A few morning things and thoughts

The on-going interaction between East and West is obviously very interesting, including from the perspective of international  sociology.  The West, long accustomed to getting its way, is up against a Force that -- as any good strategist of any genre always tries to do -- is at work on its own familiar turf.  The supercilious ethnocentrism of, say, DC and London, comes through transparently in the repeated public efforts to denigrate Putin and, to some extent, Russia in general.  This current situation is not a Stalin/Molotov/Vyshinsky deal -- but it certainly isn't a dog-and-pony show,  Putin is a strong and shrewd guy, never a retreat-personality, and at this point he hold cards, aces, and spades.

I had a long phone and truly excellent visit last night with grandson/son, Thomas Gray Salter (MD).  He and his good spouse, Mimie (of Zambia and UK and a PA), with Baby Willow, are joining the staff at Mayos (Rochester, MN) later this summer.  Thomas never knew his late Mississippi Choctaw father (I did).  But I, and our family, have been a fine substitute and all of us are very proud indeed of Thomas and Mimie and their own little family -- as we are of all of our kids and their connections.  I am sending Willow a copy of my book which is, in its own way, a good basic history of our doings over the many decades.

In the Old Days, in North Dakota and then for several years here in Idaho, Thomas and sometimes Josie (our youngest daughter), were on hand to distribute information leaflets whenever I spoke -- on a variety of topics.  As an organizer, I have always known that people, at a speaking event and often other related things , always want something tangible to carry away with them literature-wise -- and I've always provided that. Most of our family here, including Thomas and Josie, were on hand when I spoke on the civil rights movement and current human rights issues to a very interesting and large gathering:  the combined staffs of the Caribou National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management.  These were the kind of people with whom I grew up in Northern Arizona and with whom I worked for years.  So it was a very friendly meeting -- a number of Natives were among the combined staffs -- and, although it was scheduled to go for ninety minutes or so, it went for almost three hours.

In the early days of my Lupus War, Thomas faithfully accompanied me to every medical meeting -- e.g., bone marrow stuff.  During my three ICU incarcerations, he was always there -- as were other family members at various times.

In the Old Days, we often had eight family members living at our far-up home right here.  There were also several dogs and cats. That's the Indian Way. This worked out just fine.  But in time, Josie and Cameron moved into Pocatello proper and Thomas and Mimie went off to Minnesota and Iowa. Samantha (Maria's youngest) and her friend, Nyck, are in Denver.  It can get a little lonely but still, with the exception of myself, everyone in our family anywhere, has a trusty cell phone.  

This family always takes care of all of its babies and this family always stands together.

Best, Hunter Bear


HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq / 
St. Francis Abenaki / St. Regis Mohawk 
Member, National Writers Union AFL-CIO

Check out our massive social justice website
www.hunterbear.org  The site is dedicated to our
one-half Bobcat, Cloudy Gray, and to Sky Gray:
http://hunterbear.org/cloudy_gray.htm

SHOOTING LUPUS --  Driving this oft-lethal deadly 
disease of mine back into its genetic cave and into
impotency in an eight year war:
http://hunterbear.org/shooting_lupus.htm

See our very full COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
page -- with a great deal of practical material:
http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm

See my  new expanded/updated "Organizer's Book," 
JACKSON MISSISSIPPI -- with a new 10,000 word
introduction by me. This page lists many reviews.
And this book is also an activist's how-to manual: 
 http://hunterbear.org/jackson.htm   

The Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father]:
http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm:
(Photos)