#waterislife
John McCain ‘Encourages’ Desecration of Sacred Peaks, Flat-out Lies About Source of Water
By Klee Benally
@eelk
Flagstaff, AZ — On March 28, 2013, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) made it very clear that he doesn’t care about Indigenous Peoples or public health. McCain would appear to be in the pocket of multimillionaire ski area owner and Scottsdale based real estate developer, Eric Borowsky.
In his statement, McCain intentionally omits the full story of the decades long struggle to protect the Holy San Francisco Peaks from Snowbowl expansion and sewage effluent snowmaking, including the facts that the case has gone up to the Supreme court and has been recognized nationally as a precedent impacting Indigenous People’s religious freedom (Navajo Nation v. United States Forest Service). Even the United Nations has begun to weigh in on the issue.
McCain’s statement is wrought with factually inaccuracies.
McCain: “After a long struggle with the federal government, snowmaking is finally working there, just as many of us anticipated.”
FACT: The Coconino National Forest Service approved treated sewage snowmaking in 2005 and defended its decision in court using tax -payer’s dollars.
The Federal Government in the form of the Coconino National Forest Service aggressively fought to insure Snowbowl could expand and make snow from treated sewage. Six Indigenous Nations and three environmental groups filed lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service for allowing the Arizona Snowbowl to expand its operations and extend its season using artificial snowmaking.
From 2009-2010, the City of Flagstaff held secret meetings with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to find another, less controversial, source of water (which ended up only adding to the controversy). At that point USDA Secretary Vilsack sent a letter that announced he would not sign a permit to allow reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking at Snowbowl. Instead it will be from an “expanded” source. Snowbowl did not “struggle with the federal government,” – In fact, the ski resort owner worked alongside the USDA in hopes of receiving an 11 million dollar government subsidy and access to Flagstaff’s drinking water.
In 2009, McCain vowed to block Obama appointees to the USDA if wastewater snowmaking at Snowbowl wasn’t immediately approved.
McCain attempts to portray Snowbowl as a victim of the National Environmental Policy Act, “The federal government’s environmental studies of the project cost about $1 million with Arizona Snowbowl bearing the brunt of those costs.” Evidently McCain prefers that developers have their way with public lands without any environmental impact study.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement reveals:
“It is unrealistic to think that the Snowbowl would be a significant driver of tourism activity or the economy” – Coconino Forest Service Draft Environmental Impact Statement Page 3-121
“In contrast with a number of other ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain region, the Arizona
Snowbowl is not a dominant driver of growth and the economy in its host community.” – Coconino Forest Service Draft Environmental Impact Statement Page 3-71
The ski area plan would “further contaminate the spiritual purity of the entire Peaks beyond the historic and existing levels.”
Final Environmental Impact Statement Vol 1 Page 3-18
“Snowmaking and expansion of facilities, especially the use of reclaimed water, would contaminate the natural resources needed to perform the required ceremonies that have been, and continue to be, the basis for the cultural identity for many of these tribes.” -Final Environmental Impact Statement Vol 1 Page 3-18
“The proposed action would represent the highest degree of potential disproportionate adverse impact to Native American cultures.” – Final Environmental Impact Statement Vol 1 Page 3-370
McCain states, “During the season’s opening weeks, a thick base was laid on the slopes using about one-fifth of treated water made available by the City of Flagstaff.”
“…treated water” is one thing, treated sewage effluent is another.
Considering that the Forest Service, ADEQ & City of Flagstaff conducted no studies on human impacts if anyone were to consume the treated sewage snow, how responsible is that?
John McCain is also in the midst of wrestling the Navajo & Hopi Nations into waiving rights to the Little Colorado River: And he has authored multiple bills [SB1003, S1973-1] to expedite forced relocation of Dine’ families from their homes on Black Mesa.
McCain states, “I encourage all Arizonans to enjoy the remaining two weeks of this year’s snowmaking season at Arizona Snowbowl.” He is really calling for further desecration of the holy Peaks.
More info: www.protectthepeaks.org, www.truesnow.org
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Article by Brenda Norrell, Censored News
Reprinted with permission.
April 14, 2023
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The Intercept and Grist began releasing new TigerSwan spy documents in new coverage of the mercenaries hired by the Dakota Access Pipeline. They now have 50,000 TigerSwan spy documents, and another 9,000 are held up in the court battle for now. The documents reveal TigerSwan spying on Water Protectors at Standing Rock in North Dakota, Bold Iowa, and at other locations.
Reporters Alleen Brown and Naveena Sadasivam expose the new spy documents in their article, After Spying on Standing Rock, TigerSwan Shopped Anti-Protest ‘Countinsurgency’ to Other Oil Companies.
The article follows an expensive court battle by The Intercept seeking the release of the documents. The North Dakota Supreme Court ordered the release after TigerSwan was found operating without a license in North Dakota.
“The released documents provide startling new details about how TigerSwan used social media monitoring, aerial surveillance, radio eavesdropping, undercover personnel, and subscription-based records databases to build watchlists and dossiers on Indigenous activists and environmental organizations,” The Intercept writes. Read the article at The Intercept: https://theintercept.com/2023/04/13/standing-rock-tigerswan-protests/
Paiute journalist, drone activist and filmmaker Myron Dewey was among those that TigerSwan spied on and stalked at Standing Rock 2016-2017, as revealed in the new documents that were ordered released by the court.
On Tuesday, the driver that killed Myron Dewey on an isolated road near his family’s home in Yomba, Nevada, entered a surprise plea bargain deal that was cut with a new prosecutor assigned to the case in Nye County, Nevada. John Walsh pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of vehicular manslaughter.
This TigerSwan spy document, showing TigerSwan stalking Myron Dewey and Prolific the Rapper at Standing Rock on Dec. 17, 2016, is from the new documents at The Intercept. Document link: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23773105-tigerswan-document-daily-intelligence-update-20161217
Below: From the TigerSwan spy files just released: The power of the global movement, with its heart in Standing Rock.
Below: The first flood of documents show how rattled DAPL was over the involvement of celebrities, the Standing Rock Chairman at the United Nations, Bernie Sanders, the Palestinian flag flying, and big orgs. The doc is from a pitch that TigerSwan made for more work, hustling another pipeline to spy on resistance.
 |
Above: TigerSwan surveillance used drones and helicopters.https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23773104-tigerswan-document-daily-intelligence-update-20161014  |
Above: TigerSwan spy file at Bold Iowa. The mercenaries hired by the Dakota Access Pipeline called Bold Iowa Water Protectors “belligerents.” Document link:
TigerSwan spied on, and stalked the media, including Paiute journalist Myron Dewey, Amy Goodman at Democracy Now, and myself, publisher of Censored News, as revealed in the newly released documents by The Intercept and Grist. TigerSwan used its surveillance on the media in its pitches for more spy work to other oil and pipeline companies.
TigerSwan turned its surveillance at Standing Rock into a potential money maker, using it for powerpoints in its pitches to other oil and pipeline companies for spy work.
TigerSwan even stalked the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, in its high-stakes spying for dollars.
TigerSwan’s Opposition Model, shown below, was used as a potential maker in PowerPoints to other oil and pipeline companies.
The Intercept described the battle for these documents.
“A discovery request filed as part of the case forced thousands of new internal TigerSwan documents into the public record. Energy Transfer’s lawyers fought for nearly two years to keep the documents secret, until North Dakota’s Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the material falls under the state’s open records statute,” The Intercept said.
“Because an arrangement between North Dakota and Energy Transfer allows the fossil fuel company to weigh in on which documents should be redacted, the state has yet to release over 9,000 disputed pages containing material that Energy Transfer is, for now at least, fighting to keep out of the public eye.”
TigerSwan spy documents on Water Protectors
Note: The documents show that TigerSwan spied on Censored News, as shown in today’s article at The Intercept.
#waterislife
Indigenous Action Podcast Ep. 9: Against Colonial Logics: Rethinking Resistance to Resource Extraction
Ep. 9: Against Colonial Logics: Rethinking Resistance to Resource Extraction
Many Indigenous frontline resistance struggles are wrought with strategies and tactics that reinforce colonial logics. From resource extraction resistances, “honoring” treaties, green capitalism, and Indigenous non-profit capitalists, how do we identify, challenge, and go beyond these issues so we can more effectively fight for liberation?In this show we hear from Bearcat reporting from the frontlines […]
Subscribe: iTunes | Spotify
Many Indigenous frontline resistance struggles are wrought with strategies and tactics that reinforce colonial logics. From resource extraction resistances, “honoring” treaties, green capitalism, and Indigenous non-profit capitalists, how do we identify, challenge, and go beyond these issues so we can more effectively fight for liberation? In this show we hear from Bearcat reporting from the frontlines of the Treaty People Gathering and powerful perspectives from Amrah and edxi about their frontline experiences and analysis. As always, claws out!
Guests: edxi betts is an Afro Blackfeet Indigenous trans feminine Pinay multi media insurrectionary artist & organizer. Her work entails political education while providing material support to oppressed & colonized communities. Creating art/media for the sake of propagating resistance culture, counter narrative and collective liberatory projects that spark discourse, sources of healing, critical thought, dialogue, and direct action. More info & support: www.linktr.ee/bettsurevolt
Amrah Salomón J. is a writer, artist, activist, and educator of Mexican, O’odham and Tohono O’odham, and European ancestry. @oodhamantiborder @defendoodhamjewed Cashapp: $DefendOodhamJewed Paypal.me/DefendOodhamJewed Venmo: @DefendOodhamJewed
Jenn Bearcat (she/her): Newe-Numa (Tosa Wihi) from Doka Badee, so-called Northern Nevada currently residing in Albuquerque, NM. She’s a 3rd generation land defender with a healthy respect for a diversity of tactics and a healthy distrust of the state. She contributes to a network of organizers and frontline defenders confronting issues surrounding colonization.
Host: Klee – Instagram: @kleebenally
About the podcast: Welcome to Indigenous Action where we dig deep into critical issues impacting our communities throughout Occupied America/Turtle Island. This is an autonomous anti-colonial broadcast with unapologetic and claws-out analysis towards total liberation. So take your seat by this fire and may the bridges we burn together, light our way.
Subscribe, like, share on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play. Check us out on the channelzeronetwork.com.
Email us at IAInfo@protonmail.com.
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Dawn
April 2, 2013 at 7:49 PM
Thank you for writing this!!!!! ♥
Christine Prat
April 3, 2013 at 8:16 AM
Traduction française:
http://www.chrisp.lautre.net/wpblog/?p=1654
Sharda Sneed
May 21, 2013 at 10:10 AM
John McCain followed his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals, into the United States Navy, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. In October 1967, while on a bombing mission over Hanoi, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture, and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. His war wounds left him with lifelong physical limitations.'”^;
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