have NO regular rotation on this major-market station. The system has worked again. Conclusion: Paying stations is not a tool for a small indie to get airplay. ------------------------------------------------------------ Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion is an independent radio airplay promotion company. 818-905-8038 http://www.radio-media.com. ------------------------------------------------------------ STATION SHUT DOWN FOR NATION VIOLATION by Prime Anarchist World News Tonite Correspondent Dirk Derthbed [PAWN] - South Bronx, NY; Fairfax Station, Virginia; and Harlem, NY. A corporation owning many radio stations was shut down for 6 hours because three of their stations were caught playing Russian classical, Latvian folk and Iraqi punkrock, when their section of the FM dial was only designated for country&western music. Spokespersons would not disclose the name of the company, or even the station names. They were apparently warned once and then shut down 35 seconds later. FCC chairperson Michael K. Trowell said this has nothing to do with politics, that those musical styles have their own sections on the radio dial, somewhere between AM and FM, but definitely not where the country&western should go. ClearChannel, oops, we mean the corporation, which will remain unnamed, was back up in 6 hours save for the three channels in question, which are still closed down until they can be sold at auction to vodka companies. When asked whether this has anything to do with Homeland Security, the Patriot Act or Kazaa offering free downloads of commercial music, FCC Chief of Staff Marsha J. McBride said, "absolutely no comment." [ED NOTE: No, of course none of this is factual, except some of the ideas are real. Check out a few other PAWN News Reports tucked in ATI Zine (http://flag.blackened.net/ati/zine/infomaniack.html) and you'll get the gist pretty quickly. ] JUST SO YOU KNOW: It was very important to us that this issue of this 'zine not mention ___________, _______, or ___ _____ _______ at all. Good news, and good nite. "I know, let's try Bush in the Senate." Send letters to: ati@etext.org Go to our never-official website at: http://flag.blackened.net/ati/infomaniack.html or http://flag.blackened.net/ati/zine/infomaniack.html Get back issues at: http://www.angelfire.com/wi/kokopeli/cygnus.html And sign up for the once a week publication at our listserver. We'll let YOU FIND THAT ONE on your own. P R O V O K E F R E E D O M