Nico's Neuland

I found the following account by Ricardo Urquiza, owner/operator for National Carriers, on the Website of Arbeitskreis Indianer Nordamerikas. 

Stories like this leave me feeling angry and helpless (although not quite as much as Mary Crow Dog's book Lakota Woman).

I was born in 1962. Raised in a middle-class family where politics weren't discussed when children were present, I grew up blissfully unaware of the existence of racism, political injustice, social problems, and human rights violations until I read Othmar Frank Lang's book "Wenn Du verstummst, werde ich sprechen" at age 15 or 16. I was an active member of Amnesty International in my mid- to late teens but dropped out when I started vocational training and hit my partying phase, which meant hanging out with American GIs from McNair and Andrews and my then best friend C. in my every spare minute - a time I wouldn't miss for the world; I never had such a close friendship again with anybody. Ever. But I'm digressing.

Now I find myself interested in human rights issues once more, and much to my horror, the violations seem just as severe as they were in the late 70s. There is so much injustice, so much cruelty. So many struggles... Good grief! What have I been doing these past 28 years? What was I thinking? Why have I been aloof for so long? It feels like waking up from a 100-year-sleep to a weakened body, an atrophied brain, and a muddled mind. 

What can I, a middle-aged non-American woman who severely lacks sophisticated communication skills and argumentative power, do? Sign petitions, make donations, send letters or e-mails to those in power - that is all nice and dandy, but I'm still alone. Finding like-minded people in this area is going to be tough, but they are out there. I know this because good luck has let me cross paths with B. who works for The Nature Conservancy and, upon learning that I was interested in American Indian culture, promptly made the acquaintance of a local Muskogee leader and put me in touch with him. 

The Universe works in mysterious ways. Let's hope that it'll help me find a common denominator in all those my diverging interests.