George Takei: There Is Hope.

George Takei (MSNBC).

George Takei (MSNBC).

George Takei has an open letter at The Daily Beast, and a message many of us sorely need to hear. Just an excerpt from the middle here:

You see, I am ever an optimist. A poll taken in August of voters aged 18-34 showed that the vast majority favored Clinton over Trump—64 percent to 29 percent. That split tells me the same thing that the polls for same-sex marriage told us years ago: Over time, reason and fairness will win out, while bigotry and hatred literally would die off. In 20 years, you will all be in charge, and demonstrate far less appetite or patience for Trump’s brand of nativist rhetoric and race baiting. Trump and his supporters understand they are on borrowed time, and while they may seem resurgent today, this in fact could be their last chance to take control. Our country is rapidly moving on from their discredited and archaic worldview. Perhaps that is why the death throes of their campaign are so spectacular.

You are in many ways wiser to the world than your older counterparts. You came of age in a time where there was greater cause for skepticism, and you’re accustomed to the non-stop barrage of social media. Unlike your parents, you understand that we all live in an echo chamber, and that it is up to each of us to depart from it to hear alternative points of view. You are more likely to place your trust in science and embrace diversity, to reject hate while celebrating love in all its manifestations. You are more focused on racial justice and equality of opportunity than the two generations before you. And contrary to common myth, you are not disengaged. In this election cycle, millions of young voters made their concerns heard and very nearly succeeded in realigning the entire election. Nor are you impractical; even when your favored candidate did not succeed, you stuck by your convictions and goals, and in overwhelming numbers now support the party that will best advance them.

Full article at The Daily Beast.

42.

William Jefferson Clinton. Whitehouse.gov.

William Jefferson Clinton. Whitehouse.gov.

Fifteen months after taking office, President William Jefferson Clinton made history by inviting tribal leaders to the White House.

Of the 556 leaders invited, 322 attended the meeting, during which Clinton fielded questions about economic development, tribal sovereignty, health care, education and government-to-government relationships. The April 1994 event marked the first time since 1822 tribal leaders were invited to meet directly with a sitting president of the United States.

In an afternoon speech delivered on the South Lawn, Clinton reaffirmed Native rights to self-determination.

[Read more…]

The Only Way Out.

A drawing by a 16-year-old girl from Iran on Nauru. CREDIT: Amnesty International.

A drawing by a 16-year-old girl from Iran on Nauru. CREDIT: Amnesty International.*

Most people will have a passing awareness of what’s been happening to refugees attempting to reach Australia. To say the Australian government has a lot to answer for is one hell of an understatement. This is open, unapologetic torture, and right now, it doesn’t look like anyone much cares that the main effect of this “open air camp” is suicide. When death becomes a preferable option, you get an idea of just how bad things are. These people, already carrying heavy burdens of trauma, are being treated as untouchable, nasty things, and as Esme Weatherwax pointed out, all the ills in the world begin there, with treating people like things. Although reading, it seems to me they are more being treated like inconvenient garbage that someone littered about. This is a terribly ugly story, filled with terribly ugly people, who cannot manage to dredge up the smallest sliver of concern. All around the world, we human beings are failing at being human, in a most spectacular way.

Refugees and asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australia by boat are turned away and detained in refugee processing centers on the Pacific island of Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The Australian government has argued that the policy acts as a good deterrence against human smugglers and people who might choose to undertake the journey to its shores. But those who wind up on these offshore detention sites face indefinite and unlawful detention, an ordeal so disastrous that refugees and asylum seekers are turning to self-harm to cope, according to a new human rights organization report released Monday.

The Amnesty International report found that it was not uncommon for detainees to try and kill themselves, based on field and desk research that happened between July and October 2016. One man failed to kill himself twice in a span of ten weeks. Another Iranian refugee who tried to kill herself multiple times every week was eventually put in a medical ward. And a man found his pregnant wife in the bathroom with rope marks on her neck.

[…]

Some service-providers at the detention center described practices that made refugees and asylum seekers feel less than human. One guard forcibly took away candy from a girl. Some asylum seekers were taken from showers after two minutes, with shampoo in their hair. Others had to wait weeks or months for basic necessities like underwear and shoes.

In a conversation with a seven-year-old boy from Iran, a service-provider told Amnesty International that the child would keep asking him questions. “He’d say ‘I don’t understand this place. Prisons are for bad people, right? Bad people are the men who hurt my father [in Iran]. Why am I in prison? Does that mean I am a bad person?’”

Nauru’s refugee processing center is described as an “open” center meaning that once people are recognized as refugees, they are moved into accommodation outside the refugee processing center on the same island, roughly one-third the size of Manhattan. But much of the island is uninhabitable, now environmentally ravaged by generations of phosphate mining.

Even refugees and asylees living outside detention grounds face Nauru police who fail to adequately investigate their complaints. One father, who told the police about a man who tried to rape his daughter, was told that the judge was “off duty.” An Iranian refugee who tried to report a robbery got the run-around from police who said that “their computer was broken.” When he offered to give handwritten testimony, he was told that they didn’t have paper.

[…]

Many of the abuses that Neistat found are consistent with previous accounts of abuse detailed by other refugees and asylum seekers. In late April, at least two refugees tried setting themselves on fire. One died from the self-immolation, while the other refugee suffered critical injuries. In August, The Guardian reported on 2,000 reports of abuse and neglect, which found that children were “vastly overrepresented in the reports.”

People set themselves on fire. On fire, for fuck’s sake. If this does not break your heart, if this does not make you ask questions, if this does not make you angry, something is very, very wrong.

The Australian government spends $419,425 per person, per year on offshore processing. In comparison, the U.S. government spends about $59,860 per person, per year on detention. Yet as the allegations show, the costs do not reflect the care that refugees and asylum seekers receive.

After clicking all the links, and doing all the reading, I would really like to know just where in the hell all that money is going, because it most certainly is not going into care of and for refugees and asylum seekers. The stench of corruption is wafting about.

* I probably have nothing to worry about here, but if  you’re the type of asshole who thinks it would be pertinent to comment about how your two year old could draw better than that 16 year old, you’ll be banned so fast you’ll end up with whiplash.

The full story is at Think Progress.

Pitchforks and Torches Time.

Yesterday, we took a look at the frightening views of Trump fanatics, who believe absolutely that every single journalism source is lying, that voter fraud is not just for real, but happening before any voting, and these believers are happily talking about assassination and bloodshed. This is a continuation of that story. Now that singular ass Sheriff Dave Clarke is on board, hollering for a mob. I am feeling physically stunned at this point, as if someone whacked me with a bat, attempting to recover my wits and make sense of the scene in front of me. How in the hell can most of us just be sitting here, an audience to this absolute insanity happening in front of our faces? No, I don’t know what to do either, but I am frightened. I grew up in the counter-culture, in a tumultuous time of great change, but for the most part, it was change for the better. The better of all people. The same cannot be said now. We have people who want to go backwards, and indulge in full scale colonial assault, again.

Most of the grumblings and musings of rebellion have come from everyday Trump voters, but on Saturday, Trump surrogate and Milwaukee Sheriff David A. Clarke, an elected law official, tweeted that it’s “pitchforks and torches time” with a (stock) photo of an angry mob.

I guess Clarke figures he’ll be one of the “good negroes” who will be happily accepted by Trump and the mob he’s trying to incite. A Sheriff calling for riots. Are we sure this isn’t 1984?

Via ThinkProgress.

Amy Goodman Charged with Engaging in a Riot.

Amy Goodman.

Amy Goodman.

Just a few posts ago, I mentioned how embarrassing Ndakota has been lately. Apparently, the state I live in isn’t finished in the quest to scrape the bottom of the barrel, when it comes to stupid, ignorant, embarrassing, cringe-worthy, asshole antics. I do not take any pride in being surrounded by ignorant assholes who proudly wallow in bigotry and willful ignorance.

Bismarck, North Dakota–October 15, 2016 — A North Dakota state prosecutor has sought to charge award-winning journalist Amy Goodman with participating in a “riot” for filming an attack on Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters. The new charge comes after the prosecutor dropped criminal trespassing charges.

State’s Attorney Ladd R Erickson filed the new charges on Friday before District Judge John Grinsteiner who will decide on Monday (October 17) whether probable cause exists for the riot charge.

Goodman has travelled to North Dakota to face the charges and will appear at Morton County court on Monday at 1:30 pm local time (CDT) if the charges are approved.

“I came back to North Dakota to fight a trespass charge. They saw that they could never make that charge stick, so now they want to charge me with rioting, ” said Goodman. “I wasn’t trespassing, I wasn’t engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters.”

In an e-mail to Goodman’s attorney Tom Dickson on October 12, State’s Attorney Erickson admitted that there were “legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing requirements in the statute.” In an earlier email on October 12, Erickson wrote that Goodman “was not acting as a journalist,” despite that fact that the state’s criminal complaint recognized that, “Amy Goodman can be seen on the video …interviewing protesters.” In that email Erikson justified his quote in the Bismarck Tribune in which he had said that “She’s [Amy Goodman] a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions.” The First Amendment, of course, applies irrespective of the content of a reporter’s story.

The charge in State of North Dakota v. Amy Goodman, stems from Democracy Now!’s coverage of the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. On Saturday, September 3, Democracy Now! filmed security guards working for the pipeline company attacking protesters. The report showed guards unleashing dogs and using pepper spray and featured people with bite injuries and a dog with blood dripping from its mouth and nose.

Well, Mr. Erickson, thanks ever for helping to paint a picture of my state as one full of shit-for-brains bigots. Christ, I feel like I should just find a cave to hide in.

Via Democracy Now.

There’s going to be a lot of bloodshed…I would do whatever I can for my country.

Vendors sold shirts backing Trump outside the Portsmouth rally.

Vendors sold shirts backing Trump outside the Portsmouth rally. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff.

As most people will be aware, Trump has been whipping his fans into a furor over voter fraud and a rigged election. He has been openly encouraging his fans to hang out at voting stations to look for “illegals” attempting to vote. Certainly a bunch of fanatical white bigots won’t cause any trouble at all, right? That small bit of sarcasm aside, too many of Trump’s fanatics are most eager to dive into duty on this score, believing every word he says, and these people are fucking scary. Seriously scary.

[…] At a time when trust in government is at a low point, Trump is actively stoking fears that a core tenet of American democracy is also in peril: that you can trust what happens at the ballot box.

His supporters here said they plan to go to their local precincts to look for illegal immigrants who may attempt to vote. They are worried that Democrats will load up buses of minorities and take them to vote several times in different areas of the city. They’ve heard rumors that boxes of Clinton votes are already waiting somewhere.

And if Trump doesn’t win, some are even openly talking about violent rebellion and assassination, as fantastical and unhinged as that may seem.

“If she’s in office, I hope we can start a coup. She should be in prison or shot. That’s how I feel about it,” Dan Bowman, a 50-year-old contractor, said of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. “We’re going to have a revolution and take them out of office if that’s what it takes. There’s going to be a lot of bloodshed. But that’s what it’s going to take. . . . I would do whatever I can for my country.”

He then placed a Trump mask on his face and posed for pictures.

This isn’t the first time people have spoken about assassination. Does this no longer matter? Or is it that people simply don’t take any of the Trump fans seriously? From what I’ve seen, too many of these people are dedicated fanatics, and I am worried about what they will do.

Cullen expects Trump’s warnings about a rigged election to get even uglier in coming weeks, and he fears they will incite violence if Trump loses.

“That’s really scary,” Cullen said, recounting the violence at Trump rallies around the country leading up to the Republican National Convention. “In this country, we’ve always had recriminations after one side loses. But we haven’t had riots. We haven’t had mobs that act out with violence against supporters of the other side.’’

“There’s no telling what his supporters would be willing to do at the slightest encouragement from their candidate,” he said.

It will be interesting to see how the cops react if this happens. Will they be as zealous in “handling” and arresting fanatical white bigots as they are when it’s peaceful protesters who happen to be Black or Indigenous? Perhaps such an event would help all those cops to understand just how dangerous white people are.

Trump has recently started encouraging his mostly white supporters to sign up online to be “election observers” to stop “Crooked Hillary from rigging this election.” He’s urging them to act as posses of poll watchers in “other” communities to ensure that things are “on the up and up.”

“Watch your polling booths,” he warned.

His supporters are heeding the call. “Trump said to watch your precincts. I’m going to go, for sure,” said Steve Webb, a 61-year-old carpenter from Fairfield, Ohio.

“I’ll look for . . . well, it’s called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who can’t speak American,” he said. “I’m going to go right up behind them. I’ll do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. I’m not going to do anything illegal. I’m going to make them a little bit nervous.”

Right. Nothing creepy, unethical or legally dodgy about that, no sir! White people are already making me nervous as hell, and I’m camouflaged.

Some Trump supporters say that if he doesn’t win, they figure the United States government will be no better than dictatorships where elections cannot be trusted.

“We’re heading toward North Korea, without a doubt,” said Grant Reed, a Trump supporter wearing a shirt that said, “If you’re offended, I’ll help you pack.”

Joe Cecil, a 39-year-old restaurant manager, said he has never voted before but is newly inspired by Trump.

“If people are offended by the sexual stuff, what do they think is going to happen when Muslims come here, implement Sharia law, and start raping our women?” he asks.

And there we have a splendid example of white willful ignorance, hanging onto idiocy as if it were a treasure. Hey, Joe! Have you noticed Sharia law implemented lately? You haven’t? Wow, weird that, because of all the Muslims living in uStates, and somehow, your life has not been impacted in the least. Golly. What a dumbfuck, and proud of it, too. Also, Joe, “our” women? No. It must have escaped your notice that women are actual people who do not belong to you or anyone else. It must have also escaped your notice that recent cases of rape in headlines have been young white men, who were barely smacked on the wrist to spare them an awful time in the future. The victims? People such as yourself didn’t have much to say about them, you were too busy defending those young white rapists.

It’s a common strand among the Trump crowd. They say they have seen videos of Clinton supporters ripping up Republican registrations. They believe Obama is rushing to allow illegal immigrants to become citizens in order to vote.

“We’re going to have a lot of election fraud,” said Jeannine Bell Smith, 65-year-old longtime teacher in a red Trump shirt with a bucket of popcorn under her arm. “They are having illegals vote. In some states, you don’t need voter registration to vote.”

:Raises hand: I’m in a no registration state. I’m not in any way illegal.

After a prayer is said and the national anthem sung, she leans in.

“We can’t have that lying bitch in the White House,” she said.

Yeah, a delusional maniac who lies every 5 seconds is so much better. What. The. Fuck.

“If Hillary wins, it’s rigged,” said Judy Wright, who is from Illinois but took off work recently to come volunteer for Trump in Ohio.

Wright sighs at what seems to her an unfathomable outcome.

“All I know is our country is not going to be a country anymore,” she added. “I’ve heard people talk about a revolution. I’ve heard people talk about separation of states. I don’t even like to think about it. But I don’t think this movement is going away. We don’t have a voice anymore, and Donald Trump is giving us a voice.”

That old Chinese curse is working overtime here in uStates. Interesting times indeed.

The full story is at the Boston Globe.

Okay, Captain Sniffles.

Image via @Felicia_Darnell on Twitter.

Image via @Felicia_Darnell on Twitter.

Crispy fried Christ, Trump is such a hot mess, you never know where to look anymore. He seems to be utterly incapable of shutting his mouth for five seconds. That said, the Twitterati do love having fun with his constant stream of isht.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump threw a new wrinkle into his rambling campaign speech Saturday morning, suggesting rival Hillary Clinton may be using performance enhancing drugs to get through the rigors of electoral season.

Speaking in New Hampshire, the blustery Republican nominee took time out from trashing the seemingly endless parade of women who have accused him of sexual assault, to note that he believes Clinton is busy getting “pumped up” for the debate — a not-so-sly reference to doping.

Trump’s comments should come as no surprise, since the candidate has a habit of accusing his opponent of his own sins — including racism and financial shenanigans — and there has been an extraordinary amount of speculation about Trump’s manic debate performances coupled with his uncontrollable sniffling.

As you might expect, Twitter noticed.

There are more tweets at Raw Story.

Standing His Ground for Closeted Trump Fans.

Pro-Trump protester Daniel Parks and a friend (NEWSPLEX).

Pro-Trump protester Daniel Parks and a friend (NEWSPLEX).

A Trump supporter, worried that there were other “closet” Trump supporters who felt unheard in Virginia, stood outside a Congressional candidate’s campaign office for twelve hours while displaying a loaded firearm. Daniel Parks said that his protest was peaceful, but that he intended to “stand his ground” on behalf of other Trump supporters.

“I’m just trying to  provide a voice for someone who might be a closet supporter of Trump. Other people who are a little worried to speak out because of possible persecution,” Daniel Parks told reporter Taylor Cairns. Cairns reported that the Parks, who was later joined by a friend, wanted people to know that they were not giving up the campaign “quietly.”

Y’know, I don’t think that’s what you’re trying to do at all, Daniel. You claim to be making a peaceful protest (with a loaded gun), which is fine, but generally, a protest is against something. That’s built into the definition of the word. Since you’re busy being intimidating in front of a democrat’s office, one would assume you’re against democrats. As for closet Trump fans being persecuted, oh please. It’s those who are supporting Trump who are more than willing to be screaming bullies, and all too happy to be violent in their “support” for Trump. If someone just can’t cope with hearing different opinions, perhaps they need to stay in their closet.

Parks insisted that he wasn’t a threat, despite the fact that he was carrying a gun to a peaceful protest. Those who think so are ignorant: “We’re not a threat to anybody, the only threat is ignorance, and ignorance breeds fear,” he said.

Ohan, there went yet another irony meter. Yes, that gun is just the accessory to set off your outfit, right? I’m far from ignorant, Daniel, and I don’t like people walking about with guns. You can’t trust someone so attached to a gun to not use it at some point.

Parks also told Cairns that Trump may leave the race, but he will continue to “speak out.” “He [Trump] may be pulling out, but we’re not pulling out, and I’m going to stand my ground. And I’m going to speak out for what I believe in, and I guess I would encourage everyone else to do the same.”

Cairns noted that Parks intends to take his armed, peaceful protest to more campaign headquarters later this month.

You encourage others to speak out. I’d guess you aren’t all that willing for people who are against Trump to speak out though. Just all those terribly timid Trumpians in the closet. Oddly enough, I have not noticed the slightest reticence on the part of Trump supporters. So far, they have all been loudmouths who blithely assume everyone thinks the way they do. I’ve had Trump supporters say the most obnoxious isht to me at the bloody market, ffs! Complete strangers to me, and I live in a state noted for polite niceness on the part of the inhabitants.

Via Raw Story. There’s video at the link.

“Make America rape again.”

Nick Bata - Libertarian candidate for Insurance Commissioner in North Dakota (Photo: Facebook).

Nick Bata – Libertarian candidate for Insurance Commissioner in North Dakota (Photo: Facebook).

Right, as if Ndakota and Ndakotans have not been embarrassing enough lately. Now we have a flaming doucheweasel of an asshole, one Nick Bata. He’s a libertarian. And like most libertarians, shines a bright light on the sheer idiocy most of them happily embrace. At least he’s in West Fargo, not Bismarck, but I sure as hell wish he wasn’t anywhere on Turtle Island. Mr. Bata is a creep of the first water, and oh yes, most certainly a rape apologist.

WEST FARGO, N.D.—A Libertarian candidate for North Dakota Insurance Commissioner has been in a battle of words on the Internet over his comments on rape and women stripping.

In one comment, Nick Bata of West Fargo wrote “Make America Rape” again.

In started off with his post about sexual consent on Sept. 30 and quickly spiraled into an all-out battle of the keyboards with rape and stripping getting thrown into the conversation.

“If people don’t agree with them, they will attack you like a bunch of rabid, wild hyenas,” said Bata. “I tried to have to have a very civil engagements,” said Bata.

His comments ranged from saying rape culture doesn’t exist in this country to saying stripping is some women’s best way to make a living.

But it was the “Make America Rape Again” comment that caused several people to write about how disturbing it was.

“Yes, I wrote Make America Rape again. And in the context because of course they deleted some of the comments because that’s how they operate. They lurk in the dark and edit things, and by me not complying with their world view, I was labeled a rape apologist, I was labeled disgusting, all sorts of pejorative words, and they labeled me a Trump supporter because hey, if you’re not with us, you’re a Trump supporter, and in sarcasm, which leftist supporters can’t understand sarcasm, they misinterpreted this,” said Bata.

“It’s a free society, nobody makes these decisions. If you can’t handle someone’s free speech, that’s your problem not mine,” said Bata.

Goodness, what a charmer. Thanks ever, Mr. Bata, for condoning rape and sexual assault as no big deal. As for your free speech, I think someone needs to take your keyboard away, and put some duct tape to creative use.

Jess Roscoe posted the original article that started the firestorm–and can’t believe what it turned into.

“Even if it’s a play on Donald Trump and his campaign slogan, it doesn’t make that remark acceptable or constructive to any conversation,” said Roscoe.

“As a woman those comments are troubling, and I think that it’s a snapshot at the sorts of comments and beliefs that are said on a daily basis that a lot of people don’t think they’re contributing to something so negative,” said Roscoe.

It’s troubling to me also, as a woman, but I really think this should be troubling to everyone. This is not a lightweight matter, and as Ms. Roscoe notes, these types of remarks and commentary are not only common, but there is always someone who is listening, and hears the implicit consent to commit sexual assault or rape.

Bata said he has no regrets about his comments. “None of it,” he said. “I stand by everything. Why should i apologize and to who?”

Bata said he doesn’t plan on dropping out of the race.

The Libertarian party of North Dakota didn’t immediately respond.

Off the cuff, Mr. Bata, I’d say you should apologize to all people everywhere for pretending to be a human being. You’re doing one shitty job at it.

Via Jamestown Sun.

Standing Rock: Winter Wish List.

s9

Oct 14, 2016 — Winter is approaching fast here in North Dakota – and we’re not going anywhere. Dakota Access may think that they can simply wait us out, but we are here for the long haul.

That being said, we need supplies and support to survive here at camp. Dakota winters are no joke! We have created an Amazon wishlist with all sorts of gear for sleeping, staying warm, lighting our camp, and organizing our group. We’re hoping for tents, lanterns, phones for communicating between groups, and more. Take a look and see if there’s anything you can purchase and send to help us out: http://amzn.to/2dLiG1G

Thank you as always for your generosity!

Anna, Bobbi, and the Oceti Sakowin Youth.

Via Change.org. I will add my thank you thank you thank you to anyone who can help out. As usual, I’ll say that you don’t need money to help – spreading the word and signal boosting is incredibly important, so if you’re a social media person, please, pass this on, with all my gratitude.

The Senators Standing with Standing Rock.

Bernie Sanders (Good Morning America).

Bernie Sanders (Good Morning America).

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and four other senators on Thursday called on President Barack Obama to order a comprehensive environmental review of a pipeline project that has stirred widespread opposition from Native Americans and environmental activists.

After a U.S. appeals court on Sunday night denied a request to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the senators asked Obama to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a full environmental impact statement for a contested part of the route that includes stronger tribal consultation.

“The project’s current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project,” said the letter by Sanders and Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein, Ed Markey, Patrick Leahy and Benjamin Cardin.

In recent weeks, protests against the Dakota Access pipeline led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota drew international attention, prompting the U.S. government to temporarily block its construction on federal land.

[…]

On Tuesday, anti-pipeline activists in four states closed pipeline valves to halt the flow of crude through arteries transporting 15 percent of U.S. oil consumption..

When fully connected, the 1,100-mile (1,770 km) pipeline would be the first to carry crude directly to the U.S. Gulf from the Bakken shale, a vast oil formation in North Dakota, Montana and parts of Canada.

The $3.7 billion project is being built by the Dakota Access subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, which has vowed to complete construction.

“There must be a serious consideration of the full potential climate impacts of this pipeline prior to the Army Corps of Engineers approving any permits or easements for the Dakota Access pipeline,” the senators said.

Experts say that the full environmental review requested by the senators could take several months.

The U.S. appeal court’s ruling was the second time the federal judiciary rejected the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s request to halt construction of the pipeline. On Sept. 9, a U.S. judge rejected a similar request.

Oh, so scrutiny would take a couple of months, golly, the agony for those poor, poor billionaires. Cry me a river, oil wašichu, cry me a river of clean, untainted water. Once again, we see just how much, and how easily Indigenous concerns are brushed aside, and treaties broken, again. And again. And again. My thanks to Senators Sanders, Feinstein, Markey, Leahy, and Cardin. Please, please keep the pressure on. I think everyone should remind the President of his visit to Standing Rock two years ago. How can it possibly be, in any way, to turn away from people who keep asking for justice? How long for people to wake the fuck up to all the lies, all the crimes committed by DA and Energy Transfer Partners? Remember when they swore up and down that the oil running through this travesty of a pipeline was “sweet and light”? The only people pointing out that that was a lie were Indigenous people who live in the Dakotas. I posted about that, and heard arguments and “oh no, you’re wrong.” No, we aren’t wrong. Oil lies, and it would be great if people would wake up to that fact, and stay woke. This is a disaster waiting to happen, to all of us.

Via Raw Story.

Michelle Obama Addresses Sexual Assault.

Our First Lady, a forthright, courageous woman who is unafraid to face the ugliest of human behaviours, and I thank her for speaking out, for not turning away, as so many have done.

“The fact is that in this election, we have a candidate for president of the United States who, over the course of his lifetime and the course of this campaign has said things about women that are so shocking, so demeaning, I simply will not repeat anything here today,” she told a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire. “And last week we saw this candidate actually bragging about sexually assaulting women. And I can’t believe that I’m saying that. A candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women and I have to tell you that I can’t stop thinking about this.”

It has shaken me to my core in a way that I couldn’t have predicted. So while I’d love nothing more than to pretend like this isn’t happening and come out here and do my normal campaign speech, it would be dishonest and disingenuous for me to move on to the next thing like this was just a bad dream.

This is not something we can ignore. It’s not something we can sweep under the rug as just another disturbing footnote in a sad election season. Because this was not just a lewd conversation. This wasn’t locker room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior. And actually bragging about kissing and groping women. Using language so obscene that many of us are worried about our children hearing it when we turn on the TV. To make matters worse, it now seems clear this isn’t an isolated incident. It’s one of countless examples of how he has treated women his whole life.

I have to tell you that I listened to all this. And I feel it so personally. And I’m sure that many of you do too. Particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you want to a woman. It is cruel. It is frightening. And the truth is, it hurts. It hurts.

The video is via CNN. Full article at Raw Story.

Reno Truck Assault On Protesters: Update.

https://youtu.be/x0D-BgU82jI

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Detectives are preparing legal documents for possible criminal charges after an 18-year-old man drove a pickup truck through a crowd of protesters rallying in support of Native American rights in downtown Reno, Police Chief Jason Soto said Wednesday.

Soto made his remarks to the Reno City Council as a parade of American Indians, local clergy and others expressed their outrage over the fact no one’s been arrested after five protesters were struck Monday night by the truck on the street beneath the city’s famous arch with the slogan, “Biggest Little City in the World.”

Soto said an affidavit is in the works that could lead to prosecution. But he said he won’t discuss the possible charges or any other details because the investigation is ongoing.

In a different article, Soto was making noises about the protesters being in the street, rather than on the sidewalk, heavily implying they deserved to be run over, because street. It has been stated that people gathered in this spot to take photographs. It’s more than obvious that the police chief does not want to press charges in this case, and it’s also obvious he doesn’t think much of anything done was wrong. I’d like to see the Mayor address that little problem.

The Rev. Luther DuPree, an African-American bishop who oversees the Northern Nevada Churches of God in Christ, questioned whether the driver remains free because he is white.

“If it was any other culture, I believe an immediate arrest would have been made,” he said.

Kitty Colbert, 59, the most seriously injured woman who remained hospitalized Wednesday, was accompanied at the rally by her grandchildren who “saw her run over like a bag of beans,” said Ray Valdez, who was drumming and leading the group in prayer just before the incident.

Soto said the activists did not have a permit to protest in the street, but some had gathered in the travel lanes of Virginia Street on the main casino drag.

Jessica White, a local artist, said the activists were gathering in the crosswalk for a group photograph when “the driver began honking and revving his truck’s engine in an obvious attempt to frighten us.”

“I saw a driver purposely drive into a group of people and continue until there were injuries and terror,” she said Wednesday.

Tara Tran said the driver and passenger were yelling “racist” remarks before she was struck by the truck.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say the protesters deserved it… they were blocking traffic,” Tran told the council. “We were not blocking their direction. They were following us. They were not scared. I looked into their eyes. It was not a look of fear. It was a look that they were having fun.”

Grace Potorti, ex-leader of the Nevada Conservation League, said she was driving the opposite direction on Virginia Street when she saw the truck “plow into people, stop and — while people were lying on the road — continue to run over them.”

“This happened under the very symbol of Reno,” she said. “It happened under the arch!”

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement Tuesday Reno police “will hold anyone responsible accountable for their actions once the investigation has concluded.”

“The city does not condone hate,” she said Wednesday.

Full story at The Santa Cruz Sentinel.