Message from an Elder

[Guest guest]

My Name is Jim RabidWolf Hickinbotham, I am an

<br>indigenous man of North America (Choctaw Nation <br>of

Oklahoma). What I speak, I speak for myself <br>and no one

else. I represent no one, no one tells<br>me what to

say. I think for myself.<br><br>I ask only that you

read what I have written, <br>give it a fair hearing,

then act upon it as seems<br>right in your

heart.<br><br>You may do what you will this - disseminate it as

<br>you will, print and copy it; delete it if that

<br>suits you. I ask only that if it is passed on, it<br>be

done so with out addition or deletion.<br><br>This is

my vision, it was gifted to me, and I <br>give it

you as freely.<br><br>Recent events have brought the

world to the brink<br>of war and destruction, such has

never been known<br>in the histories of the world,

written or oral.<br>People have begun to polarize,

calling for war or <br>peace, justice or mercy, revenge

or forgiveness. <br>Each knows himself or herself to

be right, not<br>understand why others cannot see it

their way.<br><br>What has happened to me began three

nights ago <br>with a dream of my third

great-grandfather. He <br>had but one thing to tell me, "If you

cannot see <br>the other side, guard your sight

jealously, for <br>you are already blind in one

eye."<br><br>Two nights later, I had the vision that I share

<br>with you now.<br><br>We are, ALL OF US, wrong. If you

have been crying<br>for peace, you are wrong. If you

have been crying <br>for war, you are wrong. If your

stand has been <br>for justice, you are wrong. If you

stood for <br>revenge, you are wrong. All of us are

wrong.<br><br>There are no clean hands in all of this. We are

<br>about to all pay for our arrogance. There are no

<br>choices, no options. <br><br>If America retaliates, there

will be war, perhaps <br>in the entire world. If she

does not, then she <br>will be provoked until she

does. If Bin Laden is<br>taken, arrested, 25 or more

atrocities will be <br>committed to regain his freedom, if

he is killed, <br>at least one-and we will go to war

in either case.<br><br>Do not wonder why America had

such machinations <br>in the last presidential

election; it is because <br>George Bush has been placed

there for this very<br>purpose. I am not saying that he

is "God's man," <br>I am saying that he there

because he would behave <br>exactly as he is doing. I

don't not believe any <br>of the other candidates would

act as he does or <br>will.<br><br>Oslama Bin Laden

is where he is for exactly the <br>same reason, no

more no less. Read nothing more <br>into those

statements than what is there. We <br>cannot go to war. The

cost is too high. Neither <br>can we turn our backs.

We cannot arrest whom we <br>assume to be guilty -

there is no justice on our<br>courts throughout the

world. We have allowed them <br>to become a mockery of

any just law or ethic. We <br>have twisted them into

a tool of our own <br>misshapen senses.