"General Custer had it coming," reads a many bumper stickers on many
Indian Reservation cars. It got me to thinkin' one day about conspiracy
theories as I tried to listen to another 9/11 post
conspiracy theory being broadcast on rockin' hillbilly Bob's a.m. radio
program on the drive to my mundane job at the mill. (I'm thankful for my
job. Cleaning the mill's offices keeps me in food
and puts gas in the ol' Bloody Nose. That's my beat up red 1967 pick up
truck my late dad gave me. We Indians always give our rigs names. My dad
named his Bloody Nose cuz he got drunk one nite and ran off a steep 50
foot cliff, rolled over a couple of times and landed rightside up
unharmed. The rig was unharmed, too. And all the ol' man got was a bloody
nose. So, he gave the name Bloody Nose to the pick up and drove away).
Back to what I was thinkin'...
Them planes that hit them Twin Towers in New York ol' hillbilly Bob was
saying he had read that a fella in some state on the other side of
America, Wyoming, thought it was a bit suspicious that America wasn't
ready for such a terrible tragedy to happen...My mind started to wander as
I poured a cup of joe from my thermos (it's a 30 mile drive for me to
work). Some caller, (it has to be my damn Mormon boss whose the only one
up this early -- nothing against Mormons --
I just don't like my boss. No conspiracy theory there), he's always
calling the radio station every mornin', and every mornin' hillbilly Bob
has to tell the unknown caller-bossman to turn down the volume on his radio in the
background. Anyway, bossman says he thinks Bill Clinton was to blame
for 9/11 cuz Bush was reading books to kids in some under priviledged
school. I can't believe I work for this bossman...
**********
The prairies have all turned brown this time of year. Soon the winter snows
will come. Custer's "massacre/battle field" re-enactment of June 25, 1876
will be another bad reminder of history gone bizarre for tourism traps.
How could Native Peoples be proud of performing this bad one act play? A
farce of history?
Custer was a driven man I can see that. History paints many portraits of
him. A terrible student-cadet at West Point. Overlooked for serious
promotion. A courageous man. Depends on your point of view I guess.
I was thinkin' about Custer and his men who were wiped out in his infamous
Last Stand. I asked myself some questions. True it could have been
Custer's blind ambition that made him go against all odds.
How does a military commander not know about 8,000 to 10,000 Indians
camping out on a river? These Indians sure would have left a massive trail
of beef jerky wrappers and sunflower seed shells everywhere. That fella in
Wyoming could of told Custer that there was a bunch of Injuns hanging out
down by one of the few watering holes to be found on the summer prairies.
I was wondering, how many of Custer's fellow officers and soldiers really
disliked him? These guys are doing all of this fighting killing women and
children by the hundreds. While back "home" Custer
is getting all the credit for being a great Indian killer. Protecting
America from all those Red mean and nasty, scary wild savages. No fear.
Then the reason the military is in Indian Country in the first place. I
wonder if the soldiers wondered if they were going to see any of the gold
they were sent to protect? Or was it really they were protecting the
settlers and miners for encroaching on Indian lands set aside by White
treaties?
Broken promises is a serious accusation. And so is rewriting history. But,
I have to ask questions. If there were 8,000 to 10,000 Indians hanging out
together, why didn't they recruit more Indians
into sending all these Whites back to where they came from?
And the taking of weapons from Indians? First, you take away all the
buffaloe by killing them by the millions, and in this way the Custer
and/or both the military can justify taking away all the Indians'
Winchesters and other dangerous weapons. The Indians would only use the
weapons to kill Whites. Kill the Red bastards if they don't give up those
weapons!
The winter is coming again. Starvation winters the Indians called them. We
knew then what we know now. We Indians couldn't eat the shiny yellow rocks
the Whites went so mad for. There is so much history that sounds similar
to what is happening in the world today.
**********
...Oh, hillbilly Bob is goin' on about how 9/11 shouldn't be compared to
what happened at Pearl Harbor. Another time, an' another place. Good ol'
Bob suggests we see the movie Pearl Harbor...And ol' Bob agrees with the last caller.
This war in the Middle East is more than about oil. It's about preserving
FREEDOM...
Note to self -- Pick up video CRAZY HORSE on the way home. The one
starring Michael Greyeyes and WHERE THE GOOD GUYS WIN a battle for a change!
At least we good guys had our day in the sun once.
And get some pop corn.
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