Angry in the Great White North

Is there a link, more than symbolic, between the Mohawk Warriors, the Six Nations Reserve and those who claim to support the Palestinians?

Consider this from a native-written article trying to be as positive as possible:

There have been incidents in recent years where Middle Eastern people would purchase large quantities of cigarettes from low-taxed states such as North Carolina and sell them for huge profits in high-taxed states like Michigan. It is believed that these profits were then used to buy equipment for and to fund Hezbollah activities. The report does say that, "One of the groups heavily involved in the illicit tobacco trade is Aboriginal-based organized crime. A large portion of contraband tobacco originates from Akwesasne, Kahnawake or the Six Nations Reserve. In addition, Akwesasne remains a primary portal for illegal goods moving in and out of Canada, including narcotics, firearms, illegal migrants, alcohol and tobacco."

The RCMP singles out several brands of contraband cigarettes that are popular. These cigarettes are produced within Native communities. One brand, Native, is made on the US side of Akwesasne, while brands such as De's and Putter's are made legally in Six Nations by Grand River Enterprises. Grand River Enterprises is licensed to sell its products in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Newfoundland. However, De's are being found in areas where it is not permitted for sale, such as in Manitoba.

The report does not tie Grand River Enterprises to the contraband market; it just states that its product is being sold on the black market.

Where does Grand River Enterprises sell its products? It certainly sells cigarettes on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York:

Native Wholesale Supply is a native owned and operated comp any located on the Sovereign Seneca Nation Territory of Cattaraugus in what is now known as western New York. Established in January 1999 as a manufacturer-importer of native produced tobacco products, ‘Native Wholesale Supply’ has successfully marketed the Seneca brand cigarettes since June 1999.

Native Wholesale Supply is the exclusive importer/distributor of the Seneca brand cigarettes manufactured by Grand River Enterprises on the Six Nations Indian Reservation.

Cattaraugus was the centre of this major terrorist-funding operation:

A multimillion-dollar cigarette smuggling operation based in Michigan allegedly helped fund the Hizballah terrorist organization (also known as Hezbollah), according to a federal indictment of 19 men that was announced March 29.

Nine members of the alleged smuggling operation were arrested on the day of the announcement. One other man surrendered later. The others remain at large and are believed to be living in Lebanon or elsewhere in the Middle East, where Hizballah is based.

The indictment says the smuggling operation evaded "tens of millions in state cigarette taxes" and funneled illegal proceeds to the terrorist organization. Most of the smuggled cigarettes were sold in Michigan and New York, sometimes with counterfeit tax stamps to make it appear the proper state taxes had been paid.

The group would buy low-taxed cigarettes in North Carolina and untaxed cigarettes at the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in New York and bring them into Michigan and New York State, which have high cigarette taxes, according to the indictment. New York State's tax is $1.50 a pack. Michigan's is $2 a pack, at press time fourth-highest in the country. The smugglers would then resell the cigarettes at market prices, resulting in illegal profits that were steered to Hizballah, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

But I'm sure that Palestinian flag flying in Caledonia is just symbolic. Probably given to the natives by one of those groups of what Lenin called "useful idiots" (these guys, or maybe these) who grabbed a bus from downtown Toronto out to Caledonia as a gesture of solidarity. If Native goods have been used to raise money to fund groups that kill Israelis, well, that's just a happy coincidence.