Following NODAPL media

[Zoe Girl]

I am getting live footage, at least last night, through people I know and a few have been there. What I see is water cannons being used on people in below freezing weather. Meanwhile hearing rumors that the water cannons are reported to not being used and then that they are being used on fires set by protectors. At a loss right now, the media gets a lot of things wrong as we have seen (regardless of where you stand politically we agree often on that one). Sharing the information I have among the 100 FB friends I have who pretty much agree with me is not that useful. We have signed petitions to have more news coverage of what is happening, people have sent and went to deliver supplies, a huge group of interfaith leaders went to stand with them. So if you have not heard of what is happening I encourage you to seek out the information from the people who are there, ask questions and share if you can.

[bae]

My community has been sending a constant rotating presence to Standing Rock, primarily medical and logistics people. I was due to be there last week but a family member's illness detained me. I will probably be out there next week doing medical support.

I got back credible reports last night of some of our medics having their hands targeted by rubber bullets as they were reaching for or treating downed wounded people, and of course getting gassed as well. And credible reports of the water cannons being deliberately used to induce hypothermia.

[Zoe Girl]

I agree, I looked at a few media sources and everything stands up.

My thoughts are constantly with you and the others there. There is disbelief along with total belief.

[Azure]

I have been following this as well. And I also stand with standing rock. I believe pipelines are a huge danger to the environment.

However I do have questions. I read an article in which a "local" said that the pipe line negotiators had made agreements with the other tribes in the area but the Standing Rock tribe asked for a much much higher amount of money. When that was turned down suddenly there were claims of sacred ground, etc. And she was saying that the protesters were violent and the local workers were scared.

And the police say one thing & the protesters another, of course. So I am trying to find a good neutral news source to follow along. Anyone have a suggestion?

[ApatheticNoMore]

The pipeline was already diverted once from the very white city of Bismark, so money or no money (and isn't any amount of money theirs to demand - it was the land that was granted to them after everything else was stolen), native americans have every right to want it diverted from their land as well.

[catherine]

The thing that hits home to me, aside from the desire for the Native Americans to have their voices heard, is my personal hypocrisy of decrying the DAPL, but depending upon the oil they are carrying..

I know that it's more than that... as ANM said, why are the Army Corps of Engineers so willing to reroute the pipeline after protests from whites, but not Native Americans? Why are their rights still disrespected? But every time I complain about the cold when my house is set at 63, can I also rightfully decry the pipeline that is part of an industry that allows me to press that little "up" arrow on my thermostat at will?

What are we protesting, exactly?

There was an analysis of the DAPL by the Daily Beast (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/06/are-environmentalists-using-native-americans-and-does-it-matter.html) which raises some interesting questions. But I choose to believe that NoDAPL is really a tipping point issue between a clash of "Leavers" and "Takers" to use Daniel Quinn's vocabulary. No need to break the factions down more than that and pit one against the other as the Daily Beast has done--I think it's really a testament to an organic, holistic coming together of different people with the same core values that are ignored by our extractive, consumerist culture.

[Zoe Girl]

I have been impressed by the way the protectors are staying focused, calm, and on prayer. I am sure there is some yelling and stomping around but no weapons on their side. They have also stayed very much together, which is really hard in a long focused action.