pipelines

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, September 20, 2016

The following unions have issued statements in solidarity with those opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline; we will add additional unions to this list as we become aware of their having taken a similar stand:

1. New York State Nurses Association - September 1, 2016
2. IWW - September 3, 2016
3. Border Agricultural Workers - September 7, 2016
4. Amalgamated Transport Union - September 9, 2016
5. Communications Workers of America - September 9, 2016
6. National Nurses United - September 9, 2016
7. ILWU Local 19 - September 12, 2016
8. Oregon Public Employees Union (SEIU Local 503) - September 12, 2016
9. United Electrical Workers - September 12, 2016
10. ILWU Pacific Coast Pensioners Association - September 13, 2016
11. National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) - September 16, 2016
12. California Faculty Association - ca. September 17, 2016
13. AFL-CIO Labor Coalition for Community Action, (includes the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and Pride at Work) - September 19, 2016

(This may not be a complete list, but we will endeavor to correct any oversights as we find them. If you know of additional unions who have joined this list, please contact us at euc@iww.org.)

On the other hand, some unions insist on staying on the wrong side of history:

• AFL-CIO to Planet Earth: Drop Dead! - By Norman Solomon, CounterPunch, September 19, 2016
• AFL- CIO Bucks Progressive Allies, Backs Dakota Access Pipeline - By Dave Jamieson, Huffington Post, September 16, 2016
• Unions want governor to ensure safety - By Lauren Donovan, Bismark Tribune, September 7, 2016
• Hoffa Calls on N.D. Governor to Help Pipeline Workers - By staff, Teamsters, August 31, 2016

In Response, union members are encouraged to sign this appeal (instructions included within).

Dakota Access Pipeline Halted Again!:

• Federal judge cancels restraining order - By Caroline Grueskin, Bismarck Tribune, September 16, 2016
• Dakota Access Lake Oahe Work Stopped Pending Standing Rock Sioux Appeal - By staff, Indian Country Today, September 17, 2016; [related]: Dakota Access Pipeline construction temporarily halted - By Natasha Geiling, Think Progress, September 17, 2016 | Federal Appeals Court Halts Dakota Access Segment as Solidarity Protests Spread Nationwide - By staff, Unicorn Riot, September 17, 2016 | Appeals court halts Dakota Access Pipeline work pending hearing - By staff, Indianz.Com, September 16, 2016 | Judge drops injunction against tribal leaders - By Associated Press, Bismarck Tribune, September 16, 2016
• Heavy machinery removed from DAPL work site, former protest site, in Morton County - By Max Grossfeld, NBC KFYR TV 5, September 13, 2016
• In Dramatic Reversal, White House Halts Dakota Access Pipeline Construction Under Missouri River - Jan Hasselman and Dave Archambault II interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, September 12, 2016; [related]: Water Protectors at Standing Rock React to Obama's Intervention in Dakota Access Pipeline Battle - By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, September 12, 2016 | Native American Activist Winona LaDuke at Standing Rock: It's Time to Move On from Fossil Fuels - Winona LaDuke interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, September 12, 2016 | Lakota Activist Debra White Plume from Pine Ridge: Why I am a Water Protector at Standing Rock - Debra White Plume interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, September 12, 2016  | Did Obama Just Avoid War with Great Sioux Nation? - By Anne Meador, DC Media Group, September 10, 2016 |

Direct Actions against the Pipeline Construction Continue:

• Sacred Stone Camp prepares for winter weather - By Sara Berlinger, NBC KFYR TV 5, September 16, 2016
• We delivered 33K petitions today! - By staff, Bakken Pipeline Resistance Coalition, September 14, 2016
• Protests shift along pipeline route - By Lauren Donovan, Bismarck Tribune, September 14, 2016
• Standoff at Vermont Rising Tide #NoDAP Blockade - By staff, Earth First! Newswire, September 13, 2016
• N.D. Pipeline Protester: 'It's About Our Rights As Native People' - By Jeff Brady, NPR, September 12, 2016

And Solidarity Actions Take Place All Over:

• Hundreds Protest Dakota Access Pipeline - By staff, American Postal Workers Union, September 19, 2016
• 400 March, Seven Arrested While Disrupting Philly TD Bank Locations over Pipeline Financing - By Jed Laucharoen, Rising Tide North America, September 18, 2016
• Citibank Occupied to Protest Dakota Access Funding - By Angie Viands, Rising Tide Chicago, September 17, 2016
• Dakota pipeline protesters march downtown Seattle streets - By staff, KIRO TV 7, September 16, 2016
• On Solidarity with Standing Rock, Executive Clemency and the International Indigenous Struggle - By Leonard Peltier, CounterPunch, September 16, 2016
• Pittsburghers Stand with Standing Rock, Say No to the Dakota Access Pipeline - By C Raphael, Three Rivers Rising Tide, September 16, 2016
• Santa Fe Water Protectors Stand With Standing Rock Against the Risky Business of Dakota Access Pipeline - By Frances Madeson, CounterPunch, September 16, 2016
• Stand Up for Rural Communities: Say NO to the Dakota Access Pipeline & Extreme Energy Extraction on Sept. 22 - By Katie Doody, Land Stewardship Project, September 16, 2016
• Utah Land Defenders support Standing Rock and Red Warrior Camp! - By C Raphael, Utah Tar Sands Resistance, September 16, 2016
• 200+ #StandWithStandingRock Actions This Week - By Emily J, 350.org, September 15, 2016
• Solidarity with Standing Rock - By staff, Socialist Worker, September 15, 2016
• Solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Warriors - By Doug Barnes and Anne Slater, Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women, September 15, 2016
• Anti-pipeline protesters across America stand with Standing Rock - By Katie Herzog, Grist, September 14, 2016
• Deepwater Horizon premiere in Toronto hit by Dakota pipeline protest - By Andrew Pulver, The Guardian, September 14, 2016
• 'Dreamers and Warriors' Unite For Global Day of Protest Against Dakota Access - By Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, September 14, 2016
• Indigenous resistance grows as Standing Rock solidarity actions continue - By Sophia Reuss, Rabble.Ca, September 14, 2016
• Maine Students Sit-In Solidarity With DAPL & Protest Maine Pipeline - By Maine Students for Climate Justice, Popular Resistance, September 14, 2016
• #NoDAPL Protesters Shut Down 2 TD Bank Branches In DC - By staff, Beyond Extreme Energy, September 14, 2016
• Solidarity from the Amazon to Standing Rock - By Leo Cerda, Dallas Goldtooth, and Moira Birss, Amazon Watch, September 14, 2016
• How You Can Support the #NoDAPL Fight No Matter Where You Are - By Cristina, Go Fossil Free, September 12, 2016
• No Dakota Access Pipeline - By Jennifer Krill, Earth Works, September 12, 2016
• #NoDAPL & Holding Sacred Spaces Sacred - By May Boeve, 350.org, September 12, 2016
• Standing Rock protests: this is only the beginning - By Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian, September 12, 2016
• Vancouver TD bank occupied to protest ties with Dakota Access Pipeline - By Derrick O'Keefe, Ricochet, September 12, 2016
• Asheville: 8 Arrested After Throwing Down Against Pipelines and Prisons - By staff, It's Going Down, September 8, 2016

By Steve Zeltser - CounterPunch, September 13, 2016

When do unions call in the National Guard to protect workers? It happened this past week in North Dakota where Standing Rock Sioux tribe and members of nearly 200 more tribes from across the U.S. and Canada brought 4,000 mostly Native people from throughout the United States to stop the desecration of their ancestor graves and the threat to their water resources by Dakota Access LLC. Dakota Access LLC is building a $3.8 billion dollar pipeline that would take 500,000 barrels a day through their lands on the way to Chicago. It is being built with 3,000 unionized operating engineers, plumbers, laborers and teamsters along the 1200 mile route. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe saw their ancestors burial grounds being desecrated and were concerned that their water supply would be contaminated in any possible spill going into the Missouri river which runs close to the pipeline.

The company Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) which controls Dakota Access LLC  is owned by Texas billionaire Kelcy Warren. During Hurricane Warren through ETP stockpiled gas to gouge on prices after the hurricane passed and had to pay a $10 million fine for illegal manipulation of the energy industry.

The reaction by the unions to the growing protest was that there needed to be protection for their members so they could do their jobs. Glen Johnson, business manager for the International Union of Operating Engineers IUOE, said the unions had asked to meet with North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple to” find out what the state intends to do about protesters causing workers to fear for their lives.”

Terry O’Sullivan, general president of LIUNA who makes over $663,000 a year had previously lauded the project “The men and women of LIUNA applaud the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its fair and thorough review of the Dakota Access Pipeline. … For the highly skilled and trained men and women of LIUNA, projects like the Dakota Access are more than just pipelines. They are crucial lifelines to family-supporting jobs,”

IUOE leader Johnson said that the governor might have to ” call out the National Guard, “so we can get through this volatile area. It’s appalling what’s going on.”

“Why isn’t the state protecting these workers from people throwing rocks, chasing them and wearing masks? If they’re not going to do anything and the company has to hire protective security and there are dogs out there, if they get bit, or whatever, hey, reality is reality,” he said. “Unions have supported peaceful protest, and we do it ourselves. When it’s violent, is when the law needs to step in — what, are we all supposed to be vigilantes and take the law into our hands?”

According to reporter Lauren Donovan of the Bismarck Tribune, the National Guard have already been deployed last week and was being used on Highway 1806 to shutdown the road with an information point. Some people were arrested and the action freed up the local police for other duties.

Native American activist Winona Laduke, who was a former Green Party vice presidential candidate, was clear about where the piping should be going. In an interview with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman, Laduke said “Flint, Michigan, has a problem. That’s why everything is eroding in this country. And what we need is those skilled laborers to be put to work, pipelines for people. I’m saying take those pipes that are sitting there in northern Minnesota, and send them to Flint, Michigan.”

Johnson’s support for the use of trained dogs who bit dozens of people including children and even a pregnant women. The frenzy was so wild that some of the dogs were even biting each other. This  raises the question about who Johnson is really representing. The use of dogs to bite civil rights protesters fighting segregation and racism in the south is notorious in US history and his open support for the use of these attack dogs by private security forces raises the question of what some unions would do to “protect” their jobs.

While these same unions and the AFL-CIO refuse to call for an end to the trillions of dollars that the US is spending on 700 bases overseas and at war and spending that money on the direly needed infrastructure in the US they are quite happy to support the use of the National Guard and attack dogs to protect their jobs.

Other unions spoke out in support of the Native peoples and against the threat to their lands. Larry Hanley the president of the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union ATU issued a statement condemning the attacks on Standing Rock Sioux and Opposes Dakota Access Pipeline.

“The Amalgamated Transit Union joins others in the Labor movement in condemnation of the ongoing violent attacks on the Standing Rock Sioux and others who oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. These attacks by a private security company bring back horrific memories of the notorious Pinkertons, who used clubs, dogs and bullets to break up peaceful worker protests.

“Union members understand that today the greatest threat to jobs, health and decent living standards is climate change. We support the National Day of Action on September 13th, and we urge President Obama to stop construction of this destructive pipeline and keep dangerous fossil fuels in the ground.”

This capitulation to business interests and their agenda for “jobs” of course is not new for the history of business unionism in the US. In Oakland, the California Teamsters Union supported the development of shipping coal into the Port Oakland despite the health and safety dangers particularly in the African American and Latino communities. The ILWU which works the ship and the Alameda Labor Council opposed the coal port and they were successful in stopping it.

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, September 13, 2016

The following unions have issued statements in solidarity with those opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline; we will add additional unions to this list as we become aware of their having taken a similar stand:

1. IWW - September 3, 2016
2. Border Agricultural Workers - September 7, 2016
3. Amalgamated Transport Union - September 9, 2016
4. Communications Workers of America - September 9, 2016
5. National Nurses United - September 9, 2016
6. ILWU Local 19 - September 12, 2016
7. United Electrical Workers - September 12, 2016

(This may not be a complete list, but we will endeavor to correct any oversights as we find them. If you know of additional unions who have joined this list, please contact us at euc@iww.org.)

On the other hand, some unions insist on staying on the wrong side of history:

• Unions want governor to ensure safety - By Lauren Donovan, Bismark Tribune, September 7, 2016

Dakota Access Pipeline Halted (or was it?):

• Joint Statement from the Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior Regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Office of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, September 9, 2016; [related]: In Victory For Protesters, Obama Administration Halts North Dakota Pipeline - By Amy Sisk, NPR, September 10, 2016 | Tribes Win One Fight, Lose Another In Pipeline Protest - By Amy Sisk, Inside Energy, September 10, 2016 | After protests, U.S. halts North Dakota pipeline near tribal lands - By Ruthy Munoz and Dave Thompson, Reuters, September 9, 2016 | As The Court Sided With A Controversial Oil Pipeline, The Government Called For A Construction Pause – By Alejandro Dávila Fragoso, Think Progress, September 9, 2016 | Dakota Access Pipeline Stopped by Obama Administration After Army Reserves Called In - By staff, Counter Current News, September 9, 2016 | Federal Government Halts Work on Part of Pipeline Project - By Dave Kolpack and James MacPherson, ABC News, September 9, 2016  | Judge allows Dakota pipeline to move ahead - By Associated Press, FuelFix, September 9, 2016 | Obama administration intervenes in Dakota pipeline project opposed by Standing Rock Sioux, halts construction - By Jorge Barrera, APTN, September 9, 2016 | Obama administration orders ND pipeline construction to stop - By Devin Henry, The Hill, September 9, 2016 | Tribes Prevail In North Dakota Pipeline Fight—For Now - By Stephanie Joyce, Wyoming Public Radio and Amy Sisk, Inside Energy, September 9, 2016 | US Government Steps In After Judge Rules Against Standing Rock Sioux - By Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams, September 9, 2016
• Pipeline Fighters React to Obama Administration’s Call for Construction Halt on Dakota Access Pipeline at Key Areas Near Sacred Stone Camp That Threaten Water, Sacred Sites - By Mark Hefflinger, Bold Nebraska, September 9, 2016 [related]:  Bold’s Jane Kleeb and Standing Rock Tribe Chair Dave Archambault on MSNBC’s “AM Joy” to Discuss Pres. Obama Order to Halt Dakota Access Pipeline Construction - By Mark Hefflinger, Bold Nebraska, September 10, 2016 | Erased By False Victory: Obama Hasn’t Stopped DAPL - By Kelly Hayes, Transformative Spaces, September 10, 2016; | Lakota Strong Heart Warrior Society Statement on Dakota Access Pipeline Injunction Decision and Nationhood - By Canupa Gluha Mani, Cante Tenza Okolakiciye, September 9, 2016 | Mixed Reactions as Feds Give Standing Rock Sioux Partial Victory - By Larry Buhl, DeSmog Blog, September 9, 2016 | Standing Rock Sioux Win a major Battle in the War Against Capital - By Richard Mellor, Facts For Working People, September 10, 2016
• Judgement Day for North Dakota’s Water Protectors - By Andy Rowell, Oil Change International, September 9, 2016
• The Legal Case for Blocking the Dakota Access Pipeline - By Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, September 9, 2016
• Dakota Access Pipeline Resistance: Stay in the Game. We’re Winning - By Gyasi Ross, Indian Country Today, September 7, 2016
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's Lawyer: Judge's Ruling Allows Dakota Access to "Desecrate" Sacred Ground - Stephanie Tsosie interviewed by Juan González and Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, September 7, 2016
• Judge Brokers Temporary Halt In Dakota Access Construction - By Amy Sisk, Inside Energy, September 6, 2016; [related]: Company agrees to temporarily halt some North Dakota pipeline work - By Julia Harte, Reuters, September 7, 2016 | Destruction of Sacred Burial Grounds Prompts Federal Judge to Protect Some Tribal Sites from Dakota Access Pipeline - By Larry Buhl, DeSmog Blog, September 6, 2016 | Tribes Secure Limited Victory with Partial Halt on Dakota Pipeline - By Lauren McCauley, Common Dreams, September 6, 2016 | Judge grants partial stop on North Dakota pipeline work - By Associated Press, FuelFix, September 6, 2016 | Judge Hauls Dakota Access Into Court After Sacred Sites Bulldozed, Dogs Unleashed on Tribe Members - By John Zangas, DC Media Group, September 5, 2016

Amy Goodman Targeted:

• Arrest Warrant Issued for Amy Goodman in North Dakota After Covering Pipeline Protest – By RL Miller, Democracy Now!, September 10, 2016; [related]: Arrest Warrant Issued For Journalist Amy Goodman After Covering Dakota Access Pipeline Protests – By Laurel Raymond, Think Progress, September 11, 2016 | Arrest Warrant Issued For Amy Goodman of Democracy Now After Her Kick-Ass Reporting on Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) - By Emerson Urry, EnviroNews, September 10, 2016

Jill Stein Arrested:

• Jill Stein Charged With Criminal Trespass At Dakota Access Protest - By Amy Sisk, Inside Energy, September 7, 2016; [related]: Arrest warrants issued for Jill Stein, running mate after N.D. protest - By Eliza Collins, USA Today, September 7, 2016 | Jill Stein Spray Paints a Bulldozer and More Protesters Lock Down at #NoDAPL - By Kelly Hayes, Truthout, September 7, 2016 | Charges to be filed against presidential candidate - By Blair Emerson, Bismarck Tribune, September 6, 2016 | The Latest: Charges Planned Against Jill Stein From Protest - By staff, Keloland, September 6, 2016

Tin Soldiers and Nixon's Comin'...

• National Guard on Standby in North Dakota Before Court Ruling on Dakota Access Pipeline - Tara Houska interviewed by Juan González and Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, September 9, 2016 [related]: Gov. Dalrymple calls on ND National Guard to assist with Dakota Access Pipeline protest security - By staff, KFYRT NBC TV 5, September 8, 2016 | N.D. Governor To Activate National Guard Ahead Of Friday Pipeline Ruling - By staff, Billings Gazette, September 8, 2016
• North Dakota becomes first US state to legalise use of armed drones by police - By Henry Austin, Independent, September 8, 2016

Men Behind the Curtain:

• Who Is Funding the Dakota Access Pipeline? Bank of America, HSBC, UBS, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo - Hugh MacMillan interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, September 9, 2016; [related]: Who's Banking on the Dakota Access Pipeline? - By Jo Miles and Hugh MacMillan, Food and Water Watch, September 6, 2016
• Who is the shadowy security company attacking pipeline protestors? - By Meteor Blades, Red, Green, and Blue, September 9, 2016
• ‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections - By Kit O'Connell, Mint News Press, September 7, 2016
• Enbridge Spreads Tentacles to Acquire Spectra, Creating 'Pipeline Enemy #1' - By Deirdre Fulton, Common Dreams, September 6, 2016
• How the U.S. Government Is Helping Corporations Plunder Native Land - By Stephanie Woodard, In These Times, September 6, 2016

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, September 7, 2016

The IWW passed the following emergency resolution at its annual, 2016, International Delegate Convention in Oakland, California, on Saturday, September 3, 2016:

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) stands in Solidarity with the resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline. We call on the labor movement and working class to take a stand against environmental racism and join the fight for a just transition as our collective future is at stake. We recognize that the capitalist system that oppresses the working class has always oppressed indigenous people of the world. Therefore we feel that settlers and indigenous workers should unite to take direct action against colonial industrial capitalism and do everything in our power to restore justice to indigenous people and Mother Earth. An injury to one is an injury to all! #nodapl #sacredstonespiritcamp #redwarriorcamp #waterislife

Groups Announce Global Call to Action in Solidarity with Dakota Pipeline Resistance

International protests targeting financiers, other companies to run September 3-17

• Krystal Two Bulls, (406) 740-1508, RedWarriorCamp@gmail.com
• Cody Hall: 605-220-2531
• Nick Katkevich, 401-559-6218, nick@fangtogether.org

Photos and News: href="http://nodaplsolidarity.org">NoDaplSolidarity.org

Cannon Ball, N.D.– The Red Warrior Camp, in partnership with the Camp of the Sacred Stones issued an official Call to Action Wednesday for allies from around the world to stand ?in solidarity with the groups by joining the NoDAPL Global Weeks of Solidarity Actions from September 3 – 17.

The groups call on supporters to organize protest actions at Citigroup, TD Bank, and the Japan-based Mizuho Bank locations to highlight the companies’ financing of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline. If built, the new pipeline is expected to deliver 570,000 gallons of crude oil across 1,172 miles across North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, where it will link to infrastructure able to transport the oil to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the Call to Action:

“Water is a necessity for all life. Water is life. Now is the time for all people from all walks of life to join together to stop the desecration and destruction of water, land and life! Please join our Indigenous led movement to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline by planning or joining an action near you!”

The need for clean water is also at the heart of a legal challenge against the Army Corps of Engineers, brought by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe with representation from Earthjustice and filed on July 27, 2016. The lawsuit alleges that the Corps’ approval of the permit that allows the oil company to dig the pipeline under the Missouri River just upstream of the reservation and the Tribe’s drinking water supply violates the Clean Water Act and other federal laws. An injunction that would stop construction while legal challenges are heard is expected by September 9.

The groups also launched a new website that includes a mapof protest actions planned, news and updates: NoDaplSolidarity.org.

Find NoDaplSolidarity on social Media:facebook.com/RedWarriorCampand @RedWarriorCamp on Twitter.

Compiled by x344543 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 31, 2016

Statement from Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman, Dave Archambault II, August 15, 2016:

The United States via the Army Corps of Engineers is in the mist of moving ahead with an oil pipeline that officials are claiming is not potentially harmful to the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. I am here to advise anyone that will listen, that the Dakota Access Pipeline Project is harmful. It will not be just harmful to my people but its intent and construction will harm the water in the Missouri River, which is one of the cleanest and safest river tributary left in the United States.

We have been told by the officials that there will be breaches in the pipe line, but they claim that the situations are generally never very bad. This is unacceptable.

Our Mother Earth is sacred. All things evolve and work together. To poison the water, is to poison the substance of life. Everything that moves must have water. How can we talk about and knowingly poison water?

I’ve been told and taught that it is our responsibility to stand for our relatives, the ones that crawl, the ones that fly, the ones that burrow, the ones that swim, the ones that flower. Relatives that cannot speak for themselves. Who will speak for them? We have to speak for those who are not here – our ancestors, for those children who are not yet born. Our ancestors left sacred sites for us. We have to speak for them. Children not yet born will not live without water. We have to speak for them.

Several of our Lakota and Dakota relatives have had visions and dreams. They have been visited in a spiritual sense and have been told that there is a black poisonous snake trying to come among us. Our relatives have said this.

Our instructions say snakes are good – they serve a great purpose in the web of life. Our elders and the elders before them have given us wonderful teachings and a beautiful way to live and co-exist with all that is, however, the black poisonous snake we are being warned about does not come from the Creator. It is man-made and the creature is made of nothing but Greed. There is nothing good that has ever come from Greed. Greed is pure poison. It blinds and twists thinking. It is what my people have endured and continue to endure.

Right now the Rosebud reservation, the Cheyenne River reservation, the Pine Ridge reservation and my Standing Rock reservation represent five of the 10 poorest places or counties in the United States, according to the 2010 Census. Our state of being is not our fault. We did not cause this. United States lawmakers and their policies caused this. Why?? Greed – and now again, even what little we have left is under attack.

Is it too much to respectfully and peaceably request that we not live in fear of being bitten by this creature of eminent harm? Isn’t living in fear and terror unacceptable in the United States?

The United States should use all its will and power to be a real great world leader. It should swear off oil production because we all know it is harmful to it is to our planet. The United States should use all its wisdom and technology to develop alternative sources of power. It should be a great wise leader to preserve and enhance this earth, not knowingly destroy the webs of life.

What I ask is that my fellow American citizens stand with my people to stand with us. I ask you to please call or write your Senators and Representative to stop this blindness and this greed.

And, if nothing else, please, offer a prayer for my people and all the people who are standing with us in prayer. Just offer some thoughts of protection for us. We ask that you offer a prayer for sensibility and common sense on behalf of all the two-legged that walk as this is not just a Lakota/Dakota issue, this is a human issue.

This land that is being disturbed was once ours. Our people, our Indian Nations lived and governed our peoples all over this territory. This land across the Cannonball River that is now threatened was forcibly taken from us and there was nothing that we could do about it then and now.

Nonetheless, we still believe that we are the keepers of this beautiful land. Although it was taken from us, we know, we must stand and speak on this land’s behalf. We want everyone and the federal government to respect this land and take care of it. That is why our people are standing up and standing with the land and water. We have to be here. It is instructions that the Creator has given us. We have to be here. We have to stand to protect ourselves and those cannot speak for themselves.

When the President of the United States came to Cannonball, I did not ask him for anything. I tried to let his wife, Michelle and him, see for themselves a little of our reality. They saw our people in our happiest times, singing and dancing, but they also heard the tough reality of life for so many of our youth.

I believe both were impacted but knowing what I know now, I wish I would have asked President Obama to help us in this struggle.

I will pass away someday, which is all part of the Creator’s plan, but I have a son and daughter. I have no doubt that they will give me grandchildren. What will we leave for our grandchildren? Poisoned water? The substance of Life! In my language, we describe water as the source of Life. We say Mni Wiconi!

My Tribe asks how can we live with ourselves if we don’t respect the rights and needs of our future generations?

Today I realize that everything happens for a reason. Although I didn’t ask the President for a dime, I see our people are peacefully speaking out in a good way now. This is hugely important to my Tribe and all of our Tribal Nations. This peaceful demonstration is a cry to stop the desecration of land and water.

I pray that the powers that be, hear our prayer because all this behavior we are exhibiting is a prayer on our part.

Thank you for listening and enjoy your families, your children and grandchildren.

To Join in the Struggle

• Red Warrior Camp Facebook Page
• Support the Sacred Stone Camp
• Urgent Appeal for International Observers – By Joseph White Eyes, Michelle Cook, and Carolyn Raffensperger, Indigenous Environmental Network, August 23, 2016

Compiled by x344543 and x378016 - IWW Environmental Unionism Caucus, August 24, 2016

From Democracy Now: "In North Dakota, more than a thousand indigenous activists from different tribes have converged at the Sacred Stone Spirit Camp, where protesters are blocking construction of the proposed $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. Protesters say the pipeline would threaten to contaminate the Missouri River, which provides water not only for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, but for millions of people downstream.

Native Activist Winona LaDuke: Pipeline Company Enbridge Has No Right to Destroy Our Future – Winona LaDuke interviewed by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, August 23, 2016

Excerpt from the interview:

AMY GOODMAN: Last month, Winona, the Laborers’ International Union of North America endorsed the Dakota Access pipeline. Terry O’Sullivan, general president of LIUNA, said in a statement, quote, "The men and women of LIUNA applaud the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its fair and thorough review of the Dakota Access Pipeline. ... For the highly skilled and trained men and women of LIUNA, projects like the Dakota Access are more than just pipelines. They are crucial lifelines to family-supporting jobs," they said. Laborers Local 563 business agent Cory Bryson said, quote, "We’ve been inundated with calls from all over the country from people wanting to work on this pipeline project. Mainline pipeline projects like Dakota Access provide excellent working opportunities for our members and tremendous wages." Your response, Winona LaDuke?

WINONA LADUKE: My response is that the United States has a D in infrastructure. That’s why bridges collapse. That’s why Flint, Michigan, has a problem. That’s why everything is eroding in this country. And what we need is those skilled laborers to be put to work, pipelines for people. I’m saying take those pipes that are sitting there in northern Minnesota, and send them to Flint, Michigan. They need billions of dollars’ worth of pipe infrastructure out there. We don’t need any pipes in northern Minnesota. I say that most of our Indian reservations don’t have adequate infrastructure. We’d like a little help with our water and sewer systems there. I am all for organized labor, but what I want is I want pipelines, I want infrastructure, for people, not for fossil fuels, not for oil companies. So I am all for that. There are plenty of people that could be put to work. And it’s five times as many jobs doing infrastructure for communities, doing for people, than one shot throw a pipe down and hope it works out for you. So I’m asking American labor to stand with us and to say we want pipelines, we want infrastructure, that goes for people, that goes for communities, and not for oil companies that are going to destroy our environment and cause more climate change destruction to our planet.

LaDuke is correct, as the folks at Labor Network for Sustainability pointed three years ago in reference to the Keystone XL Pipeline (see The Keystone Pipeline Debate: An Alternative Job Creation Strategy - by Kristen Sheeran, et. al., Labor Network for Sustainability, 2013). There's absolutely no reason for the Building Trades to needlessly hitch their wagons to this extractivist capitalist boondoggle.

Iww member and camper and organizer against the pipeline had this to say:

"we need the support of people now more than ever and there are numerous ways you can support. The health of the land is a human rights issue and a labor issue. The labor movement must stand firmly against the attempts of the capitalist class to pull the people into false solutions that only mean unsustainable jobs and practices that will do nothing to alleviate the hardships of working people during this current economic downturn. We should be pushing alternatives for ways to improve our communities and heal the land, not destroy the very land base we depend on for survival. There are no jobs on a dead planet."

To Join in the Struggle

• Red Warrior Camp Facebook Page
• Urgent Appeal for International Observers – By Joseph White Eyes, Michelle Cook, and Carolyn Raffensperger, Indigenous Environmental Network, August 23, 2016