#zinke

INDIAN COUNTRY- Last weekend, Ryan Zinke confirmed that he will be stepping down from his position as Secretary of Interior. He is one of many Trump’s administration that has stepped down down to ethical issues and embarrassment. During his run as Secretary he opened up Indigenous lands to privatization for the exploitation of gas and oil companies.

Yet, when these are just the smallest violations compared to his fashion choice which was the main offence that Native fashion designers critiqued. Within a couple months of his selection for the position, he was spotted wearing USA moccasins in a meeting. Such a decision made people question the rationale of the person who was in charge of their lands.

Tlo’chi’iin spoke a couple of Navajo fashion designers about Zinke’s attire. They were eager to put him on the chopping block. Jason Yazzie, lead designer of DXOX, was quick to comment.

“Personally, I didn’t like the colors at all” he said scratching his chin. “He needed a design that fitted his personality preferably some sketch of a Native women on it”. “He thinks he can manage Indigenous lands with such attire is just a product of fashion colonialism”.

“I would like to see the next Secretary of Interior wear one of my designs”.

Another person  spoke about Zinke’s choice to wear moccasins.  Cheryl Yellowhair, designer at MOC the Walk, felt that Zinke’s run was a mockery to all moccasin wearers.  

“I have heard rumors that Zinke wore moccasins during “Rock Your Mocs” and he isn’t even native”, she said scornfully. “He just perpetuates colonial fashion sense and I work hard to decolonize clothing for Indigenous people”. “He is a working fashion disaster for Indigenous people and lands”.

Zinke’s office declined to speak to our reporters but they did allow us to include a portion of their email in this article.

“Zinke’s professional attire symbolizes his commitment to privatizing Indigenous lands”. “In the spirit of Capital, he is commodifying Indigenous fashion, land, and eventually people”. “His USA moccasin choice was his first step towards accomplishing his goal”. “We are said to see such a fashionable individual leave the position”.

Excerpt from this article from Oregon Public Broadcasting:

As one of his last acts in office, ousted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed off on returning grazing rights to the eastern Oregon ranchers whose prison sentences led to a 2016 standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Convicted arsonists Dwight and Steven Hammond lost their grazing permits after they were sentenced on federal charges for igniting fires on public lands. But President Donald Trump pardoned the ranchers last year.The order grants the Hammonds, a long-standing pillar of the Harney County ranching community, a return of their 26,000 acres of federal land to graze cattle. Zinke cited the pardon as part of his reason for restoring the Hammonds’ permit.

While Zinke’s order was signed weeks ago, it only came to the attention of the local field office in Burns on Monday, the first day the federal government had reopened following a 35-day long partial government shutdown. “We’ve been given direction,” said Jeff Rose, the Burns district manager for the BLM. “We’re just going to work with the Hammonds to make it work. What we do in Harney County is figure it out and make it happen.”

When corruption scandals forced Scott Pruitt to resign as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler stepped in to keep Trump’s anti-environment agenda running smoothly. Now that corruption scandals have forced Ryan Zinke to resign as Secretary of the Interior, former fossil fuels lobbyist David Bernhardt will be doing the same.

“Bernhardt was a fossil fuels and water industry lobbyist ... before he joined the Trump administration. ... Many of Bernhardt’s former clients are lobbying his department now.”

These include:

Cadiz Inc

Westlands Water District

Taylor Energy

Halliburton Energy Services

Targa Energy

Noble Energy

NRG Energy

Eni Petroleum

Sempra Energy

US Oil and Gas Association

Independent Petroleum Association of America

I have an undergrad degree in psychology. I’ve never worked as a psychologist. Would you consider it weird if I called myself a psychologist?

I’m guessing that you would. I certainly would.