Damn The Fn Man

the massive, poorly constructed environmental risk that spat all over the Standing Rock Sioux people's treaty rights? that dug up their sacred burial sites? the one where the oil corporation who owned it bought out a private company to do a sham of an "environmental analysis" and never consulted the tribe and STILL didn't actually get approval? the one that's literally operating illegally and without proper permits right fucking now?

yeah, that.

you remember that.

surprising absolutely no one, the army corps of engineers this week (September 8, 2023) released an EIS (environmental impact statement) draft for public comment that takes into account absolutely 0 of the tribe's concerns, and in fact did not consult with them once in the process!

they're going to officially approve the pipeline.

what's the good news?

IT'S A DRAFT. YOU CAN SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT RIGHT NOW UNTIL NOVEMBER 13!!!

This link RIGHT HERE (https://action.lakotalaw.org/action/dapl-eis-2023) will take you to a Lakota Law Project page where they've set up a form to make it easy to submit a comment.

All you have to do is add your name, email, and zip code, and it pulls up a form with a pre-written message you can just click and submit, listing the most pressing concerns. You can also personalize it if you want, but you don't have to. This will take you two minutes. Please.

you can also access the comment information on the USACE website here, email [email protected] yourself, or call Brent Cossette, the contact for the draft, at 402-995-2716!!!

USIA poster, 7/30/1953, NARA ID 5730043.

VOTE ON TUESDAY!

The 2022 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, November 8, and there's still time to ensure you're registered to vote. The National Archives supports Executive Order 14019, which promotes voter registration, participation, and access to voting. See Vote.gov for more information.

USIA poster 10/8/1951, NARA ID 5730163.

American Forces Information Service poster, 1/1/2000, NARA ID 10488372.

Office of War Information, WW2 poster, NARA ID 515775.

More online:

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Voting Rights Special Topics page.

Presidential Elections & Inaugurations Records in the National Archives and Presidential Libraries document elections and inaugurations through history.

Black Americans and the Vote This research portal highlights National Archives holdings that relate to the long struggle for equality in voting rights.

Women's Rights: Suffrage Discover an array of records related to the long quest for women to gain the vote as well as education resources, articles, and blog posts.

Online exhibit: Records of Rights presents records in the National Archives that document the ongoing struggle of Americans to define, attain, and protect their rights

And then we broke up.

And I met the woman who I ended up marrying, and the idea of grinding a hundred hours a week suddenly seemed a lot less appealing to me. So I ended up taking a boring office job out of college, and I swear... I cannot imagine living a happier life. We live comfortably, we take multiple vacations in the Northwoods every year, and I have time for hobbies and my creative projects.

My ex on the other hand... uh... works in the White House? That was an odd thing to run across on the internet. I mean, good for her I guess.

One of the reasons I backed out of joining the Navy in ‘99 was being told that there was an expectation that I would constantly be working towards promotions (ahahahahaha fuck that, I just wanted to be an electrician on an aircraft carrier or something; I had no desire to be in charge of people. Also, I don’t take orders well when I can’t see a reason for following them). When I worked at a casino, I was told that if I didn’t improve my attitude, I would never be promoted from cashier, as if I had any desire to go from a lucrative hourly wage (we were on 60 hour weeks while they were expanding, and  the OT pay was amazing) to a salaried wage with no overtime. I was 19 and saving for college, and my response was, “Being a manager in a place like this is meaningless”. My current manager hates being a manager; it takes time and energy away from the actual work he’d rather be doing.

Some people define their success by climbing a figurative ladder, “getting ahead” as if having a career has to be a massive competition. Capitalism loves to push this definition. It’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with being ambitious; but it’s a tool in an already toxic system which encourages people to think only of themselves and consider everyone else who disrupts their advancement as a threat. I’ve seen friendships and relationships get ruined because of it.