Attack dogs and pepper spray....private cops....again?
The oligarchy does not change. Only the faces are new. They have done this and worse over the years. The sham democracy is being exposed again in so many ways yet some still are foolish enough to cling to the illusion.-
I watched a recent video from the people's protest of the pipeline. Some really fine Americans are out there fighting for you and I. We need to get behind them and stand alongside them in what ever way we can.
The goons will hurt and eventually kill for whatever the oligarchy is paying them. They don't understand. They never have.
Meanwhile here where I live in Mathews County Virginia the local people have their yellow signs up telling us to vote November 8 and make America great again. The Churches have their "Thank you Jesus" signs to protect them from being overtly political. These folk are against government oppression and have armed themselves. They seem to have no concept for the oppression the oligarchy actually carries out. Everything they attribute to the government is real but coming from the true source of power.
When will enough people understand that the Native People have withstood genocide and are still here fighting for freedom of a real kind? If you want to stop oppression here's your chance. Being white has allowed the oligarchy to blind you. In the name of the false freedom you mouth off about you swallow the racist hate and use it to cover your self hate. It is so sad.
It is not possible to do anything really effective and meaningful on election day. The Native People are doing what needs to be done every day by every lover of true freedom. Action not words and symbolic gestures.
Rise up people. The Native People are showing the way!
Comments
... in Canada, these honorable peoples are known as
"First Nations". Maybe we should adopt that framing in the southern part of the continent --
When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.
Honor the Earth, in Calloway, MN, is one American Indian
organization that is fighting to keep the water clean by keeping the pipelines out. There are several others that are worth supporting. These people are putting their bodies on the line to keep pipelines from crossing the Missouri and Mississippi rivers(and others) and for leaving the Bakken petro where nature put it.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Indian Wars....Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn Indian Wars
CEO's of the corporate behemoths
that plan and perpetrate crimes like this should be exposed and held accountable for their deeds. Good luck with that. They hide in their boardrooms behind armies of consultants, lawyers, and lobbyists, disguising themselves as respectable citizens, and making themselves nearly impossible to identify.
Far from the biting dogs and pepper spray, shielded from all personal responsibility, and growing richer by the hour, they continue to plot and scheme how best to exploit and ravish the natural world.
"All the criminals in their suits and their ties / Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise" while the true inheritors and respecters of this land, the Lakota people, get bulldozed out of the way like so much trash.
native
The CEO in the top 100 corporations makes more money on
the first day of the year he/she works than the average employee of the firm makes the whole year.
To the Lords of Capital, and those they've bought in politics and academia and the media, if we get in the way we are trash to them. The question I have is: How do we get the majority to realize this and take collective action?
"Rise like lions, shake your chains, babe
We are many and they are few.
Take from the rich and give to the poor;
Take from the rich and give to the poor."
Robin Hood by The Mekons
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
A good question...
But take action against whom? Where, and how? We can't even see our enemies. They have no names, no faces, no permanent addresses. They mingle among us like a plague or a virus. They pay our wages, often enough.
The Lakota are making a hard stand: This is our land, they say, and they are right. But hand-to-hand skirmishes with construction workers and paid goons aren't enough to stop a $3 billion project from completion.
native
First: Solidarity. I know that many tribes historically have not
gotten along well, shall we say, but this calls for a solid front and clean water for future generations is the right cause.
Then, there's the ongoing fight with the BIA over issues large and small.
That and the larger struggle against corporate interests will require political and community allies. Who else is going to suffer when the petro spills and contaminates the water and fouls the air. Perhaps common cause could be found.
Fundraising is important and, again, this issue can be understood by most everyone. A history of good stewardship that the protesters enjoy is in contrast to the "rape and ruin" corporate model. People are fed up with being pushed around.
Finally, there's the problem of the media. I know the for-profit press has been corrupted but they need eyes to view their product and the poorest Americans fighting for clean water for the benefit of all seems like a good place to start. Progressive magazines like In These Times are good about covering Native American issues even though they are based in Chicago and have a worker/union/urban perspective.
The major problem of the corporations desecrating graves and culturally vital sites should be put into the context that non-Indians can relate to. In Israel, construction stops when it comes into contact with Jewish graves. American Indian grave sites should at least be accorded that dignity. Graves may have to be moved rather than have the pipeline, or road, rerouted but this could provide something the media might be interested in and it will provide more time to organize.
When I was organizing our union, we had to make contact with any people or organizations whom we thought might help. We didn't get much overt help but we did make lasting working relationships which have proved beneficial to both parties. I also got into print, and on radio and tv...make the most of your chances and remember they are selling their product so if you can get one message out, be satisfied til the next time.
Anyway, these are general thoughts based both on my professional career and my friendship with Native Americans, now a number of years ago.
I wish them the best of luck and will continue to contribute what money I can.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
I was going to say "Amen" but
that meaning "let if be so" is not what I want.
You're one of my favorite writers here.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage
ty....I write when I need to ease the pain
An idea is not responsible for who happens to be carrying it at the time. It stands or it falls on its own merits.
A sad day in our country's sad history.
It was a private company who let the attack dogs bite
the protesters and I think they could and should be charged with assault and battery.
The people weren't doing anything wrong and when the dog handlers let the dogs bite them they assaulting the protesters. I hope their lawyers are on that.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
#1: It's another sad day when an assaulted person(people)
have to rely on lawyers to either goad local law enforcement to do their job or to go after those who sicced the dogs on the protesters civilly. I am not a fan of rent-a-cops especially in a potentially volatile situation and especially when a corporation is provoking people. Where are the real cops?
#2: We used to have freedom of assembly and freedom of association and since these constitutional rights have been abrogated here, there can be Dept of Justice action although no one should hold his/her breath with Obama still president. Still, the point needs to be raised publicly.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Telesur English tweeted some coverage.
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
And there's Amy Goodman, in the middle of the protest reporting
She's really a saint in today's craven world in which the lapdog media just runs interference for the 1%. Is anybody else covering this? I saw a segment on TYT, about some Lakota protesters running a marathon to DC to dramatize the situation. The people who cover such events deserve our support and fealty.
The corporate factions and oligarchs who control the media (along with our farce of an education system) have done such a RW hit job on the country's population sees protest as something to denigrate instead of venerate.
The irony of the country literally being founded on civil disobedience, no compliance and protest but so many consumerist-addled, low-info folks not making the connection is the bane of our existence as progressive activists/protesters.
All American History school textbooks should be replaced with Howard Zinn's "People's History..."
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
Whoa, speaking of civil disob, rolled down the twitter feed
search results and guess who may be now involved...
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Yeah, she is fearless, tireless, and deserves the Nobel Prize
for years of focusing on what's important now for the 99%. Rarely ever watch news but time for us to send here another check. Best money will ever spend.
https://www.democracynow.org/donate
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
thank you for covering this, don.
i have been, as well. but as it was at DL few seem to find these constant outrages against Fist Americans...noteworthy.