Shocking interview with Russ Means where he admits siding with the Contras and fighting Sandanistas, Gives props to the Aryan Nations driven Militia Movement, admits he was not a founder of AIM, Admits that AIM was founded and still exsists in Minn. Mn (contrary to lies by Churchill and friends), he proclaims he needs no progressive allies, he renounces armed struggle, he is basically the shell of his former self. Isn't it time people see the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

July 2000 Interview by Eldorado Sun NM with Russ Means

Russell has always been opening the doors, showing us things that are real and disturbing. Although some detractors might find Russell's career in Hollywood not in keeping with his past exploits, his visibility has never been higher, having acted in such movies as "Last of the Mohicans," "Natural Born Killers," and even lending his voice to Pocahontas' father in the recent Disney animation. And in spite of his mainstream successes, Means hasn't stopped rocking the boat. Currently, he finds himself in the thick of a court fight with the government over jurisdictional rights on the reservations regarding the rights of non-tribal members being charged by tribal police (because he doesn't want to be charged with beating his father in law as accused by his wife in Navajo Court). Means is challenging the courts with a possibly precedent- making ruling on the sovereignty question on the reservations.

Eldorado SUN: Can you talk a little bit about the history of the American Indian Movement?

(Very Important here he recognizes that AIM was founded in Minneapolis yet Churchill and in the recent Dark Night article "why we call it struggle" people deny that AIM in Minneapolis was the legitimate birthplace of AIM and that it is the National office of AIM today!!!!!)

Russell Means: The American Indian Movement [AIM] was born in the ghetto on the south side of Minneapolis in 1968. I founded the first chapter of the American Indian Movement outside the city of Minneapolis, and that was in Cleveland, Ohio. From there we started participating in initiating our own strategy of political confrontation. And that strategy enabled th movement to explode.(A strategy thought up by Bellecourt and Banks. As Means admits in the next section he wasn't in AIM then) We knew that for American Indian people in this country to be heard

After reading what I first thought to be a bunch of lies for the last year from Wit, Ojima,and others I now must eat my words. I recently decided to look into these allegations on my own and found that

1)The Eldorado Sun Interview is for on line for anyone to see at WWW.EldoradoSun.com.

2) The Liquor store story is on Means own website.

3) Although Governing AIM council releases are from a subjective angle the research backs them up.

4) Churchill interview where he admits teaching cops was done by a very reputable Journalist Jodie Rave and was published in "News From Indian Country".

5) Churchills has never lived nor does he live in any traditional Native Ameican community.

6) Means has repeatedly resigned and reresigned from AIM. More importantly he was thrown out of AIM in '85

7) Glenn Morris did not grow up nor has he ever lived in any Native american Community.

8) The last chapter of "Where White Men Fear To Tread" Means does say he embraces the Republican Party".

9) Glenn Morris and Russ Means had their pictures taken with the US backed Contras in the 80's.

10) Churchill has repeatedly made excuses for supporting the Contras and done so openly.

11) No one can deny that Means did that stupid movie "Pochahantas".

12)Means and Churchill did a press conference last year three doors down from FBI offices in Denver to accuse AIM leaders of murder of Anna Mae Aquash. How does this affect Peltier? Do they care?

It is pretty obvious that these allegations can all be backed up by 1st, 2nd,and 3rd sources. Finally a video of Churchill admitting he taught Police in Rapid City is being circulated. So how can people keep denying these allegations based on Means,Churchill, and Morris own press releases, actions, statements on tape and video, and even Bill Means Russs' own brothers' statements against them? People only have to do a minor amount of research of their own to see the truth in them. I this stuff on the wall and alot of it stuck. The post author Wit challenged folks to do some research. I did and found it to not only be credible but undeniable.

Some are saying it was the Sandanistas who had large portions of the indigenous community working to fight the Contras fighting with them were acting as the European conquerer in this situation which would make the support for Contras more intelligible?

Excuse me it was obvious that the Nicaraguan people are almost all of Indigenopus heritage at some level. It is also obvious that it was the United Fruit Company of America and other corporations along with the full force of the United States Military and the CIA who were seen as the conquerors and invaders. Let us remember that the Samosa dictatorship and dynasty claimed the lives of millions over the decades and many of them were traditional indigenous people. The conquistador to the Nicaraguan people were the Samosas and the CIA backed Contras. Do we have to reiterate that Sandino said many years ago "It is the Indian blood that runs through my veins that justify these things that we do".

The thing that makes what Russ did so screwy in regards to Nicaragua is that his own brother was in Managua negotiating a truce between the Miskitos and the Sandanistas when Means and Morris took their little field trip. Something strange had come over Russ for him to go and do a press conference with the Contras and put the truce his own brother and others in jeapordy. It is important to remember that a truce was declared with the Miskitos as a result of that work Bill means did. The letter demanding Russ cease his activities with the Contras and Misurisata was written by Bill Means (Russ' brother). So none of these excuses have any traction.

When it was reported in the 80s' Russ stated " this may be the first time in history when Native people are justified in working with the US military".Notice he didn't say I am against the ontras and the Sandanistas. He said support the US military. We in the movement to support the overthrow of the brutal Samosa regime and decades long dynasty in Nicaragua remember well the horror we felt when Mr. Means took his little trip to Honduras to have his pisture taken with Contra leader Brooklynn Rivera. We remember the context and we remember what a public relations coup it was for the CIA and the Contras. I do not write this as somone from AIM or taking one side or the other but as someone who worked his ass of trying to support the FSLN (Fronte Sandino Liberacion Nationale) as many youth today are working to support the Zapatistas. Russ MEans was and is and always has been out of his league on this issue. You would be well served to discuss this matter with the less glamorous but better informed Means Bill on this issue.

At the time folks form AIM were working to support also the URNG guerilla movement in Guatamala to obtain liberation and are to this day supporting them. The URNG is almost 100% indigenous. YOu don't hear much about them but AIMs' efforts to support them are and have been welcomed by Rigoberta Menchu (Nobel Peace Prize recipient).

Russ is out of his league on this stuff and so are most of the contributers to this debate.