Pointe Defiance Novelties

Our Mission: striving for social change and social justice through hard work, research, education, and informed, healthy whole-person centered living.

In order to accomplish this mission, achieve our vision, and pursue our passion, Redemption Pointe is divided into specialty organizations that are strong on their own but come together to form the necessary framework for more complete recovery and healthy living.

Second Chance Ranch is the “mother ship” of our organization. It is a working farm and ranch in Washington state where we raise organic fruits and vegetables, flowers and herbs, horses, fainting goats, cattle, and, of course, dogs! We manage our wooded areas for conservation and restoration of our forest lands, wildlife, waterways, and fish/wildlife habitat. Our landscaping focuses on indigenous plants and flowers that encourage balance in nature and supports butterfly and hummingbird proliferation, and recovery of distressed and/or endangered species.

Special attention is paid to salmon recovery necessary to save our severely endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale (orca) population that is dangerously close to extinction with only 74 members left. Everything is meant to be restorative and healing for the person experiencing it, but even the flower gardens are planned out in such a way that they are beneficial for the wildlife and the original ecosystem. Everything, from the cleaning supplies we choose, to use of solar power, is done to minimize our footprint on our environment and encourage spiritual connection. Even the wood used in the fire pit is from downed trees from the ranch, and new ones are planted to replace them; no trees are cut down for the sole purpose of sitting around the fire!

We also cultivate h**p; the medical grade h**p is used for CBD products, the rest is used for industrial products. We are excited to explore the use of h**p to make h**pcrete, a natural and sustainable alternative to concrete, that improves efficiency and cuts costs when used in home and building construction. But, more importantly, we are dedicated to undoing decades of unnecessary suffering that has been compounded by a completely fabricated, racially motivated lie that is still being imposed upon the people today by our federal government. The truth is, and always has been, that ma*****na and h**p, in their various forms, can treat – and, in many cases, prevent – many of the secondary issues related to trauma and abuse. PTSD, anxiety, depression, IBS, insomnia, chronic pain, and inflammation are just some of the symptoms/conditions that can be successfully managed or treated with THC (ma*****na derivatives) and/or CBD (h**p derivatives), yet the government insists on keeping ma*****na incorrectly classified as a Schedule I drug, stating it has no medical use and is only an illicit drug of abuse, and keeping that stigma attached to it, creating social pressures against its use, and preventing the vital research that may, ultimately, cure or prevent many of these ailments for good.

At Second Chance Ranch, we provide employment opportunities for veterans and others struggling to recover from trauma, including those who are trying to make life changes but are hampered by non-violent criminal records or past substance abuse problems. Sometimes we all just need a Second Chance – even a “reformed” drug & alcohol counselor, orca, salmon, and the environment!

Hope Pointe is the “crown jewel” of Redemption Pointe where we actively bring all the pieces of our organization together. This not-for-profit arm provides for PTSD retreats at our Second Chance Ranch. This beautiful setting, away from everyday stressors, is the perfect place to learn about the physical, emotional, and psychological processes resulting from trauma and abuse. Psychosocial education and support, learning about the importance of reducing and managing triggers and stressors, introduction of coping skills, hydrotherapy, equine therapy, licensed therapy dogs, fainting goats, the peace and quiet of the water, being out in nature, flower gardens, and wildlife, eating the foods grown and prepared right there on the ranch and learning the importance of what we put into our bodies, and education about using all of what nature has provided for our wellbeing, including THC and/or CBD… Ultimately, this is why we do all the things we do. We create a healthy, healing space so that others can come here and further their recovery.

A special and unique part of Hope Pointe is the Floating Feather Foundation. Floating Feather, named after a lost beloved daughter, is devoted to combatting the epidemics of abuse, poverty, sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, and su***de in our Native American reservation communities, and of murdered, missing, and sexually exploited indigenous women and girls. With initial programs aimed at Native American girls in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, Floating Feather endeavors to boost self-esteem, encourage involvement in tribal traditions and customs, encourage mentorship from positive role models within the tribes, encourage learning tribal histories and arts (such as weaving, basket weaving, making and playing cedar drums or flutes, storytelling, sand art, making cedar hats, sewing, beading - whatever is native to the tribe or region), encourage participation in pow wows and other positive cultural activities, and helping these girls see that they are an important part of our society and they have intrinsic value, talents, and beauty to share with the world. We teach coping and resiliency skills. And, we try to help identify those who are at even higher risk, possibly having abuse, neglect, or trauma already, so we can get them the help and treatment they need before they are further exploited or negatively impacted. Programs for boys are being developed, as well.

Although our primary focus in on veterans with sexual trauma, Native Americans with intergenerational and sexual trauma, and su***de prevention and intervention, we are willing to discuss dedicating a retreat to any guest population, so program coordinators are encouraged to contact us with questions. We do not mix populations - each retreat is geared toward a specific target audience with similar trauma histories. Someone with combat trauma, for instance, will not be in a retreat with survivors of a school shooting, and those survivors would not be in a retreat with survivors of sexual trauma. Adolescents will never be in a retreat with adults! The only exception to that is that those with sexual trauma are not always divided up into, say, childhood sexual trauma v. adult sexual trauma.

Celebrate Life, Hope & Healing for Survivors of Trauma started out as a manual written for the Department of Defense by our primary owner while she was part of the federal taskforce that developed and implemented the Hope 2 Healing (H2H) Retreat and psychoeducation program that is currently being used throughout the Navy and Marine Corps for survivors of sexual trauma. The book has since been adapted for use with female inmates in the Utah state penitentiary system, and is currently being edited for use in other prison systems and for release to the public. It is also the basis of our page by the same name. On that site, we offer encouragement, support, education, coping strategies, calming nature shots, and relatable sarcasm for survivors of trauma and associated chronic conditions. Even though this page is dedicated to survivors of trauma and abuse, we made the decision to make it a public page so that everyone has access to it, rather than making it a private group.

Pointe Defiance Novelties was born out of our need for comic relief, an acceptable place to be in-your-face politically incorrect, to defiantly promote the health benefits of ma*****na/THC and h**p/CBD, and a sarcastic outlet for pent-up frustrations as we push forward with the “big picture” projects that mean so much to us. From there, it grew into a commercial platform to further support our mission of whole-person healing and recovery through bringing awareness to chronic conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, su***de, etc., and to provide financial support for our causes.

Nothing we offer here is meant to be offensive or divisive in any way, and we encourage people of all walks of life to work on being less easily offended. Life is short, so loosen up and laugh, people! And, if you have something to say and feel a T-shirt is the appropriate place to say it, shoot us a message. We will do our very best to accommodate custom orders!

Your purchases through Pointe Defiance Novelties support the following organizations and/or our advocacy related to the following issues:

· The Cannabis Alliance and others who advocate for more acceptance of medical ma*****na/CBD, and formal education of our legislators and medical professionals about our internal endocannabinoid system, how THC and CBD act/react in the body depending on route of admission, dosage, etc., how to discuss potential use with patients without judgment or shaming, and how to incorporate THC and/or CBD effectively and appropriately into the normal medical treatment milieu.

We are fighting for social change for those who may benefit from THC/CBD use. The discrimination is systemic and harmful to our society as a whole! Most insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, will pay for pharmaceutical drugs that often manage symptoms, but don’t cure the problem. Yet, even with research showing that many conditions can improve, or even resolve completely, with THC and/or CBD, insurance plans will not cover the cost of medical ma*****na – even in states that have legalized it. At the same time, doctors continue to prescribe opiates and benzodiazepines in record numbers, adding to the addiction and death rates associated with the opioid epidemic in our country, and insurance plans pay for those medications – and, then, pay again to treat the side effects of those medications and their long-term use!

It also seems to be the poorer tier of patients that are lining up at the medical ma*****na dispensaries to pay out of pocket because they have already tried so many medications without improvement or long-term results, not those patients who can better afford to pay for their meds themselves.

Insurance companies deny these claims because the federal government insists there are “no medical uses” for this “dangerous Schedule I” drug, and all use is illegal under federal law. This is also why most medical schools still do not teach would-be doctors, psychiatrists, or pharmacists about our highly developed endocannabinoid system or how THC and CBD may help prevent or treat physical conditions, graduate schools still don’t teach would-be counselors and therapists how THC and CBD can help in the treatment of PTSD and other “mental health problems”, and colleges and universities still teach would-be drug & alcohol counselors that ma*****na is a “dangerous gateway drug” and that all use is illicit substance abuse not medical treatment. This is social injustice that we advocate to erase through educating lawmakers and advancing the legal, safe use of ma*****na and h**p, and ongoing research to uncover the hidden benefits they may possess.

· We advocate for the rights and benefits of the disabled, especially those “invisible disabilities” that are often ridiculed, mocked, feigned, or ignored, like PTSD, anxiety and depressive disorders, fibromyalgia, autism, and so many others. We are very vocal about the abuse of “therapy dogs”, “service animals”, and “emotional support animals” in our society today, and strongly advocate for some kind of national standards, professional training requirements, and certification for service animals that requires some form of test of the handler/service animal team, similar to the training and testing requirements of actual therapy dogs, in an effort to curb the fakers who abuse the current lack of structure in our laws and make it difficult for the truly disabled. It is a national shame that any idiot can go online to one of these sham sites and buy “certification” and a “service animal” vest for their PET with total disregard for those who genuinely need a service animal or an emotional support animal – and utilize them correctly! Shame on those who do it, and shame on those sites for conning these people out of money for meaningless fake “registration”, “certification”, and vests. It is for this reason that we do not carry any kind of vests or other products that may appear to give legitimacy to these people’s self-diagnoses and self-appointment of their pets as ESA’a or service animals.

· A cause that is especially near and dear to us is the epidemic of su***de related to trauma and abuse. An average of just under 22 veterans take their lives every single day in the US. The rate of su***de among Native American youth is 3x the national average, and up to 10x the national average on some reservations (Washington Post, 2014). Since 1999, the su***de rate for Native American women is up 139%, for Native American men 71% (USA Today, 2019). Sexual assault and sexual abuse are associated with increased prevalence of lifetime su***de attempts, and another 3% - 4% higher still if the abuse or assault happened prior to age 16 (JAMA Network, 1996).

· We support the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program serving traditional Navajo elders who face food insecurity, financial and medical insecurity, and impoverished living every day. There are currently about 700 elders signed up with the program that services the Navajo Nation in the 4-Corners area that includes Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The program helps by providing food, firewood, and yarn for weaving traditional Navajo rugs that are, then, sold on behalf of the elders at the annual Rug Show in Park City UT. By providing a venue to sell their crafts, these elders are able to remain as self-sufficient as possible. We also support the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Seattle WA. It is a land base and community center for Natives living in the greater Seattle area. It serves as a cultural center, event space, art gallery, pow wow grounds, and home to the United Indians’ headquarters and the United Indians’ Sacred Circle Gallery. Among many other cultural and social activities and programs, they offer preschool, family services, Native family learning circles, Our Strong Fathers Support Program, foster care support, GED assistance, employment support, a gift shop, holiday markets, homelessness prevention, a youth home, and an elders program for Natives. They encourage family involvement in cultural activities and believe in strengthening the Native world by building up Native individuals and Native families.

· Another cause that is near and dear to us is saving the Southern Resident Killer Whales from extinction. With only 73 left in the wild, and one remaining in captivity at Miami Seaquarium, it is vital that we protect these amazing sentient beings that ruled our seas long before we came along to spoil them. We support Orca Network, the Center for Whale Research, and the Langley Whale Center, and the work they do to catalogue, track, and care for these animals under the authority of NOAA (the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration), cleanup and protection of their home waters in and around the Salish Sea (Puget Sound), establishment of a sanctuary where they can escape the incessant boat noise and the harassment of boaters when they are in their home, the restoration of natural salmon habits that provide their food source, and the removal of the lower Snake River dams that contribute to the significant decline of salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. We strongly support these organizations’ efforts to secure the release of Tokitae (“Lolita”), the lone Resident in captivity today, and her return to her home waters of the San Juan Islands in Washington state. Tokitae has been languishing in her Seaquarium prison since 1970, and, despite being very social creatures, hasn’t had the company of another orca since 1980.

Tokitae is a recognized member of the Southern Resident Killer Whales and, as such, is supposed to be protected under the Endangered Species Act which prohibits her exploitation for profit. She is 20 feet long and weighs in at about 7,000 pounds. Animal cruelty laws require tanks for marine mammals that large to be a minimum of 48 feet wide with an unobstructed lane of travel across the middle, yet hers is only 35 feet wide and has an island barrier in the middle if it. Moreover, it is only 20 feet deep at its deepest part, and only 12 feet deep around the edges. This is not nearly suitable for an animal that would be swimming an average of 40-60 miles/day but could go as much as 140 miles/day, and diving between 100 and 500 feet multiple times/day in the wild. Yet none of the laws that should be protecting her are, and the Miami Seaquarium continues to build their business around her, not even allowing her to slow down in her old age. Arrangements have been made for a “retirement home” for Tokitae in the San Juans where she can be cared for and reconnect with her family (pod), but the Miami Seaquarium and their owners refuse to consider it. We strongly encourage people to watch the movie Black Fish and The Cove to learn the truth about cetaceans in captivity.

Thanks for checking us out, and for being part of our vision!