Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day or, as many racists still like to call it, Columbus Day!
While many of us Natives will be honoring this day with a time of deep reflection, mostly to show the world our steadfast resiliency in the face of over 500 years of settler oppression, Governor Stitt and his crew of cornpone lackeys are celebrating a recent win in his ridiculous on-going war over the tribes of Oklahoma,
Last week, in keeping with Oklahoma’s long traditions of cheating, stealing and murdering the tribes that have historically lived here or were forcefully moved here, the Environmental Protection Agency granted Oklahoma regulatory control over all environmental issues on tribal lands, stripping around 38 tribes of their sovereignty.
From The Young Turks:
The EPA has now granted the State of Oklahoma the same authority it had before McGirt on environmental issues, especially on petroleum. It can do this because federal legislation can nullify Supreme Court rulings. In 2005, a midnight rider attached to a transportation bill took away environmental regulatory control by Oklahoma tribes if requested by the state as it has now done. The Oklahoma state government is pro-fossil fuel and pro-big agribusiness.
Even though the Tribes have continually tried to keep their lands free from governmental control—the same government that currently believes climate change is a lie concocted by a 17-year-old Satanic Swede—sadly, the only thing that really matters in Oklahoma is oil and Stitt is absolutely willing to furiously masturbate his deep-seated hatred against Indigenous peoples just to get a couple of bucks worth.
With this new ruling, the state government now has the right to start and maintain fracking operations at will, as well as dump hazardous wastes and byproducts of petroleum on the land. And don’t forget all the urine and feces from livestock operations that’ll now get dumped into bodies of their water. I know there are plenty of places around that still haven’t.
Environmental Ambassador, Elder and Hereditary Drumkeeper of the Ponca Tribe Casey Camp-Horinek said it best in this fiery response:
“After over 500 years of oppression, lies, genocide, ecocide, and broken treaties, we should have expected the EPA ruling in favor of racist Governor Stitt of Oklahoma, yet it still stings. Under the Trump administration, destroying all environmental protection has been ramped up to give the fossil fuel industry life support as it takes its last dying breath. Who suffers the results? Everyone and everything! Who benefits? Trump and his cronies, climate change deniers like Governor Stitt, Senators Inhofe and Langford, who are financially supported by big oil and gas. I am convinced that we must fight back against this underhanded ruling. In the courts, on the frontlines and in the international courts, LIFE itself is at stake.”
As of this writing, Attorney General Peter Griffin William Barr is working with other Republican officials to nullify the landmark McGirt vs. Oklahoma decision, visibly aroused by this recent blow. However, with about a month until the next election, hopefully they won’t get the chance.
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