And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 09:53:59 -0600 (MDT) From: joseph c winter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Please let your readers know that I appreciate very much the many messages of encouragement that I have received concerning the forced shutdown of The Traditional Native American Tobacco Seed Bank and Education Program (TNAT) by the University of New Mexico. I wish that I could answer all of the messages but I can't, so I am writing this message to all of them instead. I am also forwarding them on to university administration. I also wish that I had good news to report but unfortunately that is not so. I will let you know in a few days what is happening. In the meantime, I want to emphasize that I am in this for the long haul, and will challenge it through the courts if necessary, all the way to the Supreme Court. The bottom line is that I am being told that I do not have the right to grow ceremonial tobacco and to give it to Native Americans for religious purposes, even on my own time, without a federal permit. This is an extremely serious threat to Native American religious rights, as well as constitutional rights, and I will fight it as long as necessary. If any of the readers are lawyers specializing in this area and want to get involved, please contact me as I may need all the help that I can get. Thank you again. Joe Winter ************************************************************************ Joseph C. Winter Phone: 505-277-5853 (former)Director, Traditional Native American Tobacco FAX: 505-277-6726 Seed Bank and Education Program email:[EMAIL PROTECTED] University of New Mexico 1717 Lomas Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA http://www.unm.edu/~jwinter/tnat.htm ************************************************************************
