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Forwarded Message:

Subject: Re: BearVisions -keep this final copy

Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 12:39:46 -0400

From: "mary" <slowhand@mymail.emcyber.com>

To: <LongRider@BearVisions.com>

CC: "shaman" <NEESHANHA@aol.com>

References: 1 , 2

I hear what you are saying, and for my part i tell you this. This is your

fight, leave me out of it. If you contact anyone else having any connection

with this site again and I hear about it, you willdefinitely pay the price

in $, not to mention the aggravation I can cause. Neeshanha will be acting

on her own behalf, this is my deal: I take my job seriously. I design

websites for people, their ways of practicing their religion and what they

get out of it is none of my business. I'm also a pretty cool person

besides. Of course, you're right, I probably wouldn't design a site for

someone who I felt was offending my beliefs. But that's the point, I'm not

offended, so I designed it. Someone is always offended by something. I have

enough to be offended with, but I can't take up everyone's cause, I cure the

world in my own little way in my daily life, and I try to provide sun where

there's darkness to anyone who needs and deserves it. I sympathize with the

Native American plight. I am an artist, I spread beauty and not fear.

That's the difference.I cannot watch someone be hounded, tarred and

feathered because of the way she exercises her right to express herself,

just as you express yourself.

Receiving letters from associates and colleagues asking me who the nutcase

is that is sending disturbing letters to them, and having people I work with

wonder what's up is my business. I believe in freedom of expression, even

yours - I would not design a site that I feel is offensive to any group I

believe in tolerance and equality, the right of everyone to express

themselves and practice their beliefs without harming another. Neeshanha is

not harming anyone, you certainly are. You're hurting me and disturbing my

colleagues and associates, and I won't take kindly to that. I won't fight

your fight and you can't expect me to.

Why didn't you contact neeshanha yourself through her site, why spread your

venom through me and others. Why didn't you do the decent thing and contact

neeshanha with your concerns and fight it out with her? I created a

beautiful site for a beautiful, spiritual woman, and if the idea that she is

profiting $-wise bothers you, that's a damned shame. Her site celebrates

the beauty of spiritualism, the beauty of art, the beauty of Native

Americans. She references all types of healing and spiritual, as well as

activist native american sites. t was a pleasure and a joy for me, and the

feedback from many native americans has been spectacularly in praise of her

and her site. I learned my our business. She may not be a "traditional"

shaman as you put it, but a healer is a healer in my world. We need more of

them.

Whatever you decide to do, let me tell you this and you better listen up. I

will take legal action if I am in any way involved in this thing you have

going on. I'm as native american as you are, and I feel just as strongly

about the wrongs. And I celebrate the "rights". Bringing an awareness of

the beauty of being a native american is the message meant by kat and her

site. I created it, I'm proud of it, and I'll do whatever is necessary to

protect it, and her right to express her heritage in any way she feels is

right. I intend to protect my integrity as a designer and also my

livelihood. This is me talking, no one else. No shamans, no spirits, just

plain old me.

Try to find another way to channel your hatred, it's not productive, you

won't effect change, believe me. You say you're asian/italian and you want

to protect native americans, I'm a little of everything, and I'd like to

save the world one human at a time. You are damaging the natives - they

have a tough enough time preserving their histories, getting the message out

about unfairness and the problems and hardships they face. Your work on the

web is giving them less credibility, you're hurting their cause, and so are

your followers. Can't you see that? Push for rights, take a stand, but be

productive. Send the message, make people want to hear it. You're just

scaring everyone away by your way of communicating.

I wish you peace, I hope you realize the hurt you're causing. Continue to

fight for rights of individuals, no matter what "group", but find a better,

more productive and more spiritual way of doing it without violating

another's rights.

mary