Update: Shell drilling rig

http://www.adn.com/2012/12/30/2738222/shell-drill-rig-adrift-again-in.html A small contingent of Alaska tribal groups is planning to protest Royal Dutch Shell's Alaska operations at noon today outside the oil company's Alaska headquarters at the Frontier Building, 36th Avenue and A Street. The effort is being led by Carl Wassilie of Alaska's Big Village Network, Nikos Pastos of the Center for Water Advocacy and Delice Calcote of the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council. The protest organizers say Shell doesn't appear prepared to work in Alaska and that the Coast Guard also doesn't have enough assets to respond to incidents such as the weekend drifting of the oil drilling rig Kulluk. 

12:00pm noon Rally at the intersection of E. 36 th & A street Anchorage, Alaska

Rally to oppose Shell drilling in the Arctic

Alaska groups and Tribes urgently question Shell’s risky behavior in Alaska waters.

U.S. laws require Federal Agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard to provide equal protection under the law.

Real and persistent questions as to the Coast Guard’s availability of assets necessary to respond to non-tank vessel traffic incidents (Kulluk); and the adequacy of Shell's safety preparedness, emergency response and oil spill contingency ability in Arctic oil exploration activities in all Alaska waters.

See: Noble Discoverer safety violations and Kulluk drilling rig reckless drift in North Pacific tropical cyclone storm.

IDLE NO MORE-  Alaska Tribes

sHell no drilling in the Arctic

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/30/2738222/shell-drill-rig-adrift-again-in.html#storylink=cpy

Idle No More: Mission and Who it started with

Idle No More began with 4 women, Nina Wilson, Sheelah Mclean, Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon, sharing a vision of bringing together all people to ensure we create ways of protecting Mother Earth, her lands, waters and people.  The women began discussing the possible impacts that some of the legislation would carry if people do not do something.  It became very evident that the women  MUST do something about the colonial, unilateral and paternalistic legislation being pushed through the Government of Canada’s parliamentary system.  They began with a piece of legislation called Bill C-45 which attacked the land base reserved for Indigenous people.
The women decided that they would call a rally to inform the public that this bill intended to, without consent give the minister of indian affairs power to surrender the lands reserved.  They felt that this would ultimately make room for oil, nuclear and gas industries to tear up the land for profit.  From this rally they also informed the public on other legislation that affected and ignored the treaties made with the crown but also the waters, land and people that it would impact in very harmful ways.
The women then helped other communities to coordinate efforts to hold similar rallies with the same goal in mind - Stand up and speak up against undemocratic and internationally illegal government acts.  These rallies took place all across the country.
The women seen that there were many other communities that needed to come together in an act solidarity and resurgence to assert their inherent rights as a sovereign Nation, thus The National Day of Solidarity and Resurgence was called for December 10, 2012.  This was an enormous event that never in history seen many nations and diverse groups of people come together.  These events and acts have continued to grow and from the talk of grassroots has no intention of slowing down.  The group called Idle No More have witnessed these events spreading out internationally within the united states as well as the United Kingdom sharing in helping to support our cause of opposing the government’s actions as well as support to asserting our Nationhood.

The women will continue and remain in a position to have the grassroots voices be heard by;

• Supporting and encouraging grassroots to create their own forums to learn more about Indigenous rights and our responsibilities to our Nationhood via teach-ins, rallies and social media.
• Build relationships and create understanding with allies across Canada.
• Take steps to contribute to building relationships with international agencies such as the UN to raise awareness to the conditions Indigenous people have been subjected to and assert our sovereignty in the international arena.
• Acknowledge and honor the hard work of all grassroots people who have worked, and continue to work towards these goals.  They are the inspiration for IDLE NO MORE

Mission

Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. 

Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth. On December 10th,  Indigenous people and allies stood in solidarity across Canada to assert Indigenous  sovereignty and begin the work towards sustainable, renewable development. All  people will be affected by the continued damage to the land and water and we welcome Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies to join in creating healthy sustainable communities. We encourage youth to become engaged in this movement as you are the leaders of our future. There have always been individuals and groups who have been working towards these goals – Idle No More seeks to create solidarity and further support these goals. We recognize that there may be backlash, and encourage people to stay strong and united in spirit.

We contend that:
The Treaties are nation to nation agreements between Canada and
First Nations who are sovereign nations. The Treaties are agreements that cannot be altered or broken by one side of the two Nations. The spirit and intent of the Treaty agreements meant that First Nations peoples would share the land, but retain their inherent rights to lands and resources. Instead, First Nations have experienced a history of colonization which has resulted in outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing.
We contend that:
Canada has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world by using the land and resources. Canadian mining, logging, oil and fishing companies are the most powerful in the world due to land and resources. Some of the poorest First Nations communities (such as Attawapiskat) have mines or other developments on their land but do not get a share o...
f the profit. The taking of resources has left many lands and waters poisoned – the animals and plants are dying in many areas in Canada. We cannot live without the land and water. We have laws older than this colonial government about how to live with the land.
We contend that:
Currently, this government is trying to pass many laws so that reserve lands can also be bought and sold by big companies to get profit from resources. They are promising to share this time…Why would these promises be different from past promises? We will be left with nothing but poisoned water, land and air. This is an attempt to take away sovereignty and the inherent right to land and resources from First Nations peoples.
We contend that:
There are many examples of other countries moving towards sustainability, and we must demand sustainable development as well. We believe in healthy, just, equitable and sustainable communities and have a vision and plan of how to build them.
Please join us in creating this vision.

Mission and Plan of Action

MISSION

Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth.

On December 10th, Indigenous people and allies stood in solidarity across Canada to assert Indigenous sovereignty and begin the work towards sustainable, renewable development. All people will be affected by the continued damage to the land and water and we welcome Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies to join in creating healthy sustainable communities. We encourage youth to become engaged in this movement as you are the leaders of our future. There have always been individuals and groups who have been working towards these goals – Idle No More seeks to create solidarity and further support these goals. We recognize that there may be backlash, and encourage people to stay strong and united in spirit.

PLAN OF ACTION:

Support and encourage grassroots to create their own forums to learn more about Indigenous rights and our responsibilities to our Nationhood via teach-ins, rallies and social media.
Build relationships and create understanding with allies across Canada.
Take steps to contribute to building relationships with international agencies such as the UN to raise awareness to the conditions Indigenous people have been subjected to and assert our sovereignty in the international arena.
Acknowledge and honor the hard work of all grassroots people who have worked, and continue to work towards these goals – you are our inspiration.

http://idlenomore1.blogspot.com/p/background-on-idle-no-more.html

Rio Tinto is named after this river they polluted

Acid Mine Drainage in the Rio Tinto River (Spain) - one of the
world's most extreme cases of AMD pollution.

ENDING THE NUCLEAR AGE: Chicago 70 year memorial December 2

Anti-nuclear global citizens visit Manhattan 

Project radioactive waste site in Palos Township

Seventy years and a day after the first atomic chain reaction that started at University of Chicago, Illinois; opponents of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons gathered Monday at a forest preserve in Palos Township outside of Chicago. The peaceful Red Gate Woods is where radioactive waste was buried decades ago on a site topped with a granite marker …

http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/index.html?story=16789822

Nikos Pastos, from the Center For Water Advocacy, casts his shadow on a stone marker while photographing the buried nuclear waste site of the Manhattan Project on its 70th anniversary at Red Gate Woods in Palos Township, Illinois, Monday, December 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun Times
Media

(Carl Wassilie, Alaska's Big Village Network, stands next to the nuclear tombstone in Palos Park, Illinois)

CAUTION- DO NOT DIG

BURIED IN THIS AREA IS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL FROM NUCLEAR RESEARCH CONDUCTED HERE 1943-1949. BURIAL AREA IS MARKED BY SIX CORNER MARKERS 100 FT FROM THIS CENTER POINT.  THERE IS DANGER TO VISITORS. (NO is eteched out)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

1974

Gail Snyder, of Homer Glen, talks with others about the radiation readings she is getting on her meter at the site of the buried nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project at Red Gate Woods in Palos Township, Illinois, Monday, December 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun Times Media

Anti-nuclear supporters marking the 70th anniversary of the Manhattan Project walk past capped well heads surrounding the buried nuclear waste site at Red Gate Woods in Palos Township, Illinois, Monday, December 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun Times Media

Anti-nuclear supporters marking the 70th anniversary of the Manhattan Project walk past capped well heads surrounding the buried nuclear waste site at Red Gate Woods in Palos Township, Illinois, Monday, December 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun Times Media

Times Media

"On December 2, 1942, an experiment at the University of Chicago led by Enrico Fermi produced the world’s first human-made sustained chain reaction, and launched the Nuclear Age.  The Nuclear Age has not been kind to everyone –  beginning (AND ON-GOING) with the people of Japan.   The Faustian bargain continues to this day – with the Japanese again becoming nuclear victims after Fukushima, and the world threatened by the continued presence of both nuclear weapons and nuclear power radiation releases and wastes."
www.neis.org

"America's Secret Chernobyl"

 Charmaine White Face, Zumila Wobaga, is an Oglala Tetuwan (Lakota language speaker) from the Oceti Sakowin (Great Sioux Nation) inNorth America

http://www.defendblackhills.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113%3Aamericas-secret-chernobyl&catid=16%3Auranium&Itemid=27

Indigenous Peoples with the Defenders of the Black hills are calling out to the World to address the "past and planned uranium and coal mining in the Northern Great Plains region that should give cause for alarm to all thinking people in the United States. This is the area that has been called "the Bread Basket of the World." For more than forty years, the people of Northern Great Plains and beyond have been subjected to radioactive pollution in the air and water from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps."

Letter to Sen. Begich re: China's Human Rights Violations Against Tibet

TAKE ACTION: CALL FOR TIBET Thank you for taking the time to call your Senators to ask them to vote in favor of Senate Resolution 356. (SR 356) Together, we can make sure this resolution for Tibet receives the resounding support it deserves. Every call also helps build global pressure to stop China's violent attacks and supports the Tibetan people's cries for freedom. Here are a couple of helpful tips for calling: When you call, ask to speak with the staff member responsible for foreign affairs. If this person is unavailable, ask to speak with a legislative aid; Remember to introduce yourself (ie. My name is Tenzin and I am a Tibetan-American living in your state. I'm calling you today because I hope Senator X will vote in favor of Resolution 356 on Tibet when it comes before the Senate floor). NOTE: If you're passed through to an answering machine, make sure to request a call-back and leave your full name and phone number; Relay an update on the urgent situation in Tibet; Thank the staff person for his/her time and make sure to get his/her full name and contact information; Follow-up by faxing and/or emailing the Resistance in Tibet Summary Sheet to your representative's office. Please let us know how the call went by making a log of your call. Your feedback is important so we can follow-up with your Senators as needed. Thank you for speaking up for Tibet.

Make a call to Senator (D-Alaska) Mark Begich's Office Phone: (202) 224-3004 District Phone: (907) 271-5915 Log a call to Senator (D-Alaska) Mark Begich's Office Make a call to Senator (R-Alaska) Lisa Murkowski's Office Phone: (202) 224-6665 District Phone: (907) 271-3735 Log a call to Senator (R-Alaska) Lisa Murkowski's Office

Ask your Members of Congress to: Co-sponsor Senate Resolution 356 on Tibet and vote in favor of the resolution when it comes before the Senate floor; Write to China's ambassador to the US to express concern over China's violent crackdown in Tibet; Sign the Stand Up for Tibet pledge: http://standupfortibet.org/enough/dk-speakup-petition-1/ Issue a public statement of concern from their office. Read the Resistance in Tibet summary for an overview of the current situation in Tibet. Read more about China's failed policies in Tibet.

Honorable Senator Begich,

This letter is to notify you of the ongoing matter of China’s violations of Human Rights against Tibet and her peoples. As China increases the iron fist of tyranny, and continuing to force the extreme conditions of genocidal nature against the people of Tibet, I would like you to take note of current events of significance of humanitarian concern.

Tibetans and their supporters have been peacefully protesting the extremely violent acts of China in many forms, not limited to Tibetan’s protesting in self-immolation. The Tibetans peacefully burning oneself to death underscores the significance of Tibetan independence and freedoms in their history as a distinct People with their own culture, religion, language, and land. Most of the self-immolations have been occurring within the Chinese occupied boundaries of Tibet as an understatement to the harsh Chinese government oppression of young Tibetans to practice their own religion, speech, and language. I also would like to note that China is continuing to arrest Tibetans and bringing them to forced labor camps in Tibet and around China.

Yesterday, March 26, 2012, the 30^th Tibetan set himself on fire in protest against the unbearable regime China is waging against Tibetan freedoms; to breaking many of the international covenants and treaties of Human Rights upon which the United States is signatory. This event is significant because it is only the second to occur in India where there is a growing community of Tibetan exiles.

The young Tibetan man was in Delhi, India. He had already escaped the borders of Tibet and could live in relative safety, freedom and good conditions in India. Still, Jamphel Yeshi, a healthy powerful educated young man, decided to burn himself, by his own hands to exemplify the suffering occurring by Tibetan people.

Senator Begich, as a representative of the Alaska’s people, full of merit and elected, in a country that is built on human rights, please use Your powerful voice to promote the cause of Tibetan independence.

Just consider the 30 individuals who burned themselves: They were ready to die. How much damage could have been inflicted upon others if they were terrorists like many other peoples on this earth. Tibetans are examples from the future of civil conscience and respect for life.

If we let them down, we are letting down the whole human race.

Best regards,

Carl G.Wassilie

sHELL: No drilling in the ARCTIC

Alaska's Big Village Network

Protesting

sHELL drilling in the ARCTIC!!!

supporting the international days of action........

Thanks to Real People in Alaska

Thanks to Earl Kingik for publicly standing up to Shell

Thanks to US Constitution for allowing this freedom of speech against a foreign multi-national corporation set to seize on America's Arctic.

Thanks for the Bowhead Whale for providing thousands of years of beauty, food, culture and sharing with the Iniut.

Thanks to Human Beings to Save the Arctic.

Stop sHell: SAVE THE ARCTIC

sHell is negligent around the World.....Stop sHell (click to watch video)





"On 24 Feb 2012 seven people including actor Lucy Lawless scaled the 50 meter drill tower on a drillship commissioned by Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic. They set up camp at the very top of the ship's drilling derrick and barricaded the access ladder. There they stayed for four days and three nights to prevent the ship from leaving for the Arctic. With phone cameras, a laptop and a solar panel they proceeded to speak to the world via a 24/7 live feed on the web and the response from around the world was overwhelming. Just before their eventual arrest on the fourth day Lucy Lawless summed up the impact of this action in this tweet: Seven of us came up the tower on Shell's drillship but 4 days later 130,000 will come down. In solidarity we can #savethearctic. By the time they did come down over 135,000 people had email Shell demanding an end to its Arctic oil drilling."

Oil and Gas Threaten Cultural Survival

Offshore Oil & Gas Activities Threaten Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples Cultural Survival

January 26, 2012

Anchorage, Alaska

As the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission meets with expert Scientific Advisors today to hear about the impacts of oil and gas development in the Arctic; Tribes, indigenous peoples and water advocates voice their opposition to offshore oil and gas activities. The scientists, traditional indigenous elders, and Tribal governments have clearly stated the need for more research and long-term planning to identify baseline information and cumulative impacts on the coastal and marine ecosystems. A precautionary approach is necessary when federal agencies such as National Marine Fisheries Service evaluate requests for incidental takes of endangered and threatened marine mammals such as the endangered Bowhead and Cook Inlet beluga whales

The groups are concerned about the adverse, disproportionate, cumulative impacts of oil and gas activities on indigenous peoples, tribal citizens and Alaska Native villages. Federal Agencies are permitting offshore oil and gas exploration and development in science-deprived, marine ecosystems without addressing the cumulative impacts of oil spills, effluent discharge, drilling mud disposal, methane and other gas releases, physical habitat disruption, ship strikes, chronic acoustical impacts and other industrial associated activities that follow exploration, development and production of oil and gas.

The groups urge the state and federal regulatory authorities to learn lessons from the Deepwater Horizon oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico so that such disasters are not repeated in Alaska. They argue that management agencies need to stop attempting to weaken Alaska’s relatively strong oil and gas regulations as hydrocarbon exploration and extraction activities offshore involve inherent risks, particularly, in the icy waters of the Arctic and Cook Inlet where environmental impacts are poorly understood or as yet unknown.

The groups also point to the fact that aggregated and chronic industrial acoustics are the least understood impacts on marine sea life and subsistence species, such as the endangered bowhead whale, and critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale.

“The well-being and health of the plants and animals in the aquatic and marine ecosystem are related to the well-being and health of the indigenous peoples whose culture and identity are intrinsically connected with the traditional tribal economies derived from the ecosystem.” Carl Wassilie, Yup’iaq Biologist. “A large oil spill like the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill will severely disrupt and destroy cultural resources and cultural survival in such a sensitive environment like the Arctic and sub-Arctic.”

The actions by federal agencies to allow offshore drilling in the Arctic will cause irreversible harm to hundreds of indigenous communities with the inevitable harm upon subsistence resources by all phases of resource extraction. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 22 years ago is a case example of an oil company telling folks that a very large oil spill will never happen; yet when it did, the people that survived the on-going catastrophe continue to suffer from lies, deceit and outright violations of human dignity and rights to subsistence.

Delice Calcote says,” Alaska Inter-Tribal Council has standing resolution 2005-08 opposing outer continental shelf oil and gas activities in the Outer Continental Shelf. Oil and gas mineral exploration & development activities pose an imminent threat to hundreds of coastal Tribal communities’ customary traditional cultural life ways of hunting, fishing, gathering,harvesting, barter, trade and navigation.

The North Pacific Right Whale has been observed in lower Cook Inlet and no Oil and Gas Activities, including Lease sales should be permitted in Cook Inlet until the status of this whale is fully documented by Traditional Knowledge experts and independent assessments by experts.

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