10/26/2017
Blessings friends. I am not at liberty to discuss much with you because I am currently free on felony bond. I was arrested in my garage when a pipeline road crew made false allegations against me. I am facing four years in prison if I am found guilty. During the process I have learned some hard lessons about how the machine operates; it has been eye opening to say the least.
I wanted to share with you some ways to stay safe and sane when a pipeline comes to town.
1. Do not interact with pipelayers, road crew, or anyone on a work site. They will not be truthful when filling out their required contact reports.
2. When work is happening near your property, DO NOT go outside alone. This is a huge pain. I understand. But if you are an active resister and they have eyes on you - even if you are on your own property - you MUST have someone with you as a witness.
3. Do not go near any worksite alone, active or not. Period.
4. Shore up security on all of your devices. Active resisters are digital targets. I was infiltrated digitally and in person. I also had my phone confiscated by police when I was arrested. At the very least, turn on Two Factor Authentication on your devices and apps.
Here is a link to good information on digital security for activists. https://www.theworldisaterribleplace.com/…/digital-security/
5. Teach your children about safety in numbers and about human trafficking. Understand there is an uptick in crime associated with pipeline mancamps. Most human trafficking is done through social media such as snapchat and kik - monitor your kids. These guys are pigs and will masquerade as young teens online. Do not let your kids go out alone, watch them when they wait for the bus, etc.
6. SELF CARE. This will wear you down fast. Take a day to be completely removed from the pipeline in all ways. It will still be there tomorrow. You absolutely must take care of yourself and find a way to keep the pipeline out of your personal life in some way. Don't let them take over your entire life, because this is one way they win.
08/09/2017 Guest blog 5.0
An open letter to #45
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_BVpoKPZxwEcUtxLVRJWGw1YmM/view?usp=sharing
08/01/2017 guest blog 4.0
Growing Resistance
Anything you can make or produce yourself is one less thing you need to buy, and reducing our rate of consumption is probably one of the best ways to resist modern capitalist culture.
One of the easiest things to produce yourself is food, however small the quantity. A windowsill tray of herbs means months of not buying herbs at the supermarket. We know capitalists have a sneaky way of turning $20 into $200, so do not be disheartened if this is all you can grow in resistance.
If you live on-grid in a place where you can grow anoutdoor garden, you can position it in your easement. You might be able to determine the easements by looking - under the power lines is a great place to start. If you have underground utilities you may need to look into the property’s legal history to determine easements. This serves two purposes - not only are you growing your own food, but you are strategically placing it in a way that sends a quiet but powerful message. Imagine if there were gardens planted under entire neighborhoods or more of overhead electric lines, which are often aerially observed by the utility companies.
You can make your own growing medium by composting, if you live in a place where you can’t plant directly in the ground due to soil conditions, space, or other factors. Small scale composting information can be found all over the web, but this link provides some easy ideas:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/green/what-is-best-way-for-apartment-dwellers-to-compost.htm
You can even source your plants and seeds in resistance. Check dumpsters behind garden centers, attend local plant swaps in the spring, save seeds and trade them with gardening friends and neighbors. If you’re unable to get the things you need for free, put your money where your mouth is and purchase them from local gardeners and farmers, not Home Depot or Walmart.
If you can’t grow your food, or you can’t grow enough for your family, consider joining or starting a community garden. Many urban areas have community gardens and if yours doesn’t, consider starting one.
If you are grow more food than you need, give it away to your community. You can set up a Free Produce stand, post it on local Facebook groups, or even talk to local food pantries and soup kitchens.
Don’t let them sell your birthright back to you. Put down your roots and grow your resistance.
blessings.
07/16/2017 guest blog 3.0
I am Caucasian, having a life of white privilege with devotion towards social justice. I am 64. I grew up thinking I was 1/16 “Indian”. My father looked like he was.
I started following #NoDAPL in August 2016, or thereabouts. I remember when Myron arrived and I started following him then, along with quite a few others. I started following Tawasi later--always following with a heart to learn.
I learned a lot from everyone, especially Myron (the educator). The most valuable, IMHO, was “You’re not a mutt!” I took that to heart and started researching my ancestry and finally took a DNA test.
Results of all the research and test: I am 100% European. My ancestors were British, Scottish, German, Irish, and Scandinavian. Nothing indigenous. My heart broke.
On top of that, I found out my ancestors had slaves and some even murdered “Indians” (written in their diaries). When I found out about this, I had to “disappear” for a while and let it sink in. My ancestors were some of the people I didn’t want to be like!
Upon further investigation, I am a direct descendent of the Plantagenet’s (England) and the royal Stewart’s (Scotland). This would mean my direct ancestors are directly responsible for all the muck and patriarchy that is so ugly in this world.
In a nutshell: I can no longer feel I am part of the oppressed (no indigenous or African DNA), and am an integral part of the oppressors. Not an easy one to ingest. Once you find out, there is no going back. What I thought was part of my family’s history was not our history at all. It was passed down and eased our guilt, although I don’t think that was anyone’s intention; it fit the bill.
On a good note, I found out that I’m also a direct descendent of Ebenezer Mackintosh, who was a Revolutionary zealot and mentioned in Howard Zinn’s book about the real history of the USA. Ebenezer was definitely not a “peaceful warrior”, but I am proud of him all the same. I think I channel him sometimes—Irish temper ;-)
I am not saying all those who have family stories about “Indian blood” are not true. Not at all. It was just not true for me and I had to face the facts that I need to step up and right the wrongs of my ancestors. Through all of this, I found out my ancestry and who I am made of. It has surprised and grounded me. Everyone should know, even if it is something that shocks you, find out where you came from. It is worth it.
Blessings to anyone that read this whole document and especially those that chose to livestream and educate. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Just think how long this would have been without using bullet points!
Libby Baughman
Nashville, TN, USA
07/15/2017 guest blog 2.1
Rana Karaya wrote,
*Please read, like, and share this post.*
Also, copy and paste my words, otherwise they won't be visible when you share the post.
David Archambault II, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal's chairman:
-Has been after LaDonna and her siblings land for nine years.
-Was well aware about #TheDakotaAccessPipeline's inefficiency for sustainable infrastructure.
-Betrayed his people for monetary compensation.
-Didn't sleep a night at camp.
-Stole money and checks that were intended to support the camps.
-Hoarded an outrageous amount of packages intended for Oceti Sakowin, Rosebud, and Sacred Stone camp, at a warehouse belonging to one of the tribe's enterprises in Fort Yates.
-Urged protectors to permanently leave camp due to freezing weather conditions (which was a false concern based on his blatant actions) early December when the permit to drill under Mni was denied by the Obama administration, but did not advocate for the removal of Morton County Sheriffs, The National Guard, Tiger Swan, the DAPL, its mercenaries or the pipeline.
-Encouraged the false idea that the Oceti Sakowin camp would be flooded, came spring time.
-Sent the B.I.A to deliver an eviction notice at Sacred Stone camp 10 days prior to it, violating many laws in the process.
-Participated in the successful shut down of all prayer camps, heartlessly dismissing the sacrifices elders, children, women, men, and animals underwent before, during, and after the evictions in brutally cold weather.
-Stole leftover property from Sacred Stone Camp.
-Was an accomplice in the demolition of people's houses along with the straw bale school house built for the children to be taught their cultural ways and have a safe space to express themselves as Indigenous peoples.
-Could've easily fed the entire Cannon Ball and Fort Yates communities for months with the amount of leftover foods after the eviction, but instead chose to toss it all away.
-Got up on stage at the 'Native Nations Rise' march in Washington D.C., advocating for the water and youth when just a couple of days ago, he ordered the demolition of the children's straw bale school house. In reality, he chose to fail the youth.
The list goes on.
David deceived and betrayed his people and now he's coming to Chicago, my hometown to feed the community lies about his alleged passion for tribal sovereignty and water rights.
It sickens me.
#WaterIsLife #MniWiconi #NoDAPL #TheWorldStoodWithStandingRock #DaveDidNotStandWithStandingRockNorTheWorld
07\15\2017 guest blog 2.0
I resisted a residential gas distribution pipeline. This pipeline went under my water source.
Media and activists laughed at me and scorned me.
They said we should focus on big lines, not small residential ones.
I disagreed. I believe that resisting these small lines, if we all fight them in our neighborhoods, will, en masse, cause serious disruption to the industries.
Hardcore activists continued to disagree with me as I resisted. Seasoned activists shunned me.
I did not care one single bit.
I believed that I was right.
I confirmed that I was right, and that this has the potential to be a viable stop to larger pipelines. (Decrease residential lines = decreased demand = decreased large pipelines.)
I confirmed that this has the potential to work because the company falsely accused me of a crime and had me arrested. I was no physical threat to them at any time, but I was a threat to their bottom line. I made reports, filed FOIA requests for info, and documented the activities of the company.
I can’t speak much more to that just yet, but in due time the story will be released in full.
I believed and I still believe that interrupting the fossil fuel industry, en masse, on a smaller scale, can have a serious and dramatic impact.
Consider joining me in resisting expanding residential pipelines. Camps are unnecessary, and where needed, they only need be very small and would be easy to keep hidden. It is easy to pop up and move around these pipelines because we do not need a large group at each location.
Security at these pipeline locations is usually minimal. Intel is easily available.
Something to think on.
Blessings.
07\10\2017 guest blog 1.0
I want you to imagine that you are involved in a fistfight. You are losing, badly. The opponent has you on your back and you are so weak that they are able to just stand there with a foot on your chest. You can’t get up, so you have to come up with something, and quick.
You could grab a pebble and throw it up at your opponent. You could even grab a handful of pebbles and toss them. But the opponent would not be fazed.
You could grab a stick and jab at the opponent. But the opponent will grab that stick and use it against you as soon as it’s within reach.
You could use the same stick to hit the opponent in the knees. If you were sneaky enough, and hit them low enough, where they weren’t expecting it, you could possibly take them to the ground, giving you time to get away or even defeat them with the stick.
Consider the Black Snake as your opponent.
Consider the small, accessible roots of the Black Snake. Consider your own home and the gridlike roots of the Black Snake. Understand that just as the snake grows wider when he eats a mouse, the Black Snake gets wider and is always expanding. The snake is vulnerable when he is expanding and so too is the Black Snake.
blessings.