I took some time off from writing TC diaries after the election.  It’s been hard to feel motivated, for all the obvious reasons.  I knew I couldn’t just hide out forever, so I gave myself until the solstice:  that time of year when the night is longest, and it feels like the sun is just going to stay gone.  But then the world keeps turning, and the days start getting longer again, a little at a time.

I used to write a weekly diary called “How a Woman Becomes a Goddess,” using ancient Goddess myths to reflect on current issues.  The last time I felt so crushed after an election, oddly, was 2008.  In the midst of progressive victories all over the country, my own “liberal” state passed Prop H8, banning same-sex marriage.  It was a hell of a gut punch, and I wanted to just go hide in a cave.  So I turned to the story of Amaterasu, a Japanese Goddess who hid in a cave.  Here’s a slightly updated version of what I wrote back then.

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The Japanese Amaterasu and her brother  Susanowo had opposite temperaments, perhaps because she was the sun Goddess and he was the storm God.  Their conflicts came to a head when Susanowo went on a drunken rampage, destroyed Amaterasu’s rice fields and threw excrement in her temple.  Then Susanowo killed a colt, flayed it, and hurled it into the room where Amaterasu’s women did their weaving.  The carcass shattered one of the looms, and the flying pieces hit some of the women, causing fatal wounds.

How a woman becomes a Goddess:  sometimes, by what she doesn’t do.  Instead of confronting Susanowo, Amaterasu shut herself in a cave, blocking the door with a stone.  With the sun hidden away, the land was plunged into darkness and cold.

The impact of Amaterasu's absence was greater than anything else she could have done.  The other 800 deities swiftly brought Susanowo to justice, punished him and cast him out of heaven.  But Amaterasu remained in the cave, overwhelmed with her anger and humiliation.

The 800 deities huddled around a fire outside the cave, trying to come up with a way to lure her out.  First they brought gifts of jewels and hung them on the trees.  On the nearest branch, they hung a special gift:  the first mirror ever made.  But how to get her to come out and see?

Ama no Uzume, the goddess of shamanic trance, declared that they would throw a party.  But no one was feeling very festive.  So the elderly Uzume climbed onto an overturned wash tub and began a comical, erotic dance.  She mocked sacred rituals.  She did a bump and grind.  She --  oh, no, she didn’t!

Oh, yes, she did.

Uzume yanked open her kimono and stripped for the crowd.

Inside the cave, Amaterasu heard laughter.  Gut-busting, pee-your-kimono laughter.  Her curiosity was aroused.  Roaring cheers rose higher and higher.  Finally, in spite of herself, she just had to know what was going on.  She pulled the stone aside just a crack, just enough for the first sunbeam of dawn to peek out.

The sunlight reached the mirror, and Amaterasu saw her own face for the first time.  She moved closer, and stepped outside the cave.  Somebody quickly blocked the entrance behind her with a magic rope.

Amaterasu saw Uzume, whirling around naked on the wash tub, and she laughed.  And she joined the party.

At the winter solstice, it helps to remember that the longest night will eventually end.  The sun will come back, slowly at first, and the earth will be restored in light.

Amaterasu was lured out by the power of laughter and joy.  Progressives and LGBT people are fortunate that we’re about the most joyful communities you’ll ever find.  We can laugh in the face of adversity because we’ve seen so damn much of it.  That’s why progressives have John Oliver, Trevor Noah and Sam Bee, and conservatives have...what was the name of that show they had that tried to rip off The Daily Show, but was so unfunny it got cancelled?

I can’t say I’m feeling joyful yet.  But I know the solstice night will end, and that first sunbeam will peek out of the cave, and I’ll take a look at Uzume and say, "OK, there’s gotta be a good story here," and I’ll feel like joining the party.

Every time I wrote one of these meditations, I’d reread familiar stories and find new aspects.  Well, not really new:  they were there, I just didn’t see them.  I tend to think of the story as ending when Amaterasu stepped out of the cave.  But of course she asked about Susanowo, and learned that he had been banished.  And, realizing that he would be back, Amaterasu took up her bow and two quivers of arrows to defend herself.

It’s time to pick up my tools for the struggles to come.

On to Top Comments!

From Gwenedd:

Top Comment!!

In fact this entire thread should go in to TC. It’s just too funny!!

(Note from Tara:  start with mokena’s comment, then check out TaxDragonX’s response.  Found in pollwatcher’s diary China tells Trump’s fools, Want a trade war?  We’ll start by targeting Republican states.)

From your humble (if more antisocial than usual) diarist:

In Hunter’s diary Rep. Tom Cole:  Trump doesn’t need to follow ethics rules because George Washington kept Mt. Vernon, ThePhlebob took this reasoning to its logical end with this comment, while TJoz had a different take.

Top mojo, courtesy of mik:

Picture quilt, courtesy of jotter: 

ACT I - HUBRIS

Our play opens long ago, this Wednesday in the public commons, where a beloved and venerable figure has climbed upon a well-worn soapbox.

DADDY NEWT (clearly far around the bend on a pharmacological potpourri): I'm told he now just disclaims that. He now says it was cute, but he doesn't want to use it anymore. ... I'd written what I thought was a very cute tweet about 'the alligators are complaining,' and somebody wrote back and said they were tired of hearing this stuff. ... He's in a different role now and maybe he feels that as president, as the next president of the United States, that he should be marginally more dignified than talking about alligators in swamps. I personally have, as a sense of humor, like the alligator and swamp language. ... I think it vividly illustrates the problem, because all the people in this city who are the alligators are going to hate the swamp being drained. And there's going to be constant fighting over it. But, you know, he is my leader and if he decides to drop the swamp and the alligator, I will drop the swamp and the alligator."

Daddy then exists right, seeking a slow moving mammal to take a bite out of. Perhaps Chris Christie who likely would not notice. 

Lights up stage left on a dark figure in the act of sliding out the door to his new gig as Trump's backdoor man.

COREY THE OOZE (mind half on the rate card, half on his clearly Trumpian  splendor): "Look, I think if you had to put (Trump’s priorities) in a chronological order, ‘drain the swamp’ is somewhere down the bottom as opposed to getting tax reform done, making sure middle-class people have more jobs, making sure we’re re-negotiating our bad trade deals, ensuring that we’re fixing Obamacare."

ACT II - CONFRONTATION

A rumble in the distance, and then the Twitterverse is riven by an orange bolt and the thunderous wrath of The Golden One as he all-caps consecrates himself anew to the Holy Work of Draining of the Swamp.

ACT III - CONTRITION

The animals scurry from the wrath of the New Sky Buddy. Cowering. They know they are always trying. They hate the swamp from deep in their guts. The hungry mire of reptilian denizens lurking, ever ready to snap up the late payer, over borrower, drug swallower, or no longer needed worker. Yet strangely, bittersweetly, despite the universal hate, the impassioned speeches, and all the tough talk the swamp inexplicably continues to fill with wealth.

Could it be if we only pledge to screw our eyes tightly shut and jam our ears to the shrieking Banshee of Doubt using great draughts of liquor or should that fail, stout clubbings to the head - can it be that if we hold firm in our resolve, we WILL, finally and forever drain the swamp?

Can I get an alleluia, Daddy Newt? Click to view Newt’s shame on Facebook

Donald, with his delicate, un-calloused fingers, reaches for the pubescent weapon of choice and in 136 characters sets back nuclear diplomacy four decades.

Through the past nearly half century the world has slowly and carefully backed away from the specter of a possible nuclear Armageddon.  As a child I clearly recall the random drills where we children were instructed to “duck and cover”.  I grew up noting the hard fought treaties gained through tedious, drawn out diplomacy..  Partial Test Ban Treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, SALT I and SALT II, START I and START II, SORT and in 2010 the latest version of START aims to reduce the number of deployed nuclear warhead existing by half and should remain in effect until 2021.

We Americans have to our great discredit and embarrassment allowed the junior high school bully to ascend to our country’s highest office.  Here he will be free to blithely and obtusely tweet not only what wanders through the vast empty auditorium of his mind but to, god help us, serve up policy for his sycophantic ring kissers in congress to rubber stamp.

This day, this tweet.  For me, is the straw.  I, in the New Year, and the 3 New Years to follow, vow to do all I personally can, be it join groups, march, petition, blog, diary, comment,  maybe even stand on a gawddam box in the middle of a city park and yell until I am horse and heard. 

I have reposted this with this opening disclaimer:

Before I get too deep here, I want to be clear on a few things:

• I believe Trump won this race by running a deeply racist campaign.
• I believe Trump unleashed white nationalist forces in this country in a way that we have not seen in the modern era.
• I believe that addressing  the bias toward women, PoC and other historically marginalized populations in our system is a top priority and is rightfully the major focus of the Democratic Party.
• I believe that the challenges of white supremacy can only be met by dismantling our existing institutions and rebuilding them since they were mostly formed to protect white supremacy.
• Lastly, I do believe the decisive factor in this campaign was the economic message.

I, like most of blue state America, and blue voters in red states, was shocked by the results of this last election. I mean a man who ran a campaign that nearly openly courted White Nationalist movements as part of the campaign.

I felt that shock, despite figuring that Trump had a good shot at winning just based on what I observed when I spent about 4 months back in Ohio shortly after the primary season ended there. I also figured a significant number of the never Clinton people meant it. While Bernie was still in the race, I myself made the never Clinton case (I did vote for her to support my sisters). I believe firmly to this day, the principal political challenge, within the Democratic Party, that must be addressed is a radical transformation to confront the economic challenges of our time. The established “Clinton wing” of the party has only ever viewed the change needed as an incremental process. As a result, economic policy has lurched ever rightward over time as a result. 

I must emphasize, the party is rightly focused on fighting for social and racial justice, I cite the economic issues as a principal party problem because I believe the party has been on the wrong track on how to deal with economic issues, we have been fighting that fight the wrong way. There is no approach to addressing economic concerns worth our time that does not include creating a more equitable system where everyone has access to the levers of economic success.

This post is not meant to delve into those details, so I will leave it there. I mention it to lay context for what I found when you look at exit polling data overlayed with the outcome of each election. I think you might be surprised at what the data shows. I know I was.

THE NARRATIVE SINCE NOVEMBER 8TH

The damned white working class clamored around Trump. Racism drove Trump to victory. White Nationalism has been enabled and enjoyed significant growth under Trumps candidacy to set America back 50 years. Trump does pose a serious risk to what progress has been made on a variety of issues, but the narrative that white people suddenly overwhelmingly support Trump because of his White Nationalist campaign IS NOT SUPPORTED by the data. Honestly, I was shocked to discover that.

So, let’s start looking at data on the history of the white vote. I will post data and add relevant commentary immediately below the data. My assessments reflect a near stream of consciousness interpretation of what I am looking at. I am eminently persuadable on my interpretation, so please add your thoughts in the comments!

Note: Exit Polling data is not always the most precise data. You will observe odd things in this data, like 1976, 1984 and 1988 where there is no race data for 3rd party votes. That said, given the scale of our elections, it still provides relevant information regarding patterns over time, which is the thrust of most of my commentary on this data.

 

Looking at the white vote as a percent of the total vote and then looking at white vote per party reveals some interesting information.

First, the demographic shift happening is clearly evident in this data. From 1976 to today white vote as a percent of the total vote has declined 17 points. It is clear that block is becoming less powerful over time. That said, it will remain immensely powerful for a long time to come.

Second, the white vote has actually moved away from Republicans from their peak support in 1994 at a decline of 9 points at a similar clip as they have moved away from Democrats, who have experienced an 11 point drop since their peak in 1976. In the end, white people’s support of the Republican party has been much more volatile. If what is viewed as even a potentially viable candidate enters a race the impact on white vote seems to effect the republican share of white vote more.

Third, both candidates lost ground with white voters this cycle. Trump did not see some huge unprecedented surge in white vote. Next set of data is interesting on this front.

Last point on the above data. Mitt Romney OUTPERFORMED Trump with white people. Trump lost 2% share from Romney’s total. Democrats should say this at the beginning of any public statement about any issue they talk about in the media. This will push Trump’s ego to the breaking point.

 

So this Raw Vote data is pretty revealing. Perot really drove down white voter support for the republican party to the point where it took them to 2004 to recover to their peak in 1984. I think the thing this shows is that white voters historically seem to be driven by economics. This is likely a result of privilege, they are not threatened by the conservative impulse to restrict liberties for historically marginalized populations, so they are free to respond electorally, in relatively dramatic fashion, when they are experiencing economic pain.

So, while we saw a growth in the white vote, most of it benefitted Gary Johnson. It seems likely to me what happened was Trump was able to backfill some his losses with the white vote with his white resentment politics, but, given the history revealed in this data, his economic change message drew most of his backfill, while Clinton just lost white voters to Johnson with no backfill amongst white voters.

In practical terms, this means Trump made modest gains with the white vote, but it was not at all anomalous. We need to stop giving white nationalism so much credit for this outcome. We only empower them by doing so. Sure they played a role in backfilling his losses, but they just are not the driving force behind this electoral outcome and we need to stop acting as if they did. We do need to fight them tooth and nail, we just do not need to give them more due than they deserve for what happened.

 

This data maps the election to election change in total white votes.

The white vote actually grew in favor of Obama in 2008 and then by 2012 declined for Obama dramatically. It was only outpaced by the decline in the Carter white vote in 1980 race.

I think 2000 showed Bush’s support with white evangelicals. Again, when you view the data this way, it is clear when the white population is dissatisfied with the economic situation 3rd parties actually attract white voters. Third parties are traditionally less involved in the so-called “culture war” issues.

The three peaks of white 3rd party support were from largest to smallest were  Perot in 1992, John Anderson in 1980 and Johnson this year. Again, the fact that where the difference in the white vote is shown is the data is in flight to 3rd parties. We are not seeing a shift in actively endorsing the racist views of a candidate like Trump, that actively racist vote seems to be at a constant.

I agree, it is terrible that so many whites can readily discount the threat that a Trump poses PoC, however, I do take some comfort in the fact Trump’s campaign was not some real clarion call.

Ultimately,  it is NOT a sign that a significantly larger population of people got involved simply to cast an affirmatively racist vote. Still not good enough, but, not as discouraging as the current existing campaign narrative has been since November 8th.

 

This final view of the white vote history data just serves to drive home the point where 3rd party growth peaks at times of high dissatisfaction with the establishment. I need to dig in and see what the right track wrong track and economic satisfaction data shows in these elections and cross reference. I don’t want to rehash points I have made above, but the data presented in this format drives some of them home so I decided to keep it in here for your viewing pleasure.

Oh yeah, I also wanted to include this data to point out that both Trump and Clinton lost 2% of their parties white support this cycle. 

SOME CONCLUSIONS

So, given the mood and narrative since election night, I find this historic look moderately encouraging. It sucks that it is obvious too many white people do not take racial and social justice issues as seriously as they should. 

That said, this notion that many more white people than usual voted republican simply to vote against black people is just not supported by the data. What I mean by that is Donald’s racist appeal did not really energize a whole new massive segment of voters. The racists just stayed firmly in their camp. The only real difference (and it is a terrible difference, one that must be confronted vigorously) is they felt able to express themselves more openly. But this narrative that the white nationalists attracted a massive wave of newly active racist voters is clearly false. That is good news. 

It is sickening that they feel free to speak out in a way they have not for a few decades, but the task of returning them to the political wilderness will be easier if we ourselves realize that the white nationalists are still an extremely marginal group. It will help us keep our focus to defeat this bullshit on the right targets.

I guess my final take away is, we have a lot of work to do, but take heart.

That, and we should hector Trump about Romney beating him with white people every chance we get.

All data sourced from uselectionatlas.org… and Cornell University RoperCenter.

I have included the data tables for each campaign year, by race below for your own enjoyment.

The Universtity of Wisconsin administration may now be being bombarded by republican/Trump base because the rw radio stations in that state and maybe around the country are trying to shut down a class on white privilege being planned for 2017: 

From: www.nbc15.com/...

According to UW- Madison's website, "The Problem of Whiteness" is a new course taught by Damon Sajnani. It will be offered in the Spring 2017 semester.

The course description says "the class will explore how white people consciously and unconsciously perpetuate institutional racism and how it not only devastates communities of color, but also perpetuates the oppression of most white folks along the lines of class and gender."

This morning I was using Snowtape to sample a few RW talk stations around the country and went to the Madison Limbaugh station WIBA. The local blowhard was calling for calls and emails (OUTRAGE!) to UW administration, regents, etc., about this course.

WIBA is one of 5 Limbaugh and 2 Hannity stations that depend on Wisconsin Badger games and the association with UW to attract advertisers. So while they wave the badger flag over the station they get jerks like Paul Ryan and Scott Walker elected, deny global warming, sell voter suppression based on voter fraud lies and racist/immigrant hate, try to defund public education, block attempts to lower student debt, etc.

In the few minutes I listened to I even heard a UW Badger promo, a few minutes from his rant vilifying this professor and this class. The prof could get death threats generated with Badgers radio and probably won’t know where the hate is coming from. I would be surprised if that class isn’t cancelled.

The Uni of Wisconsin is one of 88 universities that 257 limbaugh stations use to attract advertisers. The total number of publicly funded schools and number of RW talk radio stations parasitizing those schools may be significantly larger.

RW radio will be the Trump administration’s most important media weapon. It is the only major medium with no liberal political counterpart. It is practically invisible to the people and groups his administration will attack with it.

The talk radio monopoly needs those schools to keep supporting it and those schools need to begin the process of looking for apolitical alternatives.

Here’s a “Who’s to Blame” meme that I haven’t seen much of - our entire election system is corrupt and broken, allowing any party in power to manipulate and direct the results. Trump won because of cheating, but not just the Russians and the FBI are involved.  He won because our system is set up to ignore our votes. 

~~~

He won because our election system, at the state and local levels has been stacked with GOP partisans for decades, at least since the late 80’s when the Christian Coalition formed to mount stealth candidates in local elections. Because elections are administered by the state, and a majority of the states have GOP dominated governments, those votes can be sliced and diced for the desired result. It’s no surprise that the Electoral College fell in line to certify Trumps’ win - the electors are chosen in most states by the legislatures. We have a Federal Election Commission, but it doesn’t do anything to protect the vote, it only concerns itself with campaign finance laws, and with the financing of the presidential election.  

It’s not just gerrymandering and blocking minorities. It goes much deeper, and the courts, which have been politicized, are right there to rubber stamp the theft of votes. It’s not just a case of SCOTUS selecting Bush in 2000. Every state and local election post is filled with embedded partisans who are there specifically to violate the public will, and many of these posts are virtually life-long positions. Think an army of Kim Davises in every little county, deciding for themselves what election law should be, all coddled and informed by state party officials.  Disinformation on dates and requirements is common, and there is party-organized harassment and vandalism designed to suppress the voice of their opposition. The more legislators can act with impunity to rewrite the rules to suit them - like in NC - the less we have any say in our government, and that’s the goal. 

There are NGOs out there trying to address the violations but no federal laws exist to make every state follow a consistent procedure. The Voting Rights Act has already been hobbled by SCOTUS, and while it does protect access to the vote, it doesn’t regulate, it only litigates. And as we have seen, those wanting to keep their power feel just fine about ignoring the courts, because there’s always another, friendlier partisan appeals court out there. 

 There are no real advocates in government to pass this kind of regulation, because even the Democrats will gerrymander and appoint their cronies, and they don’t want any laws that will affect their ability to play the same game as the Republicans. Reforming the whole system, not just campaign finance reform and getting rid of the Electoral College, is key. The normalizing voice out there says, “The system worked, my candidate just lost.” If we believe that lie, we can’t pretend that we are, or have ever been, a democracy. Obama may have won, but the GOP is on the case, being sure that they bend the rules to ensure it never happens again. Election rules are a moving target and the GOP feels just fine about moving it their way. 

It’s clear that the GOP is intent — and always has been — on setting up a one-party government. That is the exact definition of a dictatorship. As long as the states can get away with writing their own election laws, they will achieve that. So it’s not really the Russians we should be concerned about. Or Hillary’s lack of charisma, or her failure to talk to the deplorables. It’s the system we have such faith in, that’s about to strangle us. 

Dec. 2^nd a bus loaded with veterans headed out to North Dakota to uphold their oath to protect the USA from all enemies foreign and domestic. Private Security and Morton County as well as authorities from surrounding states with militarized extravagance had waged a vicious assault on unarmed, peaceful, prayerful water protectors who for many years have suffered at the hands of these conquerers who occupy nearly all of their traditional territory.

Terrorist employees of the Black Snake [Energy Transfer Partners, ETP] inflicted the maximum damage they could during altercations at the front lines that is the barricade between their drilling abomination [without permits to do so] under the Missouri river, and the Oceti Sakowin camp.

This note describes very well why the deployment of veterans was so desperately needed.

It will comprise the bulk of this report.

Nate Frischkorn·Thursday, December 22, 2016

“Welcome home, brother.” These were the words that greeted me at the gate of Oceti Sakowin. As we drove down Flag Road to find a place to pitch our tents, a feeling of joy and relief flooded over me. We made it; we were here now. Over the next 6 days, the words of the gateman continue to hold a special place in my heart; I was home. After 27 years of wandering, I had finally found a place that felt like home. During the 6 days that I spent in Oceti Sakowin, I felt more at home than I have anywhere I have ever been.

They say that home is where the heart is, and my heart had been on the North Dakota plains for four months before my body arrived. Home is family, and I found family there. I felt much closer to the people there, including many of other races, than I have with most of those with whom I share a common ancestor.

Home is community. At Oceti Sakowin, I was able to, for a very short time, be a part of the strongest community that I have ever experienced. In a non-hierarchical society, everything that is accomplished is done through volunteer efforts, and that’s how everything happened at Oceti Sakowin. No one was there to tell you what to do; if you saw a need, you jumped in and did what you could to fill it. The kitchens, the medical tent, the firewood, the food distribution, the distribution of warm clothes and supplies, all of this was accomplished by people who saw a need and stepped up to the plate.

Everyone who was there, was there for the same purpose. We were there because we have a vision of a better world. We were there because we want to change the world. We were there because we want to make the world a better place. It was something you could feel in the air there, no one had to say it explicitly. Every act was done with intention, and something as simple as stacking wood by someone’s tipi took on a sense of importance. Every action was meaningful, and actively contributed to the bettering of the world.

I was there for less than 24 hours when the idyllic vision was drastically shaken. After being offered a warm yurt to sleep in for the night, our group was getting ready for a nice warm early night. I was halfway in my sleeping bag. The date was the 20th of November. Someone came running into the yurt and told us what was happening. “They need warriors on the bridge; people are getting shot.” Within just a few minutes, we were out of our sleeping bags and on our way to the bridge.

Over the next several hours, the most horrific scene that I’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes unfolded. During those same hours, I saw many acts of selfless bravery. Even in the face of tear gas, rubber bullets, fire hoses, pepper spray, and police grenades, a strongly resilient people were working together to help each other. When someone was too injured or frozen to get away from the front line, another protector would put their body on the line to help that person, even though doing so meant that they were going to be shot and sprayed as well.

Within my first 24 hours of being at Oceti Sakowin, I saw the absolute best side of humanity being brutalized by the absolute worst side of humanity. When someone takes headshots with a 40mm rubber bullet, and sprays hundreds of people with a fire hose nonstop for 7 hours in 15-degree weather, that person is saying “Your life does not matter.” There was an intent to injure, and in the conditions that existed and the ways the weapons were being used, they became lethal.

Videos exist of that night if you want to know more about what happened. I will not focus on the ugliness. Love is stronger than hate, and we must remember that we are not fighting against a thing, but we are fighting for a thing.

The morning of November 21st offered what I found to be the most powerful, poetic experience of the entire week. In one moment, the entire movement was made perfectly visible.

After a couple hours of fitful sleep, in the hour before sunrise, we heard the call for warriors to return to the bridge. Those on the other side of the barricade had brought up a tractor, and there was a grave concern that they were getting ready to move the barricades and raid the camp. So we returned to the bridge.

It was much quieter than it had been a few hours before. The fire hoses had stopped, and the rubber bullets and tear gas canisters were no longer flying through the air. The bridge was covered in a sheet of ice from the water that had been used to brutalize those who were trying to protect it.

There were about a hundred of us there. We stood, exposed to the police line, with arms linked. Most of us who were there had been there just a few hours prior, on the receiving end of state sponsored terrorism.

An elder stepped to the front of the line, wearing a blue plaid shirt and a buffalo head. He held a hand drum, and the woman next to him held a bundle of sage. He began to sing. I do not know the words to that song, or what it meant, but I will never forget it. To me, it sounded like a mo(u)rning song. It was beautiful and haunting; sad, but resilient. As he sang the sun up, I stood, staring at the sky, arms linked with those on either side of me, with my tears freezing to my face.

How? How is this possible? How can any people, after receiving 12 hours of escalated violence, continue to stand in peaceful prayer? How can we sing, when 28 of our brothers and sisters are in the hospital, when there are still dozens of people in the medical tents still coming back from hypothermic shock? When the trauma and mental wounds have not even had time to form scars, how? How can such hate be answered with such love?

The answer to this question did not fully sink in until after I had left. For many of the people on the bridge that morning, what happened on the 20th day of November, 2016, was nothing new. The extreme violence and repression against the Native peoples of this land is not simply a part of the history of this country, it is something that has never stopped. What happened on the bridge that night can be traced in a direct line to Wounded Knee, to boarding schools, to the attempted elimination of languages, to the slaughtering of the buffalo, to Wounded Knee again, to Custer, to Sand Creek, to the Dakota 38, to the Trail of Tears, and all the way back to Christopher Columbus. It is a continuation of colonial genocide, and to return to the bridge on the morning of the 21st was about more than healing and prayer. It was a loud statement from the First People of this land saying “We are still here; we are still standing.” After everything that has been brought against them over the last 524 years, they still stand in prayer.

And how can people treat each other so badly? Why is prayer met with violence? Why is love answered with hate?

The answer to this question is unfortunately simple; it has always been this way. Greed leads people to do terrible things. When Custer invaded the Black Hills of the Dakota nation, it was done for gold. Today, our gold is black. Resource extraction and infrastructure has always cost the Natives of this land more than it has cost the rest of us. And any time that they have resisted, they have been met with excessive levels of state sponsored violence.

Their resistance is peaceful prayer. Their resistance is a spiritual resistance. There is a sign on the side of flag road that boldly proclaims “No Spiritual Surrender.” Every moment of every day there is an elder in prayer at the sacred fire that has been burning since the camp was first established. Prayer is central to every action that happens within camp and without. Prayer and ceremony are the guiding lights of Oceti Sakowin. Every direct action taken against the pipeline is an act of ceremony. Ceremony is prayerful resistance, and is performed for both past and future generations.

Every Native that is alive today represents a victory of this resistance against physical genocide. Every prayer and ceremony that is held represents a victory against cultural genocide. 524 years of genocide have not squashed the spirit of the First People. It has made them stronger. It has made them resilient. A few times during my stay at Oceti Sakowin, I wondered how such a strong, tight-knit community could persist in the face of such adversity. It is not strong in spite of adversity; it is strong because of it. Every act of violence and destruction that has been perpetrated against them has strengthened their resolve.

As I stood weeping on the bridge on November 21st, I felt my resolve strengthening as well. Gathering strength from my protector brothers and sisters, I stood fully prepared for anything that came across that bridge. What I saw unfolding there in that moment was a summary of the entire water protection movement. I saw a stark visual representation of two completely incompatible worldviews clashing. Only one can win.

The fight that has been unfolding on the plains for the last 8 months is about much, much more than a single pipeline. Looking back, it is about 524 years of colonial violence. Looking forward, it is a fight for nothing less than the very future of this nation. A worldview is usually an abstract idea, an internal mechanism that we each hold within our own minds. But as the sun rose that morning, I saw two worldviews alive and in action.

And as I looked to my left, to my right, and behind me, I saw a worldview with a vision for our future. A future rooted in love, peace, and prayer. A future built on a foundation of strong community. A future made of respect and care for the earth, and respect and care for all those who inhabit it. A future that sees other humans as brothers and sisters, and cares for all of them. The water protectors vision for the future is this.

As I looked ahead, I saw at the end of the bridge another vision for our future. This worldview is built on a foundation of razor wire and concrete barricades, reinforced with armored vehicles. A worldview rooted in fear, hatred, anger, and violence. This worldview is built on destruction of the planet, and the brutalization of people who desire to take a stand for the planet. Built on a foundation of money and greed, this future has a truly insatiable appetite. This future not only allows, but encourages the raping of our mother the earth.

The fight on the plains of North Dakota is a fight for our future. These two worldviews are incompatible, and only one can win. We are at a crossroads, and we must all decide which way we desire to take. Are we willing to make some sacrifices, in order to better care for others and for the earth, or do we wish to plunge headfirst into the destruction of everything that stands between us and the dollar? Standing on the bridge that morning, there was no middle ground. In reality, there has never been middle ground. Silence is complicity in the face of oppression. Silence is complicity in the face of destruction. We must all decide if we will stand with Standing Rock, and if we will stand with others who are fighting this same fight all over the globe. Or will we remain silent and stand with the oppressor? Standing Rock is not the end; it is the beginning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Upon suffering beyond suffering, the Red Nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of Seven Generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the Sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again.” – Tashunka Witko (Crazy Horse)

If Standing Rock is the beginning, we must understand what it is the beginning of. How do we take this wonderful gift that the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota nation are offering us, and bring healing to the rest of the world?

First, we must love the earth. We must be willing to defend our mother when she needs to be defended. We must not let ourselves be blinded by the dollar. We must remember that we cannot live without our mother. All of our actions must be grounded in our love for her.

Second, we must love each other. We must love our brothers and sisters, even when they are standing on the other side of a police barricade. On the morning of the 21st, after a couple hours of singing and prayer, we began to build our barricade in case the police did decide to raid the camp. Late in the morning, as the crowd grew, people began yelling things at those on the other side. Even though the elders tried to remind us that “We are stronger when we are silent,” people were hurting. But there were 2 phrases that I heard people yelling more than any others. The first was “We love you.” The second was “We forgive you.” Our enemy is not the state, but the corrupt system of earth rape and brutalization that they support. We must remember this, and pray for those others more than we pray for ourselves. We must win them over through peace and prayer.

Third, we must stay grounded in prayer. You may pray in whatever way is best to you. But it is important to remain grounded in the spiritual. Prayer is our weapon. Prayer confuses those who stand against us. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Only love can drive out hate.” We must remain in love and prayer. These times are a sacred gift to us. These times of adversity give us an opportunity to stand up for what is right. We will win, because love is greater than hate, because peace and prayer are more powerful than violence, and most importantly, because we are right.

We must honor our indigenous brothers and sisters, and recognize that they have been fighting this war much longer than we have. We must respect that, and trust their wisdom and guidance. They have learned much in the 524-year war against colonial violence, and have much to teach us if we are willing to listen.

We must build strong communities. This does not only include building strong local communities, but we must build a community of resistance. The black snake is a hydra with many heads. DAPL is one head of the black snake, but there are many other heads that we must fight as well. We must support our neighbors when these fights come to their backyards, and ask for help when they come to ours. We are all in this together. We must continue to sever the many heads of the black snake until we deliver the final fatal blow.

The people of Standing Rock are offering us a gift, a vision of the future. We should graciously accept this gift. We must, if we want the next seven generations to have a future worth living. We are at a crossroads; which vision of the future do you want to see?

“Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” – Tatanka Yotanka (Sitting Bull)

*

Xenored had been hoping for a chance for a peaceful vacation in a sovereign country. Trying to live down to the integrity of Faux had gotten way more difficult as all the networks had stepped up to ignore, miss the point, distract from crucial stories, minimize evenhandedness, and in general, operate as corporate controlled mouthpieces for the 1/10^th of 1%. This group includes pretty much all of congress who have become lackeys to the people with the real power. Xenos' run for POTUS 'As You Could Do Worse' was compromised as was that guy who filled stadiums from coast to coast and even had nature smile upon HIS run [the bird is the word]. Xeno never had that [perhaps if he'd put down his remote and gotten off the couch]. What was that guy's name again? He is good. People all across the country stood up and volunteered time and/or money to support his run. Anyway, a vacation. So South Dakota sounded like a balmy place to rest. It has south in its name for heavens' sake. The destination was only a short bit N of there and still part of Sioux Nation territory as it all had not been taken back yet by the rapacious conquerers. XR News Service wanted to report on goings on just because of the studious ignorance lame stream media displayed with their now fully ingrained media malpractice on any topics uncomfortable to their corporate benefactors and masters.

A lot of water has passed under that bridge

at the Standing Rock Camp or more specifically the Oceti Sakowin camp even if it hasn't been all fast flowing. Alternative news sources have been chronicalling the insanity even at the risk of arrests and abuse. Veterans mobilized nationwide to enter what for some, has become a war zone on American soil. In Dec. Of all months, buses, campers, private vehicles and many hardy souls, from the four corners of our great nation, to say, you abuse one group, you abuse us all. Veterans for Peace, so many brave indigenous warrier veterans, and veterans who took their oathes to heart when signing up to the military, as well as people from Germany, the Ukraine, Columbia, Peru, and so many other places who remain even with the threat of a brutal winter. In addition, some allies and journalists are adding their skills and passion.

Volunteers have worked tirelessly and continue to do so to ensure shelter for elders, women and children and even those so dedicated to the cause that they remain in summer tents, allies, helping out every way they can. I assume all without subzero weather gear have fled or secured more substantial quarters as otherwise Darwin's law will take care of them. The army tent XR News Service stayed in remained at below 32 even with a stove in it, when the temps dipped. Dec.4, right after we rolled in on the veterans bus from NW Wa., a semi load of logs came into Sicangu Oyate Rosebud camp from a Minn. Hardwood mill. I was overwhelmed by this as well as the overwhelming support being offered by those engaged by the proposed forced eviction of the main, Oceti Sakowin camp by the Black Snake builders who have assumed they are above the the law and feel justified in waging war and mayhem for profit and investors as well as exportable fossil fuels.

XR News Service prepared for inclusion with this deployment of veterans to what had become a true American atrocity with hardened knee pads, crotch protection and gas masks for reporters to join troops on the front lines, unarmed allies to the prayerful indigenous peoples protecting the water on treaty land as well as all waters down stream. Reporters all had subzero weather sleeping bags, near full face coverings and subzero weather boots. Xenored had a cold weather bag, his lawn chair and sun umbrella, and his couch strapped to the top of the charter bus [how he finaggled that one we'll never know]. He had some cold weather gear but also had his swim trunks as our destination was close to 'South' Dakota so it must be balmy at times. He was all prepared for a working vacation. Apparently only he had missed first hand reports by allies there, Unicorn Riot, Indigenous News Network, numerous other independent journalists and bloggers, Democracy Now, as well as others. Little to nothing had been front and center on Lame Stream Media so, hoo haw.

A note from one of my bus mates.

Marshal Hunter

Yesterday at 8:09am ·

*

Dec. 6th The deployment to the front was past. A heartfelt apology by the seventh calvary to indigenous elders, had been delivered. Easement [on sunday] for ETP [Energy Transfer Partners] to drill under the Missouri [the actual drilling permit had never been okayed] was denied. The blizzard was getting brutal and temps were predicted to go even lower. Visiters were asked to go home and be with their families. One battle had been won and some national attention was finally focused on this battle. XR News Service reporters knew they had not the depth of experience to report with full understanding on the plight of these brave, prayerful, positive, tenacious warriers for the Earth who are making this stand. The buses were loaded. Xenored was not with them.

The denial to load his couch back up onto the top of the charter bus sealed it. He had wanted to donate it but realized it would be cut up and repurposed with springs holding insulation in place in the structure being finished to protect potable from freezing, the fabric made into blankets and skirts, and the wood burnt for that bit of heat. It was too much. He had failed to aclimate to the wonder of where he was. He was smiled upon anyway.

A truck after it's third trip there to deliver tarpies [easily constructable structures resemblig tipis], stoves and other supplies. It was empty and heading back. Backbone Campaign.org's truck needed some ballast anyway. Better yet it was in need of a relief driver. With the beginnings of a creeping crud threatening our personal selves, and dire warnings of even more extrme weather, we headed out on Wednesday [sooner than intended] after putting on chains just to get out of the camp. The next time the chains came out was right before rolling into Seattle. Xeno finally returned home. His couch is likely still in the back of that truck. At least he has his remote. A couple of more days out and even he would have broken free of the chains that bind him [or not]. Other reporters at XR News Service were repeatedly overwhelmed on this trip and are changed forever.

Standing up by millions is desperately needed now. I know it can happen. It just did. From every corner of the country, in December.

I’m confident that this will pass because it’s California.  If Der Trumpenfuehrer runs for re-election in 2020, this will, no doubt, end up in court and he will wear his little fingers to the bone tweeting about it.  New York is considering similar legislation.

President-elect Donald Trump got away with never releasing his tax returns, despite the fact that virtually all other presidential candidates have done so for the past 40 years. But two California state Senators are authoring legislation that they say would make such disclosure a requirement — if the candidates want their names to appear on California ballots.

State Senators Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said that their bill is in direct response to Trump’s refusal to make his taxes public.

Wiener stated:

“The American public deserves to know that the individual they are selecting to be president will have their best interests at the heart of every decision, not the best interests of any business venture or investment fund. Requiring that this basic financial information be made available to voters will help build critical public trust.”

Or as McGuire put it, “This legislation will help make transparency great again.”

Trump’s refusal to disclose his taxes prompts clever legislation in California