you are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine.  I have noticed none of these people like Jim Craven and followers mention The Canadian Intelligence being involved in the Nazi type experiments on the Natives which correspondent to the CIA Monarch Slavery Experiments and are quite similar.  The Intelligence Services including the CIA have UNLIMITED Black Ops Funds to pay off people to discredit real whistleblowers who usually have very limited funds.  I am a real researcher and mainly research the CIA SLAVERY programs which include Monarch and MKULTRA-the Assassin project as well as Project Orion-School Shooter CIA project.

To me Jim Craven and the rest have not exposed ANYTHING of value to my research.

Thank you for your comments but I make up my own mind and to me they smell like paid operatives of the Intelligence Agencies.

Of small note a Whistleblower I know of mentioned Professors are usually part of the Cabal meaning they usually have ties to Secret Societies who work against all of our best interests.  The Universities themselves are pushing WOKENESS.  To me that is a Serious Red Flag.  Something is really wrong with this.  They are mainly funded by Jewish money and do you really think a Professor would be allowed to stay at any University if he offended the Jewish donors?  Absolutely Not!!  Politics are HUGE at universities and not always fair.  A lot of Canadian Natives are IMPOVERISHED and will compromise themselves for a buck as will many people. When I see any exposure of CANADIAN Intelligence Agencies and their cruel, Sadistic experiments exposed by Jim Craven then I’ll believe in him.  I don’t at this point.

Many survivors of severe abuse develop Complex PTSD which makes them difficult to form relationships with.  Complex PTSD’d people can often have anger outbursts, impatience, drug and alcohol addictions, etc.  I am certain many of these Residential School Survivors would be diagnosed with severe Complex PTSD.  I am not in any way trying to discredit them but it is a Fact that traumatized people have less tolerance for stress, stressful situations, and less tolerance for other people in general.

I am not trying to defend Kevin Annett nor discredit the survivors or Jim Craven.  However, My research is very important to me and the link between Canadian Intelligence-Nazi’s Doctors, torture experiments, murder and mass graves I have not really seen exposed by ANYBODY but Kevin Annett.  Certainly I have not seen these details from these groups.  Who knows?  Maybe these groups were created by the Intelligence Agencies just like the False Memory Syndrome [Spindrome] Foundation was set up by United States Intelligence Agencies  to discredit Monarch Survivors!  Money buys almost everybody.  Everybody has a price.   Sadly, this is the world we live in.

As far as these churches are concerned they are politicians at the top.  We all know that Politicians Do LIE.  The Politicians and Church’s are all compromised by pedophiles whom the Intelligence agencies have film and video on to blackmail whenever they see fit.  In fact it was a GOAL of the CIA to compromise the Vatican with Pedophiles from Fordham University to then force them to launder money for the CIA at the Vatican Bank.  This was also told to me by an Insider.

 

want proton VPN

Sent with Proton Mail secure email.

——- Original Message ——-
On Saturday, September 23rd, 2023 at 12:35 PM, arthurtopham@nym.hush.com <arthurtopham@nym.hush.com> wrote:

Dear Maisie,

I am enclosing the definitive information on Kevin Annett which has been compiled mainly by Jim Craven and others. Please keep a copy of this for future reference. I suggest that all recipients on this copy and paste this information and retain in a folder.

Thanks,

Arthur

___________

RevKev
From: Arthur Topham <arthurtopham@nym.hush.com>
To: Odessa Orlewicz <libertytalkcanada@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 8:56 AMHi Odessa,

Here’s a partial, albeit fairly lengthy and detailed set of emails detailing the actions of Kevin Annett during the period running roughly from 1995 to 2009. My post on the IntegrityBC yahoo group back in 2009 outlines where I’ve been and where I’m coming from when it comes to any criticisms of Annett. I had a very close relationship with him during the time period covered by these writings.

Having started in the alternative news business back in 1998 I was able to be in the forefront of covering all the major news items from that time right through to March of 2017 when B’nai Brith finally won out in the courts and I was forced to take down my website. If you ever need to revisit events over that period feel free to contact me as I personally knew most of the players.

I should also say that given the recent revelations about “Grand Chief Ed John” in the msm (where he was finally charged with molesting young native women back in the mid 1970’s) the stories on him that I ran in my newspaper back then ultimately proved to be legitimate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grand-chief-ed-john-charges-sex-assault-1.5359517

__________________________________

 

 

Emails on Kevin Annett

Email from Shera Rael <angelbc3@yahoo.com> February 26, 2009
To Arthur Topham <radical@radicalpress.com>
Re: Repy to IntegrityBC RE: Kevin Annett’s disparaging remarks about lawyer Doug Christie

Thanks for this interesting article. In the past I had quite a bit of involvement in Kevin and his cause. I was totally turned off when he suddenly took up with another woman while still married to his third wife. His wife was supporting him and his children by working two jobs. He even had the nerve to move his girlfriend into the house that he and Pam (his wife) shared. I suspect this isn’t the first time this happened and that could be one of the reasons he was kicked out of the church.

I came to the conclusion that he is a psychopath and a con man and he probably does have an inferiority complex.

Namaste,

Shera Rael
——————

Dear Reader,


This reply to statements made about Doug Christie by Kevin Annett is presented for your information.
Shine your Light for Love & Peace & Justice for All,Arthur Topham
Pub/Ed
The Radical Press
Canada’s Radical News Network
radical@radicalpress.com
http://www.radicalpress.com
“Digging to the root of the issues since 1998”
——————————————————-

Dear IntegrityBC members,

It was on Saturday, March 6th back in the year 2004 (almost 5 years to the week) that I formed the IntegrityBC group along with Jack Cram former lawyer. My first post said:

Greetings Jack! Let the show begin. 🙂

Namaste,
Arthur
——–

[NOTE: For legal purposes I’ve had to clip portions of this email to avoid breaking my current bail conditions which are in force until December 20th, 2023.]

I must say that I am impressed with the fact that the group has persevered for this length of time and that some of the original members are still participating in the forum. Possibly it could have something to do with the founding principles upon which the group was formed.

Speaking for myself I have to say that a tremendous amount of water has passed under that 5-year bridge connecting that first posting in March of 04 to today.

As Foxy stated in one of her posts regarding this Christie “Crunch” controversy now under “investigation” I have not been a member for a very long time. But, that has not stopped me, during the interim period from continuing on in my own quest for answers to the common political/religious questions that still puzzle the majority of us and continually furnish grist to the multitude of blogging mills now dotting the skyline of Cyberville.

. . . I read through all the threads resulting from Diogenes’s posting of my recent News Release after being alerted to Kevin Annett’s comments on lawyer Doug Christie. The catch of course was that I had to rejoin the group in order to read them but John was kind enough to allow me in again. 🙂 Thanks John. It’s kinda like going to an old school reunion.
Obviously there is too much to address in all that was commented upon with respect to this post but seeing as how it was Kevin Annett who cast the first stone I suppose it would be therefore appropriate to address his comments.
As was said, no where in the News Release did I state that Doug Christie was now in my employ. Doug, out of his own free will and concern for the issue of freedom of speech, chose to intervene in my upcoming Tribunal hearing on behalf of his Canadian Free Speech League. I was unaware of his decision right up to the point that I received an email from him confirming his decision to do so.
But that’s neither here nor there. What is important is Kevin’s accusation or allegation if you will that Doug Christie is a “white supremacist”….

It’s the classic case of the pot calling the kettle black and I was pleased to see group members call Kevin on his brash and ignorant comment.
Anyone wishing to know more about Douglas Christie need only go to his website which is posted on the News Release and read his bio. Doug Christie is a sincere, deeply spiritual and religious Christian who has dedicated his long and mostly thankless career to helping out individuals who also have stood up to the status quo and demanded of the powers that be their God given right to be able to think for themselves and express their views without fear of harassment or punishment or fines or imprisonment.

The controlled media has been relentless throughout Doug’s career in defaming and libelling him. Is it therefore any wonder that the average person would tend to think of Doug in these terms after hearing the false accusations repeated over and over and over for the past quarter century? But while it may be understandable for the average Joe or Jane media listener to come to that conclusion it certainly shouldn’t hold true for a person such as Kevin Annett who has, according to his long and vociferous accounts over the years, also suffered untold misery and calumny at the hands of these very same media controllers. If anyone ought to be cognizant of and sympathetic to Doug Christie’s case one would think it would be a fellow Christian sufferer such as Mr. Annett. But, it appears that is not the case and it begs the question as to why and in order to offer here some possible reasons for this unusual situation I must, needs be, don my investigators hat.

As some members of this list will already know Kevin Annett played a very important role in my life and the life of my newspaper The Radical for a number of years back when I first began publishing the hard copy edition in June of 1998. We worked together on the issue of Residential School Abuse right up until the time that my newspaper and myself and six others ended up in the Supreme Court in Vancouver, B.C. in 2002 facing a suit for libel and defamation of character and, further to that, a hearing designed to grant Chief Edward John an interlocutory injunction which would prevent me from running any more of Kevin Annett’s controversial articles in my newspaper. The Writ of Summons was filed on the very day that the Dosanjh NDP government began their election campaign against the Campbell Liberals in the spring of 2001.

The various charges or allegations made against Chief Edward John and others in connection with the residential schools, child sex abuse, drug running and even murder which I ran in my newspaper were a result of investigative work done in part by Kevin Annett but the substance of much of the evidence was based upon the living testimony of two native sovereignists from BC by the names of Frank Martin and Helen Michel. Their personal experiences, stories and testimonies, coupled with that of others by native people affected in one way or another, furnished Kevin Annett with the data necessary to compose his articles which were then carried in my newspaper.

The object of running all of these stories was, from my perspective as an editor and publisher, to have the authorities in power pick up the case and use their legal system to get to the root of the issue. But of course that was my own naïve interpretation of how the system actually worked at that time and the results of our efforts proved to be not only futile but were turned against us by the very people who were in a position to ensure that justice be carried out. It’s a long and interesting story but I can’t go into it in detail here.

In one of Kevin’s responses to Foxy Lady he said something rather revealing: “What, am I on trial here?” That pithy little remark in some ways epitomizes what I want to say about Kevin.

After much legal haranguing between Chief Ed John’s lawyer, barrister Marvin Storrow (of APEC fame some may recall), a number of defendants in the hearing were summoned to appear in Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver. On the list, apart from some John Does and a couple of others who were dropped on technicalities, the principles actors in this melodrama were Kevin Annett, myself and The Radical Press, Frank Martin and Helen Michel and a videotographer who had taped some of the testimony that Frank and Helen had given during the 1998 native-ran Tribunal into residential school abuse, a woman by the name of Eva Lyman (who was also a regular contributor to The Radical).

When the hearing date came I had amassed a volume of information in my own defence and that of my newspaper The Radical. I worked pro se which means as my own lawyer (with some assistance from a number of other allies such as Gordon Watson and Sheri O’Sullivan). Throughout this process Kevin Annett did his utmost to escape being serviced with his summons to appear. Regardless of whether it would have been a prime time to document all of his evidence and have it placed within the records and thus defend the principles and the truth for which he ostensibly stood Kevin instead chose to shirk his responsibilities all the while crying foul over “threats” and so on and his assertion that he would be immediately arrested and cast into jail if he appeared in public.

On the day of the hearing the only defendants who had the courage to show their faces in court were Frank Martin and Helen Michel, Eva Lyman and myself. Where was Kevin while all the court proceedings were taking place? He was outside the court house literally hiding in a small clump of bushes that were located near one of the entrances to the court house. His then lady friend who came along with him was periodically sent by Kevin to check on how the rest of us were doing inside.

The court room was filled with supporters for myself and The Radical Press and the other defendants. It was a time of both solidarity and truth telling and although Ed John ended up getting his injunction it ultimately proved to be fruitless. John, who was then running for the NDP, lost his bid in the election, the NDP lost and after the campaign was over we never heard a word about the law suit until about a year ago when, on the efforts of Frank Martin and Helen Michel, the suit was dropped by Ed John. Apparently he had been nominated for an “Order of Canada” but upon investigation they found this blemish upon his good name in the form of his suit against us. Not having the NDP government to pay his lawyer bills he went the easiest route and dropped the case.

After the court case ended I lost my respect for the man who later would dub himself “Eagle Strong Voice”. He had proven himself to be a traitor and a voiceless chicken rather than an eagle at the very moment when his efforts were needed most. Soon after my newspaper closed down and I went online with RadicalPress.com. Kevin started up his own website but refused to allow me to participate in it unless I paid a monthly fee (which by then I couldn’t afford). This, after having bent over backwards for years to assist him in his glorious efforts at helping the abused natives of Canada’s notorious residential schools.

Frank and Helen continued for awhile to liaison with Kevin Annett and participate in his radio program on Coop Radio out of Vancouver but eventually they too fell afoul of Kevin and before long Annett was slandering and defaming them by making atrocious allegations that they were RCMP agents.
But still the nagging question as to why? Only Kevin Annett in the deepest recesses of his soul, knows why. My assumptions, based upon all that I’ve observed of his actions over the past decade, lead me to think that he is either an agents provocateur for the communist element within the Left or else he has a deep-seated hatred for Christianity based upon his own personal experiences. His behaviour also leads me to think that he suffers from either an inferiority complex or a persecution complex or possibly both.

I also believe that Jim Craven has pretty well summed up Kevin Annett’s behaviour with respect to his ongoing habit of maligning anyone who doesn’t follow his program. In Jim’s words:

“Annett is able to get away with his stuff because in Canada we find all these hangers on and parlour dilettantes playing at social change and playing at support of Indigenous issues always at safe and comfortable distances. So someone like Annett can “sound” so sincere and in command of his “facts”, giving, like all con men, just enough superficial “detail” to sound plausible or even credible; that is exactly how psychopaths and sociopaths operate. But those who have been up-close with Annett, the many alluded to in the article, those cannot be lied to because they do not operate at a safe and comfortable distance; being up close and personal, his lies do not work and are immediately exposed.”


I have been one of those who were too close, saw too much and got burned. That is why I’m responding to his illogical and vexatious slander of Doug Christie as well as his previous attacks upon my good and dear friends Frank Martin and Helen Michel.

I’m sure Kevin will have something to say in his defense.

Shine your Light for Love & Peace & Justice for All,

Arthur Topham
Pub/Ed
The Radical Press
Canada’s Radical News Network
radical@…
http://www.radicalpress.com
“Digging to the root of the issues since 1998”
——————————————————-

On 2/27/09 11:08 AM, “Jim Craven” <omahkohkiaayo@peoplepc.com> wrote:
I would appreciate it if someone would send this attached Annett file to the moderators of this site. They have allowed me, along with Frank and Helen to be defamed by this organism and in this attached file is proof of his serial dissembling. You might remind them that in Canada, libel and slander can be found under the Criminal as well as Civil Code.

Thanks,

Jim Craven/Omahkohkiaayo i’poyi

—————————————Hi Jim,
Thanks for sending along the Life of Annett. I spent another few hours this afternoon re-reading a lot of the material. Learned more again of what I wish I had known initially.

I sent the file to the moderator of the group as well to all the members who I had addresses to. If they read the information I don’t think Kevin will be blowing too much smoke in their ears from now on.

My apologies for burdening you with this recurring nightmare again. People here in Canada
———————–Original Message—–
From: Louis Proyect [mailto:lnp3@panix.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 11:46 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: “at a time when they were considered savages”

 

Dear Dr. Hasart:
I am writing on the matter of Prof. Jim Craven’s internet correspondence relating to the Tribunal on Indian Residential Schools held here in Vancouver, British Columbia, in June 98.Since the Tribunal, where I first met Prof. Craven, I have followed this matter with interest and have received much of the related E-mail material. With others, I have been assisting Prof. Craven to deal with the fraud and further victimization which has been taking place, both during and after the Tribunal. I very much respect Prof. Craven’s integrity, courage, dedication, and his considerable skills in handling extremely important and sensitive issues.

As I live in Vancouver, B.C. and have connections here, both Indian and non-Indian, involved in the Indian rights struggle, I was able to make some connections for Prof. Craven. He has visited Vancouver B.C. several times since June to further investigate the matters he has been writing about and we have been in frequent communication.

I myself am a trained human rights worker and trained social worker (MSW, McGill University) with over 30 years experience of cross-cultural family and social justice issues. I have worked in Asia for 10 years with International Social Service, a Geneva-based NGO, and worked for 10 years in British Columbia with NGO’s in the field of minority rights.

Although Kevin Annett has gained media attention, being articulate and with dramatic stories, there is no doubt in my mind that he has been using survivors of the residential school system for his own purposes, and using their recorded testimonies to publish articles about them without their permission. I have seen enough untruths in Kevin Annett’s own E-Mail writings to indicate outright deception, or someone who is seriously out of reality. I have also seen evidence and heard reports of his controlling and domineering behaviour towards Indians which is really another unacceptable form of abuse. I can also say, to the best of my knowledge of the Indian community in Vancouver, that he does not speak for any group nor does he have support from any organization or individuals since he has betrayed the trust which people had given him. In other words, he does not have credibility where it counts.

Therefore, I believe Prof. Craven is doing a service to the Indian Residential School survivors in B.C. by his exposure of Annett’s doings. These people do not have access to E-Mail, many are not highly educated, and they lack the means to defend themselves when the matter enters the “high-tech” arena. It is to Prof. Craven’s credit that he has taken on this issue, following through on his responsibility as a Tribunal Judge. I believe his sense of outrage at what has been happening is entirely justified.

We have seen examples before in British Columbia and in Canada of what is called “expropriation of voice” by white academics and consultants who get involved in Indian justice issues and end up taking over, usually for some personal gain either material or psychological. In any human rights or victim advocacy work it is a basic rule that the primary subjects, their perceptions and their privacy must be given utmost respect and one cannot take seriously anyone working in these matters who fails to do so.

I therefore commend Prof. Craven for this important work, which very few people would be able or willing to take on. He is certainly an exceptional person. Through his efforts, the Residential School survivors have been greatly encouraged to stand up for themselves and I understand they are now taking legal counsel to deal with Annett. Prof. Craven’s intervention has certainly been valuable and I know of people who are impressed.

If you wish to have any further information please contact me at phone
(604) 432-9017 or at tkage@axionet.com
Diane Kage, MSW (Retired)

On the same matter as above I am also transmitting statements dictated to me by Kitty Bell Sparrow and by Harriet Nahanee, both are unable to access fax or internet.
————-
I have spent over 50 years in activism on behalf of Indian people in British Columbia, USA and internationally. I am the third generation in a family of pioneer activists which goes back to the last century, a time when Indians here had no rights. My father was Thomas Hurley, the first lawyer in B.C. to defend Indians in court, at a time when they were considered savages.From my father, mother and grandmother I have learned and been strictly taught that any non-Indian working with Indian people must not be in the forefront and must in all circumstances take direction from Indians themselves. Non-Indian people must listen and not formulate their own perspectives on behalf of Indians. I have always sought to adhere to these basic principles in all my work. I am the founder and was editor of Indian voice, an internationally known paper from 1967 to 1980, and I trained many Native journalists and writers. This paper covered the Leonard Peltier trials in depth, including the extradition hearings in Canada. For 25 years I have been the senior reporter to the Indian Homemakers Association which gave voice to Indian Women on reserves. I have acted as liaison to Indian prisoners for many years and assisted Deno Butler in gaining recognition for Indian spiritual practices in prisons in Canada. I am an elder of the Musqueum Nation through marriage to my late husband John Sparrow.

Although I am now blind, I still receive calls and visits from Indian people from all over North America and I still attend and testify on many court cases here in B.C. on Indian rights issues. I had received information about the Tribunal on Indian Residential Schools from several persons and I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Craven on one of his visits to Vancouver B.C. He has consulted with me on matters related to the Tribunal. I know about the fraud which was carried out by persons involved with the Tribunal, including Kevin Annett. Unfortunately he fits the profile of so many others who seek to take advantage of the trust of Indian people, building their own careers on Indian’s suffering. If, in the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, a white person had presumed to speak for leaders such as Martin Luther King or Malcolm X, it would not have been acceptable to the black people. Indian people feel the same way here.

I concur with the work being done by Jim Craven to expose Kevin Annett. I immediately recognized Jim Craven as an exceptionally able and honourable person who is doing the right thing. If you require any further information please contact me by phone at (604) 980-7680

Kitty Bell Sparrow
———
I was Convener of the Tribunal on Residential Schools which took place in Vancouver B.C. in June of this year. I worked together with Kevin Annett whom I have been associated with for several years. As a Residential School survivor this Tribunal was very important to me. It was my hope that some justice could be won for our people. There is a federal government Healing Fund of $350 million for healing of survivors but none of it has gone to the survivors themselves. I put a lot of effort into the preparation of the Tribunal and it was through my relationship with Jack Bell, a wealthy Benefactor, that the Tribunal was able to secure special terms for the rental of the hall at the Maritime Labor Centre.

During the Tribunal a number of things went seriously wrong. Decisions and procedures which had been decided together were suddenly changed without my participation, funds were misappropriated, the privacy of witnesses giving closed testimony was compromised, and some of the judges appointed by Kevin Annett and Rudy James turned out to be without credentials. Many people were upset and angry. Jim Craven saw what was going on and has attempted to set things right. I have serious grievances with Kevin Annett because of his actions during and after the Tribunal which showed that he had an agenda other than that which had been presented at first. I feel used by him and information about my experiences at residential school have been given for publication by him without my consent.

I am President of the Western Canada Leonard Peltier Defence Fund and District Vice-President of the Indian Homemakers Association in North Vancouver. I belong to the Pacheeda Nation and carry the name of Tsibeot who was the Grand chief of Pacheeda. I also run the Sacred Duty Institute and I teach hereditary chiefs their traditional roles. I feel very strongly that nobody has the right to speak for others but white people always speak for us and think they know better than us. They consider us as helpless children to work on behalf of.

Most of us who survived the Residential Schools and have been involved in court cases in Port Alberni suing the United Church and the government of Canada, we are not on the internet. Jim Craven has taken a lot of trouble to inform us about these discussions on internet, to listen to us carefuly and speak our thoughts the way we would like. We would like him to continue. If you need further information on any of these matters please contact me by phone at (604) 985-5817.

Rosetta Stone (Harriet Nahanee)
————————————
October 10, 2007
To Whom It May Concern
Re: Relationship between Harriet Nahanee and Jim Craven

I am an old friend and colleague of Harriet Nahanee and Jim Craven and I have worked with both of them on various matters over the years concerning Indian rights and justice issues.

Harriet died on Feb.24 of this year after becoming seriously ill in prison. She was incarcerated on Jan. 29, 2007 by the Supreme Court of British Columbia for joining a road block to protect her traditional Squamish territory from industrial destruction. I attended her funeral on Feb.28 together with Jim Craven, her friend and confidant of many years. Prof. Craven made a special trip from Vancouver, Washington, upon hearing of her death.

A year previously, together with other friends, Harriet had attended Prof. Craven’s wedding party held at my home in Vancouver, B.C. Harriet performed a traditional ceremony for the couple and also brought home-cooked food and a gift for the occasion.

A few months later in the summer of 2006 Prof Craven invited a hereditary chief of the Blackfoot Nation with his wife to meet with him at my home. They were close associates and had come to attend a Conference in Vancouver, B.C. on Indian rights. Harriet Nahanee, also a hereditary chief, joined them to work on common issues.

Several years previously, Harriet had sheltered a Blackfoot woman in her home for several months. A close associate of Jim Craven, this woman was fleeing persecution and needed a place to stay while arranging for legal assistance. Harriet, Prof. Craven and myself worked together to assist her and her children.

These are a few examples I recall which clearly illustrate the on-going relationship of friendship and trust between Harriet Nahanee and Prof. Jim Craven and continued until Harriet’s death.

Diane Kage,
Vancouver, B.C.
Tel: 604-432-90l7

Some of the Record
—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Monday, November 30, 1998 10:30 AM
To: Craven, Jim Subject:
Re: Kevin reply to Joshua (fwd)
Response (Sorry Friends–No choice):
The real tragedy here is that the Residential School Abuse issue is indeed a very real and very urgent issue. It is so important that the likes of Kevin here, with his reckless and self-indulgent charges and invective sets back the cause immeasurably.

He is losing his market niche (“Indianist”, “Activist”, “Expert”, “Advisor”) and is lashing out. Say it clearly Kevin. You have already tried to slander Amy Tallio, a victim of horrible sexual and physical abuse as tied-in with “pedophile rings.” Now it is a “documentable” black-ops campaign from the RCMP. Why Kevin, you could not be doing more for the RCMP if you were openly on their payroll. you are the best friend that the abusers have because it allows them to point to the flakes and opportunists like yourself and link-slander the cause with the obvious limitations and deficiencies of supposed “proponents” like yourself.

You last message noted how I had slandered poor Rudy James. So, I just put out not my words but your own words–you were exposed one more time as an unstable and reactive prevaricator and not with my words, but with your own words and charges; that is the beauty of it.

You know you are finished in Indian Country. Now you will just have to go out and acquire some tangible skills rather than “Chief Leech” on Indian Causes. I hear that McDonald’s is hiring.

But please do right now give the “documentation” as you put it of a black-ops campaign from the RCMP. Not your reckless invective but real documentation. Please put it out right now on this net. And please do openly say on this net that I am working with RCMP don’t just dance around it. Say it openly or shut your mouth. Since I am both Canadian and American, I’ll be up to Vancouver to join in with the lawsuit that is presently being drafted against you.

Jim Craven

On 30 Nov 98 at 16:21, Kevin Daniel Annett wrote:

———- Forwarded message ———-
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 15:14:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Kevin Daniel Annett <kdannett@interchange.ubc.ca>
To: SISIS@envirolink.org
Subject: Kevin reply to Joshua  

Dear Joshua,

A simple way to verify my postings is to check with the eyewitnesses and other people who have been involved with our work, besides the handful of people around Jim Craven and Amy Tallio. In fact, even the mainline press are now confirming what I’ve been saying, acknowledging that the United Church engaged in a cover-up as early as 1960 about the Alberni school.

Therefore, I’m confused. Events and lots of people seem to be bearing out what I’ve been saying, as does the documentary evidence I have now, which is considerable. And yet you suggest that there is no corroborating information to my statements, which simply isn’t true, unless you consider the grouplet calling itself the circle of justice the source of all wisdom and knowledge on the rez schools.

Considering this, I still don’t understand why your network won’t consider running the information I uncover as it comes to me from numerous sources, which can be checked out. Your unwillingness to do so is not really explained by your e-mail. I hope your perspective on the bigger issues hasn’t been too affected by the Craven campaign.

Please reconsider. When all the facts about these events come out, many people will question why a progressive network like yours was so easily influenced by an obvious “black-ops” campaign that has a clear and documented origin in the RCMP.

Kevin Annett
____________

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

——- Forwarded Message Follows ——-
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 22:21:04 -0800
From:  Craig Regan <Craig_Regan@bc.sympatico.ca>
Reply-to: Craig_Regan@bc.sympatico.ca
To:  thasart@clark.edu
Cc: cravjm@ooi.clark.edu

Subject: James Craven 

Tana Hasart,

We the group of Indigenous People known as the Circle of Justice for Victims and Survivors of Native Residential Schools, would like to explain to you how Professor James Craven became involved in our cause on our behalf.Our group was formed in 1997 to help survivors of res schools. One of our founding members was and ex-communicated United Church minister, Kevin Annett. Our aim was to gather testimony from people who had suffered sexual and physical abuse at these schools. This testimony was to be taken to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

On June12-14, 1997 a Tribunal on this matter was held in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Our advisor Kevin Annett worked very closely with Rudy James ( a member of the Board of Directors for the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities), in organizing this tribunal. Professor James Craven was asked by IHRAAM to be on the panel of judges. One of the first people called to give testimony was the ex-minister Kevin Annett. He gave sacred oath that he would tell the truth. He swore that he was not working in any way for his own personal gain.

There were over 25 testimonies given on video-tape during those three days, by people from Vancouver Island the lower mainland and from the Interior of B.C. Kevin had a copy of all the tapes in his possession. He also travelled to Vancouver Island and had more taped testimony made from other residential school survivors.

He stressed to us at the meetings that he would not be a member of our group but would work as an advisor. We knew that he had received some funding for our group but he neither turned over any funds to us or gave us any accounting of these funds.

On Sept. 23, 1998 we set-up a meeting with Kevin Annett so that we could ask him to account for the money and ask him to turn over the video tapes. Kevin phoned Amy Tallio to tell her he would be late for the meeting. When he did not show up at the meeting it was decided that we would write a letter to him telling him he was to be terminated from our group. On the 28th of September he went on the internet and declared himself to be the “Permanent Truth and Justice Commission” He stated that the Circle of Justice had dissolved. We the people of the Circle of Justice have never intended to dissolve. We are a small but very dedicated group.

After Kevin Annett was expelled from our group we learned he was writing a book. He immediately began to use the internet to release testimony that he had no authority to use. He had sworn to never release such testimony. He was asked to return all the testimony but he ignored our requests. He also told a lot of lies about our group and members whose testimony he had.We were stunned by Kevin Annett’s actions and were helpless to reply to these assaults on us.

It is the Indian way that we are in need of help we send the feather to other Indian Nations and it is the Indian way that they are bound to help. We requested that Professor James Craven help us respond to the lies Kevin Annett spread on the Internet and also the mockery he made of the sacred oath he took that the testimonies he had were to be used only for the good of the victims and survivors of residential schools. Professor James Craven has been our only hope in correcting the lies put on the Internet by Mr. Annett.

All of Kevin Annett’s internet input has come from the University of British Columbia address. Our group made an appointment with the U.B.C. legal department and we spoke the Professor Dennis Pavlich, while he sympathized with us and assured us that the testimony Kevin Annett had acquired could not be used for his thesis or any other required university work, without the people’s consent. The material that was sent from the U.B.C. address was perfectly legal because it did not involve the university.It was made clear to us that any student had access to use the computers and any e-mail sent was private.

All of Professor Craven’s responses to the horrible lies by Mr. Annett were on our behalf and were directed and approved by our group.

Professor Craven is known across the Indian world as a tireless and honest worker for Indian people who are in need. It is his duty to help and advise all native students.We are hoping that Professor Craven will be allowed to continue his work for aboriginal justice and that it will not be in any way a detriment to his professional employment. All people must understand the agony and suffering that the residential schools have inflicted on the native peoples and only through enlightened and sympathetic support can the abuse stop.

We believe that Mr. Annett is not working for us or any native people and we encourage very thoughtful deliberation when referring to any of Mr. Annett’s accusations.

We the members of the group known as the Circle of Justice have agreed to the contents of this letter (e-mail). Amy Tallio, Dennis Tallio, Maureen Spalding, Jim Belcourt, Caroline Nelson, Bob Eng, Ethel Wilson, Bill Quinn, Irene Starr and Lillian Mearns.
—————
James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
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——- Forwarded Message Follows ——-
From: “Stuart A. Lyster” <lyster@istar.ca>
To:”James Michael Craven” <cravjm@ooi.clark.edu>

Subject: Kevin Annett
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 23:13:55 -0700James – if I could comment on some of your remarks in your last e-mail… it may put things into perspective about Kevin Annett. Your first question to him at the June Tribunal was precisely *THE* question. (I.e., “Did your activism get you de-listed, or did your activism start with your de-listing?”) No wonder he was shocked, because you went to the core issue straight away.

I apologize for this note being so long. But as I said in my last note to you, I have been sitting on this information for almost 4 years now. Many of us in the United Church know Kevin’s “activism” to be a sham – and a transparent attempt to save his ministerial career. As a result he has further victimized Residential School abuse survivors who put their trust in him.

The long and the short of it – no one in the United Church was even aware that Kevin had *any* Native-activism interests until *after* his departure from Port Alberni in January 1995. As far as everyone was concerned, it was a simple case of the wrong minister in the wrong church – a “pastoral breakdown” as we are want to call it. No one had even heard of Annett’s allegations of abuse – which is not to say that we were not aware of Willie Blackwater’s, et. al, Residential School experiences. I mean, Arthur Plint had already been tried, convicted and locked up.

The point is that no one ever identified Annett with helping the Willie Blackwater’s of the world. That is until Annett tried to become the Great White Saviour… or as he’s called in our circles, “Yet Another White Liberal – YAWL”, trying to paternalistically help Indians.

Kevin’s pastoral style at St. Andrew’s in Port Alberni betrayed the same manipulation and lack of accountability as the COJ mentions in their reasons for expelling him. It was because of some highly manipulative behaviour on his part within the congregation at St. Andrew’s in Port Alberni (behaviour with nothing to do with Native issues) that events led to his Jan 1995 resignation.

You say of the June Tribunal, “I asked the following question–the very first of him: ‘Was your de-listing from the United Church as a result of your activism and questioning about the United Church and its Role in the Residential School Abuses, or, did your activism develop out of and as a result of your de-listing?’ He was shocked. He thought I should be kissing his ass and treating him as a saviour of dumb, ignorant and illiterate Indians.” Let me congratulate you for hitting the nail on the head right from the start.

To my knowledge he never once informed anyone “in the system” of anything until well after January 1995, when he was long gone. He claims that he was fired in Jan 1995 because he was blowing the whistle on the United Church for a sale of land in Ahousaht on Flores Island (north of Tofino), and because of evidence he had on murders. He did no such thing. He said that he communicated this to Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery, and the next thing he knows Cameron Reid (from the Presbytery) and Art Anderson (of Vancouver) come to Port Alberni and “fired him”.

Whatever you might think of these people or of the United Church as a whole, the events as described by Kevin could not be further from the truth. He has tried to tie his wagon to Residential School suffering ever since as a transparent attempt to save his ministerial career. His is the ultimate hypocrisy.

The events leading to Kevin’s resignation were pure church-politics. Annett picked a fight, first with individual members of the congregation, then with his his Official Board of St. Andrew’s and then with the whole congregation. He openly bragged that he was going to oust various people from the congregation. Also, one of the things a minister is expected to do is to visit people in their homes and earn their trust. (If Kevin had been an activist prior to his delisting, then visiting in people’s homes is a perfect opportunity to get the activist message out!)

Instead, Kevin refused to visit people. He bad-mouthed people. He also started spending congregational money in a manner which no one could trace. (In fairness, he may have been spending it on good things, but with a lack of accountability, who is to know?) When the Ministry & Personnel Committee quietly approached Kevin offering assistance in these tasks, and offering to help him account for the spent-money – never once questioning where he was spending it (most likely on the food bank he started) – he accused them of being against him. He moved against them.

He surprised everyone by forcing the issue publicly at a congregational meeting in early January. He moved a motion that the Ministry & Personnel Committee be fired.

First off, a minister is not allowed to move a motion at a congregational meeting – so the motion was an illegal one to begin with. Second off, no one seconded the motion. The congregation thought the M&P committee was doing a good job. The motion failed. This was a horrible embarrassment to Kevin, showing that few, if any, including the Native people in the congregation, were on his side.

Hearing of the trouble, Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery summoned Kevin to an Executive meeting to hear his side of “reports that the congregation was dissatisfied with his ministry.” At the Executive meeting which Kevin attended, he denied reports that there was any dissension in the congregation or that anyone was unhappy with his ministry. In fact, he said that things were going fine.

Lie #1. And a bald-faced one at that.
The following is key: at no time during this Executive meeting did Annett mention the Ahousaht land sale, or anything to do with Residential School murders. I have heard from 4 separate sources, none of whom have any reason to lie, that he did mentioned nothing about Native or Residential Schools issues. This is important because Annett claims that he was fired *because* he raised those issues at the Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery executive meeting in question.

Lie #2. with more to come.

Lie #3.  He said that the next day, he “was fired by Art Anderson of BC Conference.” I know because Kevin told me this himself when we had lunch in September of 1995. It’s an exact quote. I expressed shock – since only “Presbytery” can fire a minister, *not* a “Conference” and Art was only a Conference Personnel advisor. I mistakenly told Kevin that he had good grounds for appeal. In fact, I believe that Kevin appealed the eventual decision of Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery to “de-list” him because I encouraged him to, mistakenly thinking he had a very good case.

However, what exactly was this decision C-N Pres had made? I later found out that Kevin had not been fired by anyone, as he told me in September 1995. (I was further mislead by a Vancouver Sun newspaper article by Stephen Hume which similarly misrepresented the facts.) He had resigned.

Lie #4.  I was shocked when I found this out, because he had simply bald-faced lied to me.
That’s right – he had resigned. I was so stunned, I originally thought Kevin was telling the truth, and that Cameron Reid of Presbytery had lied. Kevin was clear when we had lunch – he had not resigned. Yet I was to later learn that Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery had on file his signed letter of resignation, saying he was going to leave St. Andrew’s effective June 30, 1995. (He has since admitted that he, in fact, resigned – confirming the lie!)

So what did Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery decide? Two things. After receiving his resignation (effective June 30) in January 1995, they decided to remove him from St. Andrew’s *with pay*. The pay was to continue until until June 30 so that neither he nor his family would be out of pocket for the six months until his resignation took effect. It also meant that his children could finish the school year. Cameron Reid and Art Anderson (Art acting in an advisory role only) advised him of the removal with pay personally by letter the day after the Executive meeting.

Kevin claims that Cameron Reid’s action violates the United Church of Canada Manual. It doesn’t. Believe me. When Kevin says it was an “illegal firing”, it turns out to be neither. If you’d like me to quote chapter and verse from our Manual, I will.

Up until this time no one, neither Cameron Reid nor Art Anderson, nor anyone else in the United Church – including St. Andrew’s congregation – knew that Kevin knew anything about Ahousaht land sales or Residential School murders. In fact, when I met with him for lunch in September 1995 he mentioned nothing of Ahousaht – a community I am quite familiar with. He explicitly said to me that he had learned *since his “firing”* that there may have been some “murders which were covered up.” I got the impression that he had learned about those allegations in the summer of 1995 – certainly not before Jan 1995.

He mentioned nothing of Lot 51. I know people in Ahousaht and told him I did. Kevin and I talked about mutual acquaintances with no mention at all of any land sale. Given that I helped Kevin shape an appeal of (what I assumed then was) an illegal firing, I would have thought he would have mentioned it.

It is my belief that that is where your original tribunal question kicks in and becomes so relevant. Annett conveniently discovers Native Activism in an attempt to rescue his ministerial career. Given that St. Andrew’s was simply a repeat of his first two ministerial positions (the first being the Lyleton-Pierson United Church in Manitoba where he lasted 8 months, and the second being the Fred Victor Mission in Toronto where he lasted 6 months), I believe he tried to link his Port Alberni misfortunes with Residential Schools. In short, he used Residential School victims to rescue (unsuccessfully) his clergy-career.

No wonder your original question shook him!

In the months that followed his Jan 1995 resignation, Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery tried to engage Kevin in a process by which he could be hired by some other congregation in another part of Canada. Kevin refused to co-operate. After some rather nasty exchanges which remind me of Kevin’s behaviour surrounding this “Circle of Justice” issue, Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery had no other choice but to place him on the Discontinued Service List, effectively “de-listing him,” just as the COJ expelled him. The reasons are as outlined at:
http://www.infoserve.net/unitedchurch.bc/conf/annet.html and bear repeating. He had failed at three churches in a row, and he refused to cooperate with his Presbytery – exactly as he refuses to cooperate with the Circle of Justice. Just as the COJ has expelled him, on similar grounds so did the United Church.

I invite you to read the “reasons for judgment” at the link above and point out any error in it. I believe that no relevant errors are there.

Kevin added the “delisting” to the appeal we had discussed. During the appeal, the Presbytery had to first show cause why they had acted properly – both in removing him before his resignation took effect, and in eventually delisting him. Whereas it was true that he had been de-listed against his will, it turned out that neither Presbytery nor Conference had originally fired Annett as he claimed – they had the resignation letter to prove it. They demonstrated that they had supplied Kevin with all salary owing to him in the Jan-Jun 1995 period. They demonstrated (like the COJ did) that he continually misrepresented facts and slandered people.

During Kevin’s cross-examination of the Presbytery, instead of disputing their evidence on the resignation and the delisting, he kept bringing up Residential Schools. It was here (I believe for the first time) that Kevin formally brought up the Ahousaht land sale and allegations of murders. When the panel asked him what those things could possibly have to do with his resignation after his botched attempt to have congregational leaders fired by the congregation, he simply ignored the issue.

For the first time he claimed that he had raised the Ahousaht land sale and murders at the Executive meeting he had been summoned to. The next few witnesses were all people who had attended the Executive, and none of them corroborated his story, even the people who supported him!

Please remember that up until this time at the appeal, Kevin was simply trying to rebut the Presbytery’s case.

It then came time for Kevin to present his case as to why Comox-Nanaimo’s decision to remove him with pay and subsequently de-list him should be overturned. Incredibly, Kevin walked out of the tribunal before presenting his own case. Instead of presenting all this convincing evidence he claimed, he left us all hanging in the wind by leaving.

He then had the unmitigated gall to claim, “The United Church spent $100,000 to fire me.”

Lie #5.  The United Church spent $0 (zero) on placing him on the Discontinued Service List. The United Church spent $100,000 seeing that he had an appeal which he was entitled to!! Then he walked out of the appeal before presenting his case!!!

The BC Conference tribunal had no option other than to uphold C-N Press actions that gave Kevin six months’ pay and that delisted him. Kevin presented no case in his defence. Just like when summoned to the Circle of Justice Sept 23, 1998 to account for his actions, he walked.

In my opinion, Annett only discovered Residential Schools when he tried to save his own career. I believe this squares with the Circle of Justice’s experience of him.

In any event, James, I am sorry for going on at length. One day the whole story will come out about the circumstances of his leaving the ministry. All I can say is that Kevin has lied to you, to the Circle of Justice, to the Residential School survivors, to the United Church and to everyone else about his activism.  He has created more victims.

Those of us within the church who know this have always felt hampered in alerting activists such as yourself to Kevin’s behaviour. I am glad that the word is finally getting out.

Cheers,

Stuart LysterJames Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 1998 11:13 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: PARASITES

Kevin Annett wrote:
As I have stated before, Craven’s inciting of Amy Tallio and a few others against me coincided with our discovery of a modern-day pedophile ring implicating major native politicians in B.C., some of whom are connected to Amy Tallio. I believe that a more serious issue is thus at stake here, and I ask activists not to fall for this latest smear, which is designed to divide us and keep us off the trail of modern-day abusers and their friends in power, both white and native.

Response: 
Of all of the disgusting and pathological lies that this piece of shit has written, this is absolutely the most disgusting of the lot. Amy Tallio and her sisters suffered horrible sexual abuse and torture while in Port Alberni Residential School. to suggest that they have anything to do with the pedophile rings operating in Vancouver is so ugly and filthy that it defies belief.

This is why I will never let up on this pathological liar, opportunist and slanderer–never. This scum Annett is worse than anything that the Reform could produce–they are open about what they are. This scum will slander anyone, wreck any cause that dares challenge his narcissism, opportunism and self-promotion.

I will not use this net for this type of response further. But anyone who is interested, please contact me and I will send you every single contemporaneous correspondence between myself and Annett. You will soon see who is the liar and wrecker. You will see him praise Amy Tallio until she dared challenge him; the same applies to me.

By the way, the investigations of the pedophile rings were blown not enhanced by Annett. As in his usual parasitic and self-promoting style, he continually would call or write me, Frank and Helen and others and pump us for information and then pass off the information as having been gathered by himself. I was advised by an Elder that what I was doing might get or had got me on a hit list, an Elder who never mentioned Kevin, then Annett summarily passed it on that both of us had been named. When I told him that some of these matters were indeed being investigated by Indians in a much better position to get in close, he shot his self-promoting mouth off all over the internet and blew some ongoing operations. I will be happy to release all of the correspondence on this net if anyone would allow the net to be used to expose and bury this liar and manipulator once and for all.

I’m sorry for using this net for this response but if the net is used for lies, then the readers must please allow its use to refute lies and expose a pathological liar whose little world and special market niche is being lost and who is now prepared to slander and defame and abuse anyone and everyone–including Amy Tallio who has already been horribly defamed and abused.

Anyone interested, please contact me and I will give you all of my correspondence. All I ask it that when it becomes very clear what this parasite is all about, please help to stop him and thoroughly isolate him from ever having any contact with Indian People and Sacred Causes ever again.

Jim Craven

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 1998 12:59 AM
To: Craven, Jim Cc: blkfoot4@3rivers.net

Subject: Re: statement of Kevin Annett on the latest smear campaign (fwd)

Dear Friends,

This is really easy to settle–and this is not some minor squabble that has spilled out on the net. Anyone who is interested call Amy Tallio at (604) 253-1891 or Jim Belcourt at (604) 412-6805.

I got a call last night from Amy who had just got off the phone with Dr. Jennifer Wade, Kevin Annett’s patron and defender who had contacted me previously to cease and desist my comments (I will send out to the net our whole interaction for the reader to judge) As Amy relayed the conversation, Amy told Jennifer Wade that everything that I wrote is the truth, that I had been contacted by the Circle of Justice and asked to communicate their thoughts as they did not have internet access, that everything I wrote was at their behest and that they the COJ stood by all of it. Amy also told Jennifer Wade that she had asked me to advise her on certain things.

Not even knowing me and after repeated attempts to offer her the evidence–in Kevin Annett’s own words–that led me to the conclusion that Mr. Annett is a cynical opportunist, manipulator, liar and user/abuser of the already used and abused, Jennifer Wade, according to Amy, proceeded to slander me, defend Annett, tell Amy not to have anything to do with me etc.

Those who have read what I have written on this net know very well that in each and every case I invited the readers to support the work and rights of the COJ, that I urged people to contact the COJ directly to verify what I was writing–unlike Annett who always urged that only he be contacted–and that I stand by everything I write and unlike Annett and Wade, I do not say privately what I am unwilling to write and sign my name to. I openly invite a lawsuit for libel and slander because I know that truth is an absolute defense.

What you have below is more lies. First of all more than Amy is involved; for example her sister Donna and others also gave interviews to Annett (there are tapes of the Tribunal made for the COJ, there are taped interviews of individual witnesses, there is the communication between Dennis Tallio’s lawyer and Dennis Tallio that Annett appropriated and never returned, there is much much more and the reader should just call Amy or Jim. They will tell the truth.

On the hit list thing, Kevin Annett’s name was never mentioned by the Elder–as it was relayed to me, my name was mentioned specifically to draw back from an area of investigation that was being investigated by Indian activists and also could be dangerous. Kevin Annett summarily latched his own name on to the story and immediately went around bragging about having been put on a hit list. When I communicated to him that Indian activists were looking at some things he put out the story and blew some covert work that had been going on–all for more self-promotion and because he was desperately trying to raise monies to send “Residential School Victims” to the Conference in Geneva–read himself.

After I was contacted by Frank Martin and his wife Helen Michell–who repeatedly asked for their materials and testimonies back and have heard nothing, I inquired about it and he Annett began to summarily call me an RCMP agent–he does this with anyone who dares to challenge or question the Great White Saviour of Indians–and that of course did it.

For anyone interested, just to expose this bastard once and for all and finally as the liar he is, I have all of my communications with Annett on the e-mail and with Jennifer Wade and I will be happy to post them all (some in Canada already have them as more than me have been watching Annett for some time) on the net.

Kevin, give Frank Martin, Helen Michell, Dennis Tallio, Amy Tallio, Amy’s sister Donna, and the others their tapes interviews, materials etc back. Far more than Amy Talio is involved in this–another Annett lie.

The cause of justice and just compensation for the Residential School Victims is a sacred cause. Anyone, who would use this cause or the victims for self-promotion, book sales, self-aggrandizement, egotism or whatever is real scum. I know who I am and what I am about and know my motives well, I fear nothing from Annett and Wade and they may freely publish anything I have written to them. When you tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.

I will be following this later with an open letter to Jennifer Wade. This is no minor issue and I beg the reader’s indulgence.

Jim Craven

——- Forwarded Message Follows ——-
Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 23:05:50 -0800
From: Craig Regan <Craig_Regan@bc.sympatico.ca>
Reply-to: Craig_Regan@bc.sympatico.ca
To: cravjm@ooi.clark.edu

Subject: [Fwd: Kevin reply]

Hello James,

We met last Sunday with Eva Lyman who was the free-lance journalist that went with Kevin to Kuiper Island to document some testimonies. She also video taped the UN tribunal held in Vancouver last June. In light of Eva’s concerns that Kevin will be using information gathered to write a book, the COJ considers this a violation of trust and confidentiality and is in violation of basic academic ethics in anthropological research. Amy would like to ask that you write Kevin a letter, on behalf of the COJ, requesting that he refrain from using any written or video documentation in his possession and that he return all said documentation to the COJ in care of Amy Tallio. Amy suggests that this letter be signed by members of the COJ and Eva Lyman. Thank you very much for your help and consideration in this matter. Also, Amy has asked me to forward this attached e-mail that I received from Kevin Annett.

Regards,

Karen.

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————
—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 1998 8:59 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: Re: Kevin Annett

On 12 Nov 98 at 15:12, wrote:

Dear James Craven,

Your message to Kevin Annett was passed on to me today. Checking various newsgroups I see that Annett not only presents himself as an ordained minister but as a Ph.D. student in my university. Would you happen to know which Department he is associated or who his supervisor is? I’m curious in part because back in ’95 or so, he approached me as a possible supervisor for a dissertation investigating the connections between aboriginal religion and Christianity, going as far as sending me a proposal. There was absolutely nothing in it about the residential school abuses; nor did he tell me that he was in any kind of difficulty with the United Church. I was rather alarmed when I learned about his politics from the press and, afterwards, about his reputation via some friends. His activism did not bother me, of course; but I felt that he had misrepresented himself. From your letter and the statement issued by the Circle of Justice, I see that this continues to be an issue.

I would prefer that the above information remain between you and I. I share it only to let you know the reason for my curiosity.

yours,

Associate Professor
University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z1
(604) 822-4982;  Fax: (604) 822-6161     email: barker@interchange.ubc.ca

Dear Professor:
Thanks for this message and I will keep it confidential. You may, however, use my comments as you see fit. Your comments just gave me a piece of a puzzle.

In June 12-14 1998 there was a Tribunal in Vancouver, B.C. dealing with Residential School Abuses and I was asked to sit on it. I am a professor of Economics and member of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

Unknown to me, some of the organizers of the Tribunal were shady individuals who had nefarious purposes for the Tribunal (access to Hereditary Chiefs in B.C. to float an Indian Bank Scheme; self-promotion etc) and had been in contact with Kevin Annett prior to the Tribunal.

When the Tribunal commenced, Kevin Annett testified and not knowing who he was or his connection with the organizers, I took it as my duty–under Aboriginal Law–to seek the truth without fear or favour; my first question to him was: “Did your de-listing from the United Church occur as a result of your activism within the Church on Residential School Abuses, or, did your activism on Residential School abuses occur as a result of your de-listing from the United Church. His eyes narrowed and he gave me a hateful look and mumbled something. I then asked if he was using any of his contacts with Residential School victims for his Ph.D. work or for personal use; he said that he wasn’t and would never do anything like that.

During the Tribunal he went around and would tell me to stay away from so and so because he or she was an agent of the RCMP, a sell-out Indian or whatever. This bothered me because I was an outsider and I always suspect whites summarily labelling some Indian activist as a whatever.

Later on I saw him cutting some deals, found out that he was in-tight with the organizers (Rudy and Diana James and the James brothers) who I found out had a long history of doing bunco deals in Indian Country (they are Thlingits from Alaska). Robert Ward, a Hereditary Shaman of the Cherokee, and a Juris Doctor and the acting Special Prosecutor immediately suspected Annett and openly said in a Judges meeting that he didn’t trust him and thought he had been lying and/or using Residential School victims for his own self-promotion and other nefarious purposes.

After the Tribunal was over, I went home and was contact by members of the Circle of Justice who felt that they had been used by Annett and they said that very sensitive and painful memories along with documents between themselves and their lawyers were taken by Annett and not returned. He claimed that the documents would be used only In Geneva at the Indigenous Peoples Conference and that their names would not be used. He also filmed interviews of the victims claiming that they would be kept confidential to be used in preparation for cases in Court. At no time did he say that he was writing a book or would be using the materials for a PhD Dissertation.

Further, Annett had written two letters to the James Gang (by now he had had a falling out with them) demanding return of the materials to “The Circle of Justice” and threatening legal action. I later used his own letters (I’ll send you copies) to request the very same materials–in his possession–back for the Residential School victims who had contacted me and asked for their return (they were terrified as to how they might be used by Annett and they are terrified about reprisals from Tribal or Police authorities).

During this time I kept Annett on a string and corresponded with him and even met with him in Vancouver to see what his intentions were and for whom he might really be working (he did not know that I was on to him). Also during this time, I was contacted by a man named Stuart Lyster who I found out was from the United Church. He told me that Kevin was a fraud, a pathological liar, a user and that while in the United Church, he had nothing to do with Residential School Abuses–he was kicked out for being an unfit minister. He later came to that position and crusade against the United Church after having been de-listed.

The very same people that Annett often praised–the Circle of Justice–kicked him out of their group on September 23 1998. The felt that he had taken monies designated to send victims to Geneva and used them for his own purposes and they had a whole bill of indictment against him to which he never responded. Meanwhile he put out a notice on the net of a new group (which is comprised of himself and three other people, two of whom are in fact spying on him and feeding the COJ information on his movements and plans) called the “Truth and Justice Commission” saying in his notice that the COJ no longer exists, that any group calling itself the COJ is a fraud and of course not mentioning that he had been kicked out of the COJ (composed of actual Residential School Victims and supporters). This was just too much and so I put out on the net the true stories and exposed Annett in his own words–not mine.

The COJ met with the Vice-President of UBC and a Mr. Pavlich last Monday or Tuesday and asked the UBC authorities to make sure that none of the materials of the Residential School Victims are used in his PhD work (I do not yet know what Department he is in or who his advisor is and would like to know) and these gentlemen promised that at least as far as making sure none of the purloined materials are used for PhD work they could do that and promised to do so–how they will do that is another matter).

I will send you materials giving the full story. I was investigating a drug and child pornography ring operating out of the Vancouver Club and because of Annett and wanting to tag onto anything and anything for which he could claim credit and acquire credentials as an activist, he managed to blow an operation–covert surveillance–and get me on a death list. He then claimed that he was on the death list too–only my name was mentioned by Kitty Sparrow a well-known Elder and activist in Vancouver.

This guy is a user and abuser of the already horribly used and abused–Residential School Victims. He is indeed a manipulator and con-artist and pathological liar. I will send you some materials that will make the case eloquently–in his own words. If you find out who his advisor is, perhaps pass them on.

I don’t wish to offend you but you know that we Indians are sick and tired of being used as objects of “social analysis”, experimentation, policy, manipulation, artifact theft, cultural marginalization and desecration etc. We are tired of sacred burial lands being dug up or paved over to make more notches on someone’s CV or to facilitate someone’s Book publication and Andy Warhol moment. We are sick and tired of “White Saviours” and self-appointed “activists.” We are sick and tired of missionaries desecrating our sacreds by those who do not even keep their own sacreds they are trying to force down our throats. Kevin Annett is but another one of those manipulator types–“Indianists”–trying to carve out a market niche in a yet unsaturated market and trying to become a “specialist”– big frog– in a tiny pond.

I will send you the materials that I have in the hope that if you every have the chance, please help to stop this user and abuser of the already and horribly used and abused.

Jim Craven

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 1998 6:42 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: Re: Kevin reply

On 23 Sep 98 at 12:36, Kevin Daniel Annett wrote:

Hi Jim,
Well, this is very odd. Last year, the United Native Nations and Viola Thomas began to circulate a false rumour that I was using the testimonies for my doctoral research at UBC. As a UNN source subsequently told us, this rumour actually originated with United Church people at UBC who contacted the UNN and began yet another smear tactic against me, trying to cause eyewitnesses to distrust me and thus not share their evidence.

The UNN’s accusation was false and ludicrous, since I was actually withdrawn from my doctoral program at that time, and am still trying to restructure my work there.

I am curious why you are suddenly repeating this rumour and slander. I can only assume that you are working with UNN people in another agenda or see some purpose in circulating their lies. As we saw at the Tribunal, the United Church is working closely with the UNN in keeping testimonies hidden and discrediting the attempt to unearth them. (Jim White, Ed Martin and Alvin Dixon, all United Church natives, were at the event, if you recall). By objectively joining their ranks, you are betraying many people who believed you when you represented yourself as someone independent of government-funded puppet Indian agencies.

Response (Jim Craven): First of all, I have only asked, asked , the same question I asked at the Tribunal before I even knew who you were or even knew that you had been meeting with Rudy and Diana prior to the Tribunal. That question, QUESTION, was and is: Are you using or do you plan to use any of the results of your contact or work with Residential School victims for your doctoral work? that question came after you had mentioned that your Doctoral Dissertation involves research on the United Church, Residential Schools and Their Impacts on Indians and Indian Society.

Further, I do not know even ONE person in UNN, I have never spoken to Viola Thomas except briefly at the Tribunal, I am not in contact with UNN in any way, I wouldn’t even know how to get in contact with them. But speaking of slander and libel, just like summarily characterizing me and my position now, claiming connections and alliances I don’t have, because of a serious question that is only a question, but at the Tribunal, without even knowing me, characterizing Viola Thomas as the “ears and eyes of the RCMP at the Tribunal” and UNN as a RCMP front-group because they are government funded, etc. I have no idea about this, but things about you and your machinations were raised at the Tribunal and I took no position because I need evidence before taking one. But if you repeat what you just repeated in the paragraph above or slander and libel me, you will find me using all legal and non-violent means, including all legal and administrative means and connections with UBC to take you to a place and questions that may be difficult to handle.

[Annett] I have sacrificed literally everything in my life to get the truth about the rez schools out, Jim, and unlike many I have not made a cent out of this work, or exploited the information for my private gain or purpose. For you to suggest I have, without a shred of evidence, is not only shameful but very destructive to our work. I have no intention of using the testimonies in my research – assuming I ever complete my Ph.D. – and I am shocked that you would not only believe these lies, but circulate them.

Response (Jim Craven): then you have no problem from me. But on the issue of Frank and Helen’s tapes, they were explicitly to be used by the Circle of Justice and they have never equated or given written consent indicating that you are the whole Circle of Justice or indeed authorized to speak for all in the Circle of Justice. I have only asked that you return the tapes to Amy Tallio or others of the Circle of Justice which by your own admission, was the entity Frank and Helen thought would be using their very painful and painful to tell testimonies.

If you say that you are not using the testimonies of the victims, then great, and lacking any concrete evidence to the contrary, there is no problem from me. But if issues are raised with me I have to ask and I do ask, up front, nothing behind, and if you give your word, and if I have evidence that your word is worth something, then I’ll take it. That’s all, but I ask because you have used my name and connected it with yours, without my permission, as in the case of the notice on soverenet-l about the death threats (your name, by the way was never mentioned by the Elder, only mine) so I have every right to inquire as if, IF, something you are doing is wrong, my own name and reputation is compromised.

Further what is below is real libel and slander (working for government funded agencies and doing their work committing libel and slander) and asking me to refrain from such activities, implies I am doing them, so let’s see you put up or shut up. This is incredible. But I’ll tell you this, you have really done it with these comments below, so let’s just take all of this to your doctoral committee and see who is who and what is what.

And my questions are not necessarily allegations, but you might wonder who has been calling me (not my calling them) from Vancouver and yes, please do share with YOUR network what questions I raise and what I say because the beauty is, when you tell the truth, you never have to remember what you have said. So, please do share it all with the Circle of Justice at your next meeting. But, share my responses too, and if you don’t or if you mischaracterize what I say and write, well you will never be going near many Indians against because through totally lawful and peaceful means, I will give my views and no amount of smear by you against me will ever cause the isolation that opinions and evidence by me against you will cause of you.

Also, why do you keep signing Reverend (Rev) to your name when you have been de-listed? And why are you concerned about being de-listed from the likes of the United Church? I would be happy they got rid of me as I would want nothing to do with them.

[Annett] I ask you now, on public record, to refrain from such libellous accusations, and to stop perpetrating the agenda of government-funded Indian agencies and their church and corporate benefactors.

Response (Jim Craven): Please pass the above to the RCMP as it will help get them off my back. Tell them how I am working to perpetuate the agenda of government-funded Indian agencies, please do. Then pass it along to the Churches and please tell them how I am really working for them, yes, please do. If you ever repeat or write this shit above, get ready for serious legal action and discussions with UBC. Remember, I am an academic also, and I do know the rules and imperatives of academia much better than you do.

[Annett] I also ask you to explain why you are circulating these lies about me.
If you persist in such groundless and malicious behaviour, we shall have to cease our connection. In any case, I intend to share through our network your false and destructive accusations so that we as a collective can fully understand your actual role and purpose in this work, which is openly in question now that your behaviour is taking on an increasingly bizarre and destructive nature.

Response: (Jim Craven): No, “our connection” as you put it is ceased with this letter and your slander and libel as above. Apparently you have a problem with penetrating questions, questions, to which I have every right an answer after you publicly connected my name with you and even publicly revealed sensitive facts from conversations without my permission or even caring how I might be compromised.

Get the tapes back to Frank and Helen, no bullshit, no sophistry. They have suffered horribly. You whine about supposedly being attacked by Frank, what they have gone through, the horrors they have experienced, you could handle even a small part, and you so-called “Christian charity”?; if you beat someone every day over and over, what do you think you will get and now, after using their painful testimonies, you call Frank and Helen into question too? You question their credentials too?

[Annett] Do not write me back because you will just be giving me more for any possible visit to UBC and your academic committees. As for the Circle of Justice, well if you slander and libel me among Indians, I’ll know about it and you will be in a real bad situation with respect to your own name and reputation I suspect.

Kevin Annett
cc: Circle of Justice Dr. Jennifer Wade

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 1998 8:31 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: Circle of Justice Public Notice

 

DRAFT COPY NOT FOR CIRCULATION OR PUBLICATION FINAL AUTHORIZATION FOR PUBLICATION PENDING
For Public DistributionThe following letter is a public announcement and notice by the Circle of Justice of Vancouver, B.C. Canada of the breaking any and all connections with Mr. Kevin Annett and the non-association of The Circle of Justice with the activities and positions of Mr. Annett past, present and future. Anyone who might question the origin, reasons for and authenticity of this letter may contact Amy Tallio of The Circle of Justice at (604) 253-1891. This letter is to be circulated on the internet to all newsgroups on which Mr. Annett posted views and allegations that were posted noting Mr. Annett’s connections with The Circle of Justice and thus connecting The Circle of Justice with views and allegations about which the members knew nothing, that had not been ratified through a vote and that had not been authorized for Mr. Annett to present as views and allegations of the Circle of Justice.

The Circle of Justice   September 23, 1998

TO KEVIN ANNETT:

We, the members of the group known as “The Circle of Justice” hereby give you notice that you are to cease any statements, implications or representations that you represent our group in any capacity or have any association with our group. We also hereby give you notice to cease the use of the name of The Circle of Justice or the name of any individual of the group in any association with you in any book, newspaper, on the internet, television or through any medium or in any conversations or representations with anyone.

We also give notice to you Kevin Annett to cease any and all fundraising in the name of the Circle of Justice and to turn over and account for any monies collected in the name of The Circle of Justice or when the name of The Circle of Justice was associated with your name in any way. We also demand that you turn over any and all materials in whatever form taken specifically through your interviews and other work with Survivors of the Canadian Residential Schools.

Signed:
Amy Talio, Interim President Jim Belcourt, Interim Treasurer Caroline Nelson Irene Starr Ethel Wilson Dennis Talio William Quinn
_____________

Bill of Particulars and Concerns:  

As you well know, we of The Circle of Justice are firmly committed to justice for the Canadian Residential School Victims and indeed are committing to the cause of justice for all victims. With respect to Residential School Victims and in solidarity with all Victims of All Nations, we seek to have: facts uncovered; true stories told; lessons learned; Victims justly compensated;  victimizers exposed and punished; true histories told and written;  historical and present-day injustices and conditions of oppression exposed and recognized;  educational curricula changed to tell the truth about various forms and instruments of oppression of First Nations Peoples and other Victims of Oppression; past and present forms and instruments of genocide recognized and eliminated; support systems for Victims suffering trauma from Residential School abuses and other forms of abuse.

Our missions and goals put us in conflict with very powerful and very ugly forces seeking the opposites of the above-mentioned missions. These forces are very determined, in positions of power and influence and possess resources we do not possess. Therefore, we act as a democratic collective because what each does, affects the security and welfare of the others as well as the name, credibility and effectiveness of the Circle of Justice as an organization. For these reasons, we take very seriously anything represented or done by any member of the Circle of Justice, in the name of The Circle of Justice that has not been democratically discussed, voted on, ratified and authorized by the organization. Further we take very seriously any allegations or documentation of unethical, disruptive, divisive or destructive behavior on the part of any member of The Circle of Justice especially when such behavior has been done in the name of The Circle of Justice as a whole.

You were asked to attend a meeting of The Circle of Justice on Wednesday, September 23, 1998. You said that you would attend that meeting but would be late. In fact, not only did you fail to attend that meeting, you failed to call and notify anyone waiting to see you that you would not attend and failed to contact the members for some time after that. You routinely sign your name on the internet as associated with the Circle of Justice but showed contempt and arrogance when requested to attend a meeting to discuss matters critical to the survival, effectiveness, missions and credibility of The Circle of Justice.

Had you attended that meeting on September 23, 1998, you would have been confronted with and given an opportunity to respond to the following allegations with supporting documentation:

a) That you have repeatedly in print and in word represented certain views, allegations and representations as having been voted on ratified and supported by The Circle of Justice that in fact had never been brought before the Circle of Justice or voted on or authorized by the Collective as positions of the Circle of Justice;

b) That you have repeatedly in print and word spread unproven gossip, conversations given in confidence for reasons of security, information, sources of information and ongoing investigations that could compromise and has compromised First Nations activists and certain struggles and activities;

c) That you have repeatedly in print and in word, slandered and libelled, without evidence, trusted and dedicated First Nations activists ( who dared to disagree with you or pose some penetrating and tough questions) with summarily-declared labels like”RCMP agents” or “The Eyes and Ears of the RCMP” or “Government-paid stooges” and with no regard to the damages done to them personally or to the struggles of which they have been trusted and effective instruments;

d) That you have summarily and for purposes of self-promotion, assigned to yourself and used in print and in word non-existent titles like “Advisor”, Chief Researcher” (we have not seen even one piece of your research), “Chief Expert Witness to the Vancouver Tribunal” and others that were neither authorized nor voted on and ratified by the Circle of Justice;

e) That you have summarily and without authorization or vote/ratification by the Circle of Justice, using The Circle of Justice as your authority and base, declared for yourself self-conducted and self-declared supposed missions with unstated goals and objectives to organizations like Amnesty International in London;

f) That you have in word and print designated yourself as the sole contact person for raising monies to support the work of The Circle of Justice and given no accounting or release to the Circle of Justice, certain donations known to have been specifically raised and designated for use by the Circle of Justice as a whole;

g) That you have demanded of others to release to you and not others of the Circle of Justice, tapes, personal testimonies and other materials associated with abuses of Residential School Victims that were not properly released for general use by those who had them in their possession and, when asked the same of you, for tapes and other materials of Residential School Abuse Victims in your possession, you have delayed and obstructed release of those materials back to those who have legitimately requested them and suffer daily wondering how they might be used by you;

h) That in print and in word you have raised monies designated to send Victims of Residential School Abuse to Geneva, given no notice that you, a non-victim of Residential School Abuse planned to use some of the monies to send yourself, and that you have conflicting accounts of the actual amounts raised and given no actual accounting of monies raised, by whom they were donated and how many Victims could be sent to give representations to UN bodies about Canadian Residential School Abuse and Genocide in Canada;

i) That in print and in word, you have released the names of Circle of Justice Members and allies, and sensitive and confidential conversations that could compromise the security and welfare of others if released, without authorization or vote by The Circle of Justice;

j) That you have sought inside and sensitive information from Residential School Victims and their allies and given no sensitive and needed information in your possession in return, in order to inflate an image and public perception of your own degree and depth of involvement in the Circle of Justice and various struggles and investigations;

k) That members of The Circle of Justice have left the Collective and given as their reason, problems with what they considered to be opportunism, self-promotion, duplicity and disruptions on your part;

It is our honest opinion, formed on the basis of evidence and without malice, that the above allegations are warranted and/or have enough merit that we have no choice but to act. We believe that you sensed what the meeting on September 23, 1998 was to be about–to present and give you an opportunity to attempt to rebut these charges–and we know that you made several calls to attempt to find out what the meeting was to be about, and sensing the possibilities, simply summarily avoided hearing and answering these charges after first promising that you would attend the meeting.

We invite you at any time to answer these allegations in writing and we will acknowledge any allegations found not to be substantiated, but in as much as so much is on the line and our work and credibility and membership are suffering as a result of these allegations, we have no choice but to act based on our opinion that you have been apprised/are aware of these allegations and have chosen to respond not by attending a meeting to answer them or with counter-evidence, but rather with slander and accusations against anyone who dared raise them with you and invite responses from you.

Signed: Amy Talio Jim Belcourt Caroline Nelson Irene Starr Ethel Wilson Dennis Talio William Quinn

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————

—–Original Message—–
From: Dev Rana [mailto:drana@mail.ma.utexas.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 11:01 AM
To: Craven, Jim

Subject: Well, another one taken in by Kevin Annett.

Dr. Craven,

I have just read a post of yours on the ****ism Mailing List archive re. Kevin Annett. You can add one more person to the list of people who have been taken in by this character. (Though I must add in my defence that I really did try to look for confirmation of what he was saying, and discovered myself frustrated at every turn as all links seemed to come back to the same small set of locations. On the other hand his book, though not well written, was rather convincing.) I had been taken in enough that I made contact a couple of weeks ago with our local public radio station here in Berkeley CA, where I am located, to see if I could stir up some interest in the issue of residential schools and the “Truth Commission”. I will write them immediately and inform them that Mr. Annett is most emphatically not a person to contact with regard to the history and present state of the residential schools and their survivors; but if you can make a suggestion I would like to perhaps redeem myself by pointing them to someone who might honestly be able to speak on the issue. We have a couple of programs here that interview authors and a couple that deal with breaking issues in the news. If there is anyone that has standing in the community and might be able to speak, I would be willing to make some effort putting them in touch with the appropriate people at the radio station.

Thanks

Dev Rana.
______________—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Friday, November 13, 1998 3:42 AM To: jcraven@clark.edu

Subject: OPEN LETTER TO DR. JENNIFER WADE

Since Warrionet and Sovernet have been used to spread disinformation, lies and to slander my name, I beg the indulgence of the reader to follow these matters. This is not about some personality dispute; this is a fundamental issue that is indeed a proper subject for his net.

Dear Dr. Wade:

Last night I received a call from Amy Tallio who had just got off the phone with you–you called her. As Amy relayed the conversation to me, she told you that 1) it was the Circle of Justice that contacted me for assistance and not the other way around; 2) Amy had asked me to advise her on some issues with which the COJ was dealing; 3) the COJ had asked me to help formulate and post on the internet their views on several subjects as they did not have internet access; 4) everything I have written is true and further, the COJ are in complete agreement with anything posted–they are the views of the COJ; 5) I had nothing to do with creating or exacerbating the views of the Circle of Justice members that led to the expulsion of Kevin Annett; 6) I was asked to give assistance and recommendations as to how materials repeatedly requested to be returned by Annett and have not been returned may be returned to Residential School Victims.

As Amy relayed it to me, despite her protestations that your assertions and information were groundless, you nonetheless proceeded to tell her I was dangerous (I hope so to some interests and individuals–actually it is my ideas that are dangerous to some), that I was not to be trusted or listened to or my advice considered.

By your own account, shown below in your first contact with me, you did not share those opinions until I challenged how much you really know and on what basis. Now, just like your protected pet Mr. Annett, you now slander me, call into question my motives and integrity and still refuse to consider the concrete evidence I offered to you as to the concrete basis for my assertions and beliefs about what Mr. Annett is really all about and what he intends. I further asked you to call Harriet Nahanee–whom you know very well– who also asked me for assistance and not the other way around. Again you failed to take due and proper measures to gather all available information prior to forming your summary and damaging conclusions.

I am not a tourist in Indian Country. These issues are not some kind of sideline or hobby for me. I am an Indian ( by blood as much Indian as White) but more importantly, these causes are sacred to me which is why I was approached by the COJ and Harriet. They knew, as you yourself said in your first contact with me below, that despite the fact the Tribunal was a farce and desecrated the trust of the Residential School Victims and Survivors, I was not a part of setting up or running it as a farce, and I sought at all times to do something serious with a band hand that had been dealt. I sought at all times to do some very serious questioning and establish some kind of record that could be used by the victims for further litigation.

I don’t make charges lightly and I seek substantive evidence before forming my conclusions. My conclusions about Mr. Annett and his veracity and intentions were formed after repeated and exhaustive was presented to me–none of which I solicited.

Amy says that you told her you plan to “move on” to something else. Fine. Take up macrame or bowling perhaps. But Indians do not need self-appointed/anointed White–or Indian–saviours or dilettantes dabbling in a little radical chic leaving real pain and suffering to which they remain impervious. These issues are indeed very serious and justice and the crimes involved demand very serious and very sober commitment. I was asked to sit on that Tribunal not because I was some kind of stooge of the James Gang–I had had only one association with them previously–but because my name was given as someone who has been deeply and totally involved in Indian and other related struggles for over 30 years. I am not a tourist or a dilettante, this comes from the core of my being.

So the next time you dabble in things about which you know nothing and cause and remain impervious to the damages you are doing, I suspect you will get another letter like this one. Perhaps you will go on and slander that person you do not know. My comments about Mr. Annett I have said openly and signed my name and given concrete evidence–in Annett’s own words not mine–for the assertions that I make. Apparently you, like Mr. Annett, are only able to operate in backrooms fearing to face evidence and sunlight.

Finally you said in your letter that “a contact” with the United Church said they never tried to contact me but I tried to contact them. This is a lie. I was first contacted by Mr. Stuart Lyster about whom I knew nothing, who wrote me on Tuesday, 29, September 1998 and wrote:

“James–thanks for posting the stuff about Kevin Annett which you are posting.
How far is this info being disseminated? I know that Annett has been mentioned in the Globe and Mail newspaper many times as speaking for the Circle of Justice.”

Cheers,

Stuart Lyster

I had no idea who Mr. Lyster was and that he was connected with the United Church. That became clear with his next message on 29 Sept in which he identified himself as connected with the United Church, gave a URL listing of the United Church (http://www.infoserv.net/unitedchurch/.bc/conf/annet.html) I have not yet read that listing. Mr. Lyster claimed that he knew Annett well, had served with him in the Church, was one of those who believes that the United Church should do what is right and settle with Residential School victims, and said that Annett was never forced to resign from St Andrew’s in Port Alberni or de-listed as a result of his activism on Residential School issues–he claims it was the reverse or activism as a result of de-listing.

In subsequent e-mails Mr. Lyster detailed what he considered to be the lies of Mr. Annett. I wrote Mr. Lister back and said basically the following: 1) If you have any influence with the United Church, tell the hierarchy and members to get right with the Creator and stop this obstruction (the appeal) and denial/desecration of what the Residential School victims have suffered and the role of the United Church in it; 2) Take no comfort in my going after Annett because unlike him I have no conflict of interest or no ax to grind with the UC per se (I also always mention the Catholic Church, Mormons, Anglicans, Methodists and others involved in the Residential Schools but Mr. Annett seems fixated only on the United Church) and for the Piikaani People (Blackfoot) and others there will be more Tribunals and issues to be dealt with and I will not be carrying any baggage to discredit me as in the ca se of Mr. Annett;  3) I asked about the use of the title “Reverend” to which Mr. Lyster responded that from the United Church point of view he was not entitled to use that title as he has been de-listed.

These were my contacts with Mr. Lyster, someone from the United Church but who may or may not have been put up to contacting me. I can make the whole correspondence available if anyone wants to verify my statements. I did not every contact the United Church as an organization about Mr. Annett and would never do so. They probably like me even less than Mr. Annett.

For those who are interested, please contact Amy Tallio (604)253-1891 who can verify her call to me last night and can verify that this characterization of what was said was the one communicated to me.

Below are all of my contacts with Dr.Wade most recent back to the first. I know this is tedious reading but I implore the readers to search for the truth and to see that this is not some minor personality squabble; this is extremely serious.

Jim Craven

——- Forwarded Message Follows ——-
From: “James Michael Craven” <cravjm@ooi.clark.edu>
Organization: Clark College, Vancouver WA, USA
To:   “Jennifer A. Wade” <jawade@infoserve.net>, jcraven@clark.edu
Date:  Thu, 12 Nov 1998 08:58:26 PST8PDT Subject:

Re: Rift with Kevin Annett Priority:

Dear Ms. Wade,

Before you conclude that my remarks on the net have no basis there are some documents that you really need to see. I don’t make reckless comments; as for that Tribunal being a farce, I agree 100% and the fact is that I made that point over and over internally.

When I came back I was contacted by members of the Circle of Justice and by Harriet Nahanee–I never contacted them. They told me some things that are documented very well in the documents I’ll send. I had a long correspondence with Kevin and met with him several times. He wrote to Rudy and Diana two letters demanding the return of materials to the COJ–the very same arguments the members of the COJ are now making to him to return materials entrusted to him but for the COJ. After being expelled from the COJ on September 23rd he put out a notice of a new “Truth and Justice Commission”, said the old COJ was defunct and/or anyone claiming to now be from the COJ not to trust them. No mention made of his having been expelled from the COJ–with which I had to do nothing.

Recently he sent a letter to several people saying that the COJ is not to be trusted an that organizations need “whites for credibility”. This statement alone is an ugly and racist one.

In any case if you want to hear another point of view before concluding who is off-base and who is lying, then give me a fax number where I can send some materials for your perusal. You might also call Harriet Nahanee who has copies of the materials and who can attest that I was asked for help because people knew that although the Tribunal was a farce, I am not nor were my intentions.

If you are not interested in another point of view because forming conclusions, then get out of the way; Indians do not need self-appointed White Saviours–they have had enough of that in the Residential Schools. Before you conclude that I am making reckless charges at least investigate where I am coming from before summarily concluding about my motives and basis of opinion. Otherwise I’ll have to conclude you are not really interested in who is who and what is what in which case please do take me on and write attacks against anything I write–you’ll come out like Kevin has. He is a liar, a manipulator and a user of the already used and abused. That is the truth and I have already invited him to sue me for libel and slander–truth is an absolute defence.

Jim Craven

On 11 Nov 98 at 0:28, Jennifer A. Wade wrote:

Dear Jim,

I remain confused as to what you are talking about re confidentiality of what was said at the June12-14 tribunal. Press were invited, government was invited, churches were invited, private citizens were invited, five or six people took copious notes to use as best they could to reveal some of the things that many Canadians don’t even want to believe. It may be that some of those who spoke regret having done so, but it was a public meeting. I was under the misapprehension, as most of the native people were, that this info was to go to the UN, and perhaps some government and church people would be there, and perhaps even some press would cover it. What were you yourself intending originally to do beyond just listening? The tribunal of judges on which you sat as a judge was a farce – and a very misleading one for the natives telling their stories. I am therefore very puzzled what point you are making. A United Church official with whom I spoke claims not to have contacted you although they heard from you. It was I who advised Kevin to talk with Amnesty directly about the stories of torture and abuse so that it was not really his “self declared/imposed mission” as you call it. I felt Amnesty should know what terrible torture and abuse took place right here in Canada so that the effort of those who came forward would not be in vain. Already in April 1998, I had taken material given to me to the UN in New York – well before any tribunal took place. No, I am not a publisher – just a concerned citizen – very concerned about the damage being caused by some of the remarks you are making in letters sent to others, remarks that seem to have no basis.

Jennifer Wade

At 08:34 AM 11/10/98 PST8PDT, you wrote:

Dear Ms Wade,

I must tell you that my first response to this was just to dump it. You summarily declare a one-sided version–Kevin’s–of a matter to be the truth of the matter and then ask me to accept it and move on. You have not even asked what I have to say, merely to suggest that I part ways and not take on Kevin.

I tried to get your e-mail address to send you some e-mail that makes it clear the origins of the dispute, who said what to whom when and why etc. Now that I have your address I will send the materials to you in the hope that you will keep an open mind and just look at what is there. I hope that you will pay particular attention to the dates of the memos as they speak for themselves.

Read for yourself and then maybe we can talk. As for the Reverend Kevin having a problem with my being on Rudy’s little panel, he had no problem with Rudy until later or my being on the panel (this is the first I have heard of it) and frankly I was the one who exposed Rudy James to IHRAAM and others when it was clear that the pain, suffering and trust of the Residential School Survivors and Victims were being cynically used and abused. I wrote up the whole thing in my Tribunal findings.

Kevin is simply a liar and very calculating and very cynical manipulator and user. The documents and e-mails that I will send (written by him in his own words not mine) reveal him to be what he is and it is for that reason and that reason alone–out of deep sorrow and respect for all the suffering and pain of the Residential School victims that I heard at the Tribunal–that I will never leave him alone.

I am not writing a book (are you publishing his proposed book, if so, please say so so that your own material interests and potential conflict-of-interest are on the record), I don’t live in Vancouver, I had decent relations with Kevin until his lying and manipulations became evident, I am not fronting from the James Gang (I have gone after them even worse that Annett), I detest the United Church (who contacted me delighting in my going after Annett and I’ll give you a copy of my response to them), I am not seeking public office. I have no interest except in not betraying the trust given me by Residential School victims who could see that I was not part of the James Gang, that I honestly sought the truth without fear or favour, and I sought and will seek to expose and remove any and all opportunists trying to take advantage of sacred victims and a sacred cause.

So let me send you some materials. I had sent them to you some time ago and they were returned undeliverable. Then you make up your own mind who is the liar and manipulator and opportunist and who is not.

Take care and please don’t allow yourself to be used. By the way, I sent these materials to the Amnesty International Secretariat in London while Reverend Kevin was on his self-declared/imposed mission to London and apparently they found the materials compelling as they are having nothing to do with him.

Jim Craven 

On 9 Nov 98 at 23:18, Jennifer A. Wade wrote:

Dear Jim,

You probably do not remember me, but I remember you for having asked some pretty probing questions at the June tribunal. I was so pleased when I heard you and Kevin Annett were working together to at least reveal a few long-denied truths and perhaps even try to find some justice in some pretty terrible stories. Then a few bystanders started sending me your e-mails and I was shocked. First of all this was a PUBLIC tribunal. When and as I saw fit, I passed on information from that tribunal and even wrote letters to the Globe and Mail etc. all the time feeling Canadians everywhere should know some of this. I was hoping you, Kevin and everyone else who was there would do the same whether by book or article or lecture. Indeed the tribunal on which you sat promised to give all info to the UN and invited press – although few came. I was suspicious of the tribunal’s promises from the outset and told Kevin so – especially as I watched Mr. James operate and checked the credentials of IHHRAM. A lot of natives told their stories for the first time in public, expecting to be heard and to have something done. I took copious notes and have passed them on so that all this business of saying Kevin used the info for his own purposes is rubbish. Yes, his purpose has always been to expose what really happened whether the church wanted to believe it or not. Why were you yourself on that panel of “judges”? It is true some natives have now been made to regret that they spoke out – often by their own people – but I can’t believe you would indulge in such name-calling and trouble-making when you and Kevin should be on the same side working to get help and justice for the native people to the best of your abilities in a society that by and large believes natives are only telling such stories to procure more money! THERE WAS REAL AND TERRIBLE AND FEARFUL PAIN AT THAT HEARING. In the rift that has developed between you and Kevin with Kevin not trusting you for even being on Rudy’s panel, there is real sorrow, and I am reminded of the tragic rifts that took place within the civil rights movement in the 60’s when people who could have helped each other to serve the same cause did anything but that. I am sorry. The best thing you could both do is to agree to part ways but not damage each other.

Jennifer Wade J. A. Wade B.A., M.A., D.Litt.

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————

Wed, 18 Nov 1998 08:41:50 +0000
From: Raul.Benet@bc-mexico.bcouncil.org (Raul Benet)
To: warriornet@speakeasy.org, sovernet-l@speakeasy.org,

I am tired of all this. I have requested several times to the list manager to exclude me from sovernet-l, unsuccessfully. -Obviously, using the correct mechanism ‘unsubscribe sovernet-l’ addressed to the ‘speakeasy’ address. I found that it is truly easy to speak (and speak, and speak) freely here, but very difficult to ask you to keep silent!

R Benet

Kevin Annett wrote:  
As I have stated before, Craven’s inciting of Amy Tallio and a few others against me coincided with our discovery of a modern-day pedophile ring implicating major native politicians in B.C., some of whom are connected to Amy Tallio. I believe that a more serious issue is thus at stake here, and I ask activists not to fall for this latest smear, which is designed to divide us and keep us off the trail of modern-day abusers and their friends in power, both white and native.

Response:
Of all of the disgusting and pathological lies that this piece of shit has written, this is absolutely the most disgusting of the lot. Amy Tallio and her sisters suffered horrible sexual abuse and torture while in Port Alberni Residential School. to suggest that they have anything to do with the pedophile rings operating in Vancouver is so ugly and filthy that it defies belief.

This is why I will never let up on this pathological liar, opportunist and slanderer–never. This scum Annett is worse than anything that the Reform could produce–they are open about what they are. This scum will slander anyone, wreck any cause that dares challenge his narcissism, opportunism and self-promotion.

I will not use this net for this type of response further. But anyone who is interested, please contact me and I will send you every single contemporaneous correspondence between myself and Annett. You will soon see who is the liar and wrecker. You will see him praise Amy Tallio until she dared challenge him; the same applies to me.

By the way, the investigations of the pedophile rings were blown not enhanced by Annett. As in his usual parasitic and self-promoting style, he continually would call or write me, Frank and Helen and others and pump us for information and then pass off the information as having been gathered by himself. I was advised by an Elder that what I was doing might get or had got me on a hit list, an Elder who never mentioned Kevin, then Annett summarily passed it on that both of us had been named. When I told him that some of these matters were indeed being investigated by Indians in a much better position to get in close, he shot his self-promoting mouth off all over the internet and blew some ongoing operations. I will be happy to release all of the correspondence on this net if anyone would allow the net to be used to expose and bury this liar and manipulator once and for all.

I’m sorry for using this net for this response but if the net is used for lies, then the readers must please allow its use to refute lies and expose a pathological liar whose little world and special market niche is being lost and who is now prepared to slander and defame and abuse anyone and everyone–including Amy Tallio who has already been horribly defamed and abused.

Anyone interested, please contact me and I will give you all of my correspondence. All I ask it that when it becomes very clear what this parasite is all about, please help to stop him and thoroughly isolate him from ever having any contact with Indian People and Sacred Causes ever again.

Jim Craven

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel:
(360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
———————————————————————–
—–Original Message—–
From: @TartanNET.ns.ca [mailto:j@TartanNET.ns.ca]
Sent: Sunday, April 04, 1999 6:46 PM
To: jcraven@clark.edu

Subject: information on K. Annett, etc.

Greetings Jim Craven, April 4I have decided to finally write to you myself to ask that you send me information on what happened with the Tribunal into abuse at residential schools set up for native children which took place in Vancouver last summer (and at which you were a judge).

I was one of the people who helped organize the speaking engagement for Kevin Annett and Sulian Herney in Halifax recently. Up until now I did not feel it necessary to look into the rift which has developed between Kevin annett and members of the COJ. But now I feel it could be important in helping me decide whether or not it is worth my while to try to support Kevin annett in his struggle.

I can imagine it would take you quite a while to send me the documentation which you have on last summer’s Tribunal (in Vancouver). But if you have time I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Jan S

Dear Antoni,

Thanks for the response. Yes I am indeed tired of Annett and his machinations. but what drives me is not some personal agenda to “get” Annett. What drives me is the haunting memories of all the testimonies of all the Residential/Boarding School victims that I have heard along with the very real and overwhelming evidence of genocide and all the various instruments that were used in the Residential/Boarding Schools. Were I not so passionate and so intense, it would be as if I had never heard and been touched by such testimonies and evidence.

But of the evidence I sent, take out everything in my words and in the words of others. Just focus on Kevin’s own words written from his own e-mail account. Calling Amy Tallio, a victim of horrible sexual abuse–along with her sisters–an accomplice with pedophile rings in Vancouver? That is so disgusting it defies description or characterization. Calling me an RCMP agent because I dared to ask about sensitive materials and testimonies of Residential School victims not being returned? Using the words of Harriet Nahanee publicly while privately slandering her? Surely you can do better for your forum.

This is a sacred cause. The RCMP, The Government of Canada and yes, even the United Church would like nothing better than to see Kevin as the main legend-in-his-own-mind spokesman for the entire Cause of Residential School victims because it becomes so easy to impeach the Cause as he so easily impeaches himself with his own rhetoric, reckless charges, and total disregard for the damages he is causing to victims, activists and the cause through his reckless charges, rhetoric and lack of command of elementary logic and proper inference from given facts or pseudo-facts. For too long, as Harriet noted in her letter of support, we have had self-appointed “white saviors” and “messiahs” dropped down on us from “above”. While they rode off into the sunset to publish books, get interviewed on talk shows or get highlighted in features as in “The New Internationalist”, the victims are left with their nightmares, with false promises and left to pick up the pieces of messes left by these tourists to the Cause. On the other hand, there have been White activists who have been valuable and have suffered along with Indians for Justice so my condemnation is not of all or even of a majority of White activists.

It is of course your right to hold your symposium and to invite whomever you please. It is also our right to have activists at that forum to pose questions that need to be posed including questions related to Annett’s integrity, veracity and authority to speak about or for Residential School victims. For the sake of the Cause, I hope that it will not be necessary to challenge the authority and veracity of whomever you choose to represent the Cause. I sensed in your voice a genuine concern that you not be innocently used for the nefarious agenda of someone–myself or anyone–under the banner of a sacred Cause.

I just came back from up north and will be home tonight. Sorry my mailbox is full but I am juggling many balls in the air right now and this Sacred Cause is important but is also one of several with which I am involved.

May the Creator bless you, your family and guide your decision making. Please don’t innocently or otherwise participate in further victimization of the already horribly victimized.

Jim Craven

—-Original Message—–
From: Craig Regan [mailto:Craig_Regan@bc.sympatico.ca]
Sent: Sunday, November 22, 1998 10:21 PM
To: jcraven@clark.edu Cc: cravjm@ooi.clark.edu

Subject: James Craven

Tana Hasart

We the group of Indigenous People known as the Circle of Justice for Victims and Survivors of Native Residential Schools, would like to explain to you how Professor James Craven became involved in our cause on our behalf.

Our group was formed in 1997 to help survivors of res schools. One of our founding members was and excommunicated United Church minister, Kevin Annett. Our aim was to gather testimony from people who had suffered sexual and physical abuse at these schools. This testimony was to be taken to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

On June12-14, 1997 a Tribunal on this matter was held in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Our advisor Kevin Annett worked very closely with Rudy James ( a member of the Board of Directors for the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities), in organizing this tribunal. Professor James Craven was asked by IHRAAM to be on the panel of judges. One of the first people called to give testimony was the ex-minister Kevin Annett. He gave sacred oath that he would tell the truth. He swore that he was not working in any way for his own personal gain.

There were over 25 testimonies given on video-tape during those three days, by people from Vancouver Island the lower mainland and from the Interior of B.C. Kevin had a copy of all the tapes in his possession. He also travelled to Vancouver Island and had more taped testimony made from other residential school survivors.

He stressed to us at the meetings that he would not be a member of our group but would work as an advisor. We knew that he had received some funding for our group but he neither turned over any funds to us or gave us any accounting of these funds.

On Sept. 23, 1998 we set-up a meeting with Kevin Annett so that we could ask him to account for the money and ask him to turn over the video tapes. Kevin phoned Amy Tallio to tell her he would be late for the meeting. When he did not show up at the meeting it was decided that we would write a letter to him telling him he was to be terminated from our group. On the 28th of September he went on the internet and declared himself to be the “Permanent Truth and Justice Commission” He stated that the Circle of Justice had dissolved. We the people of the Circle of Justice have never intended to dissolve. We are a small but very dedicated group.

After Kevin Annett was expelled from our group we learned he was writing a book. He immediately began to use the internet to release testimony that he had no authority to use. He had sworn to never release such testimony. He was asked to return all the testimony but he ignored our requests. He also told a lot of lies about our group and members whose testimony he had. We were stunned by Kevin Annett’s actions and were helpless to reply to these assaults on us.

It is the Indian way that we are in need of help we send the feather to other Indian Nations and it is the Indian way that they are bound to help. We requested that Professor James Craven help us respond to the lies Kevin Annett spread on the Internet and also the mockery he made of the sacred oath he took that the testimonies he had were to be used only for the good of the victims and survivors of residential schools. Professor James Craven has been our only hope in correcting the lies put on the Internet by Mr. Annett.

All of Kevin Annett’s internet input has come from the University of British Columbia address. Our group made an appointment with the U.B.C. legal department and we spoke to Professor Dennis Pavlich, while he sympathized with us and assured us that the testimony Kevin Annett had acquired could not be used for his thesis or any other required university work, without the people’s consent. The material that was sent from the U.B.C. address was perfectly legal because it did not involve the university.It was made clear to us that any student had access to use the computers and any e-mail sent was private.

All of Professor Craven’s responses to the horrible lies by Mr. Annett were on our behalf and were directed and approved by our group.

Professor Craven is known across the Indian world as a tireless and honest worker for Indian people who are in need. It is his duty to help and advise all native students. We are hoping that Professor Craven will be allowed to continue has work for aboriginal justice and that it will not be in any way a detriment to his professional employment. All people must understand the agony and suffering that the residential schools have inflicted on the native peoples and only through enlightened and sympathetic support can the abuse stop.

We believe that Mr. Annett is not working for us or any native people and we encourage very thoughtful deliberation when referring to any of Mr. Annett’s accusations.

We the members of the group known as the Circle of Justice have agreed to the contents of this letter (e-mail).
Amy Tallio, Dennis Tallio, Maureen Spalding, Jim Belcourt, Caroline Nelson, Bob Eng, Ethel Wilson, Bill Quinn, Irene Starr and Lillian Mearns.

———- Forwarded message ———-
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 17:16:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kevin Daniel Annett <kdannett@interchange.ubc.ca>
To: SISIS@envirolink.org

Subject: Update on the residential school atrocity investigations

[Annett] for your networks, from the Truth and Justice Commission, formerly The Circle of Justice (Vancouver)

Response Jim Craven: The Circle of Justice is still in existence. Mr. Annett was voted to be expelled at a meeting on September 23, 1998. He was subsequently informed by Jim Belcourt that he was expelled and the reasons why. This can be confirmed by calling Amy Tallio, herself a Survivor of the Residential Schools, of the Circle of Justice at (604) 253-1891

[Annett] Circle of Justice Widens to Become Permanent Truth Commission

Response Jim Craven: This is an outright lie. The Circle of Justice expelled one member, Mr. Annett and subsequently gained members as a result of his being expelled and no member of The Circle of Justice was ever informed about this Permanent Truth Commission and any former members of the Circle of Justice who might be part of this so-called Truth and Justice Commission were those brought to the Circle by Mr. Annett and not voting members or present members. Part of Mr. Annett’s problem and arrogance stemmed from the fact that he considered himself to be the Circle of Justice, Spokesman, Researcher, Archivist, Advisor all roles that were self-declared and self-assumed. This so-called Truth and Justice Commission was formed on the day he was told he was being expelled from the Circle of Justice and knew well that it would be announced along with the reasons for the expulsion.

[Annett] Vancouver – In an effort to broaden the scope and base of the ongoing investigation into medical experiments, murder and other horrors at native residential schools, the Circle of Justice has dissolved and its members have been encouraged to become part of a permanent Truth and Justice Commission, which is being established in Vancouver, B.C.

Response Jim Craven: More lies, no reference to having been expelled from the Circle of Justice, no reference to the continued existence of the organization, no COJ members were encouraged to become members of this new Truth and Justice Commission or would do so, and further, this begs the question: Would the members of the Circle of Justice who expelled Mr. Annett for alleged opportunism, lying, misrepresentation, failure to account for funds raised, failure to turn over materials not released for use by Residential School Victims, misrepresentation of his roles in and authorized positions of the COJ etc, be encouraged to become part of this Truth and Justice Commission?

[Annett] The Circle of Justice had never formally constituted itself as an organization, but functioned as a loose network of victims of residential schools and their supporters. Accordingly, it was felt that a more permanent and formal body was needed to take survivors’ testimonies and document the atrocities because of their magnitude and the complicity of government, church, police and native organizations in serious wrongdoing.

Response Jim Craven: More lies. Mr Annett continually and repeatedly–on this net in many postings–represented the COJ to be a democratic collective but nonetheless a formal organization, and the only one who “felt a more permanent and formal body was needed…” other than through new Tribunals, was Mr. Annett–immediately upon learning of his being about to be expelled from the COJ.

[Annett] The new Truth and Justice Commission will honour the request of those who have given testimonies, written and spoken, to the International Tribunal into residential schools, and will take responsibility for this evidence to ensure that it is used to bring the full truth of the residential schools to public light.

Response Jim Craven: Translation, this so-called Truth and Justice Commission, consisting of Mr. Annett and a few trusted cronies, will attempt refuse to return repeatedly requested materials in his possession, summarily and unilaterally assert and arrogate “responsibility” for this evidence”, care nothing about the damages and pain caused to the Residential School victims who have demanded their tapes and other materials back fearing how and for whom Mr. Annett will use their stories, refuse to obey the very same arguments he made in a posted letter to the James Gang about returning materials in their possession, and will then summarily and unilaterally assert himself to be the authority how the materials are to be used. The arrogance, hypocrisy, duplicity, manipulation, callousness and abusiveness in this position in breathtaking in my opinion.

[Annett] In this regard, Reverend Kevin Annett will continue in his delegated role as the archivist, researcher and advisor with this investigation, and will hold survivors’ testimonies and other evidence in trust, confidentiality, and safety.

Response Jim Craven: Notice, this clearly comes from Mr. Annett who writes about himself in the third person as if an existing and formal organization is behind all of this, yet repeatedly says this Truth and Justice Commission is “being formed” or about to be formed or whatever. How many present members? And further, his past track record, in holding survivor’s testimonies and other evidence–even on this very net–has reflected gross opportunism, insensitivity, callousness, recklessness, arrogance, amateurism etc in the opinion of the Circle of Justice who cited these actions as one of the reasons for his expulsion.

[Annett] In a statement released today, Reverend Annett said,

Response Jim Craven: Again, writing about himself in the third person to deceive and manipulate and cover-up.

[Annett]  “I state again that I have not used, and will not use any of the testimonies given to me by residential school survivors for my own benefit or academic use. I will use this evidence only as directed to by the Statement of Purpose of the Truth and Justice Commission, and by the latter’s Executive Body. This evidence does not belong to me or to any individual or organization, but is held in public trust for the sake of the living and dead victims of native residential schools, and for the cause of ultimate justice.”

Response Jim Craven: Summarily asserts and arrogates he will be the holder of the materials and determine how they are to be used (see posted letter from Annette to [Himself from Himself via ] Rudy and Diana James demanding return of tapes and other materials from the Tribunal in Vancouver June 12-14, 1998 to the “Circle of Justice”, and threatening legal action for failure to do so. Above says” this evidence does not belong to me but is held in public trust” and I, Annett the self-professed and self-declared, legend-in-my-own-mind saviour of the Residential School Victims, will define the public trust, I will summarily assert who the evidence belongs to (as a disingenuous stunt to summarily assert refusal to return requested materials under the banner of some noble cause of justice for living and dead victims of the Residential Schools), I will determine its use and I will determine who will I have access to it no matter the pain caused to real Residential School victims demanding their testimonies and other materials back from Annett and being caused considerable pain and suffering as a result of his continual arrogance and refusal to return demanded materials. The arrogance, callousness and duplicity is outrageous. Further, why this sensitivity in view of the fact that the charges against Mr. Annett have not been made publicly but were kept internal so as not to damage the real and legitimate members of the Circle of Justice? Is it because he anticipates something coming and this is pre-emptive spin control?

[Annett] The new Truth and Justice Commission will be constructed on a completely non-racial and democratic basis, embracing both indigenous and non-indigenous people on an equal footing. It will remain independent from all church, government and police agencies, and from all First Nations organizations which either receive state funding or were established by or are connected to the Department of Indian Affairs.

Response Jim Craven: One of Mr. Annett’s oft repeated notions is a claim of a backlash of First Nation’s Peoples against non-First Nations “activists” like himself. If this does occur, it will be because of the likes of Mr. Annett. Of course, not being able to look at himself, calling anyone who dares pose any questions to him about his machinations “RCMP agents”, “Government Stooges” etc, this First Nations and Non-First Nations on an equal footing stuff is a cover for the real arguments against him and the real reasons for his expulsion from the Circle of Justice. As for staying away from Government, Churches, Police etc, these apparent reckless and duplicitous machinations could not serve the powers-that-be better if he were on someone’s formal payroll.

[Annett]  A complete Statement of Purpose of this Commission will be forthcoming. Founding members and affiliates of the Commission will be announced at the same time.

Response Jim Craven: If this organization exists and is speaking about Mr. Annett in the third person, where is the Statement of Purpose now? And this announcement implies there are already some Founding members and affiliates (the ones talking about Mr. Annett in the third person) of this Truth and Justice Commission, so who are they? The members of the Circle of Justice signed their names to their alleged reasons for the expulsion of Mr. Annett from the COJ and for their demands that he return materials to them.

[Annett] As of today, September 28, 1998, any statements issued by any group or individual calling themselves The Circle of Justice should not be associated with the investigative work of the Truth and Justice Commission, or with the Tribunal and forums that preceded the Commission.

Response Jim Craven: So any group calling themselves The Circle of Justice would be who exactly? I thought the COJ was being expanded to develop this new Truth and Justice Commission? Who would possibly be in a position to continue to call themselves The Circle of Justice? And if there are people still calling themselves The Circle of Justice, people with whom Mr. Annett publicly connected himself in word and in print, then why haven’t they joined him? Why would he need to disassociate himself from any group still calling themselves the COJ when he has claimed that the COJ is part of and behind this development of the Truth and Justice Commission? And who is Mr. Annett to speak for the previous Tribunal on Residential Schools? Where does that authority and mandate come from? The apparent lies and duplicity and callous disrespect for the past, present and future suffering of Residential Schoo l Victims and other Victims is absolutely unbelievable. Even the United Church and RCMP have been far more open about their naked contempt for Residential School Victims and at least superficially, in their admission of and responsibility for abuses that they have committed; more so than Mr. Annett, it appears.

[Annett] For more information contact The Truth and Justice Commission c/o kdannett@interchange.ubc.ca .

Response Jim Craven: Mr. Annett, give back the requested materials to the Victims of Residential School Abuse NOW!! Your apparent delays, duplicity, lies, manipulations, obstructionism, wrecking, factionalism, slander and libel, disruptions, failure to account for and return resources entrusted to you etc. are causing real pain and suffering to real people who have already suffered so much; people who trusted you, who have a right to their materials for the same reasons given in your letter to the James Group, who are doing real selfless struggles for truth and justice not selfish and self-promotional charades masquerading as “activism”. Stop this apparent wrecking, opportunism and factionalism NOW!!

Jim Craven (Previous expositions were at the request of members of the Circle of Justice to assist them in getting their message out on the internet; this one is from me. I was approached by the members of the COJ and had no contact with them whatsoever except with Mr. Annett. Their conclusions and allegations were brought to me not even knowing how I felt about Mr. Annett because I had kept my reservations private to avoid obstructing the COJ’s work; further I tried to gently pose some concerns I had been hearing with Mr. Annett and the result was being called an RCMP agent and stooge of the Churches by him in a letter.)

As one of the Tribunal Judges in a highly flawed and even wrecked Tribunal dealing with Residential School horrors, as someone who saw the pain and suffering on the faces and heard it in the voices of the Residential School victims, then to contemplate betrayal of those I saw and heard, and all of those I will never see and hear, is unthinkable.For someone who has been close to and trusted by real Victims of Residential Schools horrors and their allies to use them and their trust and need for supporters for selfish, personal, self-promotional, opportunistic or careerist purposes is absolutely beyond sick, depraved and evil. To call it all the struggle and search for truth and justice is just too much.

These are my honest opinions based on considerable investigation, soul-searching, listening to various perspectives, posing questions for which either penetrating or no answers were given, and formed without malice or reckless disregard for truth. I invite any and all rebuttal.

Because Mr. Annett has publicly on this net associated my name with him and private conversations with him have been written up without my permission, I believe that I must and have every right to publish this response.

Jim Craven Member,
Blackfoot Nation

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663
jcraven@clark.edu;
Tel: (360) 992-2283
Fax: 992-2863
——————————–

—-Original Message—–
From: S.I.S.I.S. [mailto:SISIS@envirolink.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 1999 7:01 PM
To: megg@atg.wa.gov
Cc: jcraven@clark.edu Subject:

Re: investigation of Jim Craven  

Greetings,
It is our understanding that you are being asked to investigate Professor Jim Craven’s use of Clark college email in terms of his activities supporting survivors of residential school abuse.

As one of the groups working on this issue, and as a group that has worked with both Jim Craven and Kevin Annett for over a year, we feel we must comment on this case.

In September 1998, Jim Craven posted a notice issued by Circle of Justice, a group of residential school survivors who had been working with Kevin Annett. In that notice, Jim stated:

“I was contacted by the Circle of Justice on September 24th and told that Mr. Kevin Annett had been dismissed from the COJ on September 23rd. This was followed by faxes sent to me asking that I put this out on the Internet as no-one has access to the Internet and because the Circle of Justice feels that some things were put out on the net on which they had not voted and about which they had no knowledge.”

Whether or not the allegations Circle of Justice made against Kevin (that he was distributing their personal stories on the internet without their permission) are true is something we will never know. And you are not being asked to judge the substance of those allegations. What you are being asked to do is judge whether or not Jim Craven violated a code of ethics by using university email to distribute information relating to the Circle of Justice and Kevin Annett.

The issue of intellectual property as it relates to indigenous people is a key issue internationally, with declarations on the rights of indigenous people to maintain control of intellectual use of their cultures, languages, and histories. It is recognized internationally that use of indigenous peoples’ life experiences without their consent violates every recognizable code of ethics.

Additionally, the allegations against Kevin Annett include charges that he had misrepresented himself in relation to the Circle of Justice for personal profit and gain.

In his emails, Professor Craven attempted to address this very serious issue by giving Circle of Justice access to the internet, so that they could voice their concerns.

As a group who was working with Kevin Annett prior to learning of the Circle of Justice’s allegations, we are very grateful to Professor Craven for making these concerns known. Had he not done this, we would have continued to distribute information that the Circle of Justice alleges was, in part, misinformation, and also information released without consent of the indigenous people involved.

When we became aware of these serious allegations, we informed Kevin Annett that we would be discontinuing distribution of his posts until he and Circle of Justice had helped us better understand what had happened.

Kevin refused pointblank to assist in any investigation and then sent emails to a wide variety of international groups and list servs accusing us of participating in a coverup campaign, accusing us of collaborating with the RCMP to cover up abuses at residential schools. Shortly thereafter, he began a campaign to shut down Professor Craven’s email.

As a group that has been directly involved from the beginning, we find it ironic that Kevin Annett is accusing Professor Craven of misconduct and unethical behaviour. Even if the allegations by Circle of Justice are untrue, Kevin Annett’s use of University of BC email since that time has, in relation to spreading misinformation about our group, been profoundly unethical.

(We would be happy to provide you with those emails if you should deem it useful.)

In contrast to Kevin Annett’s deliberate disinformation campaign, Professor Craven has, at every instance, urged concerned parties to directly contact Circle of Justice. He has never concealed any information and has offered to send copies of all correspondence to anyone who expressed interest. He has stated repeatedly that he has nothing to hide.

We feel Professor Craven’s use of Clark College email has been an appropriate vehicle for providing students and community groups with the opportunity to hear directly from native people concerned, with no personal profit or gain.

Whatever Mr. Annett’s reasons for pursuing this campaign against Jim Craven as vigorously as he has, we urge you to rule Professor Craven’s use of Clark College email as a legitimate and ethical way of challenging academic abuse of power.

If we can be of any assistance in the investigation, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Joshua Goldberg Co-founder,
Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty (S.I.S.I.S.)
P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, “B.C.”
“Canada”
V8X 3S2

——- Forwarded Message Follows ——-
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 11:25:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Shafer <wy430@victoria.tc.ca>
To: James Michael Craven <cravjm@ooi.clark.edu> Subject:

Re: StruggleContinues

Hi Jim, I passed your message on to a friend who is a councillor with the Penticton Indian Band. I’m glad to see he’s out. I look forward to seeing how he makes out. The tribunal went a long way towards shining a light upon what is here in BC and Canada – a very closed society – nothing really gets out to see the light of day before it is first “mediated”, spun or managed. Unfortunately, the most important and constantly missing element of the residential schools experience here – is that the precondition to its implementation was the usurpation of jurisdiction by the non-native society. This can be simply demonstrated and has been by Dr. Bruce Clark, and internationally recognized authority on the subject, and lawyer for the Gustafsen Defendants. The malevolence of the “powers that be” and the substantial sell-out sector of the Indian ruling class here is based upon a knowledge of just how explosive Clark’s legal thesis is. BC and Canada are operating completely outside any semblance of the rule of law on this point. It is this threshold issue that enabled ALL the subsequent genocide, such as the res-school holocaust you heard about and until this jurisdictional invasion is dealt with and exposed, things like the Martin/Michell episode will continue. Anyway, thanks for the information and your efforts – I certainly hope everything works out.

Cheers JS

On Wed, 8 Jul 1998, James Michael Craven wrote:

Notice: Frank Martin, husband of Helen Michell whose appeal I posted yesterday, was released from jail last night. My information is that he has been charged as an “Illegal Alien” which of course is exactly how many non-Indians see Indigenous Peoples in policy, laws and practice.

I can state categorically, and yet speaking only for myself and not the Inter-Tribal Tribunal In Vancouver June 12-14, 1998 dealing with abuses of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian residential schools, the uses of residential schools as one of the instruments of genocide and the extent and actual recipients of any settlement monies designated for victims or IHRAAM one of the Observers, that as one of the Tribal Judges of the Tribunal, I found the testimonies of Frank Martin and his wife Helen Michell to be the most moving, credible, supported by concrete evidence and devastating to certain institutions, common practices and “powers-that-be”–past and present. It is my sincere belief that there is a concrete connection between the compelling content, scope and implications of the testimonies of Helen Michell and Frank Martin on the one hand and the subsequent machinations against Frank Martin and his family on the other hand.

Frank Martin and his family have been left destitute and yet he remains in strong spirits and determined to continue the fight for basic human rights, respect for Canadian and International Law and for the genuine self-determination and sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples. They still need help and I sincerely hope that anyone who has read and been moved by the appeal of Helen Michell will help them to any extent possible.

The cause of Indigenous Peoples like Frank Martin and Helen Michell may be seen as like the proverbial “Canary in the Mine” for non-Indian People and for Canada and the U.S. as a whole. Today it is us, tomorrow, who’s next? And what kind of society tolerates and facilitates genocide and is such a society worth living in even for those not yet designated for “special attention and treatment.”–ongoing extermination and extinction?

Jim Craven

James Craven Dept. of Economics,Clark College
1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. Vancouver, WA. 98663 jcraven@clark.edu; Tel: (360) 992-2283 Fax: 992-2863
——————————————————————————————————

—–Original Message—–
From: James Michael Craven [mailto:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 1998 4:25 AM
To: jcraven@clark.edu Subject:

Re: Circle of Justice update

Response Jim Craven:
Amy Tallio called me two nights ago and Harriet Nahanee left a message yesterday that the “Reverend” (with reverence for nothing sacred) Kevin Annett will be putting on a dog-and-pony show (promoting a book he has said to several people he is intending to write) masquerading as a Forum on Residential Schools at UBC. I do not yet know the date. He is also putting on a workshop at the APEC Conference on the same subject.

The Residential School Survivors of the Circle of Justice, other Survivors and their supporters will be there to denounce him and demand, once again, return of very sensitive and very painful testimonies and materials entrusted to him; he continues to refuse any contact with the Survivors or to return their materials.

Further, the Residential School Survivors are planning a demonstration at UBC and are seeking a meeting with the President of UBC on the subjects of First Nations Peoples, suffering–in order to advance the Curriculum Vitae, Carrerism and Market Niches of non-Indian and sell-out Indian Academics: being used as objects of “investigation” by academics in cynical and manipulative ways; First Nations Cultures being slandered and caricatured; sacred items of Culture being summarily appropriated and expropriated; sacred burial lands being paved over or dug up; First Nations Peoples being used as objects of medical experiments or “anthropological research”–another variation of medical experimentation; etc.

The people of the Circle of Justice have had to hire a lawyer to get their painful testimonies and materials back, and all who have followed the materials that I released on this and other media should be clear on who is who and what is what–this Kevin Annett is a cynical manipulator and prevaricator who is using, harming, causing pain to Residential School Survivors who trusted him and who have already suffered so much abuse, manipulation and death. At least the scum who tortured, killed and used for medical experiments Residential School victims, never pretended to give a damn about the Residential School Victims–they were largely OPEN racists and demagogues.

I urge all people of conscience to contact Amy Tallio and the people of the Circle of Justice or to contact Harriet Nahanee (604) 985-5817 and to show your support and demonstrate against/denounce the “Reverend” Annett wherever you find him, send letters of e-mail or forward already posted ones to the President of UBC (where Annett is a graduate student), if you can spare a few dollars donate for the legal fees of the Circle of Justice (this is not the usual pitch for money, the COJ understands there are many worthy causes and people are already stretched) or just call Amy or Harriet and wish them well and say that you do care–whatever is possible.

I was a Tribunal Judge at the Vancouver Tribunal on Residential Schools; I will never in my life forget the horrible and painful stories that I heard and this is the main reason I act as a conduit for the Circle of Justice. Unlike the “Reverend” Annett who has billed himself as the “Chief Researcher,”, “Advisor”, “Chief Expert Witness to the Tribunal” (always something with “Chief” or “Expert” or “Advisor” in it) to the Circle of Justice but invited inquiries only to himself thus preserving his ability to filter, garner and appropriate materials and funds–without an accounting–or to do self-promotion and presume to speak for the whole Circle of Justice without challenge, I invite inquiries not to me but to the Circle of Justice or to Harriet Nahanee directly. They don’t need self-appointed “saviours” to represent them and this message is at their request and can be verified as such.

Thank you for reading this and please, anyone who is moved by this story please join in for promote real justice and stop the most ugly and cynical abuse of Residential School Survivors who have already been horribly used and abused by the Canadian System, Government and by these so-called “Christians”–“frocked and de-frocked.”

Jim Craven

From: James Michael Craven[SMTP:cravjm@ooi.clark.edu]
Sent: Friday, August 28, 1998 5:55 AM
To:    FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU

Subject:       (Fwd) Re: Urgent

Dear Francis:
There is no problem sharing this with you. I got a call from two people last night Frank Martin and his wife Helen Michell (you may remember their case that was publicized on sovernet-l). They are in deep trouble with Frank talking about suicide.

They are deep into the sovereignty movement in Canada and are both victims of horrible torture in Residential Schools and testified at the Tribunal on Residential Schools in Vancouver.

Recently they have been involved in gathering proof of a) pedophile rings operating out of the Vancouver Club (for the elites) and Whistler using Indian children; b) dope dealing on Indian Reserves connected with Chinese Triads by “leaders” of Bands including some who sit on the B.C. Treaty Commission and are in a position to engineer sell-out Treaties in return for operating unmolested by police; c) campaigns of harassment and disbarment against attorneys who dare to represent militant Indigenous people; d) nexuses between all of the previous and other things.

Frank was horribly beaten by the Vancouver police and RCMP two years ago. It was videotaped and there are multiple copies of the videotape; the police have been trying to get the copies (the woman who made it has fled underground). The police made an initial settlement offer of $50,000 and went up to $250,000 but Frank refused any settlement that would involve cover-up or not bring the police to justice.

Do you know any lawyers in B.C. with some real guts and/or do you know any resources in Canada dealing with human rights that could take on examining this case. These people are desperate and are on the margin of losing it all.

Believe me, this is not paranoid/conspiracy hyperbole. I’ve checked this story out from different independent angles/sources and this is for real. The original story about the pedophile ring operating out of the Vancouver Club was raised by a Cree lawyer named Renata Auger and a prominent attorney named Jack Cram three years ago. Renata Auger was disbarred (she was supposed to meet with Frank within three-hours of his last arrest for being an “illegal alien” –Canadian-born Bella Bella Indian?) and Jack Cram now lives in isolation in the interior of B.C. no longer practicing law. An attorney named Mike Rodes, who had defended Frank once before, called up a friend of mine and said he is quitting the law out of total disillusionment and independent of that, Helen told me last night that he had been threatened with disbarment if he represented Frank and Helen as he had agreed to.

I just though I would ask because you are in the are of international human rights law and I just don’t know where to turn.

Thanks for listening/reading.

Jim

On Thu, 27 Aug 1998, James Michael Craven wrote:  
Just got a call from Helen a few minutes ago. The crap is really coming down. It seems that Mike Rodes, who had agreed to represent them and had represented Frank before (he was in jail with Kitty sparrow’s husband) was told that if he represented Frank and Helen he would go the way of Bruce Clark and be disbarred in B.C. and the rest of Canada. Helen’s son Donovan has been taken in by a woman who deals dope–a Carrier–and has him hooked on crack and heroin; Helen even protested to the cops who told her that he was old enough to take care of himself. (this woman has ties to Ed John).

Harry Rankin recently told Frank that if he didn’t stop his stuff, with particular reference to the Vancouver Club, someday soon a limousine would be coming for him and it would be a one-way ride. Frank and Helen have been made totally destitute, their van impounded again–with their tools (they are master carvers) and they are both running scared.

~Ω~ END ~Ω~

_______________________________________________________________

On 9/22/2023 at 7:33 AM, “maisieshaw” <maisieshaw@protonmail.com> wrote:

fail to see how he is conning people…..anybody speaking to the Native People in British Columbia will soon discover the facts for themselves.  I spent thousands going there to investigate for myself

#1… the genocide of Native Children is a FACT

#2….there was heavy Church involvement including the Catholic Church as TWO Monarch ex- Slaves have told me as well

#3…..Native Chief’s daughter told me the murdered children are buried under Apple Trees in Orchards ALL Across Canada

#4….Without Kevin Annett there seems to be no one to bring this to the light.

comment?