So I work for "the man" and I've been around corporate America these last 7+ years. I like to think of myself as a middle-of-the-road kind of gal. But the more I dig into the facts and what's happening since my #NoDAPL blogpost on the outrageous event that happened when Native Americans this past holiday weekend stood with Standing Rock Sioux against the Dakota Pipeline and were bitten by dogs and attacked with pepperspray...the more outrageous such an already obscene event has become. The more I'm certain that this corporate entity is the epitome of a bad actor and evil in both its actions and its premeditated intentions. If "corporations are people" according to the Supreme Court, then Enbridge and Dakota Access LLC are diagnosed psychopaths. Here's why....
Photo from Bill McKibben
In hindsight I should've been suspicious that this happened on a holiday weekend. I mean, what corporate entity looking out for its bottom line voluntarily pays people time and a half to do basic construction work? As seen in the video it's bulldozers on open land, nothing complex that would suggest there was time pressure. Why couldn't it wait until Tuesday? The answer to that is horrifying. Turns out the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed paperwork as part of the lawsuit to stop the Dakota Pipeline project on Friday....THE DAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED...which outlined where their historic sites including burial sites were located. These corporate psychopaths turned that court filing into a roadmap for where to destroy. W.T.F. Who hears about a gravesite for someone's family and thinks "awesome, let's go dig that sh*t up?" Those workers on Saturday early morning not only drove 20 miles out of their way to get the bulldozers onto these now clearly identified sacred lands, but they brought a private security firm in with attack dogs to keep out what they knew would be outraged protestors who had peacefully been demonstrating. Because if you're going to be a psychopath, why go garden variety when you can be American Psycho about your business? I want to make a joke about this...but then I remember the security firm actually drew blood from these protestors. My heart breaks that in the United States of America this can still happen...that history can repeat itself.
The Obama Administration on Monday supported a temporary restraining order against further construction, and a judge ruled on Tuesday it has gone into effect. But people, the damage is done. The historic preservation officer on Sunday attested to the depth of digging and many of their most important sacred sites destroyed. I'm so horrified that this happened.
Over a decade ago I spent 6 months in South Africa, and half of that time I lived with a family who traced their heritage to Xhosa. I remember very clearly the time when talking about the history of Apartheid in South Africa the older/grandfather of my homestay family looked me in the eye and said that we're no better. I remember because I had studied about what white European ancestors of mine had done to the Native Americans, reading books that were more historically accurate than the ones I had in grade school. But I had never considered how visible that black eye is on our history outside of the United States. The world is watching, and we are failing. That changed my view from thinking this was "historical" towards realizing this is an issue that me and my generation needs to right.
So while there is offensively little coverage of what has happened to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, I applaud the coverage from New Yorker and MSNBC that has rightfully put these events into the shameful context they deserve.
We're long past the point where a temporary restraining order is good enough. Doing anything other than denying this pipeline to be built would be the same as support to Dakota Pipeline LLC and Enbridge in spite of their horrifying actions. My America is one that bends towards justice, and everything about this pipeline is unjust and was offensively and outrageously executed. Will you sign the youth of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's change.org petition? I did. I stand with Standing Rock Sioux.
The Obama Administration on Monday supported a temporary restraining order against further construction, and a judge ruled on Tuesday it has gone into effect. But people, the damage is done. The historic preservation officer on Sunday attested to the depth of digging and many of their most important sacred sites destroyed. I'm so horrified that this happened.
Over a decade ago I spent 6 months in South Africa, and half of that time I lived with a family who traced their heritage to Xhosa. I remember very clearly the time when talking about the history of Apartheid in South Africa the older/grandfather of my homestay family looked me in the eye and said that we're no better. I remember because I had studied about what white European ancestors of mine had done to the Native Americans, reading books that were more historically accurate than the ones I had in grade school. But I had never considered how visible that black eye is on our history outside of the United States. The world is watching, and we are failing. That changed my view from thinking this was "historical" towards realizing this is an issue that me and my generation needs to right.
So while there is offensively little coverage of what has happened to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, I applaud the coverage from New Yorker and MSNBC that has rightfully put these events into the shameful context they deserve.
We're long past the point where a temporary restraining order is good enough. Doing anything other than denying this pipeline to be built would be the same as support to Dakota Pipeline LLC and Enbridge in spite of their horrifying actions. My America is one that bends towards justice, and everything about this pipeline is unjust and was offensively and outrageously executed. Will you sign the youth of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's change.org petition? I did. I stand with Standing Rock Sioux.
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