Hi Rob,

Sorry it took me this long to get back to you on this, but it's the start of the semester, plus it took awhile to sort out all the problems caused by our harassers lately.

I thought this was a pretty accurate, thoughtful, and balanced picture of the feelings in Indian Country after 9-11. Let me add some things that happened in my area and among the people I knew.

Arizona is pretty conservative, but it's a libertarian type of conservatism, like Goldwater's saying "I don't care of they ARE straight as long as they can SHOOT straight!" about gays in the military. But we still had some pretty crazy incidents. About one third of the Muslim exchange students at Arizona State, or those from the Middle East, went back home because they were fearful or being intimidated. Those that stayed made it a habit to never travel alone or at night. There were some cars that were vandalized, and several physical attacks which the university later claimed were a hoax. Most of the exchange students didn't agree, and the student newspaper publicly ridiculed the students for saying that.

In the whole metro area, there were reports of Mexican men who shaved off their beards, goatees, and mustaches out of fear for being mistaken for Arabs. ASU's Am Indian Grad Students group issued a call for caution and urged everyone to travel in groups, for the men to stay clean shaven, and at nighttime to avoid whites who had been drinking or seemed angry.

One professor, Angela Cavender-Wilson, who is Dakota, talked the next day about the need for introspection and understanding why so much of that part of the world hates the US. A conservative student group on campus affiliated with David Horowitz's bunch attacked her as "un-American" and named her their "Socialist Professor of the Month." Dr. Wilson actually thought this was pretty funny. First, she considers herself Dakota and not American. Second, because they apparently did not know the definition of what a socialist is and mistakenly used the word as an epithet.

In the nearby city of Mesa, there was a crazed gunman who went on a rampage. He killed a Sikh man from India, thinking his turban meant he was Muslim, then shot up the home of another East Indian man and a convenience story where yet a third East Indian man was working. When the police hauled him away, he was screaming "Why are you doing this? I'm a patriot! Take all the Muslims away and kill them!"

The funeral of the Sikh man was attended by several thousand people who wanted to show solidarity with the small Sikh community.

Also in Mesa, there was their annual powwow a little while later. I saw something quite unusual, which I've never seen or heard of happening anywhere else. The Grand Entry did NOT have a color guard of veterans or the posting of the American and Canadian flags. Outside of Mohawk powwows after the Oka standoff in Canada, where they refused to fly the Canadian flag anymore and instead posted the Mohawk Warrior Society flag, I've never heard of another powwow without flags being posted.

Instead the organizers had one member each from the Mesa PD and Mesa Fire Dept. leading the Grand Entry. The dual messages seemed pretty clear. First and most obvious, they wanted to say that they recognized police and firemen are on the frontlines in their own way as dangerous as combat soldiers. (That is a pretty remarkable thing to say, given how cops often treat young Native men.) But second, it seemed to me the refusal to post colors and have an honor guard of vets were a clear way of saying "This war on terrorism is a job for cops and not soldiers."

Among the Native activists I knew, there were some pretty sharp divisions. There was one group online, whom I won't name, that refused to allow any "anti American or pro terrorist" opinions at all. The leaders were a married couple who started censoring and expelling anyone who criticized Bush or even called for calm or an end to prejudice. Both of them started haranguing one Native club after another with calls for the murder of everyone in Afghanistan or even all Muslims or the whole Middle East.

Most other Native activists I know were sad but not angry or even surprised. Frankly my own response on hearing of the attacks was not "Oh no!" but "I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

Plenty of Native people put the attacks in perspective by thinking back to the Indian Wars or about the many unsolved murders of Natives going on today in South Dakota. And most Indians I know did not fall for the whole line about alleged American innocence, that claim of Bush that "They attacked us because they hate our freedom."

First, we know Native people are not part of that "us," meaning Americans, since most of us don't consider ourselves American citizens. Second, we know the attacks happened because they hate what the US has done to that part of the world.

One final thing: I saw this letter below posted just the other day and thought it summed up the differences between what white American conservatives thought about the attacks and what most Natives think. Jim Windwalker is a Cherokee attorney and activist of a libertarian bent. [Correction from Jim Windwalker: "While I am often mistaken for an attorney, I am not. I am Chief Investigator for the First Nations Commission on Civil Rights."]

Feel free to post any parts of this letter on your site.

Today I received this in an email:

THIS WAS MY RESPONSE !!!!!!!!!

I am one of those people who have my own opinion about "Patriots."

AND HERE IT IS !!!!

Renew your patriotism and pledge your allegiance to the USA. Forget the many thousands of lives of First Nations People taken by terrorists who called themselves Christians and Americans. These people were murdered for no other reason than for being free People in their own lands and in their own homes, land that was greedily sought after by those who had NO right to it. Our goal is to have one thousand Americans stand on the graves of First Nations People for every victim who fell to Patriotism. By standing tall, you are not only disgracing the memory of these heathen savages, but also reminding yourself that Americans are the only people in the world with rights. That Americans are the only people in the world who are right. By doing this WE show all people that WE are willing to take whatever WE choose at any cost to them and that the only recourse is total annihilation. Pending approval this list of four million patriots will be displayed at Plymouth Rock on the 600 year anniversary date of 1492.

For 226 years America and her flag have stood for Independence, Liberty, Freedom and Justice for all but those WE have determined not to be human or have considered inferior to our own superior race. Fellow Americans, let us join as one in our stand against minority races who are weaker than us and who should be stomped from the earth. Imagine the uplifting effect of four million patriots proudly declaring, "I Pledge Allegiance to the United States of America." Take one minute of your time and add your name to the Pledge of Allegiance. Help inspire confidence and strengthen our collective resolve. Take the action of a patriot. NOW. God bless America.

Those who choose to be mindlessly led should have the right to do so. I AM NOT to be counted among those. If you choose to believe everything you read or hear in the media, then you shall receive what you deserve for your blindness.

For those who choose to examine the FACTS, then YOU shall see the truth!!!!!