Terrance Nelson, former chief of Roseau River First Nation in Manitoba, heads to Iran in October with two Dakota chiefs. Today, Nelson writes to Harper concerning, Israel, Iran and Canada's closing of the Iran Embassy.Terrance Nelson on Canada's closing of Iran Embassy: "We both know that the accusation that the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa was recruiting Iranians in Canada was a smokescreen, the real reason for the closure is APTN reporting our scheduled trip to Tehran on October 8 to 20. Dakota Chief Frank Brown, Dakota Chief Orvile Smoke, myself and possibly Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak were scheduled to travel to Iran. The implications of this trip are that the Americans would go ballistic with your government when Chief FrankBrown does his power point presentation in front of the Iranian Parliament showing pictures of the mass graves from the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre."
Dear Prime Minister Harper A year or so before the 2008 economic meltdown in the United States I told Bob Rae that the United States economy was going to implode. He said "I have heard that from a number of people, I don't believe it,the United States economy is stronger than people know."Poor old Bob, he never did have much of a grasp on economics. I am going to appeal to your sense of economics regarding the issue of Iran. A war against Iran is economic suicide for the United States and therefore economic suicide for Canada because we are so dependent upon the United States economy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blinders on, he only sees the narrow vision of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. When Israel
bombs Iran, it will cause a wider war. Israel receives billions of dollars a year in foreign aid from the United States and Canada.Israel is the only country that Americans can contribute to and get a tax credit under American law. How much does Canada contribute to Israel every year both public and private dollars?
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Peter McKay's Iranian wife talks about the human rights violations in Iran but never mentions that Israel has 100 nuclear bombs targeting Iranian cities and people. I wonder what she would have to say when the Iranians get bombed and millions of her people get fried. Has your government ever talked about regime change in Saudi Arabia? Why is human rights mentioned only if the country is
not cooperating with the west. Didn't fifteen of the nineteen terrorists who attacked the United States in 911 come from Saudi Arabia?The most dangerous situation for Israel is not Iran, it is in the
United States. I traveled in New Mexico and Arizona last spring. I was shocked at the level of anger amongst Americans against Obama. Civil war is possible in the United States if Obama is re-elected and there is no change in the economy. If Romney is elected, a confrontation with Russia is very likely. Iran has non western support as evidenced by the Non Aligned meeting in Tehran. This is not going to be a cake
walk. In today's Globe and Mail, there is an article on the closing of the embassies in Tehran and Ottawa stating "It is unclear what triggered Canada's decision..." The Iranian Embassy meeting with us was of concern to your government but for First Nations Chiefs and especially Oil Sands Chiefs going to an OPEC nation for help is cause for the Iranian Embassy to be closed. Americans are like the Greeks, they do not want reality, they want quick and easy solutions to the economy. The fact that the world is sending $2.7 trillion a year to oil producing countries and Americans being held hostage to $4 a gallon for gasoline is unsustainable. Our trip to Tehran will take place, we are not deterred by the closing of the Iranian Embassy. Iranians are now really angry at your government. The recent announcements of over 80% cuts to Chiefs organizations like the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs can only lessen your government's ability to influence First Nation politics. Chief Brown's community and Chief Smoke's community both have over 90% unemployment and I never blamed you for the Canadian Indian Act system, that was never legislated by your government but without hope there can only be confrontation between First Nations and your government. We are not hiding in some cave 5000 miles away, we are here in the heart of the North American economy. First Nations sit on all aspects of the Canadian economy, including all the oil pipelines to the United
States. Of course you do not want Iranians recruiting indigenous people in Canada but what are you prepared to do to stop this? The Treaty 1 to 11 Gathering in Brandon Manitoba this week will determine First Nations direction for the foreseeable future. Treaty 1-11 is a non government funded organization. They are independent of your government's financing. You have no financial influence over the Treaty 1-11 association and you will get much less cooperation from the Chiefs as the government funding cuts hit the communities. All the oil produced by Canada that is being sent to the United States is in the Treaty 1-11 territory. I have a two year contract to work for the Lubicons and as you are aware Chief Bernard Ominayak send a letter to the Chinese. You can expect a lot of action coming from the Oil Sands First Nations as I will be asking in Tehran for OPEC nations financial help in getting First Nations a share of our own natural resource wealth.Oil is the issue and always has been. As I represent the Lubicons as a liaison, I
will be presenting their situation to the Iranians, their financial exclusion from their oil wealth. They own the Oil Sands but receive nothing from their resource wealth. OPEC was formed because of the theft of Persian and Arab oil. The Americans and Canadians have been taking oil from First Nations and not paying anything to the rightful owners. You might be another Bob Rae, I don't know, but I will make you a prediction. World oil consumption will be 45 million barrels a day within six to ten years and oil will be $40 a barrel within four
years. The American investors will flee the Alberta oil production economy in droves. As I said in my speech when I ran in Toronto in July for National Chief, "Steven Harper is not the problem, we are...." There is no
stopping us from going outside Canada. The Americans never once condemned Canada, much less even commented on the human rights violations in Canada. The Germans, French, English, Italians etc, don't give a damn about indigenous people in Canada. Yes, Iran has its reasons for meeting with us, but so do we. We would like to work with the Conservatives but like it or not, we the indigenous people are the real owners of the natural resource wealth in Canada. We will not peacefully stay at 60 to 95% unemployment.
What happens at the Treaty 1-11 Gathering this week, I don't know. The Chiefs will be angry but are they ready to support a trip to Iran. We'll see. By way of explanation to the Iranians, the reason APTN has information on the trip was that they were being invited to go to Iran with us, not as a part of the delegation but as reporters. That is the reason they knew of the planning of the trip.
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