"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." - Preamble, United States Constitution.
By Carol Harper
Winter is coming. I see abandoned bird nests, dried-up flowers and shrubs, morning frost, trees adorned in orange and gold, harvested farms and gardens. We've had that first token snow that has already melted off. I'm having to put on extra layers. It's that weird, beautiful time between the end of summer and the inevitable winter that never lasts long.
It's going to be a big week with Election Day on Tuesday. The seasons certainly will be changing, and I think we're all kinda on the edge of our seats. My aunt tells me to not use the word 'nervous'...rather, use the word 'excited' in reprograming the brain to process things in a more positive way. Won't we all be excited when this election is over?
Excited. I sure wish I could be! I do try to be positive, most of the time. Being back at EMS, I once again have the burden of knowing the nature of every single EMS call that happens in Fremont County. I watch the crews as they come back to the station, either feeling great that they were able to make a difference or save a life in some huge or small way...but also having to bear the much greater burden of discouragement and depression in witnessing and knowing the truth about the communities and tribes they serve...the consequences of the crime, violence, abuse, neglect, suicide, alcohol and drugs that plague our society 24/7, 365. It can be a thankless job.
Forget all the press, propaganda, and political posturing...if you want to know the truth about your community, ask a first responder.
The Truth: Bigger problems...
I recently interviewed a woman for Arapaho Voice (who wished to remain anonymous) who told her story of her experience in a management position at the WRHC. After publication and being posted on Facebook, folks zeroed in on the story about a person who was tased in the casino's hotel lobby. Some denied that the event happened; others said they had worked there for many years and never heard of someone getting tased (which doesn't mean it didn't happen). I eventually made a correction based on several who had come forward and confirmed that the event did happen, but it was a BIA officer who tased the guest, not a security manager, and confirmed the truth that there is a video of the incident.
Mudslinging is a common action, especially during election years. But what I found interesting in the comments and responses of this post was that I could tell who did the quick "social media skim" versus those who actually read and ponder about the core issue(s). When it comes to the bigger picture, the view from the sky is much greater than from the ground...and though there will always be opposition and those who make some efforts to discredit this woman's story, the truth is...
...aside from all of the narratives and red herrings that are put out by the tribe, there are so many more stories, so many larger problems that are impacting the lives of not just casino employees, but the lives of all tribal members. In fact, there are big problems in every department and program of the Northern Arapaho Tribe. The systems that have been created are failing us, and it's not just the tribes, it's happening everywhere...in Riverton, Lander, Fremont County, Wyoming, in the United States...all around the globe.
"When there is an elephant in the room,
you can't pretend it isn't there and just discuss the ants."
- Ellen Wittlinger
The Elephant in the Building
When a building is condemned, there are several steps in the plans to bring it down. There are determining factors that lead up to the decisions that go into even defining it as condemned and ready for demolition. Perhaps the building has fallen into severe disrepair in too many places. Maybe it has become a health hazard or a community safety issue, or perhaps has become a hub for illegal activity. Perhaps it is just too expensive to maintain, and making renovations would cost a lot more than tearing it down. Maybe there are unseen ulterior motives/agendas and deals made between landlords and corporate interests.
Rather than honing in on just one side, I do my best to look at the proverbial elephant from all sides and try to see how everything is connected. A lot of folks spend too much time looking at the ass instead of realizing that everything is part of a larger whole (see what I did there? LOL). Is the 'elephant' young or old? Big or small? Healthy or sick? What is making it sick? How much time and money do we have? Can it be healed and saved, or is it a lost cause? Should it even be saved?
Maybe we need to seriously and more introspectivly think about who we are and where we stand as individuals (not politically or socially) and how we connect and affect our communities...whether we ourselves are actively engaged and productive in the problem-solving, or actually being or becoming the problem(s). Are we providing solutions, or creating more bottlenecks? I can't tell you how many meetings I've attended where I'm just sitting there feeling like the group was just spinning its wheels, accomplishing nothing. A lot of bitching and complaining going on, but no visions or solutions contributed or initiated. Or a lack of team players, with those digging their heels in with a "my way or the highway" attitude...and then everything seems to become a bottleneck to accomplishment. Or a small group or clique gathers together behind closed conference doors, or for coffee, lunch, dinner, or drinks as unofficial lobbyists to local leaders and stakeholders who ultimately and unelectively decide what is or what isn't.
My take on that is...if we can't recognize that there are issues greater than ourselves...if we can't listen to and respect each other, if we can't work together as a team, if we can't answer the tough questions, if we make it more about ourselves or our agendas than for the greater good, if politics over progress is the prevalent attitude...I'll choose the highway, because then nothing will change!
However, on the other hand, my journey has also led me to a few organizations that are team-driven with meetings that have an active flow, members who actually listen and respect what each person brings to the table, where there is transparency and enthusiasm...and when a project is successful, there is no "look what I did," but "look what we did!"
"Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country
are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair."
- George Burns
With good intentions, the Riverton Rescue Mission spent $18,000 on a feasibility study done by a firm in Texas for a local homeless shelter project. The RRM recently published the results on their Facebook page, where it was stated that the project would not be feasible. So now, not only did they get their answer, but they're out $18,000 of donated money that could have been used towards the very issue and problems they wanted to solve! Granted, there are both short-term and long-term solutions, but to throw that kind of money at a study that ultimately gives you a thumbs down by a firm that doesn't even exist in Riverton, Wyoming sounds like a complete waste of time and money, when actions could have been taken all summer long to address and solve the problems within the community, and allocate funds where they were most needed. What could be a good thing for our unhoused now has this group going back to the drawing board to consider all the hoops they'll have to jump through, red tape to break through, and bottlenecks to unplug before even seeing a yellow (much less a green) light at the end of the tunnel.
In the meantime, tick tock. Time waits for no one. How many are cold, discouraged, and depressed now? How many are losing their toes and extremities to frostbite, sick with colds and respiratory problems? It's happening! How many will lose their homes because of the lack of sustainable wages? It's happening! Stats that reflect employment on the rise mean nothing if the employed are barely making it, living in their cars or in a warming hut, or don't have a phone for potential employers to call. Airport enplanements mean nothing if housing is unaffordable, wages unsustainable, long-time local family businesses, farms and ranches fold, and community safety is continually compromised. With exorbitant electric bills, how many will be able to heat their homes this winter? Rocky Mountain Power raised the electricity rates (my own electric bill has nearly tripled)...and they are headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The corporation in Tennessee that runs our ambulance services knows very little about the challenges on the front lines of Fremont County's rural EMS. Why? Because they're not here. The money doesn't stay here!
Contrasting this with the Fremont County Law Enforcement Foundation, which assembled in December of 2023, set up its 501c3 in just a little over 2 months, held its first fundraiser in May of 2024, which ended up making well over $43,000. Money that is available for ALL Fremont County law enforcement agencies and officers. Funds that go where they are allocated, and don't rob Peter to pay Paul. No, FCLEF didn't sit around talking about it for months/years; they didn't ask for funding from the city/county, and they didn't rely on the 1/2 cent sales tax where the monies are controlled by the city/county. Like-minded folks stepped up, appealed to their community, and created a good thing that supports community safety and the officers who are on the front lines every day having to put up with the truth of the communities they serve!
You gotta have the right people, in the right positions, making the right decisions...and I don't mean that in a 'right-left' partisan way, because politics and partisanship are a huge part of many of these problems that plague us. If there is constant social and political division, you're going to be gridlocked, and progress (if any) will be stunted. But if there is unity based upon truth and reality, there can be a flow of ideas and innovation, a mission and a plan created, organized and executed by those with time, talents, or treasure who are 'excited' and have faith in the goals yet to be accomplished, and are not distracted by trivialities, division, and chaos.
"When people who are actually creating a system start to see themselves as the source of their problems, they invariably discover a new capacity to create results they truly desire." - Peter Senge
United we stand, divided we fall.
Don't you love it when folks say you can't do something...and then you do it? We don't need a firm in Texas telling us that we can't do a homeless shelter here...we don't need the state of Wyoming telling us that EMS is a non-essential service, and the county telling us we can't have a local ambulance service...we don't need the EDGE committee telling the city council what businessses and organizations are worthy or not worthy of 1/2 cent sales tax fund disbursements. When we believe in something, like-minded individuals will step up and make it happen!
Because at the end of the day, we the People are people! We're not a corporation, we're not politicians, and those who have drowned in the ever-dissolving middle-class majority sure as hell aren't the 1%! So I hope this election, we will vote for those who will not create more partisan gridlock, waste time by traveling itinerantly all over the state/country for photo ops, ego-stroking, or going to meetings that could've been via Zoom or via email. I hope we get rid of all the spendthrifts and instead, invest in those who are non-corruptible and who are wise with our time and budgets.
Most of all, I hope that those we vote for could trade in their fancy suits and dresses for some work clothes...roll up their sleeves, put on some boots, get to work, get their noses out of the phones and laptops, make themselves available to look into the very eyes and faces of their constituents in their own communities and tribes! I hope we all can rid ourselves of those with ulterior motives and agendas, vote for those with the abilities and intelligence to acknowledge and focus on the truth, and work together for the common good of We the People. I hope we can all work together respectfully and effectively with our leaders and community groups to solve the problems that have plagued us, rather than continually applying band-aids on gaping wounds.
For my tribe...I will vote with the hope that the real issues and problems will be solved/fixed enough so that something like
what happened at the last General Council never happens again. I will vote with the hope for council and committee members who are like-minded for the good of the Tribe, and have viable ideas and solutions to bring to the table in a good way. I will vote with the hope that we can build better relationships with each other as tribal members and with our neighboring bordertowns, because until we can find a way to actively and effectively address and solve the issues that have plagued us continually for the last few centuries, we will end up being a condemned building.
Because it's not just about Election Day and then it's over and done. It's the years that follow that are always the most crucial because that's when accountability on both sides of the podium begins...again.
"In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell.
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