Note by Hunter Bear:

FROM Steve Rossignol  2/20/05

Too good not to forward onward.  Steve, a good Socialist Party USA comrade,
is on the Tribute.  Have just returned from a tough walk:  slick snow, slick
ice.  All basically OK, which is a relief of sorts.  Yesterday, in an
extreme version of what sometimes happens, my balance went slightly askew
and my legs buckled completely.  Three family members grabbed me.  After I
sat down, it passed.  So I [and Maria] had to walk today just to show the
SLE that it cannot win.  And, as I say, things went well.  Before we hit the
actual trail, a neighbor came by in his pickup and we all talked.  He noted
my newly huge feet [16s].  At his request, I am giving him one of my old
pair of lace up high top Vasque boots, Size 14, which I got in early '98
just after my feet went from 13 to 14.  He'll stuff them with rags.   Best,
H


Happy Late Birthday, Hunter Bear!  Hope you are doing well!

Buckskin condoms, huh?  Doesn't that give you saddle sores?

Best,

Steve Rossignol

HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR]   Micmac /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by NaŽshdoŽiŽbaŽiŽ
and Ohkwari'

In our Gray Hole, the ghosts often dance in the junipers and sage, on the
game trails, in the tributary canyons with the thick red maples, and on the
high windy ridges -- and they dance from within the very essence of our own
inner being. They do this especially when the bright night moon shines down
on the clean white snow that covers the valley and its surroundings.  Then
it is as bright as day -- but in an always soft and mysterious and
remembering way. [Hunter Bear]

As I often say, It's critical to always keep fighting -- and to
always remember that, if one lives with grace, he/she should be prepared to
die with grace.



 

___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

NOTES ON NATIVE ORGANIZING [HUNTER BEAR]  2/24/05

Ward Churchill has, long ago, antagonized beyond repair a great many Native
scholars and writers indeed.  A number of these are women -- Jodi Rave,
Suzan Harjo, Patti Jo King, others -- and that will ensure a very rough trip
directly into the River Rapids.  I agree essentially with just about all of
Churchill's Native critics.  His civil liberties should be defended on
principle.  But he is not a man with whom I would care to work in any
meaningful social justice endeavors.  He is focused on himself, not on the
community.

Mainline AIM -- the Bellecourts [very substantial White Earth Chippewa "blood"
indeed and culture; I know them and Eldri knows their family from the 1950s]
and Dennis Banks  and others in that fine Native activist tradition -- are
working at the Native grassroots, much of this in the Twin Cities and other
urban crucibles.  Their focus is on the things Native people sorely need and
want:  employment training and placement, sensible anti-drug and alcohol
work [prevention, treatment], housing.  If you have labored in these tough
and grinding areas, you need ethical funding -- churches, foundations, state
and government grants.  To get those -- and this is one of the really
bizarre lines of hostile and demagogic attack by Churchill's Denver/Boulder
AIM against the mainline AIM -- you always have to be incorporated on a
not-for-profit basis under state law, have a constitution, a viable board of
directors, a registered agent, and 501[c]3 status from IRS.

In early 1973, many of us set up the all-Indian Native American Community
Organizational Training Center, based at Chicago. I was its Chairperson for
years.  We handled all of the paperwork ourselves, except the 501[c]3 tax
exempt dimension which is super complicated.  I persuaded faculty friends at
the University of Iowa Law School [I was a prof in UI's Graduate Program in
Urban and Regional Planning which worked closely with Law] to set up a
Practicum -- in which second and third year law students could get  academic
credit for doing our Training Center 501[c][3].  Initially, IRS seemed
concerned about the "community organizational" dimension but we overcame
those inhibitions and got exactly what we needed and the students got their
academic credit.  The Training Center then drew church and foundation money,
and accomplished much as it rolled along.  Eventually, it produced Native
American Community Health Services, for which we handled the initial
paperwork -- and Law students got its 501[c]3 as well.  The incipient
American Indian Business Association of Chicago and the Midwest -- I was its
board member from Iowa -- asked us to get 501]c]3 status and, once again,
that was secured.  [The Association's focus was small Native business --
much in the arts-and-crafts realm -- and also tribally owned and controlled
economic programs: e.g., fisheries in Michigan.

If you have done this kind of work, necessary and much needed -- and I doubt
very much that Churchill ever has -- you will know exactly what I'm talking
about.  And you won't shoot at it.

Yours, Hunter Gray [Hunter Bear]
 

MEDICAL REPORT AND UPDATE [HUNTER BEAR, 2/25/05]

On the whole, the visit to our key doctor early this afternoon went well.
Lasted for about an hour and was characterized, not surprisingly, by "frank
and friendly discussion."  Eldri and Thomas accompanied me.  He examined me
pretty thoroughly, finding nothing profoundly amiss.  I had pretty well
deduced that the disturbing loss-of-balance and leg-collapse [and other
family members agree with me] is coming about because of the legs [affected
by SLE and aggravated by too much sitting] and not because of SLE in my
nervous system [always a danger.]  In other words, the leg situation is
causal, not the other way around.  The doctor agreed that was quite probable
and we will watch it very carefully.  In the meantime, we will try reducing
the Prednisone [which has caused diabetes] and bringing in, as a mix with
Prednisone, the more moderate drug, Plaquenil.   He was thorough in telling
me the warning things to look out for in the use of Plaquenil.

[This doc is a young Utah Mormon, just married -- to a Finnish American girl
from Virginia, MN -- in the main LDS Temple at Salt Lake.  In our family, we
very much trust Mormons. Flagstaff was and is heavily Catholic and Mormon.
I was a pall bearer at  the LDS funeral of a friend's mother when I was 15;
it was impressive in its grass roots simplicity. Cameron who lives here is
LDS -- as is his grandfather, Idaho's senior Labor advocate, Lin Whitworth.
Eldri is, of course, substantially Finnish.]

My feet are once again swelling significantly so I will have to return for
awhile to medicine that I don't like: Lasix.  Some pain continues and is
always around, feet hurt and hands cramp, it is tough to sleep at night for
several reasons [including retrospectives of my Life], but things could be
worse.  Like the old Catholic bishop on ER or the young Native woman on the
nearby Shoshone/Bannock reservation, I could easily be dead from SLE.

And it, mysterious and malevolent and unpredictable, plays only by its own
rules.  It can do anything -- destructive.  For me, things continue very
much to be a "Clock Without Hands."

But I am still planning a Fall bear hunt in the Soda Springs area, just east
of here, and close to the Wyoming border.  I'll use my 1895
Browning/Winchester  30.06 lever action, "High Grade" and "One in One
Thousand."

Hanging On, Standing Tall.  H

HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR]   Micmac /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
www.hunterbear.org
Protected by NaŽshdoŽiŽbaŽiŽ
and Ohkwari'

Peter Gray Salter on The Caribbean Cruise [and other matters] 2/26/05

Peter [Mack] writes: [My response follow.]

1. Plaquenil isn't the chemo drug, is it?
2. What are the warning things to look out for with Plaquenil?
3. Take me hunting with you, Pa?
4. While Beba may think about you and Fidel and Mainstream while he leans on
a railing (trapped on a germ-infested cesspool of a cruise surrounded by a
thousand other pasty and pale northerners trying to escape winter) I keep a
copy of that month's cover in my cubicle as I spend 60 hours a week
upholding my noble profession.
Later

Response by Hunter Bear [who agrees  fully with Thomas that ours is a rather
strange family -- though, I must say, quite competent in all cases.]

Peter [Mack] keeps a very good copy of the cover of the May 1960 issue of
Mainstream in his office --  that with Fidel's name and mine thereon.

Mike Francisco, the top flight hematologist and quickly a good friend [I
said at the time that his great arrogance was matched only by mine], was,
with another fine doc, the first to eventually diagnose profound SLE in my
case after many weeks of others trying to delineate Whatever which had just
about done me in.  I had been sent to Mike because the general feeling was
that I had some kind of far out blood cancer.  After the diagnosis and all
the related blood checks [including via Salt Lake], he initially prescribed
Plaquenil.  It is not a chemo drug and is more moderate than Prednisone.
However, it was not strong enough to contain the rampaging Lupus at that
point and so, after massive anti-biotics to kill the related Lupus pneumonia
etc, Prednisone was given me in high dosage, later slowly reduced somewhat.
Now, we are trying to slowly reduce Pred even more [it can't be stopped cold
turkey without dire consequences], mixing it with Plaq. [More pills!]  An
eighty year old friend asked me, "How many pills are you taking these
ays?  -- he, himself, is taking many for other things -- and I told him,
thinking, "Jesus, it's come to this!"   I am taking about 20 at least per
day.

If we can conclusively dump Prednisone, the diabetes, caused essentially by
the high dosages, may go away.  Of course, there is no cure at all for SLE
Lupus.

There are a number of side effects of Plaquenil.  The major one involves
what can be irreversible eye damage.  I will have to have a couple of check
ups each year on that score.  SLE itself develops spectacular rashes but, if
another kind of less drastic rash appears, it'll be because of the Plaquenil
and I have been asked to call our doc immediately.

I will be happy to take Pete bear hunting with me -- delighted.  As I will
any other family member.  We are going to try to do some advance
bear-scouting. [Unfortunately, I cannot walk as I once could -- at least
now].  I have never and I will never, as people who know me know, fall into
the unfortunate trap of "bear-baiting":  that is, placing food regularly for
bears over a period of time and then eventually killing one at that locale
when the season opens. Me and my Rifle, the Bear and its Great Wits and
Sharp Claws and Sharp Teeth -- on a reasonably level playing field.  That is
the proper and Traditional Way. Our whole family agrees very much with me on
this.

Of course we all do hope Beba and Nancy have a fine little cruise.  It
should go well.  In any case, measured against the super cold temps of North
Dakota and Minnesota, Anything is an improvement.  My parents sometimes
traveled by ship -- especially since my father, throughout his long life,
steadfastly refused to fly at any point.  But, if Beba's boat should go
down, perhaps we can arrange for Cuba to rescue.  Beba likes Hemingway, and
H. loved Cuba which consistently honors him.

Best to you, Mack, and to Beba et al., and to all else.

Dad

FROM DAVID MCREYNOLDS:  2/26/05

Enjoyed the post - am glad you don't bear-bait. I admit I'm not a hunter,
except perhaps with camera, but I know the world is made up of all
different kinds of people. However the animals (the other ones, noting we
are also animals) should be given some chance, not tricked!

Pills, yes, one can laugh and of course the pills can hit at any age. I
take only two things - if we don't count aspirin and vitamins
(though the vitamins may do as much good as the others).

These days I can see in the gay press lots of ads which make it sound as if
AIDS were a mere nothing, that being HIV positive were no more than a
headache - and I am certainly extremely lucky that in my sometimes
irresponsible life I didn't contract this. But when it comes to pills, I
wish younger gay men (and anyone, for that matter - in Russia, which is
falling apart because of AIDS, gay men are the least of the problem!) would
grasp that it is a regimen of pills all day long and all night long.

March is nearly here. The sun outside is bright, and the one reliable sign
of spring, the one unfailing marker, my chives, are up on the fire escape.
I have a pot of chives that sits there winter and summer, giving green bits
during the growing season. But of course with the first hard frost they die
down. Are covered by snow. The pot frozen solid with hard freezes, yet
EVERY YEAR, regardless of the temperature, and regardless of whether there
is snow sitting on top of the little clay pot, the chives poke up green
shoots between Februaryy 10 and 15, without fail.

Peace,
David                                                                                                                                         

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