Uncle Dennis

The terms "uncle" and "auntie" are honorifics in Native tradition - it's a way of respectfully referring to your elders - no matter if your blood related or not..so I'm using it here.
I have a lot of respect for this man. It's hard not to respect someone who's given his life to his work. He's also a pretty funny guy - he's Anishinabe,and he's also Minnesotan; so he's got that beautiful folksy quality that makes people from that state somehow magically wonderful. The man knows how to work a crowd that's for sure. It's the perfect blend of corny humor to loosen us up..and then before you know it you're in the middle of a deeply impassioned speech about using your life to serve the greater good. He got off on a tangent this morning about language:
"you know...I don't use the f-word --I don't even use it in joking around. Language can be hurtful and violent -- and language that is that way is not welcome here. And I will tell you...that if you want to use that kind of language, if you want to go up to the top of that mountain over there and use the f-word - go ahead, but you will be standing alone! If you want to go up to the top of that mountain and yell that you want to make positive change in the world - people will climb up there to join you!"
He stops...this is after about 15 minutes of talking about language and unity...he turns to Henry an says, "I got carried away again didn't I?" He laughs, and then the phone rings and he looks at it, "Hey it's the L.A. Times! And you too L.A. Times!! Whatever it was I said!"

He just told us another story about when he was on the run from the FBI.
"Nine years I was on the run - I even stayed here with Cesar for a couple of days and he welcomed me warmly. After 9 years of running across the country - they never caught me - I turned myself in. In South Dakota I surrendered to the law and went to jail. Before I was released I needed to find a job. So I applied to be a drug and alcohol counselor. I also applied to be a cross-country running coach. And on that application it asked what kind of experience I had. I told them I had run across the country for 9 years from the FBI and they never caught me! And they gave me the job!"