This is a post from one of my cousins, and my responding comment:
Shiela Branson See if you can get folks to sit down and figure out how to work this thing out together, willya? Everybody's been too overwrought for too long. All those people COULD be working to get that new water system up and running. This nation doesn't need any more 'pity parties' - it needs somebody to stand up and show us how it's done. *IT* being protecting air, water, earth. Standing Rock is in a uniquely perfect position to get alternative energy sources providing its power, for example. Focusing on taking positive steps toward being able to fill in every pipeline and eliminate dependency on fossil fuels would redirect attention into something positive and good for everyone.
... And here are more of my ponderings on the topic:
If Roger's there, he may as well make himself useful.
I've left it alone for the most part first of all because I might have more faith in the Elders of our tribes than a lot of folk do. This is for them to deal with, not me and not you. My 'meddling' isn't going to do the least little bit of good; heaven knows our tribal folk have been meddled with plenty enough over the course of the past few centuries.
And no I'm not going to even try to get into a diatribe about history. We live in today, and we live in this nation together.
One thing I will say, though. There was a lot of fussin' and fightin' going on long before 'the white man' came onto the scene. Even so, the tribes WERE taking care of air, water, earth, and all of the lives that depend on having a decent place to live. Granted, there weren't as many back then but that's a whole different topic.
Me, whatever traces of native DNA might be in my blood don't really count for much so I'm stuck with only being able to say anything as a little old white gramma lady. Nobody's going to listen or pay me any mind, which is fine by me as I don't really have to be any too polite if I don't want to. This is my blog, this is America, and I can (and I will :) ) yammer to my heart's content.
Now, we can't go back and fix anything, but we might be able to learn a thing or two or three from looking back, right?
Yes, the early white folks could have and should have taken a lot more care to actually LEARN from the folk who were already here back in the day. It didn't have to go the way it did, you know. Nevertheless, it did and is water under the bridge now so can we PLEASE at least try to learn something from that mess?
We can't exactly start over, but we CAN start from where we are now.
I had to sleep on this three or four times before even opening my yap here, so it's not like I'm just blathering all of a sudden out of thin air.
WHAT IF Standing Rock really does want to (finally) want to take the lead in something positive that will actually fulfill some goals that have needed attention for a very long time?
How are we as a nation going to address the problems posed by our energy needs while protecting our environment?
We have to use what we've got to develop what we need. That's plain common sense. We have fossil fuels; almost all of our energy HAS to come from them for a while yet. Fussing about that isn't going to do anybody any good at all, so just stop it already.
Use all the energy you put into fussing in a different way. Redirect it into fighting to get Standing Rock energy-independent, for cryin' out loud. Set an example, and set the standard. Set the bar as high as you can make it go. Don't tell me it can't be done. Years and years ago the first wind generator I noticed just happened to be the one at the casino up in Devils Lake. You know, the one that provides the power that place needs to run.
Get your water system done on schedule, to begin with, and if it needs to be powered, by golly use the river to power it, not fossil fuel dependent equipment. That would be a good start, and send the message you want to make people listen to. Don't fret about having to use gas/diesel to get that transition made; just get it done. THEN you can stand proud and say 'We're practicing what we're preaching' ... and folks will pay attention.
Standing Rock, Spirit Lake Nation, Three Tribes, and Turtle Mountain, along with all of the other Native Nations, can do things the rest of us can't, so get the lead out and start showing us how to do what needs to be done. Some cities are already ahead of you on the alternative energy grid thing, but they've got hurdles to leap that you don't. USE your independent nation status for pete's sake. Get your own alternative power sources on line with your own independent power grids. Focus on that and put your people to work on it. If you've already begun, how come I haven't heard about it? I've certainly heard a lot of stuff coming out of the rez lately, and would a LOT rather have had the focus on something that nobody can argue about than what it's been. Just sayin'. If you've got something going that can set a positive example, that's the noise we ought to be hearing - the fight you're winning if you've got an energy grid in place and renewables that are powering your nation.
What I'm saying here is that the battle over one pipeline is probably technically going to go down as a loss for you. BUT the awareness it's produced is a win for you. Now you've got our attention - show us what you can do to protect and preserve what is yours to protect and preserve.
I do believe that our native folk honestly have a destiny that has long been on hold. It's maybe finally the time for them to Speak more clearly and for us to listen with open ears, to see with open eyes. That does not mean fussin' and fightin' I'll have you know. It means a clearly presented position, a well-planned and operational system in place, and a willingness to both share and receive wisdom. It is not wisdom to pick fights, by anybody.
Why am I focusing on renewables? Because it is our need for energy that seems to be a sort of common denominator in most if not all of the troubles we're trying to cope with these days. We spend a lot of time and effort bickering about everything, time and effort that would better serve us all if it were being directed at getting to the root of the problem and taking steps to solve it.
So I'm not just talking to Standing Rock and the other tribes here.
I'm also talking to Mr. Trump and anyone else who might be in a position to actually do something about things (as opposed to this little voice yammering here that nobody's going to listen to). What goes for the tribes goes for the nation as a whole. Give them what they need to develop what we all need. Put our folk back to work in the fossil fuels arena - with the stipulation that a LOT of those fossil fuels are going to be used to provide the energy needed to get the renewables up and running. AND that the folk who are working with fossil fuels are going to be getting training in the technology of renewables so that their employment in the energy producing field will be a smooth transition from fossil to renewable. Yes, put our miners and steelworkers back to doing what they do best, producing what we need to both keep going and to move forward, and guarantee their future employment by getting them ready for that transition.
America does need to get on with getting on. It's going to take work, and it's going to take time.
And yes, I am of the opinion that our native folk can and will show us how it's done. Give them what they need to do the job, and let them be while they're doing what they need to do - for themselves but also ultimately for all of us. What they come up with is going to be the standard we'll have to meet so we'd better be watching and paying attention while we're leaving them alone to do what they have to do. If we fail them, they fail, and we all go down the tubes.
Yeah, all those people who have spent months 'protesting' could have been working on that water system instead, but you know what? That too is water under the proverbial bridge. Let it go. Let it flow on down the river. And pay attention to what's hopefully going to be coming next. Not violent confrontation but a meeting of the minds whose responsibility it is to take us beyond what has been and into what can become.
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