This is not a peaceful protest

Wall map from History classroom AFTER water added

added the Great Lakes

 I started the holiday week by staying late after school to "fix" the wall mural that had been installed in a History classroom. The map was frustratingly inaccurate, featuring Iceland as large as Africa, and eliminating all the major water sources that civilization (and wars) have depended on! The professor had asked me to correct the map as much as possible, without totally repainting it. Researching the lakes and river shapes beforehand I noticed how the sizes and shapes have changed over time. For example, it was hard to get a good idea of the coastline of the Aral Sea because it is drying up so fast, and I only hope that the lakes in north Africa are accurate today. The professor and I decided not to add the rivers as they would be too small in scale.
But imagine a world without rivers!!!
That's what the Native Americans are doing as they protest the Energy Transfer Partners oil pipeline along the shores of the longest river in the USA. The Native Americans, calling themselves "water protectors" have been protesting the pipeline as a risk hazard since April in courts and now on the ground when the pipeline was first moved further from the city (because of risk!) to the edges of the reservation. They contend that the quick permits did not allow for complete environmental hazard evaluation. The pipeline, (that is to move frack-sourced oil), crosses the Missouri river twice and is laid on top of the worlds biggest aquifer! Call North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple at 701-328-2200 and leave your thoughts at this site about the importance of untainted water access for the future of us and this planet.
This protest is not a peaceful protest... the Indians have 5 different state police forces, the national guard, Oil Transfer Partners' private militia, and the injustice of all of history to face. Stand with them or look away, but there is nothing peaceful about this assault on our common and most basic resource.

Flaming Blue Heart descending from Clouds

I am calling the Whitehouse 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414 to ask Obama to rescind the Army Corps of Engineers permit. You can also call Lee Hanse and Glenn Emory both Executive VP of Energy Transfer Partners  210-403-6455 Lee.Hanse@energytransfer.com or 210-403-6762 Glenn.emery@energytransfer.com