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Somehow I got into arguments on FB with two different people on this topic today. I don't give a rat's ass about it, but was irritated by a bullshit propaganda video they posted as fact. In both cases I replied with links to news sources from both sides of the political spectrum. Neither of them did, and just constantly talked about emotions. Both claimed to know people there. One said "people directly affected". The other said "I've talked directly to members of the tribe". When I asked them to prove it, neither could or would even acknowledge my request.

I fucking hate people.

I'm simply asking why this is a big issue since:
-100% of the land owners have signed off on the pipeline
-It does NOT touch the Indian's land
-It runs parallel to an existing pipeline
-The tribe have voted to block protesters from their land and a majority want them gone.
-The vast majority of the protesters aren't even from the area.
-The protestors have been violent.

From what I understand, the only real issue is folks are nervous about what could happen IF the pipeline were to burst near the river.

So do any of you know the real story here? Is this just a fabricated environmental crisis or are the construction folks really doing something shady (that was approved by the land owners...)?

Some links:
CNN talks to the tribe.

Heavy sees the violence.

A fact checker I'm willing to say is biased if that claim is made.

The tribe's website where one of them claimed to get all of their news...there is no news there...

Some feds are a bit concerned. From the Department of the Interior:

“The routing of a 12- to 30-inch crude oil pipeline in close proximity to and upstream of the Reservation is of serious concern to the Department,” the DOI said in its letter. “When establishing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's permanent homeland, the U.S. reserved waters of sufficient quantity and quality to serve the purposes of the Reservation. The Department holds more than 800,000 acres of land in trust for the Tribe that could be impacted by a leak or spill. Further, a spill could impact the waters that the Tribe and individual tribal members residing in that area rely upon for drinking and other purposes. We believe that, if the pipeline's current route along the edge of the Reservation remains an option, the potential impact on trust resources in this particular situation necessitates full analysis and disclosure of potential impacts through the preparation of an [Environmental Impact Statement].”

The authorities have reportedly been dicks, from the private security gorillas to the actual cops. There's also a claim that the pipeline goes through sites that, while they might not be sacred, are of some archaeological value. This shit has been going on for years and is something of a cause célèbre, which generally leads to politicizing it, which then leads to a clusterfuck.

From what I gather this is about 80% bullshit. Which is not that bad by modern standards. But still mostly bullshit.

We won, fuck em.