Buffalohair - Jage Press.
Around and About Pathways
10/3/2015
Buffalohair - Jage Press The Kota (Soft) Side of Mother Earth
All ready up and on the internet!
http://buffalohair-jagepress.weebly.com/index.html
Antonio Sanchez
11 hrs 3/5/2017 · My lodge before I gave to my grandchildren.
Jage. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh The rest of the story! That is bear. Right? Bear. /Buffalohair. picked it out for their front page before Bear. past on:(
Wars and Warriors
Sand Creek Massacre: Without Any Declaration Of War
December 6, 2014
Red Power Media, Staff
https://redpowermedia.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/sand-creek-massacre-without-any-declaration-of-war/
Sand Creek Massacre: Without Any Declaration Of War
December 6, 2014
Red Power Media, Staff
https://redpowermedia.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/sand-creek-massacre-without-any-declaration-of-war/
The American flag and the white flag flown by Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle at the time of Col. Chivington’s attack were intended to show the peaceful nature of the encampment. U.S. soldiers ignored these symbols.
The Sand Creek Massacre: 8 Hours That Changed the Great Plains Forever
National Park Service
11/14/14This article is part of a series by the National Park Service concerning the 150th Anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre.
The Sand Creek Massacre, tragic and unnecessary, impacted Federal-Indian relations and created the circumstances for years of warfare. With the events of November 29, 1864 fixed in their minds, Plains Indian nations faced an uncertain future between warring against and accommodating the federal government.
RELATED: Native History: Sand Creek Massacre Devastates Tribes, Intensifies Warfare
Cheyenne and Arapaho peace chiefs, influenced by assurances of peace at the Camp Weld Conference, reported to Fort Lyon throughout October of 1864. The fort’s commander told Chief Black Kettle and other leaders to await a peace delegation at their camp on Sand Creek and to fly the U.S. flag to indicate their peaceful intent. Throughout November, these elders waited.
On November 29, U.S. Army (Volunteer) soldiers attacked the village. Disregarding the greetings and calls to stop, these “beings in the form of men” fired indiscriminately at the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Of approximately 700 people in the village, about 200 died that day—two-thirds of the dead and mutilated bodies left on the ground were women and children.
Boasting of his victory and downplaying Army casualties, Colonel John Chivington paraded the body parts of dead Cheyenne and Arapaho through the streets of Denver, Colorado, reveling in the acclaim he long-sought. However, not all of Chivington’s officers and men agreed with his actions, and soon the consequences of these actions would sweep up and down the Plains, back to Washington, D.C., and into the lives of thousands of people.
To find out more about the Sand Creek Massacre and its repercussions, visit NPS.gov/sand or visit the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site outside of Eads, Colorado.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/14/sand-creek-massacre-8-hours-changed-great-plains-forever-157775
The Sand Creek Massacre: 8 Hours That Changed the Great Plains Forever
National Park Service
11/14/14This article is part of a series by the National Park Service concerning the 150th Anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre.
The Sand Creek Massacre, tragic and unnecessary, impacted Federal-Indian relations and created the circumstances for years of warfare. With the events of November 29, 1864 fixed in their minds, Plains Indian nations faced an uncertain future between warring against and accommodating the federal government.
RELATED: Native History: Sand Creek Massacre Devastates Tribes, Intensifies Warfare
Cheyenne and Arapaho peace chiefs, influenced by assurances of peace at the Camp Weld Conference, reported to Fort Lyon throughout October of 1864. The fort’s commander told Chief Black Kettle and other leaders to await a peace delegation at their camp on Sand Creek and to fly the U.S. flag to indicate their peaceful intent. Throughout November, these elders waited.
On November 29, U.S. Army (Volunteer) soldiers attacked the village. Disregarding the greetings and calls to stop, these “beings in the form of men” fired indiscriminately at the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Of approximately 700 people in the village, about 200 died that day—two-thirds of the dead and mutilated bodies left on the ground were women and children.
Boasting of his victory and downplaying Army casualties, Colonel John Chivington paraded the body parts of dead Cheyenne and Arapaho through the streets of Denver, Colorado, reveling in the acclaim he long-sought. However, not all of Chivington’s officers and men agreed with his actions, and soon the consequences of these actions would sweep up and down the Plains, back to Washington, D.C., and into the lives of thousands of people.
To find out more about the Sand Creek Massacre and its repercussions, visit NPS.gov/sand or visit the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site outside of Eads, Colorado.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/14/sand-creek-massacre-8-hours-changed-great-plains-forever-157775
THE SECRET NATIVE
September 2007 by Buffalohair
There is no question I know and chat with many entertainers as a part of my work and pleasure. But I want to tell you a story about some of the artists I know. At some point someone mentioned that there were no Natives in the mainstream entertainment world, they were non-existent. I must beg to differ since I know many people in the biz. Fact is, there are Natives in all aspects of the entertainment world.
Today, I was talking to a world-class pianist musician. This person played with some of the finest symphonies, singers and groups in global arena and has international notoriety as a classical musician. With many CD’s out on the shelves world wide with people whispering this persons name, you’d think revealing their true identity would be a no brainer since Native’s are IN it seems.
But I’ve learned there is an inherent fear of letting the world know they are Natives. And not just this piano player but from other folks as well and they cover the gambit as far as the mainstream entertainment world is concerned. There are Rock and Roll groups, singers, dancers, gaffs, techs, camera people and other industry related grunts. All of these people I’ve spoken to were fearful of their careers and did not want to be typecast or relegated only to Native events or Native movies. In other words, they did not want to take a chance in loosing the momentum they have generated in their careers. In a few cases, these people were already big names but the fear of exposure was still overwhelming for them. I could feel the fear in their words as they made mention of this.
Graham Greene broke free from the bondage so many of our Native artists have been stymied with over the years. It’s as if there is a stigma for a Native artist to do ballet or classical music yet some do break out of this stereotypical mold we’ve been typecast in. I know a ballet dancer who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet and was a contender for the “River Dance” but this person’s true identity was never reveled to this day. Why? For fear of retribution from other “fellow” entertainers or producers who’ve gotten these preconceived notions about Native people. Since some people work in Europe there is yet more stereotypical nonsense about being Native. I’ve had people ask me, Mr. Armani, if I lived in a tipi and if I dressed Indian! Holay!!
I’m not going to wear my regalia to a business meeting in West Hollywood or New York City and I refuse to become a walking tourist trap for anybody. What do I have to do, carry around bead work for re-sale? I don’t think so. Point being, I know what some of our brothers and sisters are talking about and I can’t really blame them. Guess it’s a form of prejudice within the industry that pigeon holes our people when they try to find work. “Sorry we are not doing westerns this year.” Gads, I’ve heard that one before.
When I was a stuntman, guess who was the Injun shot off the horse, moi. I bitched and bitched till I finally got to do the all time fave in live western stage acts, “The OK Corral Shootout”. Geeze, even as a stuntman I was typecast as if anyone could see who was falling out a window or car. I used to do live stage acting back in the day. It was a hoot but there was this typecast thing that severely restricted my career goals. Eventually, I reverted back to the grayer areas of employment I wanted to get away from in the first place. At least I was no longer a starving artist and I was back on the streets doin’ my thing making the green stamps.
We are a multi talented group of people who deserve to be in the mainstream out and about doing Shakespeare or playing Peter and the Wolf at the Greek Theater not just beating the tom tom while the great White brother saves the world. Therefore I am going to post all the kewl casting calls I find in the FORUMS section of VUE when I find them. And it behooves all you starving artists out there to give it a run for their money. Audition, Audition, Audition. Other cultures do it, why don’t we???????????
So go break a leg, kick some ass and win an Oscar!
Stepping off my soapbox now.
Your Devil’s Advocate,
Buffalohair
Posted in BUFFALOhair – Somewhere between sanity and dementia, Featured Articles |
September 2007 by Buffalohair
There is no question I know and chat with many entertainers as a part of my work and pleasure. But I want to tell you a story about some of the artists I know. At some point someone mentioned that there were no Natives in the mainstream entertainment world, they were non-existent. I must beg to differ since I know many people in the biz. Fact is, there are Natives in all aspects of the entertainment world.
Today, I was talking to a world-class pianist musician. This person played with some of the finest symphonies, singers and groups in global arena and has international notoriety as a classical musician. With many CD’s out on the shelves world wide with people whispering this persons name, you’d think revealing their true identity would be a no brainer since Native’s are IN it seems.
But I’ve learned there is an inherent fear of letting the world know they are Natives. And not just this piano player but from other folks as well and they cover the gambit as far as the mainstream entertainment world is concerned. There are Rock and Roll groups, singers, dancers, gaffs, techs, camera people and other industry related grunts. All of these people I’ve spoken to were fearful of their careers and did not want to be typecast or relegated only to Native events or Native movies. In other words, they did not want to take a chance in loosing the momentum they have generated in their careers. In a few cases, these people were already big names but the fear of exposure was still overwhelming for them. I could feel the fear in their words as they made mention of this.
Graham Greene broke free from the bondage so many of our Native artists have been stymied with over the years. It’s as if there is a stigma for a Native artist to do ballet or classical music yet some do break out of this stereotypical mold we’ve been typecast in. I know a ballet dancer who performed with the Bolshoi Ballet and was a contender for the “River Dance” but this person’s true identity was never reveled to this day. Why? For fear of retribution from other “fellow” entertainers or producers who’ve gotten these preconceived notions about Native people. Since some people work in Europe there is yet more stereotypical nonsense about being Native. I’ve had people ask me, Mr. Armani, if I lived in a tipi and if I dressed Indian! Holay!!
I’m not going to wear my regalia to a business meeting in West Hollywood or New York City and I refuse to become a walking tourist trap for anybody. What do I have to do, carry around bead work for re-sale? I don’t think so. Point being, I know what some of our brothers and sisters are talking about and I can’t really blame them. Guess it’s a form of prejudice within the industry that pigeon holes our people when they try to find work. “Sorry we are not doing westerns this year.” Gads, I’ve heard that one before.
When I was a stuntman, guess who was the Injun shot off the horse, moi. I bitched and bitched till I finally got to do the all time fave in live western stage acts, “The OK Corral Shootout”. Geeze, even as a stuntman I was typecast as if anyone could see who was falling out a window or car. I used to do live stage acting back in the day. It was a hoot but there was this typecast thing that severely restricted my career goals. Eventually, I reverted back to the grayer areas of employment I wanted to get away from in the first place. At least I was no longer a starving artist and I was back on the streets doin’ my thing making the green stamps.
We are a multi talented group of people who deserve to be in the mainstream out and about doing Shakespeare or playing Peter and the Wolf at the Greek Theater not just beating the tom tom while the great White brother saves the world. Therefore I am going to post all the kewl casting calls I find in the FORUMS section of VUE when I find them. And it behooves all you starving artists out there to give it a run for their money. Audition, Audition, Audition. Other cultures do it, why don’t we???????????
So go break a leg, kick some ass and win an Oscar!
Stepping off my soapbox now.
Your Devil’s Advocate,
Buffalohair
Posted in BUFFALOhair – Somewhere between sanity and dementia, Featured Articles |
LETS DANCE, SHAKE DAT BOOTIE
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 10:19 am Post subject: LETS DANCE, SHAKE DAT BOOTIE
Nothing like doing a rez run to lift one’s spirits. After all, you can’t just hop on over to the local paint shop to get painted these dayz. We had a dance in our village this weekend and it was a hoot. For those who just don’t ever seem to get it, our dances don’t jam to Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. Naw, and I did not break out my Johnny Rivers or Tom Jones tunes either. On this weekend, we jammed to our local favorite Stewart Candy and Da Boyz our drum group. Yeah man, we got rhythm. And holay, them old buzzards keep going well into the wee hours of the morning. As long as there are baskets for the give-away left on the table, the drummers are not tired, plenty of food and a bunch of hooting and hollering Indin’s doing the deal, they are like Ever ready bunnies.
Leave it to me to be related to the sponsor families this weekend. But it’s a labor of love as I took white-headed elders around town gathering for the give-a-way. And you better believe all the normally snooty and racist checkers were on this best behavior since yours truly was standing directly behind my old ones, glaring into the cashiers eyes. Courtesy was plentiful. I was the official Cheyenne Shuttle, lovingly called “Cheyenne Air”, between our town and a real city with actual stores. Our town is more like post-nuclear war era ruins. Just hurts my heart that some folks have to bucket their water, if water is available.
I think of all the money I threw away when I was thug and what it could have done. I could have rebuilt every house in the village, most likely enough dough to establish a business or two and send every one of our kids to college. Sadly, many kids don’t graduate METH 101. At the dance I discovered 4 more relation’s died since the last time I was there 2 weeks ago, some were kids. I felt happier knowing my sis was at least alive? Hmmmmm, and we chatted away about all the immediate family members we were missing. So we all walked away happier knowing others where as miserable as us? Gads, I’m not exactly sure what transpired there eh. But anyway, for some reason, we all felt better chatting about our dead. Then we compared funeral prices and all the goofy politics that goes on in our village, even at a funeral….lol.
What really got me were the old ones. When we are having a gathering, they come out of the woodwork. Slowly at first but then before you know it, old buzzards everywhere. And get out of their way when it comes time to dance. They cast off their walker, cane, and hit the floor. We have fun dances as well. Think everyone has the hat dance and all. It’s a very endearing time as we laugh and joke the night away. Our drummers rally the feeling of belonging and oneness, our hearts beat as one. We dance in homogenous flow while singers melodize our lore. If ever there was an endearing moment in ones life, it’s when you dance with your people. And when I see a 94 year old woman in a walker dance to the Grandmothers Dance, it just chokes me up to see her get busy on the floor. You just don’t know what the drum means to us and the medicine it offers.
As for beading, I only see beads of sweat on my forehead as I try to prick the hide. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as I struggled to get this itty bitty little bead stuck with this needle. Then I break the needle, snap. Must have bead dyslexia or something. I’m as dainty as a musk ox at times. Even my 7 year old niece can bead. Fact is, she beads up a storm and helps her mom. And here I am chasing this little bead all over this tray. I can make a kick ass tomahawk and war clubs though.
Blab, blab, blab……..
Here is something that was kewl I would like to share. I was at my cousin’s house when a nephew came in. Boy, he was a goon eh. Last time I saw him, he was a puny little guy and I used to lift him in the air. Now, he was a big guy at 16yrs. Then this kid began to tell me about some of my tattoos. I have some old street tat’s and this kid new the meanings. He was very savvy in the ways of the streets. He was allot like me at 16, already knew death, jaded with society and the double standard they offer. Puncture marks riddled his body from many coups. What a flashback that was for me.
He commented on seeing my dancing that evening. He thought it was way so cool that I danced; I made it look OK somehow so he decided he would begin to dance as well. Don’t know if others are having problems with kids leaving traditions behind, but we do. I told him he could still be cool and dance for his people. Kids think I’m “an all right dude” I’m very popular within the little subculture of our young. I use this influence to point them in a better direction. I can’t use the same old approach used by society, this only strengthens the kid’s resolve to remain in their quarter. These kids are as sharp as a tack. He told me of the new counselors and psychologists that was interviewing him and introducing “Youth Programs” .
He went into great detail about giving counselors and doctor’s answers they needed to hear. He was laughing as he described how these doctors would not have a real clue since he and other kids set doctors up with bogus answers. He told me he could tell which doctors would dole out the “good drugs” and which ones would not. And this was a 16-year-old kid, my nephew!! I remember how people used to underestimate us when I was a “Sidewalk Commando”. People would talk down to us street kid like we were mentally retarded or with listening disabilities. We would nod our heads and give these people the “show” they wanted. For our efforts, we got food, cloths, and shelter at times. In some instances, we’d copped a plea in petty offenses. Street kids are hep to all the angles used by authority figures. It’s a cat and mouse game. They can read a counselor like yesterdays mail.
Hmmmm, the first beef (problems with the law) I ever got was an “Extortion” rap, I was in my early teens. Back then “Insurance” or protection rackets were illegal. Silly me, look at the Insurance racket today. Health Care scams abound with the blessings of the federal government. Sadly, the feds are co conspirators in shaking down the general public as it is. Don’t get me started with King George and his merry band of Oil Thugs as they spank America with high prices for not buying into Georgie Porgie’s “Oil Wars”. Extortion eh…and nobody sees it.
In short, the youth of my little village look up to me since I’m “Street” and talk to them instead of down to them. I have not even begun to share the insights I’ve gained from the youth. They are very perceptive and listen to the news. What they say to me is “Why be honest and good when the whole of society is corrupt and living fat?” Add our oral history to this mix and you have some angry kids running around. “Why respect authority when authority does not respect” is their axiom. Gads, I had no argument. And why should I lie and tell them life is spiffy for it is not. I don’t lie to them but I’m in a position to point them in a better direction. And for now, getting my nephew and a few of his homies interested in tribal dancing is a step in the right direction one step at a time.
Holay, this weekend the MC called me “Our Indin Richard Simmons”. It was good to laugh since my hair is like a buffalo, all course and bushy. It was a bitchen gathering though and my spirit needed the healing in our way. And for a moment in time, we were one as we danced around our drum. It was a walk into our timeless past as we sang and dance as a people. And just maybe next trip back home, I will see my nephew doing the “grass dance” and I can check out the “moves” he wanted to do. This is, if he survives till then.
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 10:19 am Post subject: LETS DANCE, SHAKE DAT BOOTIE
Nothing like doing a rez run to lift one’s spirits. After all, you can’t just hop on over to the local paint shop to get painted these dayz. We had a dance in our village this weekend and it was a hoot. For those who just don’t ever seem to get it, our dances don’t jam to Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. Naw, and I did not break out my Johnny Rivers or Tom Jones tunes either. On this weekend, we jammed to our local favorite Stewart Candy and Da Boyz our drum group. Yeah man, we got rhythm. And holay, them old buzzards keep going well into the wee hours of the morning. As long as there are baskets for the give-away left on the table, the drummers are not tired, plenty of food and a bunch of hooting and hollering Indin’s doing the deal, they are like Ever ready bunnies.
Leave it to me to be related to the sponsor families this weekend. But it’s a labor of love as I took white-headed elders around town gathering for the give-a-way. And you better believe all the normally snooty and racist checkers were on this best behavior since yours truly was standing directly behind my old ones, glaring into the cashiers eyes. Courtesy was plentiful. I was the official Cheyenne Shuttle, lovingly called “Cheyenne Air”, between our town and a real city with actual stores. Our town is more like post-nuclear war era ruins. Just hurts my heart that some folks have to bucket their water, if water is available.
I think of all the money I threw away when I was thug and what it could have done. I could have rebuilt every house in the village, most likely enough dough to establish a business or two and send every one of our kids to college. Sadly, many kids don’t graduate METH 101. At the dance I discovered 4 more relation’s died since the last time I was there 2 weeks ago, some were kids. I felt happier knowing my sis was at least alive? Hmmmmm, and we chatted away about all the immediate family members we were missing. So we all walked away happier knowing others where as miserable as us? Gads, I’m not exactly sure what transpired there eh. But anyway, for some reason, we all felt better chatting about our dead. Then we compared funeral prices and all the goofy politics that goes on in our village, even at a funeral….lol.
What really got me were the old ones. When we are having a gathering, they come out of the woodwork. Slowly at first but then before you know it, old buzzards everywhere. And get out of their way when it comes time to dance. They cast off their walker, cane, and hit the floor. We have fun dances as well. Think everyone has the hat dance and all. It’s a very endearing time as we laugh and joke the night away. Our drummers rally the feeling of belonging and oneness, our hearts beat as one. We dance in homogenous flow while singers melodize our lore. If ever there was an endearing moment in ones life, it’s when you dance with your people. And when I see a 94 year old woman in a walker dance to the Grandmothers Dance, it just chokes me up to see her get busy on the floor. You just don’t know what the drum means to us and the medicine it offers.
As for beading, I only see beads of sweat on my forehead as I try to prick the hide. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest as I struggled to get this itty bitty little bead stuck with this needle. Then I break the needle, snap. Must have bead dyslexia or something. I’m as dainty as a musk ox at times. Even my 7 year old niece can bead. Fact is, she beads up a storm and helps her mom. And here I am chasing this little bead all over this tray. I can make a kick ass tomahawk and war clubs though.
Blab, blab, blab……..
Here is something that was kewl I would like to share. I was at my cousin’s house when a nephew came in. Boy, he was a goon eh. Last time I saw him, he was a puny little guy and I used to lift him in the air. Now, he was a big guy at 16yrs. Then this kid began to tell me about some of my tattoos. I have some old street tat’s and this kid new the meanings. He was very savvy in the ways of the streets. He was allot like me at 16, already knew death, jaded with society and the double standard they offer. Puncture marks riddled his body from many coups. What a flashback that was for me.
He commented on seeing my dancing that evening. He thought it was way so cool that I danced; I made it look OK somehow so he decided he would begin to dance as well. Don’t know if others are having problems with kids leaving traditions behind, but we do. I told him he could still be cool and dance for his people. Kids think I’m “an all right dude” I’m very popular within the little subculture of our young. I use this influence to point them in a better direction. I can’t use the same old approach used by society, this only strengthens the kid’s resolve to remain in their quarter. These kids are as sharp as a tack. He told me of the new counselors and psychologists that was interviewing him and introducing “Youth Programs” .
He went into great detail about giving counselors and doctor’s answers they needed to hear. He was laughing as he described how these doctors would not have a real clue since he and other kids set doctors up with bogus answers. He told me he could tell which doctors would dole out the “good drugs” and which ones would not. And this was a 16-year-old kid, my nephew!! I remember how people used to underestimate us when I was a “Sidewalk Commando”. People would talk down to us street kid like we were mentally retarded or with listening disabilities. We would nod our heads and give these people the “show” they wanted. For our efforts, we got food, cloths, and shelter at times. In some instances, we’d copped a plea in petty offenses. Street kids are hep to all the angles used by authority figures. It’s a cat and mouse game. They can read a counselor like yesterdays mail.
Hmmmm, the first beef (problems with the law) I ever got was an “Extortion” rap, I was in my early teens. Back then “Insurance” or protection rackets were illegal. Silly me, look at the Insurance racket today. Health Care scams abound with the blessings of the federal government. Sadly, the feds are co conspirators in shaking down the general public as it is. Don’t get me started with King George and his merry band of Oil Thugs as they spank America with high prices for not buying into Georgie Porgie’s “Oil Wars”. Extortion eh…and nobody sees it.
In short, the youth of my little village look up to me since I’m “Street” and talk to them instead of down to them. I have not even begun to share the insights I’ve gained from the youth. They are very perceptive and listen to the news. What they say to me is “Why be honest and good when the whole of society is corrupt and living fat?” Add our oral history to this mix and you have some angry kids running around. “Why respect authority when authority does not respect” is their axiom. Gads, I had no argument. And why should I lie and tell them life is spiffy for it is not. I don’t lie to them but I’m in a position to point them in a better direction. And for now, getting my nephew and a few of his homies interested in tribal dancing is a step in the right direction one step at a time.
Holay, this weekend the MC called me “Our Indin Richard Simmons”. It was good to laugh since my hair is like a buffalo, all course and bushy. It was a bitchen gathering though and my spirit needed the healing in our way. And for a moment in time, we were one as we danced around our drum. It was a walk into our timeless past as we sang and dance as a people. And just maybe next trip back home, I will see my nephew doing the “grass dance” and I can check out the “moves” he wanted to do. This is, if he survives till then.
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
Buffalohair, Dan Leonetti and the Screenplay “Woodpecker Waltz”
Dan Leonetti and the Screenplay “Woodpecker Waltz”September 10th, 2007 by Buffalohair
Daniel Joseph Leonetti, born sometime in the early 50’s; gads he’s worse than a dame when it comes to getting his actually age. He was born in Trinidad, Colorado of Apache and Italian lineage. He was raised and attended grade school in Trinidad. Then in 1968 he enlisted in the Army and trained extensively in Intelligence and Communications before shipping off to Viet Nam. Once in Nam he was assigned to a classified intelligence unit and shipped to the Cambodian border. Much of his work was classified so there is little to tell. I sum up his journey in his own words:
“I saw a whole nation get completely erased from the face of the Earth. I saw what man and his inhumanity could do to other human beings. Death was everywhere since life had no value. My teenage eyes witnessed carnage beyond imagination as whole villages were destroyed and people executed. I saw the beginning of the Killing Fields of Cambodia first hand, oceans of mutilated bodies and the stench of death forever etched in my mind. My life would never be the same.”
After serving 6 years in the Army, Dan went on to college in 1974 to get associate’s degrees in Journalism, Psychology and Education. He earned a B.A. degree in English Honors at the University of Denver in 1979. He’s been a journalist and screenwriter ever since. For the other journalists out there, you know how bumpy the road can be. Feast or famine is the best way to describe this literary roller coaster ride, weeee! He was struggling with memories of genocide. Dan felt guilty for his involvement as a covert operative during the war. Dan told me he wanted redemption somehow. He wanted to right the wrongs he committed in Cambodia and he wanted to give something back to humanity. The hand that once held a gun now clutched the new weapon of choice, the pen. Dan decided that he was going to heal with words. He was going to ease the soul by tell stories people should hear so they may heal as well. This was going to be his way of giving back to mankind, the humanity he once helped destroy. One fine spring morning, Dan’s sister Connie gave him news clipping about a book called Deadly Innocence written by Robert Persky. It was the story about Little Joe Arridy, a mentally challenged person with the mentality of a five-year-old kid. He was wrongfully executed for the rape and murder of a little girl. Sadly the real killer was discovered three months after Joe was killed in Colorado’s Death Row at Canyon City Territorial Prison.
The story struck at Dan’s very core and it took him back to a time when he was surrounded by death and the incomprehensible injustice to innocent people. So he called Mr. Persky and asked him about the possibility of writing a screenplay about this travesty of justice. Mr. Persky sent him a copy of the book then Dan got busy. It took Dan about a year to further research and develop the story. He went to libraries all over the state gathering data, news articles of the day and the histories of everyone involved in the Joe Arridy story. For Dan it was a mission of mercy to right the wrong committed to a little boy named Joe who was murdered for nothing.
In researching the story he discovered many wrongs within 1930’s era American society. Eugenics’ was the talk of the town back then as the US and Germany was vying for the purest nations. In the US scientists were promoting the “American Race” and Germany, “The Master Race”. The US was using mentally disabled people for experiments; there were experiments in sterilizing the feeble-minded and there was a movement to “colonize” the mentally disadvantaged as well. Only in 1939 did the US halt this eugenics and American Race concept. At least it went underground anyway.
It was this mentality that had Joe executed and this ate at Dan knowing this wrong never was corrected. For Dan it was more than just a prison story it was an epic journey into the evil that raises its ugly head in society. And it was also about redemption—redemption for a person named Little Joe Arridy. And it was a chance for Dan to find a little redemption as well. Dan was going to champion Joe’s cause and get him a pardon posthumously.
The screenplay was finished and Dan got rave reviews. The screenplay won the Words From Here Screenwriting Contest in New York, and caught the interest of Hollywood producers. Everyone wanted a copy of the screenplay. But by now, Dan was well prepared for all the hot air that seems to swirl around in ole La La Land. John Cusak was interested, for a while. Then a few other productions companies optioned the story for a few years but let the options run out. The Woodpecker Waltz was around for a few years before the Keller Entertainment Group came up to bat. They optioned the story twice and on the second option they decided to do the flick.
After watching all these big talking Hollywood goons over the years I was jaded as well since I remember one clown stealing a screenplay from Dan and trying to peddle it elsewhere. Other dorks would come over and blow all kinds of smoke with other screenplays Dan had, and nothing. But they did get some kewl ideas though. Hollywood has always been known for thievery of works and all. So I was very happy for Dan when Micheline and Max Keller came onto the scene. Unlike the goons we’ve dealt with in the past the Kellers were very gracious, forthright and honest with him and myself. Ah, I got in on some of this action as well. My production company is doing the “extra’s” for the film and if need be, I’ll drive Miss Daisy around if I have to eh. Gaff, Grunt, Goon, don’t matter to me, I love working on location and All Dat Jazz. Post production is also a hoot and hopefully Dan, Antonio and I will get in on some of that stuff as well.
In May, Crag Severa of (A.R.C.) Colorado Springs, and a good friend rallied people and organizations to contribute money to buy Little Joe a gravestone. You see, all the convicts’ graves at the prison cemetery had metal crosses. The reason for metal crosses was quite simply. In the old days they used wooded crosses but the woodpeckers would zap the wood in no time. So they replaced them with metal ones. Anyway Crag figured since Joe was innocent he should have a regular gravestone. That was the very least he could do. There was a ceremony at the grave and there were a few dignitaries there including the production company to say a few words. It was a humbling time as I videotaped the event and subsequent interviews with all the participants. I got some kewl footage of the event and some priceless interviews including Robert Persky. I personally met some of the most wonderful humanitarians; truly this screenplay has taken on a life of it’s own. From prison reformers to advocates of developmentally disabled people, Wooodpecker Waltz has center stage.
Production is set for October but it maybe a little later than planned. The movie is set in the winter months so in all actuality, filming will begin sometime this fall or early winter. Course I will have photos from location almost daily if I’m not way to busy. Dennis Quaid signed on with the sole intention of winning an Oscar. The script is a very dynamic and moving piece. I venture to say it should win an Oscar as well. And THIS TIME Antonio and I will bring our Tupperware to the banquet. I hear them folks at the Oscars put on a hefty feed bag. And nothing us crusty ole Injuns like better than FREE FOOD.
So is this a Native flick or a flick written by a Native. It could be a Native flick since it’s a story as seen from a Native’s perspective. But then again it’s also a flick written by a Native. Hmmm, maybe it can be both. In any event, I’ll keep you posted on this films progress. Dan has a few other screenplays; Confessions of an American Black Widow, The Man Who Killed Custer, Inherit the Earth, The Ludlow Massacre Story and several others. The deal with all these screenplays is the fact they are socially redeeming as they tell a story about the human condition. Not much on Chi Chi Chic flicks or Mind Sop fore the air waves are chock full of mindless “Boob and Bomb” movies anymore. Hopefully the viewing audience will come to enjoy more quality films in the future. There is some scuttlebutt about movie goers and trends moving towards more family oriented films and entertainment. That would be a welcome trend indeed. But like everything else in this industry, I’ll believe it when I see it. After all it’s all about selling popcorn and soda when it comes to the bottom line in the industry.
That’s show biz………………..
Buffalohair
Posted in BUFFALOhair – Somewhere between sanity and dementia, Featured Articles |
Buffalohair, “Woodpecker Waltz” Scuttlebutt
“Woodpecker Waltz” Scuttlebutt
October 16th, 2007 by Buffalohair
As we draw down on production day I can’t help but be a little excited. I have some video work to do on the film and I am happy with that. Then Dan Leonetti, writer of the screenplay, informs me of a part in the flick. He tells me the role of “Henry” a big mean spirited death row inmate who is obsessed with listening to the Lone Ranger on the radio. He’s a cop killer, mean and ugly with attitude and everyone is intimidated by him. Then Dan tells me, “You would be perfect for the role”. Umm, all rightie then.
Well I was elated with the dubious honor of playing Henry in the film. But talk about typecasting eh. So I get to play a “goon” in the film, some things just seem to follow me around I guess. My big scene debut is on page 80 when I get marched off to be executed. And it has a dynamic that is sure to make a grand dramatic return to the stage. At least I’m not typecast as a Native cop killer. But most likely I’ll be typecast as a “goon” and forever be known as the “Cop Killer” in Woodpecker Waltz.
But what if the flick wins the Oscar? I guess I will have to hunt down the Tupperware and Wal-Mart bags for the Oscars banquet then. And I’ll have to find a way around security to stash all the victuals I’ve liberated. All that shell fish, crab and lobster just sitting there going to waste eh. Should I bring extra paper plates and aluminum foil? I can see my contingent from Oklahoma at the Oscars as we sit in the back row. Can we buy popcorn at that Oscars place or is it more a bring-your own-affair? You’ll be able to tell where we are sitting since blankets will mark our seats, kids will be running around and my elders will be getting an eye full from all the scantly clad ladies. And there sits my aunties with that stoic glare as my poor uncles try not to gawk.
Ah but the opportunities that would unfold for me staggers the imagination. I’ll get roles as a goon and “mean” my way through the Hollywood experience. I can see it now; I can be the Hamburgler in MacDonald’s commercials. Maybe I can play the Bad Santa in the sequel to that deranged flick. Most likely I’ll fade to black as my career goes back behind the scenes where I belong. After all, you can’t be a Devil’s Advocate when you’re reading lines and finding your mark eh.
Yeah, what if the flick wins an Oscar? That will be cool beans. But what if they simply “can” the flick for later distribution? That happens more than you know. Many flicks will get canned until a later date. There are many variables within the motion picture industry that dictate what will be premiered. Fortunately this film is ear marked for world wide distribution. Anything can happen but if you pick up your check at the end of the week that’s all that really matters enit? Break a leg…………
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Posted in BUFFALOhair – Somewhere between sanity and dementia, Featured Articles |
1 Comment » 1. You playing a badass? Def’ playing against type, you big o’ fluffball. Comment by Carole Levine — October 16, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
“Woodpecker Waltz” Scuttlebutt
October 16th, 2007 by Buffalohair
As we draw down on production day I can’t help but be a little excited. I have some video work to do on the film and I am happy with that. Then Dan Leonetti, writer of the screenplay, informs me of a part in the flick. He tells me the role of “Henry” a big mean spirited death row inmate who is obsessed with listening to the Lone Ranger on the radio. He’s a cop killer, mean and ugly with attitude and everyone is intimidated by him. Then Dan tells me, “You would be perfect for the role”. Umm, all rightie then.
Well I was elated with the dubious honor of playing Henry in the film. But talk about typecasting eh. So I get to play a “goon” in the film, some things just seem to follow me around I guess. My big scene debut is on page 80 when I get marched off to be executed. And it has a dynamic that is sure to make a grand dramatic return to the stage. At least I’m not typecast as a Native cop killer. But most likely I’ll be typecast as a “goon” and forever be known as the “Cop Killer” in Woodpecker Waltz.
But what if the flick wins the Oscar? I guess I will have to hunt down the Tupperware and Wal-Mart bags for the Oscars banquet then. And I’ll have to find a way around security to stash all the victuals I’ve liberated. All that shell fish, crab and lobster just sitting there going to waste eh. Should I bring extra paper plates and aluminum foil? I can see my contingent from Oklahoma at the Oscars as we sit in the back row. Can we buy popcorn at that Oscars place or is it more a bring-your own-affair? You’ll be able to tell where we are sitting since blankets will mark our seats, kids will be running around and my elders will be getting an eye full from all the scantly clad ladies. And there sits my aunties with that stoic glare as my poor uncles try not to gawk.
Ah but the opportunities that would unfold for me staggers the imagination. I’ll get roles as a goon and “mean” my way through the Hollywood experience. I can see it now; I can be the Hamburgler in MacDonald’s commercials. Maybe I can play the Bad Santa in the sequel to that deranged flick. Most likely I’ll fade to black as my career goes back behind the scenes where I belong. After all, you can’t be a Devil’s Advocate when you’re reading lines and finding your mark eh.
Yeah, what if the flick wins an Oscar? That will be cool beans. But what if they simply “can” the flick for later distribution? That happens more than you know. Many flicks will get canned until a later date. There are many variables within the motion picture industry that dictate what will be premiered. Fortunately this film is ear marked for world wide distribution. Anything can happen but if you pick up your check at the end of the week that’s all that really matters enit? Break a leg…………
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Posted in BUFFALOhair – Somewhere between sanity and dementia, Featured Articles |
1 Comment » 1. You playing a badass? Def’ playing against type, you big o’ fluffball. Comment by Carole Levine — October 16, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
Joe and the UFO, A Book Review
What would you do if by chance a UFO crash-landed in your back yard? In the case of Joe Lucky, an impoverished farmer on the brink of foreclosure, that is exactly what happened one shimmering night. Interestingly enough the back drop for Joe and the UFO is the Southern Colorado region noted for exterrestrial and paranormal activity since time immemorial. Out of a quaint little science fiction story evolved an epic journey into the human experience as I read this wonderful piece written by Daniel Sanchez Leonetti.
Joe and the UFO truly was a journey for not only Joe Lucky but for the reader as well. I was thrust into the culture of Southern Colorado with colloquialisms, culture and history only found within this region. From humor and joy to the darkest of human emotions Joe and the UFO spanned the human persona. The characters came to life as they faced very real tribulations associated with an extraterrestrial encounter. Heartwarming at times and ruthless as well, Joe and the UFO offers the reader an opportunity to introspectively examine their own emotions if poised with the situation that faced Joe Lucky and the other characters within this well written folktale.
You don’t have to be a UFO aficionado to appreciate this story for it’s a human tale and in some way a reflection of the era we live writhe with tumult and uncertainty. For the UFO aficionado this tale is a vindication of the realities that not only lay in the stellar beyond but within the souls of man. Joe and the UFO is bound to be a classic for within its pages is a lesson that all of mankind should heed.
The book is available at:
www.sentrybooks.com
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
What would you do if by chance a UFO crash-landed in your back yard? In the case of Joe Lucky, an impoverished farmer on the brink of foreclosure, that is exactly what happened one shimmering night. Interestingly enough the back drop for Joe and the UFO is the Southern Colorado region noted for exterrestrial and paranormal activity since time immemorial. Out of a quaint little science fiction story evolved an epic journey into the human experience as I read this wonderful piece written by Daniel Sanchez Leonetti.
Joe and the UFO truly was a journey for not only Joe Lucky but for the reader as well. I was thrust into the culture of Southern Colorado with colloquialisms, culture and history only found within this region. From humor and joy to the darkest of human emotions Joe and the UFO spanned the human persona. The characters came to life as they faced very real tribulations associated with an extraterrestrial encounter. Heartwarming at times and ruthless as well, Joe and the UFO offers the reader an opportunity to introspectively examine their own emotions if poised with the situation that faced Joe Lucky and the other characters within this well written folktale.
You don’t have to be a UFO aficionado to appreciate this story for it’s a human tale and in some way a reflection of the era we live writhe with tumult and uncertainty. For the UFO aficionado this tale is a vindication of the realities that not only lay in the stellar beyond but within the souls of man. Joe and the UFO is bound to be a classic for within its pages is a lesson that all of mankind should heed.
The book is available at:
www.sentrybooks.com
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
Dan Leonetti Keeps a Promise to Little Joe Arridy
Joe Arridy, the mentally challenged man executed for a crime he did not commit, was granted a posthumous pardon by Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado on Jan 7, 2011. With the stroke of a pen the compassionate governor righted a wrong exonerating a man who was put to death in the gas chamber at the Canyon City Territorial Prison 72 years ago. Though Little Joe has since been diseased his haunting memory lived in the hearts and souls of those who knew his innocence. The noble efforts of renowned humanitarian Robert Perske and attorney David Martinez were not in vain for Joe was vindicated of a crime he did not have the capacity to understand or commit. Perske and Martinez selflessly achieved the impossible while facing insurmountable odds in obtaining this historic pardon for a dead man. But there was another champion in my eyes who fought for Joe’s justice. He introduced me to the plight of the man/child Joe Arridy. His weapon of choice was the pen and his name is Daniel Sanchez Leonetti, author of the screenplay “Woodpecker Waltz”.
Though I’ve written about Dan and his screenplay Woodpecker Waltz in the past I felt the need to speak with him again since Joe was finally exonerated. Dan was emotionally drawn to this mentally challenged man/child who suffered unfathomable abuses throughout his life. His screenplay was more than a movie about sadness and mistaken identity but rather a journey into the human psyche in an era where prejudices and hatred reigned. Joe was of Syrian decent and mentally challenged making him the perfect target for a career minded prosecutor and a hate filled population that had little regard for the truth.
Unfortunately not much has changed over the years as race and religious differences continue to fuel angry mobs looking for a scapegoat. Opportunistic prosecutors continue to advantageously bolster their careers with little regard for innocence or truth. Sensationalism and strategically leaked evidence convict people in the press tainting public opinion and jury pools before all the facts are known. It is all but impossible to find a truly unbiased jury and the innocent are plunged into the abyss of false convictions. Dan’s screenplay is a wake up call for not what we’ve been or have become but what we still are. But the screenplay also speaks volumes about Dan the writer for it reveals a noble champion of the innocent.
Knowing how deeply Dan felt about the Joe Arridy story I decided ask a few more question in light of this turn of events. Besides it was Dan’s idea to seek out a pardon. According to Dan the idea came to him as he was writing the screenplay. Then one day he made a promise to Joe at his grave site on Woodpecker Hill at the Colorado Territorial Prison that he would get him pardoned. Through the brilliant work of attorney David Martinez and the compassion Governor Bill Ritter felt for this man/child Dan kept his promise to Little Joe. And now the rest is history.
B. When did you first start working on the Joe Arridy story?
D. I first heard about the Joe Arridy case in 1995 when Robert Perske published his book Deadly Innocence. The local Pueblo Chieftain had done a feature story on Perske and the publication of his book. My sister, Connie, brought the newspaper to my house and said, “I think you better read this.” And I did. The image of a man with the mind of a child playing with his toy train on Death Row haunted me. It also set off a creative spark in me. I had to dig deeper into this tragic image.
B. What was your reason or why did you do the screenplay?
D. Immediately, I saw the potential of a screenplay in this tragic story. If Joe Arridy was truly innocent, a movie would have a devastating impact on the audience. I also saw a much deeper motive that I could tackle in this screenplay: the death penalty. The death penalty and abortion are the two biggest issues that try the minds and hearts of humanity. Joe Arridy could make his mark on one of them. Sixteen years later, the state of Illinois abolished the death penalty. I was told they cited the Joe Arridy case; shortly after Joe was pardoned by the Governor of Colorado.
B. How did you come to meet David Martinez?
D. David is a good friend of my cousin Antonio Sanchez. One evening he introduced me to David in Denver, and Antonio mentioned the Joe Arridy screenplay. He was slightly interested, but I think it lingered in his mind for years. Later he represented me in my epic battle with VA Administration for benefits. He did this pro bono for I didn’t have the funds to pay a good lawyer. I invited him to a ceremony that we had to put a tombstone for Joe on top of Woodpecker Hill in Canon City on June 2nd of 2007. David attended the ceremony. I think he was deeply moved by the passion he saw that day on top of Woodpecker Hill. He agreed to look into a posthumous pardon, but warned us that this kind of pardon had never been done before. And so we were going into battle with impossible odds from the very beginning.
B. How did you come to meet Bob Perske?
D. I met Bob when he came to Pueblo for a conference of area District Attorneys. He wanted to champion for the mentally challenged people, and how they are coerced into giving false confessions for crimes they didn’t commit. He wanted to stick his two cents into the conference, and he certainly did. Bob is a man who speaks on top of his principals and he is truly a man of character. He is true to his work, his word and his friends. But I had been in contact with him by telephone before the conference. Immediately after Connie brought me the story and called him in Darien CT. I told him that I wanted to write a screenplay on Joe Arridy and would he read another screenplay I had written to see if I was up to the task. He loved that screenplay and gave me permission to go ahead with Joe Arridy. But our early relationship was on shaky ground. I wasn’t totally convinced that Joe was innocent. Robert mailed me a ton of documents, but most importantly there was the two trial transcripts. When I finished with all the testimony, I saw where Joe was railroaded into Death Row for one of the most sensational murders in Colorado history. The fight was on, and it lasted 16 years.
B. Who else did you meet pertaining to the Joe Arridy story?
D. Most importantly I met Micheline and Max Keller, lawyer-producers from the Keller Entertainment Group in Los Angeles. They had heard about my screenplay, The Woodpecker Waltz, when I won the Third Annual Wordsfromhere Screenwriting Contest based in New York. Micheline called me on the telephone and I was immediately attracted to her warmth and sincerity. She loved the screenplay from the opening page which read: “A perfect soul cannot exist in an imperfect world.” The quote was from Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. They optioned the screenplay in 2004 and re-optioned in December of 2006 and again in 2010. The perseverance of these people showed me that they had a real passion to get the movie produced. Before that the screenplay had been optioned by Mark Castaldo of Destiny Pictures a company well-known for movies for TV. The story proved to be too big for both of them and those options lapsed. So the screenplay has been on a long road trip. Where it ends, I do not know.
B. Where did you find all the facts behind the story?
D. Bob send me a ton of newspapers, magazines, letters and of course the two trial transcripts by Fed-X. It was all the research he had gathered during the course of writing his book. Antonio also found some important details of the case by reviewing newspaper archives. He found the compelling story on the burning of Frank Aguilar’s house by Pueblo vigilantes. Aguilar was the real killer who was also executed for the crime in the gas chamber. But Antonio found the sad fact that Aguilar’s young daughter died in the fire, and the grandmother was exiled back to Mexico on a train. Not only did Joe’s family suffer great indignities, but so did Aguilar’s family. The repercussions just kept on going in this sad case of crime and punishment.
B. How do you feel knowing Joe was pardoned?
D. When I was told, I was competing in the state dart tournament in Loveland, Colorado. Most of the people in the tournament were aware of my story and my first novel that was recently published. A woman from Denver came up to me and said, “They pardoned Joe. We saw the story on television.” Instantly, tears came to my eyes and I had to find a quiet corner to reflect on the whole thing. It had been such an epic journey. I didn’t think Governor Bill Ritter would grant the pardon. He was a former, tough-nose Denver District Attorney and was on the other side of the river on crime issues. But later, when I read his elegant testimony for the pardon, I wept for the second time. He really got it. It hit him straight in the heart, and his gracious act made history as the first pardon for an executed man.
B. Is there another story in the works of this caliber you are working on?
D. I believe so. I am working on a rewrite for my screenplay, Inherit the Earth, which is based on the Ludlow Massacre. It also won a NY screenwriting contest, but I want it to be so polished that I won’t have to endure the endless options. Also, I am hard at work on the sequel to my novel, Joe and the UFO, and ironically David Martinez is also a part of this story. He was the lawyer, pro-bono of course, for the poor people in the San Luis Valley and their fight to retain the rights to their sacred lands. And finally, I am working on an epic novel about the West, based on real historical characters, and the triumphs and tragedies of the Cheyenne Nation, who once roamed Colorado as a free people. This will be the greatest reach in my work to date, and will be about 800 pages of manuscript when I am finished.
B. What is your opinion on the death penalty?
D. I struggle in my heart about this issue. I was very careful not to sway for or against the death penalty in my screenplay. I wanted the audience to search their own hearts and walk out of the theatre asking themselves what do I think and feel about the death penalty. When I read about vicious killers, I say stick a needle in them. But when I see people like Joe in prison or a case where DNA exonerates someone who has sat in prison for years, I want to abolish the death penalty. I am caught in the rabbit trap on this issue.
B. What is your opinion on mentally challenged people who are incarcerated at present?
D. There are 3,703 people on Death Row. More than 300 of them have mental retardation and await execution in the United States. Since 1979, 38 have been executed. Here is an instance where I am against the Death Penalty.
B. Do you feel that there are more Joe Arridy’s on death row that is innocent?
D. Yes, there is a great probability. Robert is working on a current case as we speak, about a man who has been incarcerated for a murder he didn’t commit. They are there, but hopefully Joe Arridy will give their lawyers new hope. David has cleared the path for them to follow.
B. Should there be an automatic DNA test on all rape cases?
D. Yes. Despite the enormous cost of this endeavor, we must always remember that the court system is terribly flawed. Joe Arridy’s attorney was incompetent and helped Joe on his way to the gas chamber. A poor man or woman has no chance under this system. Some French philosopher once said something to this effect: I would rather free a thousand guilty criminals than incarcerate one innocent man.
B. What is your attitude on the issue of career minded prosecutors who seek convictions on every case regardless of merit?
D. They should be incarcerated themselves for talking out of two faces. They took an oath to defend and uphold the laws of the United States, and then they bend them to fit their convictions.
B. What checks and balances would you feel appropriate to avoid another travesty of justice like in Joe’s case?
D. The main thing is for all of us to strive to be better human beings. Judges, lawyers, lawmakers, police, citizens we need to look into our hearts with the deepest compassion for fellow man, and truly make our decisions for the good of mankind. We can be punitive and compassionate at the same time.
It’s like Spike Lee said;
“Just do the right thing”
——————————-
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
Joe Arridy, the mentally challenged man executed for a crime he did not commit, was granted a posthumous pardon by Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado on Jan 7, 2011. With the stroke of a pen the compassionate governor righted a wrong exonerating a man who was put to death in the gas chamber at the Canyon City Territorial Prison 72 years ago. Though Little Joe has since been diseased his haunting memory lived in the hearts and souls of those who knew his innocence. The noble efforts of renowned humanitarian Robert Perske and attorney David Martinez were not in vain for Joe was vindicated of a crime he did not have the capacity to understand or commit. Perske and Martinez selflessly achieved the impossible while facing insurmountable odds in obtaining this historic pardon for a dead man. But there was another champion in my eyes who fought for Joe’s justice. He introduced me to the plight of the man/child Joe Arridy. His weapon of choice was the pen and his name is Daniel Sanchez Leonetti, author of the screenplay “Woodpecker Waltz”.
Though I’ve written about Dan and his screenplay Woodpecker Waltz in the past I felt the need to speak with him again since Joe was finally exonerated. Dan was emotionally drawn to this mentally challenged man/child who suffered unfathomable abuses throughout his life. His screenplay was more than a movie about sadness and mistaken identity but rather a journey into the human psyche in an era where prejudices and hatred reigned. Joe was of Syrian decent and mentally challenged making him the perfect target for a career minded prosecutor and a hate filled population that had little regard for the truth.
Unfortunately not much has changed over the years as race and religious differences continue to fuel angry mobs looking for a scapegoat. Opportunistic prosecutors continue to advantageously bolster their careers with little regard for innocence or truth. Sensationalism and strategically leaked evidence convict people in the press tainting public opinion and jury pools before all the facts are known. It is all but impossible to find a truly unbiased jury and the innocent are plunged into the abyss of false convictions. Dan’s screenplay is a wake up call for not what we’ve been or have become but what we still are. But the screenplay also speaks volumes about Dan the writer for it reveals a noble champion of the innocent.
Knowing how deeply Dan felt about the Joe Arridy story I decided ask a few more question in light of this turn of events. Besides it was Dan’s idea to seek out a pardon. According to Dan the idea came to him as he was writing the screenplay. Then one day he made a promise to Joe at his grave site on Woodpecker Hill at the Colorado Territorial Prison that he would get him pardoned. Through the brilliant work of attorney David Martinez and the compassion Governor Bill Ritter felt for this man/child Dan kept his promise to Little Joe. And now the rest is history.
B. When did you first start working on the Joe Arridy story?
D. I first heard about the Joe Arridy case in 1995 when Robert Perske published his book Deadly Innocence. The local Pueblo Chieftain had done a feature story on Perske and the publication of his book. My sister, Connie, brought the newspaper to my house and said, “I think you better read this.” And I did. The image of a man with the mind of a child playing with his toy train on Death Row haunted me. It also set off a creative spark in me. I had to dig deeper into this tragic image.
B. What was your reason or why did you do the screenplay?
D. Immediately, I saw the potential of a screenplay in this tragic story. If Joe Arridy was truly innocent, a movie would have a devastating impact on the audience. I also saw a much deeper motive that I could tackle in this screenplay: the death penalty. The death penalty and abortion are the two biggest issues that try the minds and hearts of humanity. Joe Arridy could make his mark on one of them. Sixteen years later, the state of Illinois abolished the death penalty. I was told they cited the Joe Arridy case; shortly after Joe was pardoned by the Governor of Colorado.
B. How did you come to meet David Martinez?
D. David is a good friend of my cousin Antonio Sanchez. One evening he introduced me to David in Denver, and Antonio mentioned the Joe Arridy screenplay. He was slightly interested, but I think it lingered in his mind for years. Later he represented me in my epic battle with VA Administration for benefits. He did this pro bono for I didn’t have the funds to pay a good lawyer. I invited him to a ceremony that we had to put a tombstone for Joe on top of Woodpecker Hill in Canon City on June 2nd of 2007. David attended the ceremony. I think he was deeply moved by the passion he saw that day on top of Woodpecker Hill. He agreed to look into a posthumous pardon, but warned us that this kind of pardon had never been done before. And so we were going into battle with impossible odds from the very beginning.
B. How did you come to meet Bob Perske?
D. I met Bob when he came to Pueblo for a conference of area District Attorneys. He wanted to champion for the mentally challenged people, and how they are coerced into giving false confessions for crimes they didn’t commit. He wanted to stick his two cents into the conference, and he certainly did. Bob is a man who speaks on top of his principals and he is truly a man of character. He is true to his work, his word and his friends. But I had been in contact with him by telephone before the conference. Immediately after Connie brought me the story and called him in Darien CT. I told him that I wanted to write a screenplay on Joe Arridy and would he read another screenplay I had written to see if I was up to the task. He loved that screenplay and gave me permission to go ahead with Joe Arridy. But our early relationship was on shaky ground. I wasn’t totally convinced that Joe was innocent. Robert mailed me a ton of documents, but most importantly there was the two trial transcripts. When I finished with all the testimony, I saw where Joe was railroaded into Death Row for one of the most sensational murders in Colorado history. The fight was on, and it lasted 16 years.
B. Who else did you meet pertaining to the Joe Arridy story?
D. Most importantly I met Micheline and Max Keller, lawyer-producers from the Keller Entertainment Group in Los Angeles. They had heard about my screenplay, The Woodpecker Waltz, when I won the Third Annual Wordsfromhere Screenwriting Contest based in New York. Micheline called me on the telephone and I was immediately attracted to her warmth and sincerity. She loved the screenplay from the opening page which read: “A perfect soul cannot exist in an imperfect world.” The quote was from Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. They optioned the screenplay in 2004 and re-optioned in December of 2006 and again in 2010. The perseverance of these people showed me that they had a real passion to get the movie produced. Before that the screenplay had been optioned by Mark Castaldo of Destiny Pictures a company well-known for movies for TV. The story proved to be too big for both of them and those options lapsed. So the screenplay has been on a long road trip. Where it ends, I do not know.
B. Where did you find all the facts behind the story?
D. Bob send me a ton of newspapers, magazines, letters and of course the two trial transcripts by Fed-X. It was all the research he had gathered during the course of writing his book. Antonio also found some important details of the case by reviewing newspaper archives. He found the compelling story on the burning of Frank Aguilar’s house by Pueblo vigilantes. Aguilar was the real killer who was also executed for the crime in the gas chamber. But Antonio found the sad fact that Aguilar’s young daughter died in the fire, and the grandmother was exiled back to Mexico on a train. Not only did Joe’s family suffer great indignities, but so did Aguilar’s family. The repercussions just kept on going in this sad case of crime and punishment.
B. How do you feel knowing Joe was pardoned?
D. When I was told, I was competing in the state dart tournament in Loveland, Colorado. Most of the people in the tournament were aware of my story and my first novel that was recently published. A woman from Denver came up to me and said, “They pardoned Joe. We saw the story on television.” Instantly, tears came to my eyes and I had to find a quiet corner to reflect on the whole thing. It had been such an epic journey. I didn’t think Governor Bill Ritter would grant the pardon. He was a former, tough-nose Denver District Attorney and was on the other side of the river on crime issues. But later, when I read his elegant testimony for the pardon, I wept for the second time. He really got it. It hit him straight in the heart, and his gracious act made history as the first pardon for an executed man.
B. Is there another story in the works of this caliber you are working on?
D. I believe so. I am working on a rewrite for my screenplay, Inherit the Earth, which is based on the Ludlow Massacre. It also won a NY screenwriting contest, but I want it to be so polished that I won’t have to endure the endless options. Also, I am hard at work on the sequel to my novel, Joe and the UFO, and ironically David Martinez is also a part of this story. He was the lawyer, pro-bono of course, for the poor people in the San Luis Valley and their fight to retain the rights to their sacred lands. And finally, I am working on an epic novel about the West, based on real historical characters, and the triumphs and tragedies of the Cheyenne Nation, who once roamed Colorado as a free people. This will be the greatest reach in my work to date, and will be about 800 pages of manuscript when I am finished.
B. What is your opinion on the death penalty?
D. I struggle in my heart about this issue. I was very careful not to sway for or against the death penalty in my screenplay. I wanted the audience to search their own hearts and walk out of the theatre asking themselves what do I think and feel about the death penalty. When I read about vicious killers, I say stick a needle in them. But when I see people like Joe in prison or a case where DNA exonerates someone who has sat in prison for years, I want to abolish the death penalty. I am caught in the rabbit trap on this issue.
B. What is your opinion on mentally challenged people who are incarcerated at present?
D. There are 3,703 people on Death Row. More than 300 of them have mental retardation and await execution in the United States. Since 1979, 38 have been executed. Here is an instance where I am against the Death Penalty.
B. Do you feel that there are more Joe Arridy’s on death row that is innocent?
D. Yes, there is a great probability. Robert is working on a current case as we speak, about a man who has been incarcerated for a murder he didn’t commit. They are there, but hopefully Joe Arridy will give their lawyers new hope. David has cleared the path for them to follow.
B. Should there be an automatic DNA test on all rape cases?
D. Yes. Despite the enormous cost of this endeavor, we must always remember that the court system is terribly flawed. Joe Arridy’s attorney was incompetent and helped Joe on his way to the gas chamber. A poor man or woman has no chance under this system. Some French philosopher once said something to this effect: I would rather free a thousand guilty criminals than incarcerate one innocent man.
B. What is your attitude on the issue of career minded prosecutors who seek convictions on every case regardless of merit?
D. They should be incarcerated themselves for talking out of two faces. They took an oath to defend and uphold the laws of the United States, and then they bend them to fit their convictions.
B. What checks and balances would you feel appropriate to avoid another travesty of justice like in Joe’s case?
D. The main thing is for all of us to strive to be better human beings. Judges, lawyers, lawmakers, police, citizens we need to look into our hearts with the deepest compassion for fellow man, and truly make our decisions for the good of mankind. We can be punitive and compassionate at the same time.
It’s like Spike Lee said;
“Just do the right thing”
——————————-
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
Petition Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado to Pardon “Little Joe” Arridy
I am forwarding this call for the Governor of Colorado to pardon *Joe Arridy, 23. It was drafted by **Robert Perske, writer, journalist and humanitarian. The petition respectfully requests the governor to pardon “Little Joe” Arridy posthumously for the crimes of rape and murder of a 15 year old girl, Dorothy Drain, on August 15, 1936. Sadly, Little Joe has long since been convicted and ultimately executed at Colorado Territorial Prison, Canyon City. The arrest, trial and execution of Joe were media events likened to a carnival in darkly festive flare. Socialites flocked to make an appearance at this depression era kangaroo court.
Little Joe was locked into a pre-pubescence world since he had the mentality of a 6 year old boy, innocent even in thought. Joe was the ideal suspect and detectives took full advantage of his naivete coercing a confession almost immediately. Being of Syrian decent added fuel to the community’s frenzied scorn as well. The media poisoned public opinion against Joe across the state with fabricated sensational tales that horrified and disgusted readers. They painted Little Joe as a vial and perverted killer of little girls. Joe was a dead man walking even before he was arrested. Guilt was already assumed. He was convicted and sentence to death. Then he was executed in the gas chamber on January 6, 1939 to the joy of cheering mobs, justice was served. They say Joe was smiling when he entered the death chamber for he truly was a child and could not comprehend the concept of his own death. In the evening after Joes execution even the hardest of convicts wept because of the injustice that shrouded the day. The bittersweet irony of Joe’s dark journey was the fact three months after his execution the true killer of Dorothy Drain was arrested then confessed to the grizzly assault.
The pardon represents dignity and justice for a mentally challenged man/child who was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. Though Little Joe has died his memory lives in the hearts of those who discover his story. This pardon would also exhonorate a mother who loved and stood beside her son in the darkest of times. She knew in her heart Joe was innocent all along. There is much more to the Joe Arridy Story than I can give justice to at this juncture. The whole story would stagger the sensibilities since Joe’s life was a journey through hell and horrific abuse disguised as the mental health care system of the early 20th Century. Robert Perske wrote a book, “DEADLY INNOCENCE?” (The Tragic Story of Joe Arridy), that chronicled Joe Arridy’s life. It is very compelling and well worth a read.
It does not matter what part of the planet you reside in. Drop Governor Ritter a short note in support of pardoning Joe Arridy posthumously. Write a personal note to the governor or simply use the template Mr. Perske provided. It will only take a moment of your time. Then send it to Robert Perske with the address provided. Let Bob know you are supporting the noble efforts of attorney David A. Martinez who is spearheading the petition drive in Denver Colorado. He will submit the petitions to the governor in a timely fashion.
Buffalohair
IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO DO THE RIGHT THING? PASS THIS LETTER TO OTHERS..
BOB.
Dividere la Storia
I am forwarding this call for the Governor of Colorado to pardon *Joe Arridy, 23. It was drafted by **Robert Perske, writer, journalist and humanitarian. The petition respectfully requests the governor to pardon “Little Joe” Arridy posthumously for the crimes of rape and murder of a 15 year old girl, Dorothy Drain, on August 15, 1936. Sadly, Little Joe has long since been convicted and ultimately executed at Colorado Territorial Prison, Canyon City. The arrest, trial and execution of Joe were media events likened to a carnival in darkly festive flare. Socialites flocked to make an appearance at this depression era kangaroo court.
Little Joe was locked into a pre-pubescence world since he had the mentality of a 6 year old boy, innocent even in thought. Joe was the ideal suspect and detectives took full advantage of his naivete coercing a confession almost immediately. Being of Syrian decent added fuel to the community’s frenzied scorn as well. The media poisoned public opinion against Joe across the state with fabricated sensational tales that horrified and disgusted readers. They painted Little Joe as a vial and perverted killer of little girls. Joe was a dead man walking even before he was arrested. Guilt was already assumed. He was convicted and sentence to death. Then he was executed in the gas chamber on January 6, 1939 to the joy of cheering mobs, justice was served. They say Joe was smiling when he entered the death chamber for he truly was a child and could not comprehend the concept of his own death. In the evening after Joes execution even the hardest of convicts wept because of the injustice that shrouded the day. The bittersweet irony of Joe’s dark journey was the fact three months after his execution the true killer of Dorothy Drain was arrested then confessed to the grizzly assault.
The pardon represents dignity and justice for a mentally challenged man/child who was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. Though Little Joe has died his memory lives in the hearts of those who discover his story. This pardon would also exhonorate a mother who loved and stood beside her son in the darkest of times. She knew in her heart Joe was innocent all along. There is much more to the Joe Arridy Story than I can give justice to at this juncture. The whole story would stagger the sensibilities since Joe’s life was a journey through hell and horrific abuse disguised as the mental health care system of the early 20th Century. Robert Perske wrote a book, “DEADLY INNOCENCE?” (The Tragic Story of Joe Arridy), that chronicled Joe Arridy’s life. It is very compelling and well worth a read.
It does not matter what part of the planet you reside in. Drop Governor Ritter a short note in support of pardoning Joe Arridy posthumously. Write a personal note to the governor or simply use the template Mr. Perske provided. It will only take a moment of your time. Then send it to Robert Perske with the address provided. Let Bob know you are supporting the noble efforts of attorney David A. Martinez who is spearheading the petition drive in Denver Colorado. He will submit the petitions to the governor in a timely fashion.
Buffalohair
IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO DO THE RIGHT THING? PASS THIS LETTER TO OTHERS..
BOB.
Dividere la Storia
Daniel Leonetti
3 hrs · Mourning the loss of a great man in the recent death of Robert Perske:
Buffalohair, Joe Arridy Legacy: In the Presence of Greatness
Joe Arridy Legacy: In the Presence of Greatness In death there is life and nothing could better epitomize this like the gathering on May 19th sponsored by The…
annlrd.wordpress.com
Humanities Renaissance at the ‘Grave that Glows’ (Joe Arridy)
Native American Entertainer John Romero Performs a Grave Side Flute Song
On a cloudy gray morning at a hilltop of an old prison cemetery in Canyon City, Colorado a group of people gathered to remember the life of a 23 year old mentally challenged man, Joe Arridy, who was wrongfully convicted and executed for the rape and murder of a teenage girl on January 6, 1939. Though this was a solemn occasion it was also a time to rejoice for these people successfully garnered a posthumous pardon for a human being with the mentality of a mere child on January 7, 2010.
David Martinez (L) receiving the Robert Perske Justice for all award by Robert Perske (R) at a prior engagement
Some key players could not attend including Philanthropist Humanitarian Robert Perske, author of *’Deadly Innocence?’, Joe Arridy’s descendant Maria Tucker, the descendant of Gail Ireland, the attorney who fought for Joe Teri Bradt and the attorney who took up the case pro bono and personally place the pardon on Governor Ritter’s desk, David Martinez Esq. They were at the grave site in spirit and their accomplishments will live on in perpetuity and so will the memory of Joe Arridy.
Though some members of ‘Humanities Dream Team’ were absent the event was still very energized with riveting poems, speeches and song. The ARC’s Craig Severa, the motivating force behind the grave stone, Dan Leonetti, who wrote the screenplay ‘Woodpecker Waltz was inspired to garner ‘Little Joe’ a pardon and Antonio Sanchez who enlisted an old friend, David Martinez for his legal prowess also graced the event.
There were other humanitarians that contributed to this noble cause. Entertainers, poets and professionals of all kinds who donated their skills, time and effort also attended this event for this was truly a group effort. Everyone donated thousands of hours doing what they could to bring Joe’s memory to light and to educate the general public about the judicial injustice that occurred three quarters of a century ago. Together they are humanities A-Team for they achieved the impossible in the face of all adversity, criticism and cynicism from an indifferent world.
After chatting with the director of The ARC, Colorado Springs Wilfred Romero it was clear the fight for justice for the son of Syrian immigrant, Joe Arridy, had become a lightening rod and an inspiration for others. It also became a conduit that links other humanitarian causes such as advocates against wrongful prosecution, false imprisonment, the death penalty, ethnic persecution and other social ills that also need to be addressed. It brings to light that we are not living in a civil society and it also reveals the consequences of a society that has lost it’s moral compass.
Though humanity slid into the abyss of ambivalence and indifference there is light at the end of this very long and dark tunnel as this gathering shows. There are people who actually care for fellow human beings regardless of race, color, creed and dogmatic principals. The corrupt legal system thought that by executing an ‘imbecile’ then burying him in grave would silence the quest for justice but nothing could be further from the case.
On the contrary the Joe Arridy case had exposed the infinitely flawed criminal justice system by revealing skeletons for there are hundreds of Joe Arridy’s who continue to be incarcerated, persecuted and executed by career minded prosecutes who only look for numbers not justice. When a wealthy person can get probation for killing four people in a drunker joy ride while poor folks get 10 years behind bars for a much lesser crime, that is not justice. There is no justice when one can buy their way out of a vehicular homicide case, that is called elitism.
With a burgeoning prison population filled with minorities and poor folks the only people to benefit from this are investors in privatized prisons and the lucrative logistic services that keep these houses of horror in operation. The Joe Arridy case opened a can of worms since it focused on a time in US history when the Progressive Movement dominated the conventional wisdom of the day. America was in competition with Germany to achieve the ‘American Race’ as opposed to Hitler’s ‘Master Race’, it was a contest.
This explains why America turned their heads as Hitler roasted Semitic Jews, invalids, dwarfs and developmentally disabled people for they were embracing Theodor Herzl’s Zionist ideology of eugenics and exceptionalism, the cornerstone of the Progressive Movement. In turn America was busy trying to find excuses to clean the streets of ‘Mental Defectives’ and moving ethnic minorities out of sight and out of mind.
The story of the quest for the American Race is a dark and fetid one indeed and one would have to look long and hard to find the facts but they are out there, provided the books have not been burned yet. Fortunately Robert Perske did manage to shed light in this dark era in US history within the texts of his book Deadly Innocence?, a story about Joe Arridy. The book revealed the absolute hatred for minorities and disabled people that was the rave in early 20th Century America. Only a few years earlier the KKK paraded down the streets of Washington DC. It was also open season on immigrants during this era of hate.
The book revealed the purification of the hearts of millions and the business as usual approach to systematically railroading anyone people felt were different by the elites of the American Race. By their example the subordinate population learned to hate with great zeal for it was fashionable. Sadly history is repeating itself as politicians proudly proclaim their stance as a ‘Progressives and Zionists’ and I know they are banking on people’s ignorance of the history of the Progressive Movement.
Joe Arridy’s tale of wrongful prosecution and execution is a rallying point for many people as they become aware of the hatred that is being spawned over a much wider selection of differences. Racial and religious hatred has expanded to include political and ideological differences as well as financial inequities to such a degree whole swaths of contemporary American society are being subjugated and persecuted. The renewed cycle of overt hatred has become a cottage industry and this should be the shot across the bow to everyone.
Hopefully the Renaissance or ‘Humanities Spring’ will be the rallying point for all human beings both in the United States and the Globe since everyone is subject to wrongful prosecution for no one is immune, unless of course you are wealthy and well connected.
As for the ‘Grave that Glows’, since the death of Little Joe Arridy local residence have noticed over the years that Joe’s grave would glow in the wee hours of the night and for many people this was a sign that Joe was innocent. I have not seen the grave glow but I did notice a hawk circle around the gathering by his grave. Within my tradition this is a sign that the ‘Happiest Man on Death Row’ is with the Creator in a good way.
Though my heart grieves for this child who never really knew why he must die I shed a tear of joy knowing he is finally in a world of everlasting love.
I hope you learned to play the harp Little Joe…………………..
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Friends of Joe Arridy
http://www.friendsofjoearridy.com/index.html
* http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Innocence-Robert-Perske/dp/0687006155
Dividere la Storia
Native American Entertainer John Romero Performs a Grave Side Flute Song
On a cloudy gray morning at a hilltop of an old prison cemetery in Canyon City, Colorado a group of people gathered to remember the life of a 23 year old mentally challenged man, Joe Arridy, who was wrongfully convicted and executed for the rape and murder of a teenage girl on January 6, 1939. Though this was a solemn occasion it was also a time to rejoice for these people successfully garnered a posthumous pardon for a human being with the mentality of a mere child on January 7, 2010.
David Martinez (L) receiving the Robert Perske Justice for all award by Robert Perske (R) at a prior engagement
Some key players could not attend including Philanthropist Humanitarian Robert Perske, author of *’Deadly Innocence?’, Joe Arridy’s descendant Maria Tucker, the descendant of Gail Ireland, the attorney who fought for Joe Teri Bradt and the attorney who took up the case pro bono and personally place the pardon on Governor Ritter’s desk, David Martinez Esq. They were at the grave site in spirit and their accomplishments will live on in perpetuity and so will the memory of Joe Arridy.
Though some members of ‘Humanities Dream Team’ were absent the event was still very energized with riveting poems, speeches and song. The ARC’s Craig Severa, the motivating force behind the grave stone, Dan Leonetti, who wrote the screenplay ‘Woodpecker Waltz was inspired to garner ‘Little Joe’ a pardon and Antonio Sanchez who enlisted an old friend, David Martinez for his legal prowess also graced the event.
There were other humanitarians that contributed to this noble cause. Entertainers, poets and professionals of all kinds who donated their skills, time and effort also attended this event for this was truly a group effort. Everyone donated thousands of hours doing what they could to bring Joe’s memory to light and to educate the general public about the judicial injustice that occurred three quarters of a century ago. Together they are humanities A-Team for they achieved the impossible in the face of all adversity, criticism and cynicism from an indifferent world.
After chatting with the director of The ARC, Colorado Springs Wilfred Romero it was clear the fight for justice for the son of Syrian immigrant, Joe Arridy, had become a lightening rod and an inspiration for others. It also became a conduit that links other humanitarian causes such as advocates against wrongful prosecution, false imprisonment, the death penalty, ethnic persecution and other social ills that also need to be addressed. It brings to light that we are not living in a civil society and it also reveals the consequences of a society that has lost it’s moral compass.
Though humanity slid into the abyss of ambivalence and indifference there is light at the end of this very long and dark tunnel as this gathering shows. There are people who actually care for fellow human beings regardless of race, color, creed and dogmatic principals. The corrupt legal system thought that by executing an ‘imbecile’ then burying him in grave would silence the quest for justice but nothing could be further from the case.
On the contrary the Joe Arridy case had exposed the infinitely flawed criminal justice system by revealing skeletons for there are hundreds of Joe Arridy’s who continue to be incarcerated, persecuted and executed by career minded prosecutes who only look for numbers not justice. When a wealthy person can get probation for killing four people in a drunker joy ride while poor folks get 10 years behind bars for a much lesser crime, that is not justice. There is no justice when one can buy their way out of a vehicular homicide case, that is called elitism.
With a burgeoning prison population filled with minorities and poor folks the only people to benefit from this are investors in privatized prisons and the lucrative logistic services that keep these houses of horror in operation. The Joe Arridy case opened a can of worms since it focused on a time in US history when the Progressive Movement dominated the conventional wisdom of the day. America was in competition with Germany to achieve the ‘American Race’ as opposed to Hitler’s ‘Master Race’, it was a contest.
This explains why America turned their heads as Hitler roasted Semitic Jews, invalids, dwarfs and developmentally disabled people for they were embracing Theodor Herzl’s Zionist ideology of eugenics and exceptionalism, the cornerstone of the Progressive Movement. In turn America was busy trying to find excuses to clean the streets of ‘Mental Defectives’ and moving ethnic minorities out of sight and out of mind.
The story of the quest for the American Race is a dark and fetid one indeed and one would have to look long and hard to find the facts but they are out there, provided the books have not been burned yet. Fortunately Robert Perske did manage to shed light in this dark era in US history within the texts of his book Deadly Innocence?, a story about Joe Arridy. The book revealed the absolute hatred for minorities and disabled people that was the rave in early 20th Century America. Only a few years earlier the KKK paraded down the streets of Washington DC. It was also open season on immigrants during this era of hate.
The book revealed the purification of the hearts of millions and the business as usual approach to systematically railroading anyone people felt were different by the elites of the American Race. By their example the subordinate population learned to hate with great zeal for it was fashionable. Sadly history is repeating itself as politicians proudly proclaim their stance as a ‘Progressives and Zionists’ and I know they are banking on people’s ignorance of the history of the Progressive Movement.
Joe Arridy’s tale of wrongful prosecution and execution is a rallying point for many people as they become aware of the hatred that is being spawned over a much wider selection of differences. Racial and religious hatred has expanded to include political and ideological differences as well as financial inequities to such a degree whole swaths of contemporary American society are being subjugated and persecuted. The renewed cycle of overt hatred has become a cottage industry and this should be the shot across the bow to everyone.
Hopefully the Renaissance or ‘Humanities Spring’ will be the rallying point for all human beings both in the United States and the Globe since everyone is subject to wrongful prosecution for no one is immune, unless of course you are wealthy and well connected.
As for the ‘Grave that Glows’, since the death of Little Joe Arridy local residence have noticed over the years that Joe’s grave would glow in the wee hours of the night and for many people this was a sign that Joe was innocent. I have not seen the grave glow but I did notice a hawk circle around the gathering by his grave. Within my tradition this is a sign that the ‘Happiest Man on Death Row’ is with the Creator in a good way.
Though my heart grieves for this child who never really knew why he must die I shed a tear of joy knowing he is finally in a world of everlasting love.
I hope you learned to play the harp Little Joe…………………..
Your Devil’s Advocate
Buffalohair
Friends of Joe Arridy
http://www.friendsofjoearridy.com/index.html
* http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Innocence-Robert-Perske/dp/0687006155
Dividere la Storia
The Joe Arridy Affect in Illinois
With news Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado pardoned an innocent man (Joe Arridy) 72 years after his wrongful execution. Attention has been focused on the death penalty as a whole. Now the Honorable Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn is poised to make a critical decision about the death penalty in his state. I received a request from Stefanie Faucher of Death Penalty Focus that I would like to share to the world. Like in the case of the Joe Arridy Pardon drive that went around the world there is a petition drive to positively influence the noble governor into doing the right thing. History was made in Colorado by the pardoning of Little Joe and now history can be made in Illinois but it takes voices from around the globe to a difference. Gov. Pat Quinn needs to hear from the people in order to accomplish the impossible. Therefore I am reposting this noble request to the readers of the world in an effort to garner enough momentum to sway the good governor’s decision.
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
https://buffalohair.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/the-joe-arridy-affect-in-illinois/
With news Governor Bill Ritter of Colorado pardoned an innocent man (Joe Arridy) 72 years after his wrongful execution. Attention has been focused on the death penalty as a whole. Now the Honorable Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn is poised to make a critical decision about the death penalty in his state. I received a request from Stefanie Faucher of Death Penalty Focus that I would like to share to the world. Like in the case of the Joe Arridy Pardon drive that went around the world there is a petition drive to positively influence the noble governor into doing the right thing. History was made in Colorado by the pardoning of Little Joe and now history can be made in Illinois but it takes voices from around the globe to a difference. Gov. Pat Quinn needs to hear from the people in order to accomplish the impossible. Therefore I am reposting this noble request to the readers of the world in an effort to garner enough momentum to sway the good governor’s decision.
Buffalohair
Dividere la Storia
https://buffalohair.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/the-joe-arridy-affect-in-illinois/
LITERARY CONSTAPATION
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:44 am Post subject:
LITERARY CONSTAPATION
A funny thing happened on the way to the Oscars. And what a journey it has been eh. Dan, Antonio, and I are, “Tres Amigo’s” so to speak. And it’s been one thing after another with us to. Seems the closer we get to our goals the more crappola hits us right in the ass. First it was my sister and her cirrhosis, which still is a major issue for me, more on this later. Then there’s the sudden death of Dan’s sweetie Caroline plus his incarceration in Vegas in spite of the fact he was the victim of an assault. We are home licking our wounds when Antonio informs us his father dies, Dan’s favorite uncle. FYI, Antonio was one of Da Boyz taking care of biz for Yellow Thunder Camp outside of Rapid City back in the day, for those Skins who remember. He’s quite the talented filmmaker and activist who walks his talk.
And while all this jazz was happening, IT’S SHOW TIME! So our humor was quite arcane as we cope with death all around us. A dark comedy of sorts we joked about making a screenplay of this journey to the Oscars. The total chaos of production was a blessing since it took our minds off of the toil and tumult of life’s odyssey. All I can figure is this movie must really have some powerful medicine to cause evil to try and disrupt us in such a vial fashion by tormenting us with death and dying.
When we were done with the final shoot my tech and I was bushed. Friday was total pandemonium since we barely arrived at the conference hall and the keynote speaker was tired and wanted to do the interview NOW. I think we had just two lights on, not a gell in place and we had more to unpack. I still had to do audio and visual checks, holay. And so the night went. But all the interviews were fantastic and I found myself watching TV rather than being a cameraman. I was truly enriched by the experience as well.
I have to admit, I think it’s just to cool that my bud actually has a chance at an Oscar for Best Screenplay. I can see us now, Dan, Antonio, and I at the Oscars. We already planed to wear over sized coats to hide the Tupperware containers. WE figured we would go for the crab, lobsters, and all quality meats. WE will just load up and dump everything in the truck of limo. Hmmmm, maybe have an ice chest in the trunk so we can make another pass at the buffet. Hopefully we would not piss anyone off walking in and out of the theater. Just hope we hear when they announce Dan as the nominee for the Oscar. I can picture us in the parking lot checking out the chicks spacing the awards out.
So I finally begin to mellow out and actually greet people civilly not my usual glare. Then I get a call from my sis. I was so happy to hear from her. My heart was filled with joy as I heard her “Daria” sounding monotone voice holler over the recorder “It’s your sister, pick up the phone!” I was excited and had much to tell about the events that transpired. We chatted for a bit when she paused. I had just asked her how she was doing. Then she informed me that she was being shuffled between two doctors who don’t know how to treat her. Why is that? The two doctors I was working with had no problem finding the areas that needed special attention. And her MELD was moving down the scale, which was a very great accomplishment. She was even getting her skin tone back and getting mouthy again. Oy Vey…..
Sadly she also informed me that she began to bleed from the nose, gums and other places of her body. Her blood factory is shutting down. Before she left here, I was working on the blood factory with nutrients and several other things within my culture. And it was working to the joy of everyone involved especially me. I must have read every book on the blood factory there was. Trying to isolate different nutrients was such a challenge for me since I had to battle emotions while coping with my sister mortality also. In essence she is dying now. And all of a sudden, I feel helpless and very small.
Buffalohair
_________________ Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:44 am Post subject:
LITERARY CONSTAPATION
A funny thing happened on the way to the Oscars. And what a journey it has been eh. Dan, Antonio, and I are, “Tres Amigo’s” so to speak. And it’s been one thing after another with us to. Seems the closer we get to our goals the more crappola hits us right in the ass. First it was my sister and her cirrhosis, which still is a major issue for me, more on this later. Then there’s the sudden death of Dan’s sweetie Caroline plus his incarceration in Vegas in spite of the fact he was the victim of an assault. We are home licking our wounds when Antonio informs us his father dies, Dan’s favorite uncle. FYI, Antonio was one of Da Boyz taking care of biz for Yellow Thunder Camp outside of Rapid City back in the day, for those Skins who remember. He’s quite the talented filmmaker and activist who walks his talk.
And while all this jazz was happening, IT’S SHOW TIME! So our humor was quite arcane as we cope with death all around us. A dark comedy of sorts we joked about making a screenplay of this journey to the Oscars. The total chaos of production was a blessing since it took our minds off of the toil and tumult of life’s odyssey. All I can figure is this movie must really have some powerful medicine to cause evil to try and disrupt us in such a vial fashion by tormenting us with death and dying.
When we were done with the final shoot my tech and I was bushed. Friday was total pandemonium since we barely arrived at the conference hall and the keynote speaker was tired and wanted to do the interview NOW. I think we had just two lights on, not a gell in place and we had more to unpack. I still had to do audio and visual checks, holay. And so the night went. But all the interviews were fantastic and I found myself watching TV rather than being a cameraman. I was truly enriched by the experience as well.
I have to admit, I think it’s just to cool that my bud actually has a chance at an Oscar for Best Screenplay. I can see us now, Dan, Antonio, and I at the Oscars. We already planed to wear over sized coats to hide the Tupperware containers. WE figured we would go for the crab, lobsters, and all quality meats. WE will just load up and dump everything in the truck of limo. Hmmmm, maybe have an ice chest in the trunk so we can make another pass at the buffet. Hopefully we would not piss anyone off walking in and out of the theater. Just hope we hear when they announce Dan as the nominee for the Oscar. I can picture us in the parking lot checking out the chicks spacing the awards out.
So I finally begin to mellow out and actually greet people civilly not my usual glare. Then I get a call from my sis. I was so happy to hear from her. My heart was filled with joy as I heard her “Daria” sounding monotone voice holler over the recorder “It’s your sister, pick up the phone!” I was excited and had much to tell about the events that transpired. We chatted for a bit when she paused. I had just asked her how she was doing. Then she informed me that she was being shuffled between two doctors who don’t know how to treat her. Why is that? The two doctors I was working with had no problem finding the areas that needed special attention. And her MELD was moving down the scale, which was a very great accomplishment. She was even getting her skin tone back and getting mouthy again. Oy Vey…..
Sadly she also informed me that she began to bleed from the nose, gums and other places of her body. Her blood factory is shutting down. Before she left here, I was working on the blood factory with nutrients and several other things within my culture. And it was working to the joy of everyone involved especially me. I must have read every book on the blood factory there was. Trying to isolate different nutrients was such a challenge for me since I had to battle emotions while coping with my sister mortality also. In essence she is dying now. And all of a sudden, I feel helpless and very small.
Buffalohair
_________________ Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
Our Dog Reporter over at Buffalohair Entertainment!
Bear The Wonder Dog!
His Own Page!
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/bear-the-wonder-dog-gives-this-a-paws-up-film-awards-look-up-the-movie-official-2015-trailer/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-the-magic-of-the-california-redwoods/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/ahhhh-a-nice-advertisment-unsung-hero/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page-about-a-hero-service-dog/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/bear-the-wonder-dog-says-this-dog-can-really-dance/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-sharing-is-caring/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-on-the-river/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-big-splash-the-most-expensive-pet-dog-in-the-world/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/bear-the-wonder-dog-page/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page-with-animal-tracks/
Bear The Wonder Dog!
His Own Page!
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/bear-the-wonder-dog-gives-this-a-paws-up-film-awards-look-up-the-movie-official-2015-trailer/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-the-magic-of-the-california-redwoods/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/ahhhh-a-nice-advertisment-unsung-hero/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page-about-a-hero-service-dog/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/08/04/bear-the-wonder-dog-says-this-dog-can-really-dance/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-sharing-is-caring/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-on-the-river/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-big-splash-the-most-expensive-pet-dog-in-the-world/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/bear-the-wonder-dog-page/
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/bear-the-wonder-dogs-page-with-animal-tracks/
Antonio Sanchez
11 hrs 3/5/2017 · My lodge before I gave to my grandchildren.
Jage. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh The rest of the story! That is bear. Right? Bear. /Buffalohair. picked it out for their front page before Bear. past on:(
Buffalohair COAT OF ARMS
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:48 am Post subject: COAT OF ARMS
It’s kind of funny in a way as I view the armor I wear in life. Very imposing and lethal if placed in a situation. But no matter how intimidating the armor may be. In the center of this Dread naught resides a little boy. And I feel bad for the kid to. Guess that’s why I build such a fortress to protect him. Poor little guy, all he wanted to do was play with other kids and enjoy life. But such is life and happiness was just not in the cards for the little fella.
He was doing ok till about 7 years of age. Then for reasons beyond comprehension the kid moved away from his cousin’s aunts and uncles. It was a weird place since there were not dirt roads or animals to speak of either. Even the plants seemed different. Though they looked pretty the plants were still sad somehow.
The new place was filled with people. But they were not very friendly. The little boy and his mommy would walk around town only to have people point at them. Some people would call them names; others would simply throw trash at them. This made the little boy very sad since his mommy would cry all the time. Then it got worse, much worse.
One day when the little boy came home to find a new man in mommy’s life. He was a big man with giant hands. He looked happy at first but then he started hitting the little boy and his mommy. This made the little boy very sad since he no longer had a safe place to go. It would appear the kids at the new school he attended did not like kids who were not the same color. The little boy was beaten for this lacking in judgment. And well, that’s when I came into the picture.
Yup, I started protecting the little guy back when he was a poop butt. It started with one layer at first. He was ok for a while then came the problems at home with his step dad. I mean to tell you, this Englishman beat the holy schnikes out of him almost everyday. The dude used to punch out him and his mom with these giant hands. The kid and mom would go flying.
I could not stop the beatings, but I did manage to keep the kid numb while he was beaten. There was nothing I could do for his mom though. And the poor kid saw lots of horror. Eventually, I managed to place layer after layer of protection on the kid. I became his protector and helped him cope with the violence that became a part of his life.
Well the kid grew up and I was still by his side. I shielded him from many things throughout his life. I’ve become a part of him now and he will never loose me. I will stick to him like glue because he needs me. There is only one slight flaw in this armor though. It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So I over react at times and expect the worse. At least I’m keeping the kid protected.
I’ve become the armor it seems and I wonder if the little boy will ever enjoy life outside.
Buffalohair
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:48 am Post subject: COAT OF ARMS
It’s kind of funny in a way as I view the armor I wear in life. Very imposing and lethal if placed in a situation. But no matter how intimidating the armor may be. In the center of this Dread naught resides a little boy. And I feel bad for the kid to. Guess that’s why I build such a fortress to protect him. Poor little guy, all he wanted to do was play with other kids and enjoy life. But such is life and happiness was just not in the cards for the little fella.
He was doing ok till about 7 years of age. Then for reasons beyond comprehension the kid moved away from his cousin’s aunts and uncles. It was a weird place since there were not dirt roads or animals to speak of either. Even the plants seemed different. Though they looked pretty the plants were still sad somehow.
The new place was filled with people. But they were not very friendly. The little boy and his mommy would walk around town only to have people point at them. Some people would call them names; others would simply throw trash at them. This made the little boy very sad since his mommy would cry all the time. Then it got worse, much worse.
One day when the little boy came home to find a new man in mommy’s life. He was a big man with giant hands. He looked happy at first but then he started hitting the little boy and his mommy. This made the little boy very sad since he no longer had a safe place to go. It would appear the kids at the new school he attended did not like kids who were not the same color. The little boy was beaten for this lacking in judgment. And well, that’s when I came into the picture.
Yup, I started protecting the little guy back when he was a poop butt. It started with one layer at first. He was ok for a while then came the problems at home with his step dad. I mean to tell you, this Englishman beat the holy schnikes out of him almost everyday. The dude used to punch out him and his mom with these giant hands. The kid and mom would go flying.
I could not stop the beatings, but I did manage to keep the kid numb while he was beaten. There was nothing I could do for his mom though. And the poor kid saw lots of horror. Eventually, I managed to place layer after layer of protection on the kid. I became his protector and helped him cope with the violence that became a part of his life.
Well the kid grew up and I was still by his side. I shielded him from many things throughout his life. I’ve become a part of him now and he will never loose me. I will stick to him like glue because he needs me. There is only one slight flaw in this armor though. It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry. So I over react at times and expect the worse. At least I’m keeping the kid protected.
I’ve become the armor it seems and I wonder if the little boy will ever enjoy life outside.
Buffalohair
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind
https://littlerunningdeer.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/bear-the-wonder-dog-page-strange-happenings/
Annie is SAD:(
Never Dreamed I Would Live To See The Redwoods Destroyed:(
August 18, 2015 by Ann
https://annlrd.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/never-dreamed-i-would-live-to-see-the-redwoods-destroyed/
Videos:
The magic of the California redwoods
Climate Engineering Weather Warfare, and the Collapse of Civilization
California's dying forests offer look into climate change
SMART DUST / NANO-TECH KiLLS!!!!!!! PROOF TV.m4v
Bear The Wonder Dog Gives This A Paws Up! Film Awards: “Look up” the Movie: Official 2015 Trailer
“Look up” the Movie: Official 2015 Trailer#SkyderALERT You no longer live in a world of blue skies and natural weather. The air you breathe, the suns you see and the rain that falls is all being controlled…
shared Tennessee Skywatch‘s photo.
Tennessee SkywatchWhen the actual water vapor that we breathe out starts to linger and follows us around all day making a haze, I’ll buy the pic on the bottom being the result of vapor. JSHey People! What about us? We like clean air to breathe, too !
Dig out your black light and see the gleaming shimmer in the nights sky along with other fibers . What is it is that glows like glitter?
SMART DUST / NANO-TECH !!!!!!! PROOF TV.m4vhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaxL04f6dPkWhy are they spraying us with Dry Red Blood Cells?Check in with Ann Little Running Deer ….. Wild Stuff going on over at her Blog! WOOF! Now that’s Crazy Scary entertainment in Real Life !!!!!!
Jag Ensing shared a link.
6 hrs ·
NetworkedBlogs
· Hero's
Bear The Wonder Dog Page: Out Of Nowhere Her Dog Grabs Her And Tosses Her Across The Room. \
Buffalohair Entertainment
Authors:
Buffalohair
http://en.gravatar.com/buffalohair
Jagehttp://en.gravatar.com/littlerunningdeer
Little Running Deer
I could look out across the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. I could look in land at the Snow Capped Mountains.
I watched the Hawks and Eagles soaring in the clean pure blue skies. Enjoyed the thrill of the first crys of the Geese in Spring and Winter. As thousands of flocks in v formation made their dramatic way North or South each season.
Loving the show of the Northern Lights dancing across the skies.
Hearing the howl of the wolf packs. Hearing them pausing at the tent flap at night, as they listened in on you.
Finding you were being tracked by curious Mountain Lions in the snow when crossing back over the trails and seeing their foot prints behind yours.
Seeing huge bear tracks just filling in with water on the trail and the hair standing up on the back of your neck realizing he/she is right next to you in the brush.
Jag: Wahoo! Two Months: 12,026 views at ME :) Thanks!
Jag Ensing
https://about.me/jag.ensing
Promoter
Ten years later and still going strong From being an artist owning a ranch in almost heaven, to this field of work is really amazing!
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’” – Audrey Hepburn
Videos:
My Children and I have enjoyed these PBS TV Shows In The past :)
Some Favorite Actor's Movies
Plus a Great Speech by a long ago Actor! Enjoy!
Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios
Reading Rainbow Remixed | In Your Imagination | PBS Digital Studios
Bob Ross Remixed | Happy Little Clouds | PBS Digital Studios
Robin Williams - "Seize the Day" - by Melodysheep
Charlie Chaplin - Let Us All Unite! (Melodysheep) + Download
Smudging: Has Been Found To Eliminate Dangerous Bacteria
The ritualistic use of plant smoke stretches back to the prehistorical era and is still used, the world over, as a way of 'cleansing' the spirit. Now modern scientific…
offgridquest.com|By David
Antonio Sanchez via Savannah River Band Euchee-Uchean Indians Tribe
The Chickasaw . . . In the beginning | People of One Fire
Archaeology, Architecture, Ethnology, History, Language The Chickasaw . . . In the beginning November 8, 2015 Richard Thornton Leave a comment Perhaps 3,000 years ago, their ancestors were merely Choctaws with wanderlust. Although it…
peopleofonefire.com
The Chickasaw . . . In the beginning | People of One Fire
Archaeology, Architecture, Ethnology, History, Language The Chickasaw . . . In the beginning November 8, 2015 Richard Thornton Leave a comment Perhaps 3,000 years ago, their ancestors were merely Choctaws with wanderlust. Although it…
peopleofonefire.com
