Canada, you do it so rarely but right now, you disgust me. First and foremost I am a Mohawk, tried and true. But I’m also Canadian, I’m fairly proud to be Canadian, I will gladly admit to being Canadian, but not on days like today. On days like today, Canada and a surprisinly large chunk of neighboring Canadian communities, I am ashamed and disgusted with you. I’ve come to expect more from Canada, even though they refuse to sign an agreement established by the UN to reconginze indigenous communities human and sovereign rights ( Like the U.S, Austrailia, Argentina, etc, all countries that have large marginalized indigenous populations, shocker).
Right now, my people are protesting the arming of CBSA officers at the customs building that sits on our land before you enter Cornwall, Ontario. And I agree with it since its no secret what a lot of these customs officers think of us. Its well documented some of the discrimination we go through, the bullshit they try to pull, the fact they try to provoke people to act out, the more serious offenses have been brought before a human rights board in Canada. With such people in the position they are already in to abuse their position, why would we want them armed? So when they feel like we’re not being “good indians” they can pull a gun us? I think not.
But what sickens me is the response of the communities neighboring us. How dare you. You smile at us, you take our money, you drive to our land to buy cheap gas, cheap cigarettes, crappy little gift shop items. You spend money at our Casino’s and laugh and have a good time, and joke with us. But the minute we step up for ourselves, when something happens that we would feel harms our community that’s when the vitriol leaks out. It starts out small at first and then builds. “Oh, indians protesting again, government not doing a damn thing”, slowly going on to more blatantly racist thoughts. How dare you malign an entire commnunity for a select few that break the law. My parents are hard working honest people, my grandparents were honest, hard working people, my Tota Frank fought in WWII because he felt compelled, he wasn’t drafted. My Grandpa Angus was a pilot in the Airforce, then he remained in the Reserve and a firefighter. All of my friends and their parents are hard working, honest people. Don’t you dare insult them by lumping them in with a few people that decide to run a bad life.
When you drive through the Canadian Customs, all those cameras are not turned at the vehicles, they are turned on the CBSA officers themselves. Over the years there have been several very large drug busts involving CBSA officers, and WHITE ACCOMPLISES, running drugs and taking bribes. One even involving a head official that would call their accomplises and tell them which lane to drive through. Now CBSA officers are not allowed to carry their cellphones while on duty. I would rather these men not be armed.
Also arming the CBSA officers does include a decent number of individuals that work there as Mohawk Security. These men take the same risks and endanger their lives in the same way as CBSA officers. They are your ground security, why are they not armed? If Mohawk security gets nothing, CBSA gets nothing. My father is Mohawk Security, there have been days where he’s faced some very serious situations, one in particular involving a man and a gun, and all that he has is a baton, even if they still have them. I’m not even sure if they still give Mohawk Security bullet proof vests anymore. I don’t think so.
But what disgusts me and just makes me sad that the world has only moved on so far, the attitudes of the communities that border us. When these situations come up all the racist things come out. I like to think its not everybody, its only a small select group of people that feel this way, but it seems each time something happens to prove me wrong. Most recently Caledonia, the largest being the Oka crisis and the response by the town of Oka and the Canadian Army and the border town of Chatteguay. Racial slurs not just by people but elected officials, people burning native american effigies. That there is still so much racism everywhere, just makes you wonder if its really worth trying anymore. One can only hear such poison so much in your life before it makes you hate just as much. I’ve heard such things since I was a kid and it probably won’t end anytime soon. Well, I hope it makes you happy that I hate you just as much.
So no, I do not want CBSA officers armed. I think its a horrible god-damned idea thats just going to create serious violent situations when there hasn’t been anything serious. And you people and you’re two faced, or only faced, talk, running your mouth when any sort of oppurtunity arrives, I hope your kids/grandkids/nephews/nieces/ neighbors children/whatever avoid the drugs being peddled by their white neighbors. I heard some white kids from St. Lawrence Univeristy(an Invy leaguer) were busted for selling pot and another for cocaine. Damn shame these rich/middle class kids are hooking your communities up with drugs. Damn shame another frat from Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam is getting closed down from not following simple rules of not getting minors drug and avoiding having them fall out of windows, getting sexually assulted or better yet, dead. Damn shame its all these white kids, eh? If only they could be a minority, eh?
So just smile nicely the next time you come to the rez, whether it be for gas, food, the casino, whatever. Smile real big, be polite, and don’t forget to tip, you assholes.
My first attempt at making onigiri and my first time working with short grain rice. I’d say not bad overall. They tasted good so I don’t really care.
