National Holiday

Thank you for the pointed remark. I too feel the congress did a short step by not giving the Native Community their Holiday though the whole month of November would be much better. So a small step as a start may be the foot in the door. Let us hope so. Rocco

Native American Heritage Day

- On Tue, 10/21/08, Pat Talley wrote:

> From: Pat Talley
> Subject: Fw: [SAIGE] Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008
> To: Undisclosed-Recipient@yahoo.com
> Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 9:37 PM
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joseph Bohanon"
> Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 9:43 AM
> Subject: Fw: [SAIGE] Native American Heritage Day Act of
> 2008
>
>
> > Does this mean that federal employees will actually
> have a day off in
> > recognition of the Indigenous Peoples? Great!!!
> >
> >
--- On Sun, 10/19/08, Nanette Waller <> wrote:

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2008, 1:40 PM
On Oct. 10, 2008 H.J. Res. 62 became Public Law
No: 110-370

Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008 (Enrolled
as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

One Hundred Tenth Congress of the United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on
Thursday, the third day of January, two thousand and eight
Joint Resolution To honor the achievements and contributions of
Native Americans to the United States, and for other purposes.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008'.



SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds that--

(1) Native Americans are the descendants of the aboriginal, indigenous,
native people who were the original inhabitants of the United States;

(2) Native Americans have volunteered to serve in the United States Armed Forces
and have served with valor in all of the Nation's military actions
from the Revolutionary War through the present day,
and in most of those actions, more Native Americans per capita
served in the Armed Forces than any other group of Americans;

(3) Native Americans have made distinct and
significant contributions to the United States and the rest of the world in
many fields, including agriculture, medicine, music, language, and art,
and Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors,
entrepreneurs spiritual leaders, and scholars;

(4) Native Americans should be recognized for their contributions to the
United States as local and national leaders, artists, athletes, and scholars;

(5) nationwide recognition of the contributions
that Native Americans
have made to the fabric of American society will afford an
opportunity for all Americans to demonstrate their respect and
admiration of Native
Americans for their important contributions to the
political, cultural, and economic life of the United States;

(6) nationwide recognition of the contributions
that Native Americans have made to the Nation will encourage
self-esteem, pride, and self-awareness in Native Americans of all ages;

(7) designation of the Friday following
Thanksgiving of each year as
Native American Heritage Day will underscore the
government-to-government relationship between the United States and
Native American governments; and

(8) designation of Native American Heritage Day
will encourage public
elementary and secondary schools in the United States to enhance
understanding of Native Americans by providing curricula
and classroom instruction focusing on the achievements and
contributions of Native Americans to the Nation.

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY.
Congress--
(1) designates Friday, November 28, 2008, as `Native American Heritage Day';
and
(2) encourages the people of the United States, as well as Federal,
State, and local governments, and interested groups and organizations to
observe Native American Heritage Day with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities, including activities relating to--

(A) the historical status of Native American
> tribal governments as well as the present day status of Native Americans;
(B) the cultures, traditions, and languages of
Native Americans; and
(C) the rich Native American cultural legacy thatall Americans enjoy today.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
See http://thomas. loc.gov for further information.

Lori Windle
OSM Western Region
Denver, CO

No Need To Wait

We humans have a knack for coming together and rising up to our potential in the face of a tragedy. Natural disasters and acts of violence bring us out of our individual selves and into the world, ready to lend a hand to those in need. This experience is often life-changing for those who are willing to step into the position of helper. We feel that we are finally doing something important, and this gives us the feeling of more self-actualized. We feel more connected to the people we are helping, as well as more connected to humanity in general. As we expand beyond the boundaries of our individual pursuits, there can be a complete reality shift. We often find that it is much easier to be happy when we are motivated to make the world better in tangible ways, when coming to the rescue of those who suffer.

Considering the many benefits of this kind of gesture, it is surprising that more of us don’t devote our lives, or at least some portion of our time, to serving other people in need. We don’t have to wait for a tragedy, in our community, we can offer ourselves to ourselves to service any time. Sometimes it’s easier to respond to an event that has just happened rather than to ongoing problems like homelessness, poverty, and illness. The truth of this is that there is always someone in need of our best efforts to rally a group of helpers and healers. Maybe we feel discouraged because these smaller acts and gestures don’t generate the same kind of energy and attention from other people, yet perhaps an effort to change the small local efforts is one way to change the world.

The more we promote, applaud, and actively inspire humanitarian efforts in our community, the more others may be drawn to this kind of work in their communities and thus change the world. We might pay a little less attention to sports and celebrity gossip and a little more attention to those everyday heroes who devote their lives to alleviating suffering. The more attention we pay, the more we will inspire ourselves and others to be of service in our local community and the world that greatly needs our attention.