Yesterday when the news came in that the Federal authorities had halted construction of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline I literally jumped for joy.

I’ve never even been to Dakota, to my knowledge I have no native blood, BUT I was standing with Standing Rock, with the Native peoples and the tribes who felt that this pipeline was going to hurt their drinking water and infringe on their sacred land.

This was an attack on the Native peoples, in favor of richer white folk (where the original pipeline route had been re-routed from).

Standing Rock brought a lot of emotions out of people, it brought up Native land right issues, the historical treatment of Native peoples, the general position of corporations in America and so much more.

It bonded caring people of all colors, it bonded Americans. Social media was ignited with support, people went there to show support (even if they didn’t fully understand the concept of the peace camps).

The final straw seemed to come just at the right time. More than 2000 Army Vets were expected to turn up in support and the issue was growing way beyond shutting up some hippies and a few Native folks.

The Huffinton Post reported:

The Department of the Army has denied the final easement required for the $3.8 billion project to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota, it announced Sunday. Instead, it will conduct an Environmental Impact Statement to examine the impacts and explore alternative routes, it said.

“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternative routes for the pipeline crossing.”

And

In a statement, Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II applauded the news.

“We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing,” he said.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country “will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision,” Archambault added. He noted his hope that the incoming Trump administration would respect the decision.

“My hands go up to all the water protectors who have stood up to protect tribal treaty rights and to protect Mother Earth,” National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby said in an emailed statement. “Thank you for Standing For Standing Rock.”

src. Huff.

Of course, the CEO of the pipeline company is already begging Trump to reverse the decision of the Obama administration but surely it can’t now, surely this is a sealed win, at least we can hope.

This win brings a much bigger lesson. The fact is that the Sioux did not back down. They vowed to stay through winter. They joined forces with other Native tribes, they united with people all over America and all over the globe and their shear strength grew in us all.

We should never back down, we should unite for common cause, stop any fighting and find things to fix, fight and keep pushing.

Thank you to all who participated and keep up the fight to make sure this doesn’t get reversed.