Friday, September 2, 2016


The image of the peaceful protests seems to be commonplace in modern day media. We have witnessed protests against police violence, against systemic and societal racism, against rampant government corruption, and against the corporate destruction of the environment. All of these protests seem to have been placed in the media spotlight, at least to some extent. However, there is one specific protest which has largely been ignored by corporate media, and there may be a very specific reason as to why.

To a large degree, the topics of human rights and environmental responsibility have been overlooked in corporate media. It seems that unless an issue is useful in creating dramatic appeal and boosting ratings, it receives little or no attention. It seems that any coverage for such important issues as human rights is completely devoid of actual humanity, and the true motive of these reports is only exploitation of the plight of those in need. One specific story seems to be all but completely blacked out from the corporate media. This is, of course, the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Right to Exist

For the majority of the world's population, the general right to life is an absolute fact. By common definition of the any valid constitution (whether written or implied), the general right to live and to prosper has been a mainstay from ancient to modern times. However, in modern day America, this right has been habitually and increasingly denied. Here in the United States we find a government that only feigns the statutes of freedom, justice, and equality. This acting governance has historically violated and dismissed the rights of the people both domestically and abroad—using corporate wealth as a weapon against the impoverished.

In third world countries across the world, this American governance has played accomplice to the crooked money launderers and corporate thieves of the world, standing by as these financial powers robbed the poor of what little livelihood they had. From Brazil to Venezuela to Syria and Ukraine, the American governance has overseen the financial ruin of millions of people, and assisted in the destruction of millions of hectares. This governance has stayed true to this assault upon human rights in the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The situation in North Dakota is significant not simply for one tribe of Natives, but for the entire United States, as well as all of those which government powers have exploited and abused. However, before we get to the details, let's gain a general understanding of the situation.

Since April of this year, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe—along with a steadily growing congregation of supporters from other tribes—have taken up the resistance against a government which has historically and consistently abused and killed the ancestors of these people. This unified support from around the country consists of hundreds of members from numerous tribes, all who have pledged to protect the land from those who control the American government. These acting authorities seem to see this land as nothing more than a business venture—that which only exists to be used, abused, and exploited.

The issues of this controversy go deep. However, despite the wide range of issues there are to the story, the corporate media seems to be lacking in its ability to report them in their entirety. Simply put, there is much more to this than has been presented, and we are here to get to the bottom of it. To start off, here is the website, Indian Country Today.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the International Indian Treaty Council have appealed to the United Nations for help in their fight against construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline under the Missouri River on Treaty lands a half-mile from the reservation.

“We specifically request that the United States Government impose an immediate moratorium on all pipeline construction until the Treaty Rights and Human Rights of the Standing Rock Tribe can be ensured and their free, prior and informed consent is obtained,” Chairman Dave Archambault and the Treaty Council said in their appeal to top U.N. human rights officials.


“Its proposed route is in close proximity to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and the Missouri River, the main source of water for the Tribe,” the appeal said of the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile-long pipeline, which would wend its way through four states and carry up to half a billion barrels of oil daily from the Bakken oil fields. “This pipeline’s construction is being carried out without the Tribe’s free, prior and informed consent in direct contradiction to their clearly expressed wishes.”

“The Dakota Access Pipeline poses an imminent threat to the Missouri River due to potential contamination by oil spills directly impacting the Tribe’s drinking water,” the appeal continued. “Based on data from a large number of oil pipelines, spills of toxic oil are a near certainty. Most experts believe it is not a matter of if but when such a spill will contaminate the ground and river water upon which the Tribe depends.”

This explanation gives us a general idea of the ordeal in North Dakota. However, there is more to this story that must be uncovered. To add, here is a report from the news organization, Democracy Now with a special report on the plight of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.


So we see this situation initiated by the Energy Transfer Partners company and the Corp of Engineers. These organizations plan to construct an oil pipeline on Native land—specifically under the Missouri River—with no permission, and no formal request to the rightful owners of the land according to treaty standards. Though this represents a violation of human rights, violations such as this are sadly common in modern times, as the current establishment disregards the rights of the people and of the land to exist. Instead of honoring the rights of the people, this establishment habitually defaults to the wishes of large corporations which manipulate laws and regulations in their own favor while leaving the people to pay the taxes and clean the environmental turmoil these corporation leave in their wake.

In recent history, we have watched both State and Federal Government walk on the rights of countless Americans with little signs of stopping. We've seen anti-Constitutional legislation dictated in the name of “national security” by way of the Patriot Act. We watched as our privacy was systematically violated in secret by the NSA for the same false reasoning. We watched as our trust was shattered when these NSA spying operations came to light along with the lies and cover-up which initially denied their existence. To add, we have seen our airports turned into virtual concentration camps, and our law enforcement transform into a domestic army deployed against the people.

We have watched this same violent governance punish these people for protesting on their own land. At the Dakota Access Pipeline, we have even seen military forces deployed against peaceful protesters under the claim that the state needed to be saved from these Natives—painting the rightful owners of the land as the threat as opposed to the corporate power who seek to steal it. However, we have not yet examined the evidence that any danger exists in the building of this pipeline. Let's keep digging.

A Dirty Business

For those who do not know the serious ramifications of oil spillage in natural habitats, the list is long. One need not look far in order to see just how detrimental petroleum is to the environment, and this is only before it is actually ingested. Further, the transporting of petroleum by way of pipeline is one of the most hazardous with regard to spillage.

This is not hearsay, or alternative media conjecture. This is a commonly accepted fact by the same corporate media which has avoided discussing such hazards in the small number of reports they have bothered to release on the Dakota Pipeline issue. In light of this, it becomes important for us to inform ourselves on the matter. For the details on the subject of petroleum and transportation, here is







So we can see that with the pipeline-method of shipping crude oil, spills are inevitable. These lines are extremely difficult to maintain without some form of spillage. To add, the above article only refers to above-ground piping. When we add in the factor of water and marine habitats to the equation, the risk and assurance of spillage takes on a whole new dynamic entirely. Let's also consider the fact that spills are inevitable while piping oil, and that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe depends upon the Missouri River for their food and water supply. What would happen if we were to introduce a steady source of petroleum pollution to this vital resource of theirs? Let's find out. Here is the official website of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Health effects from exposure to petroleum products vary depending on the concentration of the substance and the length of time that one is exposed. Breathing petroleum vapors can cause nervous system effects (such as headache, nausea, and dizziness) and respiratory irritation. Very high exposure can cause coma and death. Liquid petroleum products which come in contact with the skin can cause irritation and some can be absorbed through the skin. Chronic exposure to petroleum products may affect the nervous system, blood and kidneys. Gasoline contains small amounts of benzene, a known human carcinogen. Animals exposed to high levels of some petroleum products have developed liver and kidney tumors. Whether specific petroleum products can cause cancer in humans is not known; however, there is evidence that occupationally exposed people in the petroleum refining industry have an increased risk of skin cancer and leukemia.

A spill that affects a home or business may affect the health of people who live and work there. Thus, every spill or leak should be stopped and cleaned up. Health complaints should be taken seriously.

Consider for a moment the risks listed above. Consider the fact that this government website states that every spill and leak should be stopped and cleaned up. Now consider how easy it will be to completely stop a leak-prone pipeline that is completely buried and submerged under water and soil, and left to spill indefinitely into the aquatic environment above. In my own view, these risks are not even close to being acceptable for any individual in their right minds. I would bet money that not one of the state officials, the police, or the workers who insist upon risking the water and food supply of these Natives would even think to take the same risk if they or their families were the ones who would pay the price.

This willingness to risk the lives and health of innocent people reeks of the same foul odor which has become a mainstay for the modern American establishment—one of self interest, greed, and environmental recklessness. It seems that in modern times, there is no price that is too high for the sake of profit.

Those who remember the BP Oil spill of 2010 will remember the spectacle of large officially sponsored cleanup efforts displayed across multiple corporate media channels. What they may not know is that most of the damage done by this oil spill was left intact and untouched by these supposed cleanup efforts. As it turned out, BP Oil washed their own hands of the entire failure, pulled all of their resources out of the cleaning effort, and left locals to deal with this colossal failure on their own.

We may also remember how BP initially escaped liability for their complete negligence and irresponsibility, and though they have recently been stuck with a $20 billion dollar fine, the jury is still out on whether or not they will escape this charge in the same way they escaped liability the first time.

There still remains polluted waters, masses of dead wildlife, large tar balls (or oil deposits, which constantly wash up on the Gulf coast), and hazardous chemicals distributed across the coastline for miles. These hazards have ruined businesses, destroyed miles upon miles of real estate, and have killed off untold amounts endangered wildlife. Since this disaster, BP seems to have spent more money on trivial cleanup efforts and face-saving than they have at actually minimizing the damage they caused. Though this is just one incident caused by one oil company, it shows the overall lack of concern and accountability which oil companies might face if corruption in government did not exonerate them completely.

It may be true that North Dakota Oil Company is not the same company as BP. However, the oil industry is one of the most integrated and influential in American government among large corporations. In fact, one of the reasons that BP Oil was initially spared many of the penalties for their gross foul-up in the Gulf of Mexico was likely due to their close governmental ties. As many may be aware, bribery between Big Oil and American government is a commonalty, according to multiple sources.

With all of the corruption and chicanery that goes on behind the scenes between the United States government and Big Oil, it seems apparent that the business of oil is as dirty as the trade itself. These companies have no interest in paying for the actual damage they cause to the environment or to the lives of the people their negligence impacts. History has shown these companies to be above the law for the most part, and it seems that without strong opposition from the people, this will not change.

When considering all of the risks we have discussed, we may realize that permanent contamination of the Missouri River by constant spillage of crude oil is almost a guarantee if this pipeline is allowed to progress. There is no getting around this risk. However, these risks may not be enough to stop the Energy Transfer Partners project entirely. After all, there are numerous pipelines in existence internationally, and all of the risks discussed above are being proven all of the time. Yet none of them are enough to stop the oil companies from the destroying the environment. In order to prove the inhumanity of the state government of North Dakota and Energy Transfer Partners, we must have legal backing.

The Legal Side of the Story

There are a number of factors that go into legal construction on any project. One of these is the right to build upon the land where the project is to be located. In the case of the Dakota Access project, we must have legal verification that the state government of North Dakota were in violation of the Ft. Laramie Treaties (the treaties which deeded the land to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to begin with), as well as the United Nations Charter. For the details, we turn to and the National Lawyers Guild.

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG), the oldest and largest human rights bar association in the United States, by its International Committee, its Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Committee and its Environmental Human Rights Committee, as well as the NLG’s Environmental Justice Committee, stands in solidarity with the sovereign Oceti Sakowin Oyate (the Great Sioux Nation), the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and its people in their just opposition to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline across their sacred and ancestral lands.

The United States has failed to respect the national sovereignty and interests of the Tribe and its people, has failed to respect the nation-to-nation relationship with the Tribe established by treaties, and has failed to properly consult with the Tribe to obtain its free, prior, and informed consent for the construction of the pipeline. We stand with the great many defenders and protectors of ancestral lands, water, and spiritual, historic, and cultural resources at the Camp of the Sacred Stones currently blocking construction of the pipeline across the Missouri River near the Tribe’s land and territory. We applaud the indigenous youth who ran 2,200 miles to Washington, DC, to deliver to the United States government a petition signed by 160,000 people in opposition to the pipeline’s construction.

The 30-inch diameter, 1,172-mile pipeline is proposed by Dakota Access, LLC, to connect the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota across South Dakota and Iowa to other pipelines in Illinois for the transport of approximately 470,000 to 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It has been estimated that the Bakken oil reserves, the largest in the United States, hold in excess of 5 billion barrels of oil and are producing over a million barrels per day. In April of this year, researchers at the University of Michigan found that the Bakken field is emitting about 2 percent of the world’s ethane, about 250,000 tons per year into the air, directly affecting air quality across North America...

Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, and its affiliated entities, have a long history of violations of environmental laws including pending lawsuits by the states of New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the City of Breau Bridge in Louisiana over MTBE contamination of groundwater, as well as citations for releases of hazardous materials from its pipelines and facilities in Ohio, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Hawaii. Pipelines leak and spill. In one year alone, there were over 300 pipeline breaks in North Dakota. Numerous pipeline spills of millions of gallons of oil and contaminants into the Missouri River and its tributaries have already occurred. In January, over 50,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil spilled into the Yellowstone River in Montana. Oil from the Bakken field is more volatile than other crudes.

The conduct of the US government in its approval of the Pipeline proposal breaches the terms of the 1851 and 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaties between the Oceti Sakowin and the United States. The exercise of colonial power by the United States in approving the proposal further violates the collective human rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its peoples including the rights to self-determination, national sovereignty, and free, prior, and informed consent as to those matters that may affect them, which are secured to all peoples by the Charter of the United Nations, Art. 73; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 1, 3 (ICCPR); and specifically to indigenous peoples under the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Art. 3, 4, 11, 18, 19, 27, 28, 32, 37, 40 (UN DRIP), and Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Art. 6; and other international instruments that the United States as signed and ratified or have become binding customary international law.

We see in this statement the oldest and largest bar association in the United States verifying the fact that the Energy Transfer Partners company is in violation of both the Ft. Laramie Treaties and the United Nations charter on human rights. We see that not only are the state and federal government in violation of these statutes, but that the company commissioned to build this pipeline has a long and extensive history of violations which have caused numerous damages in the past. To complement these violations, we further have numerous outstanding lawsuits against this company from several states.

In observing the findings of the National Lawyers Guild, this company has no business building anything on the lands of these innocent people, and considering the apparent untrustworthiness of the Energy Transfer Partners company, the situation seems clear. There is no justice in the building of this pipeline, and it is likely that the preemptive initiation of construction of the pipeline was confirmation that the state government did not care about the unethical nature of the violations they were committing.

With this in mind, we may see the Energy Transfer Partners and the state government of North Dakota in a different light. They knew the risks when they planned to build this pipeline and deliberately ignored these risks for the sake of their own profits.

Unexpected News Coverage

The plight of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of the Natives who have been fighting for their right to exist has been largely ignored by mainstream media. It was reported that this was likely due to the lack of the story's ability to turn a profit for media companies. Also, it was estimated that the State of North Dakota in conjunction with the Energy Transfer Partners company would not be able to finish the project due to public opposition if the story was aired. However, despite the risk to the profits of exploitative state representatives and oil companies, one corporate news station has chosen to take the risk. Here is MSNBC.


If it has not been clear, the reason these people have been protesting their land is because they depend upon the Missouri River for survival. These people care about land in a way most Americans can't understand, and that most businesses laugh at. The ancestors of these people were murdered by the thousands, and their culture almost brought to complete extinction. Yet they have managed to survive, but not without countless infractions by the state such as the ones they are now facing. Unlike “modern” society, these people sustain the land on which they live and live in balance with nature, as opposed to destroying it.

Upon hearing this story of what seems to be wanton acts of violation, theft, and deliberate pollution of fresh water sources, I can't help but be reminded of the cities of Flint, Michigan and of Crystal City, Texas. The corruption within the governments of these two cities and states seemed to be so thorough that sabotage of public water supplies was not found to be beyond them.

In Flint Michigan, we saw state employees stocking up on bottled water months before there was ever any sign of contamination. This was also around the time when residents of a poverty-stricken Detroit Michigan were denied access to water simply because they could not afford to pay their bills.
In Crystal City, Texas, the issue of apparent sabotage would come on the heels of a large corruption sting that would land a number of local politicians in jail. In all of these cases, political powers showed what seemed to be contempt for public safety and even malice toward the people they swore to serve. Whether these acts were the result of gross negligence or acts of deliberate sabotage, it is certain that in these cases, such people have no place in public office.

The Heart of the Matter

Now, let's consider all that we have discussed. We have these instances of rampant corruption and apparent sabotage of large portions of America's fresh water supply. The cases of Flint, MI and Crystal City, TX taught us that for some people, no price is too great when there is money to be gained, even if it means putting the lives of thousands at risk. Let's also consider how long it took for the authorities to realize what actually took place in these two cities, and how they delayed their respond to the threat to public safety from this sabotage.

We have digested the dire situation that will likely result from the construction of an oil pipeline under the Missouri River, and the devastating effects this could have if the pipe ruptures in any way. (Keep in mind that a reputably deplorable company was specifically chosen for this project.) Let's add in the fact that the Missouri River is a vital source of fresh water for the northern Great Plains of America and provides drinking water to millions of people in over 50 cities, making the river more than simply nice scenery.

Mississippi River Facts

The Missouri is considered the lifeblood of much of North America. To pollute it with a massive oil slick would cut millions of people off from fresh water, and cause untold hardship, sickness, and death for the majority of the people and wildlife that depend upon it. With this in mind, the protest of the North Dakota Sioux takes on a whole new meaning.

To the above, we add in the factor of kleptocratic corporations such as Nestle. If we will remember, Nestle was the company that began stealing California's water supply during the worst droughts in California history. During the time between 2011 and 2016, the state of California saw rainfall levels so low, that most of its main waterways have dried beyond recognition. During this desperate time of need, Nestle wasted no time weaseling in like a parasite and pillaging the majority of this state's minuscule water supply, and this was only one of their numerous crimes.

We may also remember hearing the infamous statement from Nestle's CEO, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (now chairman), stating that water is not a human right and should be privatized. He also proposes that humanity should live in balance with nature, but that natural living and eating is not best for humanity. The statements of this man seem to depict insanity and psychopathy, by my observation. They also seem reminiscent of several of the tenants carved into the Georgia Guidestones in 10 different languages. For whatever reason this man is saying these things, it is clear that he and many other elitists like him believe they are right, and that humanity needs to be controlled and restricted from vital resources.

To think of the idea that people such as Peter Brabeck-Letmathe actually exist might be unnerving to some. However, the condition of psychopathy is actually known to be common among people in positions of power. These people do exist (though they are not always overtly violent), and commonly obtain positions of power and influence. So when we hear of numerous officials from Flint, MI, Crystal City, TX, and the Nestle company proposing and initiating such reckless endangerment of human health and safety for little more than profit, we will realize that this is very possible.

Not only this, it may be that people such as these elitists intend at some point to deliberately cause a massive oil slick down the Missouri River (while claiming that it was accidental), and cause the same hardship that we have seen in past instances of sabotage. Only this time the devastation would be much greater in scale. A disaster of this magnitude could cut millions people in multiple cities off from their vital water supply and ensure massive profits for parasitic companies such as Nestle for years into the future. In my view, this was one of the likely motives for the apparent sabotage of the Flint and Crystal City water supplies.

With the above points in mind, we can see that the events currently transpiring in North Dakota between the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and the hasty state government of North Dakota (along with the Energy Transfer Partners company) are extremely significant. The Sioux are not simply fighting over property rights. Their protests at the North Dakota Pipeline do not represent a simple quarrel between neighbors over property lines. This struggle is a fight for life.

The Standing Rock Sioux are not simply fighting for themselves. They are fighting for the life and safety of everyone that depends upon the Missouri River so that the Earth and the people who live on it can survive and thrive. These brave souls have chosen to offer their bodies as shields of protection against the psychopathic greed of companies like Nestle who create and instigate human suffering for the sake of profit. They protect us from corrupt criminals who pose as public servants in local and state offices, and they make sure that even though the population is asleep to the plans of potential saboteurs, these saboteurs are not allowed to succeed. This fight for clean water is not simply for one Native reservation. This fight is for you.

The Bottom Line

With these things in mind, we may realize the possibility that the treaty violations by the state government of North Dakota may not have been accidental.  We may further realize why such violence and inhumanity has been so forcefully directed at such a peaceful group who is unarmed and has given no threat to anyone.  By my observation, this situation in North Dakota reveals the true nature of those behind the pipeline project.  Their violence and disregard for the safety of these people is telling of what they may do if they are allowed to have their way.

Whatever the motives for these authorizes, one thing is certain: if the state governance is in violation of the treaty they themselves signed, and they intend to put the health and safety of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe—along with the thousands of Americans who depend upon the river—at risk, in my view, they do not deserve to hold the seats they do.

Nestlé CEO: Water Is Not A Human Right, Should Be Privatized

They do not deserve their places of authority or any such position, as they lack the knowledge and/or the desire to use that power responsibly. This also goes for the authorities who seem to have no issue of denying these people the right to protest the direct threat to the only remnant of the stolen land which their ancestors died while attempting to protect.

If the authorities who swore to protect the rights of the people refuse to do so, they have no right to wear the uniform of a protector of rights. If the authorities deny these innocent people the right to defend their own livelihood and their right to exist, these officers also have no business in any position of authority. Such violators of life and freedom do not deserve any position of influence, as they show little regard for freedom outside of their own.

I cannot say with certainty what types of people these authorities are with only a number of videos for reference. However, if they are in fact forbidding these innocent Natives from their human right to peacefully assemble, their establishment does not deserve to exist.

One historical fact which has been proven true over ages of time is this. Tyrannical regimes fall and oppressors crumble. If this governance continues on its path of oppression, theft, exploitation and murder, then this establishment will fall just like all the others. Its former victims will prosper and move forward, and the land it wounded will heal and regenerate, but as for its supposed “power,” its “wealth,” its “protection,” no one will miss it. It is unlikely that anyone will even remember it.

The conduct of these authorities and officials will determine the course of their own future. Whatever choice they make will come back on them. Whatever treatment they choose to give to these people and to their land, that same treatment will be heaped upon them. They will feast on that which they serve, and they will drink deeply from the river that flows from the deeds they commit. The contents of that drink and that meal will left completely up to them.

Whatever the choice of the governance and the authorities of North Dakota, we can be certain that no matter what, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe will prosper. The Natives Sioux will endure. In truth, it is not the fate of the Sioux that these state authorities hold in their hands, it is their own. Violence is not even needed to see this occur. No violent hand need ever be lifted to see these events come to pass. All that is needed is a peaceful and yet firm stance against those who have forgotten themselves and abandoned sanity for the sake of painted paper. The universe will deal with these authorities depending upon how they treat the lives of the innocent.

The news report from MSNBC said it best. No matter what the courts decide, these people will and must fight for their right to exist. They have no choice, and as much as I can see, I myself have no other course but to help them succeed. I hope this article will raise awareness of the plight of these brave souls and motivate all who read it to lend a hand to these people, to help manifest their prosperity. After all, it is not only their prosperity which hangs in the balance. It is that of all of us. The Oceti Sakowin Oyate (the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) will hold their ground and they will stand for their rights, and as they do, I stand with them. I hope you will as well.

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1 comment:

  1. The abuse of power is so sickening. Maybe the amount of abuse needs to be multiplied a thousand fold to awaken the clueless.