The Orange Beast raged over the size of his hands (and other things) during his campaign, now he can’t stop talking about the allegedly “enormous” size of his inaugural crowd. Talk about a Napoleon complex! Sadly, it appears the Tang toned terminator has once again, come up short. Undeterred, the Orange One continues to beat his chest in simian dominance displays, stopping just short of flinging his feces. Then again, there is a pungent fecal stench emanating from Donald Trump’s racist executive orders and memoranda. Simian displays might satisfy the sycophants who obediently kneel before their Orange Lord, but Trump’s executive memoranda on #NODAPL may be the mere saber rattling of our new Pretender in Chief.

The Young Turks

In a recent Young Turks interview with Jordan Chariton former Bernie Sanders campaign advisor Anthony Rogers-Wright asserted the memoranda are not a done deal and the people have a chance to fight back. There is widespread criticism that Trump is unfit for the Presidency of the United states. Indian Country Today reports Trump failed to consult with the Standing Rock Sioux, or any federal agency lawyers or lawmakers on the memoranda. Another display of incompetence but, to be fair, with all the fresh squeezed praise his loyal subjects lavish upon him, it might have been difficult for the Orange One to “concentrate.” At least the fact that he used a pen demonstrates he has discovered tool use.

Fortunately for the people, the legally required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) begun under the Obama administration is already underway and the public comment period is open from now until February 20th.

Public Comment Period

As Rogers-Wright asserts in The Young Turks segment, public comment is essential for those who wish to stand up for the rights of indigenous peoples and those who wish to protect the environment.

Oil pipelines continue send us careening into Climate Change catastrophe and must be stopped if the disaster is to be averted. Scientists have warned of a possible planetary mass extinction event, in which it is unclear whether our own species would survive, if we do not immediately transition away from fossil fuels. Indigenous peoples are at the forefront of the battle against climate catastrophe.

Natural resources are illegally extracted from indigenous territories and the waste products also dumped there. This abuse has gone on under both Democratic and Republican administrations which is why the standard of “meaningful consultation” is insufficient.

Free, prior and informed consent

Trump’s publicly stated commitment to the “rule of law” appears highly selective. Indigenous peoples are “peoples” within the international legal definition of Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As such, indigenous peoples have the international legal right to self-determination. In addition, former President Obama, to his credit, signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The UNDRIP states that indigenous peoples have the right to free, prior and informed consent to any infrastructure projects the state may wish to build within indigenous territories. The Oceti Sakowin (Sioux Nation) has both the 1851 and 1868 Ft. Laramie treaties which expressly prohibit the construction of US infrastructure through Sioux Nation territory. The Sioux Nation does not consent to Dakota Access.

Stand with Standing Rock

Non-Native people ignore the Dakota Access struggle at their peril. Dakota Access paves the way for Keystone XL which, like Dakota Access, will impact millions, both indigenous and non-indigenous. Those who wish to oppose it may contact Mr. Gib Owen, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, 108 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310-0108 or via email. Use NOI Comments, Dakota Access Pipeline Crossing as headings and subject line and include name and return address. Stand with Standing Rock.