No to pipeline

As I write, thousands of unarmed protesters are in a blizzard, peacefully and prayerfully protesting the North Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and over 300 representative tribes are camped on federal treaty land, to stop the pipeline. On Nov. 20, with temperatures in the low 20s, the local sheriff and the National Guard attacked them with dogs, water cannons, pepper spray, rubber bullets and sound cannons. Many were arrested on trumped-up charges and put in dog kennels. Many were injured.

Bismark was the original route for this pipeline but the city didn't want it near their water source, so the corporation moved it to the Standing Rock reservation, with plans to run it under the Missouri River. The Army Corp of Engineers sent a letter to the tribes warning them to vacate the property by Dec. 5, but would not physically remove them. On Dec. 4 over 2,000 veterans will arrive to help the protectors. It is a terrorizing situation involving breaking the law, violating human rights and ignoring treaty rights. They are simply trying to protect all of our water from corporate American greed.

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "No to pipeline."