And some folks begrudge the Indians a lousy casino or two

I guess all that torture and stuff does have a basis in our country's imperial history, which doesn't mean we have learned and moved forward since.
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original-indian country

Newcomb: Spirit-breaking: Mission horrors

by: Steven Newcomb / Indigenous Law Institute


In 1769, Catholic priest Junipero Serra founded the Catholic mission system in California. In 1775, the Franciscan and Dominican orders in California made a joint statement characterizing their mission. The language they used provides insight into their way of thinking and their behavior in the missions.

In the joint statement, the two orders said that their task was the ''spiritual and temporal conquest'' of the ''vast territory'' called California. They also referred to themselves as being ''in this corner of the world of Old and New California, occupied with the spiritual conquest and conversion of the infidels.'' Infidels translates to ''not of the faith,'' or, in other words, non-Catholic.

Conquest is one aspect of the paradigm of domination that underlies the colonizing mission of the Vatican and the Catholic Church in the Americas, in keeping with papal decrees that called for the ''subjugation'' of ''barbarous nations.'' As part of this charge, one task of the church was to break the free spirit of and ''reduce'' those who were ''not of the faith.'' Spiritual conquest involved the use of spirit-breaking techniques that served as part of the arsenal that was employed against the originally free and independent Indian nations and peoples of California.

After being accused of tyranny by another priest, ''Father'' Lasuen, of Mission San Miguel, stated: ''The Indians are flogged, and wherefore not ... It is evident that a nation which is barbarous, ferocious and ignorant requires more frequent punishments than a nation which is cultured, educated and of gentle and moderate customs.'' Abuse of the Indians kept at the missions was legion, and they were kept more as prisoners than parishioners. ''The children and adults of both sexes are carefully locked up every night and the keys are delivered into the possession of the padres,'' stated one commentator.

As many Indians as possible were locked in a room with tiny windows and little circulation. The room had an open-pit latrine in the middle of the floor. Governor Borica, who inspected some empty living quarters, declared, ''So pestiferous were they that I could not endure them for even a minute.''

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complete article here

The so-called 'legal' (but clearly immoral) basis for the vast Colonial invasions of lands around the globe, including North and South America, and the genocide of the human beings who lived there.

The so-called legal title to all the real estate in North America is based on that horrible, greedy Papal document -- a flimsy pretense for truth, justice or honor.

Revoke the Papal Bull now. Otherwise, it remains as a Mortal Sin on the soul of the Papacy and the institution he represents.

Steven Newcomb has done important research and advocacy on this as well...

Inter Cetera Bullshit: http://ili.nativeweb.org/ricb.html

As a former catholic, I believe I am qualified to say that all violent and abusive actions, past and present, are in no way an aberration. They are in fact a true reflection of the basic motivations of the church- subjugation, extortion and elimination of opposition to their goals.

Sadly.