Source
TransCanada has decided to go ahead with its application for approval of a jumbo 42" gas pipeline cut right through the middle of Lubicon land, without consultation and despite Lubicon objections. They have refused to answer even the most basic safety questions.
The Lubicon Nation needs help now! TransCanada is taking actions that not only open unceded Lubicon territory to even more ruthless and destructive "development", but enable the huge expansion of toxic tarsands operations and so affect all of us.
Make that quite a bit,
Source
To the question of: "When will all 89 mines be cleaned up?" The answer from MSE was: "Not in your lifetime."
of joy.
A Canadian company has the legal right to condemn land for a crude-oil pipeline through the eastern part of the state (South Dakota in this case) -
I've been working on a slow burn about this, especially after I read that the 89 mines in the Black Hills will not be cleaned up "in your (our) lifetime(s)." Not only that, but that it looks like Bear Butte will be "almost entirely public land." Even worse, it's now "out of our hands."
(emphasis & underline mine)
Four of the committee members, Representatives Ahlers, Engels, Street, and Nygaard, are to be praised for their extreme patience in sitting in a meeting in which their colleagues exhibited such disrespect to their efforts to submit additional amendments to the Bill. Toward the end of the hearing, Rep. Ahlers finally asked the other committee members to accept only one-half mile from the top of the sacred mountain stating, "This is only a sign of respect" as the land would be almost entirely public land. The other nine loudly hollered, "No!" as they had done time and time again to previous offers of amendments. After shouting their loud, disrespectful "Nos,"... then they would laugh.
Of course, there was racism present during this, imagine that.
To conclude this entire topic, unless something is said other that it's "out of our hands" in the future, I'll just state the obvious and conclude with Fool's Crow's words once more.
Manifest Destiny is alive and flourishing, and even though I've written about this here, here, here, and included it in several other diaries; it just wasn't enough to add to what was/is already out there to make the difference that was needed.
So, for the last time:
WE SHALL NEVER SELL OUR SACRED BLACK HILLS
Kola (friends). I am Frank Fools Crow, Chief of the Lakota and I am here today with Frank Kills Enemy, one of the most respected headmen and also an expert on Indian treaty rights. Before we begin, I would like to ask you why when we speak you do not listen, and when you listen, you do not hear, and when you hear us, you do not choose to understand what we say. This is one time that I ask you to listen carefully and understand what we have to say.
The people unanimously reaffirmed our long-standing position that the Black Hills are not for sale under any circumstances. We are therefore standing behind the resolution we passed at Ft. Yates in February of this year. That resolution, my friends, reads:
The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota people. Both the sacred pipe and the Black Hills go hand and hand in our religion. The Black Hills is our church, the place where we worship. The Black Hills is our burial grounds. The Bones of our grandfathers lie buried in those hills. How can you expect us to sell our church and our cemeteries for a few token whiteman dollars. We will never sell.
I'm sorry grandpa Fools Crow,
"We continue to believe that someone important someplace cares and will do something before our situation becomes impossible."
Fools Crow from "Fools Crow," by Thomas E. Mails. p. 217
I tried and contributed my best, but you taught us there are some things there aren't cures for. I guess Manifest Destiny is one of them, but I'll never stop hoping and praying about it.
Mitakuye Oyasin |
In honor of my mother, 
