Will the Victory Last?
WILL THE HARD-WON PIPELINE VICTORY LAST?
Translated by Rob English
A woman blinded in one eye; another woman with a nearly severed arm. These are some of the sacrifices made by Water Protectors as they were brutalized by police with rubber bullets, pepper spray, concussion grenades, dogs and water cannons (used to drench people in below freezing weather). Why would people put themselves at such risk? Because they were standing up for the planet and her inhabitants in their opposition to a proposed fracked oil pipeline in North Dakota. The Dakota Access Pipeline would cross communities, farms, sensitive natural areas, wildlife habitat, ancestral lands and threaten the Missouri River with potential oil spills.
Kandi Mossett of the Indigenous Environmental Network spoke for the animals too:
Everything is impacted, not just what a person might see on the surface. It’s not just the water and it’s not just us as human beings. It’s everything that relies on that water, the four-legged, the winged, everything that swims in those waters is impacted, yet doesn’t have a voice to say, no, protect us, we don’t want this either.
The peaceful and determined presence of the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies from the U.S. and other nations finally resulted in President Obama’s refusal to issue a final easement for the pipeline pending another environmental review and suggestions for alternate routes. But what will happen under President Donald Trump? Trump is an enemy of the environment and wants to promote more oil, gas and coal production. He could go ahead with the pipeline. Those of us who want to protect our precious planet should repeatedly contact Trump and our members of the House and Senate to speak against such foolhardiness.
President Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500
www.whitehouse.gov
Sen. Chuck Schumer
100 S. Clinton St. Room 841
Syracuse, NY 13261
(315)423-5471
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
100 S. Clinton St. Room 1470
Syracuse, NY 13261
(315)448-0470
Rep. John Katko
440 S. Warren St. Suite 711
Syracuse, NY 13202
(315)423-5657
Linda is President of People for Animal Rights. You can write to her at P.O. Box 15358, Syracuse, NY 13215-0358 or call her at (315)488-PURR (7877) from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. You can also reach her by email at LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com or at peopleforanimnalrightsofcny.org