North Dakota’s Industrial Commission, Governor Jack Dalrymple and his advisers can take credit for some negative publicity that North Dakota is getting on the national.
I refer to the plight of Native Americans across the country in addressing the Dakota Access Pipeline and its impact on reservations, their people and their long-held beliefs. I applaud their courage in defending the land and rivers and the life that abounds therein.
For the last week, I’ve seen scenes of beauty: great native encampments … a flotilla of canoes on waters abutting and going through native country … miles of marching “protectors,” aka “protesters” in the media world.
What am I talking about? The media world? Up ’til now, even local and state coverage has been either woefully inadequate or slanted, to the point of lying about what is taking place.
Has North Dakota’s governor flown over the areas involved in our state? Has he toured the affected areas and met with tribe representatives to hear their concerns firsthand? For that matter, has State Rep. Al Carlson of Fargo, holder of the GOP legislature’s purse strings, gone in for personal research?
Only our Creator knows whether anyone from the Industrial Commission has taken the time and effort to go to the affected areas to obtain unfiltered, direct information.
One of our North Dakota papers published a story concluding that it was the Indians’ fault that these things have happened because they didn’t come to the hearings. Come to the hearings? Someone is out of their flipping minds. This pipeline impacts the tribes both directly and indirectly. To expect them to come on bended knee to be told what is going to happen is ridiculous.
In my world, if the city (for example) is going to do something in my neighborhood that impacts me, they schedule a “neighborhood” meeting to discuss it. Is it too much to ask that the same courtesy be extended to the tribes? If there were reservation meetings and no one came, my best bet would be that either (a) no one knew, or (b) notice was not given, or (c) the pipeline folks and our regulators weren’t interested enough to be make the up-front effort to communicate. “Telling” is one-sided communication.
Why should the tribes be worried now? Well, for starters, every time the gas and oil folks have an accident or otherwise screw up, our newspapers report that massive fines have been imposed … but never give the same notice when the fines are suspended. What we hear amounts to eyewash for the people, and points for oil & gas.
An oil train explosion in the city certainly could cause death and destruction. We’ve seen the evidence on the news. But have you seen the video of an oil pipe explosion under a river? Google “underwater pipeline explosion in Russia” to see what happened in Moscow just one year ago.
When oil or gas blows, it is always horrific. When it blows on land it is bad, but it can be cleaned up in time.
When a leak or explosion occurs under a river, there is also instant impact. But the long-range damage of downstream pollution cannot be determined immediately. It takes years and years before it’s fully understood. Pollution and destruction of land and water are the tribe’s major concern. Why is this a surprise to anyone … except, of course, those of us – like me — who do not live on or near a reservation or have never even been on one?
The only thing that’s even close to violence that I’ve witnessed on the news or online is the horseman riding directly into a crowd of lawmen, scattering them. That was unnecessary! Thankfully, the law did not respond as harshly as they could have. They don’t want to be there any more than the protectors want them there. Let’s face it — they’re just doing their job.
Someone is going to write a book on the government overreaction to this peaceful protest in North Dakota. I’ve seen nothing to justify the roadblocks along approaching highways. Nor have I heard reasonable justification of searches of motor vehicles using the roadway or the government’s blocking the use of state and federal highways without cause and or legal authority. And for the sake of humanity, how can they be setting up hardened, battle-worthy barricades like those used to prevent terrorist attacks?
If the non-Native residents of Bismarck-Mandan decided to protest a tax increase or a pipeline placement and gathered in large numbers, would they be treated like criminals or terrorists? Would their communities be walled off like a war zone?
Oops, my bad! Meetings were held long ago on the pipeline’s original proposed route, which crossed the Missouri River 10 miles north of Bismarck. That route was eliminated because of potential damage to the capital city’s water supply. Hmm. Native vs. non-Native? You decide!
Standing Rock has been getting letters of support from tribes across the country. Funds and supplies are making their way here, as well as more supporters. The tribe has also garnered support for an “urgent communication” it has filed with the United Nations, citing human rights violations resulting from the pipeline’s construction.
I’m shocked that the national news media have not picked up on this story for their striking eye appeal alone – the photographic beauty of the encampments; the beautiful native dress; the awesome horses and the increasing size of the gathering. They’ll come with their cameras sooner or later, and then probably focus on the modern-day version of the cavalry Governor Jack has sent in. But I can always hope they go much farther, and focus on the legitimate issues the tribes have raised.
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I just read a 55-page motion filed in Federal Court in Washington for a preliminary injunction to halt the pipeline.
For those who do not think the tribes have legitimate concerns — that government entities have not ignored their own regulations — the Natives have expressed many actual and legal concerns. I invite you, too, to google “Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” and “Dakota Access Pipeline.” You’ll find a detailed and extremely well researched Memorandum in Support of said concerns.
Some news outlets are turning a deaf ear to all of this. One large publishing group, in particular, has turned its blogger reporter loose without much actual journalistic reporting. He does not supPort my observations at all, to no one’s surprise.
If by now you haven’t noted I support the Native Americans in this conflict, then I can’t imagine why you’ve read this far.
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Finally, those of you in Minnesota need to take your own governor and legislature to the woodshed. Just like in North Dakota, the branches have fought so ferociously that little has been accomplished for the state.
There is no excuse for the Minnesota Legislature to have failed to provide funding for Moorhead’s badly needed railroad overpass and infrastructure needs. Promises made and not kept … boy, that sounds familiar to someone from North Dakota!
A shout-out to Jim Shaw for writing another column in The Forum that I wanted to write. He’s a good friend, but he’s sure making a habit of that.’
Okay, now that I’m off the clock, it’s time to kill the weeds in my freshly cut lawn and to wonder how so many grew so fast. Amen.
