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Response To Kenny's Latest

Dear Tribal Council,



I am responding to Kenny's latest email (01/06/09)and I'm requesting that you forward my response to all constituents that you may have access to.



Respectfully,



Brenda Shemayme Edwards









I have always taken the personal stance that I do not believe in participating in "online forums" or talking to people via email. I prefer to talk face to face or by simply picking up the phone.

I'm just "old school". I'd rather deal with people face to face and I still believe that people should stand by their word and not have the option of anonymity that the internet so readily provides.



I feel however, that this once, I need to enter into this forum that Kenny has drawn us(Tribal Council)in to, and at least give our constituants another voice, other than only Kenny's.



I am Brenda Shemayme Edwards. My parents are the late Roscoe Shelby and Etta (Whitebead)Shemayme. I have been blessed to have been raised by these two wonderful people. I have been provided an upbringing that few get to experience. I was raised traditional, and at the same time, emphasis was placed on learning how to benefit from the world as it is today.



I feel that I am an old soul, with so many of our old ways embedded inside me and this is why I stepped out and decided to ask our Caddo people to allow me to be of service to them. I am now a proud servant of our Caddo people and not a day goes by that I don't know this fact. I feel that I am blessed. This is how I was raised and what I am here for. For those of you that do not understand this, ask an elder. When I ran for a position on the Tribal Council, I was often asked, "which side are you on?" My answer has, and always will be . . . "I am Caddo and that is the side that I proudly stand on."



I am not writing this to you to ask for my personal support. I will only ask that you pray for the "council" as a whole. I write this in hopes that you support the entire council that the Caddo people have elected to represent them. Our council is designed to represent ALL Caddoes, and I personally believe this is what we are supposed to do each time we step into the council room.



There are meetings that often go smoothly and there are meetings when tempers fly. There are times when arguments are lost and won, and there are times when things remain at a standstill. Not every council member can be right all of the time and every time a council member stands up for what they feel is right, whether they are outvoted or not, that is our government at work.



There is no handwritten manual of how a Tribal Council should be. There is no blueprint to be followed. We try our best and when we make mistakes, we try to learn from them. We are not perfect, although often times we are expected to be so.



Again, I am only speaking for myself. When I step into that council room, I am representing you, my parents, my family, and our ancestors that have come before us. I feel that if I cannot put my personal feelings aside, then I have absolutely no business in that council room. IF I ever feel that I cannot represent my tribe as a whole, I will remove myself.



Regardless of what has been written by Mr. Poindexter, I will only say that he is entitled to his opinions but I do not believe he is entitled to bestow them to the Caddo people as factual. I feel that he has crossed the line with his accusations and opinions and this is the reason I am writing to you now. People that want division within the tribe, will always see division.



I have and still do commend Mr. Poindexter for keeping his constituents informed on our council meetings and I support him in this endeavor, so long as he is factual in doing so. I do not endorse his last few emails as factual.



With all the modern technology that is so readily available to us, this technology should be used to voice the goodness of our tribe instead of always opting to use it to voice the negative of our people.



Thank you for allowing me this time and space. If you should want to contact me, I have provided my contacts below.



Sincerely,



Brenda Shemayme Edwards

Vice-Chairman

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma





Brenda Shemayme Edwards

1017 Claremont

Weatherford, OK 73096

Re: Response To Kenny's Latest

Kenny, this is Diane. I'm at a loss to understand why you say there is division in the tribe. Or even on the Council. I thought the Council was doing good. What are you seeing that I don't. There will always be those who like or dislike someone so I don't understand why you are choosing to specifically use LaRue's name. I firmly disagree with your statement that "This division is a constant undercurrent in everything the Council does". The resolution you are referring to was passed by majority council and the Chairman stated she wouldn't sign it - that flies in the face of the Constitution. Have your read yours? You didn't step in with "peace making" either. What you write is so twisted and so far from the actual happening I don't know what you are trying to gain from doing things like that? What? Kenny if you are trying to set things up for you to run for Chairman, I think you should try to be truthful and not twist things. We need a truthful Chairman, not a twister who blows with the wind. I guess you include me in the "4". Why? I'm on the Council to try to help the tribe and not be a hinderance. I think writing things which are not truthful, or twisted, is a hinderance. I ask you to please get your facts straight one more time, Kenny. As far as I'm concerned what goes on in the Council Meeting stays in the Council Meeting. I don't take any hard feelings away with me because that's not what my grandfather, Stanley Edge, taught me. Nor did my Mom or dad.