The Indigenous Non-Profit Industrial Complex: A Petri Dish for Conspiracism

Conspiracism as a mental health affliction within the indigenous radical left, while frequently introduced by agent provocateurs, is often unthinkingly perpetuated by the orthodox. Using the Principles of Psywar (psychological warfare), handlers of agent provocateurs and managers of corporate derivative funds — distributed via indigenous brokerages within the non-profit industrial complex — regularly exercise their power of the purse to create political turbulence to their advantage. By creating such disturbances within indigenous activist networks, the Wall Street aristocracy is able to both co-opt charlatans, opportunists and pious poseurs (COPPs), as well as deceive recipients of funds laundered through foundations and indigenous fronts for capital.

Within the indigenous peoples movement, this psywar — conducted using Wall Street derivatives — plays out in the form of brokerages like the Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development buying grassroots loyalty with small grants of money supplied by powerhouses like the Ford Foundation and JP Morgan Chase, and the corporate buy-in of indigenous leadership through brokerages like the too good to be true First Peoples Worldwide. These in turn undermine the movement by usurping international institutional processes, and by attacking indigenous governing authorities that are the only real challenge to the financial services empire, which — along with modern states — is committed to defeating all efforts of indigenous self-determination. All in all, a truly out of control, through the looking glass, Orwellian scenario.

As an example of this sordid scheme to defeat indigenous sovereignty and the psychological impact it has had on indigenous activists in the United States, some of the participants in the North American Indigenous Peoples Caucus — which, thanks to compromised NGOs and agent provocateurs, already has a credibility issue — recently became agitated over false rumors about a tribal delegate to the June 2013 Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference in Norway, leading up to the September 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in New York. The malicious covert campaign to demonize the delegate was initiated in March at the North American Preparatory Meeting, and refreshed last week, by the same deceitful and treacherous agent provocateur during the Twelfth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues–a global public relations spectacle, itself designed to deceive.

While the social viruses used to attack authentic indigenous leadership that challenges Wall Street’s hegemony are not unique to the indigenous peoples movement, they are particularly potent considering the tragic history of U.S. policy toward American Indians and their governing authorities. Since the passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, the psywar deployed against the indigenous peoples movement has intensified in both its overt and covert forms. While it is perhaps too late to inoculate those with a radical predisposition to conspiracism, it is hopefully not too late to educate others who are still open to understanding their roles, in order to isolate agent provocateurs and the toxic theories they disseminate via compromised and manipulated vectors of social change.

While we provide educational analysis freely to those targeted by this psywar, sadly it seems to have had little prophylactic result. Such is the nature of The Public Health Model: it has to be implemented in a timely and systematic way, or those already impaired cannot benefit.

I expect that the indigenous governing authorities whom the provocateurs and their followers are trying to obstruct will move forward to Norway and New York, despite the saboteurs’ delinquent behavior, and in time will eclipse the harmful fantasies fostered by the orthodoxy of radicalism within some indigenous NGOs. For those willing to learn, it is still possible to see the light, turn in the right direction, and join us in the pursuit of justice.

Update: In his June 5 article at Indian Country Today, Steven Newcomb, usually a level-headed guy, has apparently bought into the conspiracy theory promulgated in March by agent provocateur Glenn Morris. As I noted in my comment on Newcomb's article, his leap of logic -- actually illogic -- is unwarranted. As I pointed out in my comment at Censored News, we want to be discerning in our analysis of the indigenous non-profit industrial complex, so we can better understand its dynamics. Indigenous activists sometimes develop a view of themselves and their networks as an alternative to indigenous governments. This view, unfortunately, undermines the indigenous movement by eliminating the prospect of indigenous jurisdiction, and thus plays into the modern state philosophy of indigenous nations termination. While not all indigenous activists succumb to conspiracism, some -- like Kent Lebsock of Owe Aku International -- do, and by engaging in paranoia-fueled witch hunts like the one started by Glenn Morris, become an impediment to the movement.

Glenn T. Morris: Deceitful and Treacherous

As I noted recently, Glenn T. Morris has a history as agent provocateur. His calculated sabotage of the North American Preparatory Meeting for the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples — held in March at Sycuan — is only the latest in his long career as an obstructionist. Once expelled by the International Indian Treaty Council for disruptive behavior, and previously described by the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council as deceitful and treacherous, Morris on May 23 — during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Twelfth Session in New York — began spreading false and malicious rumors on the North American Indigenous Peoples Caucus list serv about the president of the Quinault Indian Nation, Fawn Sharp.

As part of his delinquent role within the notoriously untrustworthy NAIPC, Morris continues to instigate resentment toward Sharp in order to undermine her participation in the World Conference, set to begin at the Global Indigenous Preparatory Conference next month in Alta, Norway.

Why Morris would attack one of the most effective and capable American Indian leaders is puzzling, and makes one wonder what his real agenda is. As the protege of proven fraud Ward Churchill, Morris’ career of choreographed belligerence for personal aggrandizement is bad enough. His sowing of distrust to create dissension between indigenous governing authorities and indigenous activists is destructive.

The article Morris relies on to develop his conspiracy theory about Sharp — while noting she has worked for many state, tribal and federal government agencies — neglects to mention that her position at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency was clerical, not as an agent, as Morris is promoting. Morris knows this, and I can only assume he is conducting his covert campaign against Ms. Sharp in order to poison her reputation among international indigenous activists now gathering at UN headquarters in New York.

Ms. Sharp, by the way, has also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington State Department of Revenue, Washington State Department of Corrections, as well as the Quinault Indian Nation. Her distinguished career of public service has garnered her numerous appointments and awards for her commitment to upholding treaty rights and American Indian tribal sovereignty. She is currently president of both the Quinault Indian Nation and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

For what it’s worth, the AIM Grand Governing Council states on its website that it suspects Ward Churchill of being an FBI informant and agent provocateur. While they do not provide evidence to support their suspicion, his behavior and that of Morris fits with that job description.

 

Whether Morris is a covert agent inserted into the American Indian Movement to cause dissension, or just an opportunist using the movement to further his career, his intentional misconduct at Sycuan and on the NAIPC list serv make him an impediment to the indigenous peoples movement, and, as such, he should be denied any further platforms to spread distrust of respected indigenous governing authorities like Fawn Sharp.

 

Sharp is not on trial in the court of public opinion–Morris is. If Sharp chooses to discuss her career in the media, that is her business. Mine is making sure that troublemakers like Morris are exposed and marginalized so upstanding leaders like Sharp can do their job.

 

As I wrote on April 12, understanding their roles is essential to indigenous activists and lobbyists in working cooperatively with indigenous governing authorities to achieve indigenous self-determination. When indigenous NGOs and activists engage in fraud or moral theatrics that undermine indigenous governing authorities, the indigenous peoples movement suffers.

Indigenous Fronts for Capital

One thing that happened in Indian Country since the 1970s was the development of a Native American focus within the non-profit industrial complex, with heavy hitters like Ford Foundation providing the bulk of the money. This initial investment by Ford and its ongoing commitment has made a big difference in the ability of Native American artists and individuals involved in language revitalization to access and leverage philanthropic funds from ultra-wealthy Americans like Bill and Melinda Gates.

In addition to arts and culture, Ford invested in Native American non-profits oriented toward economic development in Indian Country, spawning many projects to help alleviate the vast poverty and dependence of American Indians. All to the good, one might think, except that as uber-capitalists, Ford and Gates are not interested in funding opponents of the global system of theft that made and keeps them rich.

Which is where the indigenous fronts for capital come in. As pass-through grant makers to tribes and artists over the years, indigenous capitalist activists like Rebecca Adamson were positioned to promote assimilation of tribes into the capitalist system, helping to corrupt tribal leaders to get in bed with oil and gas companies and other industrial extraction industries. Building indigenous capitalist activist networks to serve as public relations puppets at the UN and in other international venues, provided a means of using NGOs to pose as the protectors of indigenous rights, and later to help global capitalists and the UN keep indigenous governing authorities out.

One obvious problem involved in being on the Ford Foundation gravy train is that Ford and Gates -- along with the World Bank -- are ardent supporters of mega development on indigenous lands, and thus serve to decimate indigenous self-determination by indigenous governing authorities seeking to live in balance with nature. Having their army of indigenous NGOs and lobbyists playing their part in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues charade and World Conference on Indigenous Peoples fiasco – while simultaneously closing the door on indigenous governing authorities’ participation – allows Ford and friends to pretend to benevolence, while in reality condemning the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the dustbin.

In discussing the price of taking money from Ford, a friend of mine recently asked, “If I was a novice to Indian-related issues, I would say -- based on their (First Peoples Worldwide) website -- that they are in support of Indian rights.  However, so that I can be clear about their real intentions, would you say they are trying to assert that Indians should not be treated differently from other US citizens, when it comes to civil rights -- thereby opposing the collective rights of any particular nation/group within the US?”

Concluding my analysis of Ford, I said that it's why civil rights is promoted by liberal philanthropies, at the same time they invest in undermining human rights. Civil rights do not conflict with capitalism, while human rights do.

”Speaking of dirty money,” I said, “the gal that started off our discussion on Ford and the co-optation of indigenous NGOs, Rebecca Adamson, is in the news.” In fact, I just got the following press release in the mail that day. As I noted, “I guess Obama is looking for some capitalist Indians to help him whitewash the criminal intent of the extractive industries that ripped off tribes coast to coast and resulted in the shameful settlement known as Cobell.” As I remarked to my friend, “I guess we called that one right.”

PRESS RELEASE

January 8, 2013

Contact: Nick Pelosi +(1) 899-540-6545

Rebecca Adamson Appointed to USEITI

First Peoples Worldwide (FPW) Founder and President Rebecca Adamson has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to serve on the U.S. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Advisory Committee. The committee will guide and oversee the U.S. government’s implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

EITI is a global effort to increase the transparency and accountability of natural resource revenue reporting. Participating governments are required to disclose all revenues from oil, gas, and mining companies, while companies are required to disclose these same payments to governments. The two sets of data are subject to review and approval from an independent third party approved by both sides, and then released in a public report. The 21-person committee, which includes representatives from the industry, government, and civil society sectors, will develop USEITI reporting requirements through a multi-year, consensus-based process. The full list of committee members is available here.

“It is an honor to be chosen for the committee,” says Adamson. “We commend the Department of Interior’s recognition of the need to include an Indigenous voice in this process.  Given the impacts of extractive companies on our communities, it is important that we are given a role in increasing the transparency of the industry.”

Adamson is a pioneer in using market-based strategies to advocate for Indigenous Peoples around the world.  By engaging directly with oil, gas, and mining companies and their shareholders, Adamson and FPW are restructuring business models to ensure Indigenous communities a fair stake in development projects that affect them. This year, FPW will release a report measuring the risk exposure to Indigenous Peoples for 40 oil, gas, and mining companies in the Russell 1000 Index. The data will be used to help investors incorporate Indigenous Peoples’ interests in their investment decisions, and to promote shareholder dialogue with companies about Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Click here to read more about FPW’s corporate engagement program.

Notes to Editors:

For more information and to interview Rebecca Adamson, please contact Nick Pelosi at npelosi@firstpeoples.org.

About First Peoples Worldwide:

Founded by Rebecca Adamson in 1997, First Peoples Worldwide is dedicated to strengthening Indigenous communities through the restoration of their authority and control over their assets. For more information, visit www.firstpeoples.org.

Too Big To Jail

As the Financial Services Forum gathered recently at the White House, Tom Burghardt runs down the ongoing criminal enterprise of President Obama's friends like JP Morgan Chase.

False Victimhood

The Far-Right in the US has long relied on false victimhood to fuel indignation and mobilize resentment into electoral support. With the emergence of the Tea Party, the sense of rage based on false victimhood went steroidal. As Devin Burghart at the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights reports, false victimhood promoted by the Tea Party Patriots is a standard political organizing tactic.

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Anti-Democratic Movement in Washington State

In my recent article White Power on the Salish Sea, I take a look at the Wall Street/Tea Party convergence against treaty rights in Washington state. As a lethal threat to both endangered species and human rights, this bipartisan, anti-democratic movement targeting Indian tribes should be roundly opposed by moral authorities and organizations devoted to defending democracy.

White Supremacy Factions

There are two major threads to white supremacy: revolutionary and mainstream. The skinheads, neonazis and Klan are revolutionaries. That is the smallest faction. The mainstreamers are far more numerous and their rhetoric is strongly reflected in the Minutemen (anti-immigrant groups) and Tea Parties. The main difference between the two factions is their approach to electoral politics.

The revolutionaries reject electoral politics and the mainstreamers embrace it.

Zeskind's book, Blood and Politics is framed around an analysis of the revolutionary/mainstreamer factions.

There is a third faction, the separatist anti-government survivalists known as the Christian Patriots. They propose withdrawal from society and creation of isolated areas under their own law and authority. These were the groups behind the militia violence of the 1990s. They draw on a mixture of revolutionary and mainstream propaganda and ideology. The hard core of the Christian Patriots are racist Christian Identity believers who rejected the overtly revolutionary approach of Aryan Nations under Richard Butler. John Trochmann of Montana, now a fairly obscure character, was the paradigmatic leader of Christian Patriot militias in the 1990s. Pat Buchanan's political persona was a fusion of mainstreamer and Christian Patriot influences.

All three groups have adopted a core ideology of white racialist nationalism. The core to this is an idea of distinct racial classes to citizenship and the separation of races by both law and custom.

The sunlight v shunning debate is an old one. Every time there has been a crisis, the sunlight approach wins. The key to defeating reactionary racist politics is education and exposure. They work mostly by deception, infiltration and subversion and these tactics are impossible when they are subject to scrutiny and exposure leading to confrontation and rejection. Shunning them actually give them additional cover.

The worst setbacks to the Tea Party have been due to exposure, not people trying to ignore them.
--Paul de Armond, MetaFilter, October 1, 2010