[alumphfres]

1. This was the Worst Chokejob in Protesting History.
Chokejob Definition - When you completely melt down and blow a game or match that you were about to win. This can also mean when one player or team is dominating a competition until the play poorly to let the opponent back in the game.

Protesters had a huge lead from the beginning it was working. Everyone was talking about or supporting Standing Rock. However, things quickly unraveled. Word spread like wildfire; infighting among leaders, poor planning and violence gave this movement a bad name. It became a very dangerous, angry place. Now, sadly only a few hundred protesters remain.

2. This Protest was Hijacked by Too Many Agendas.

Hippies
Environmentalists
Eco-terrorists
The Unemployed and Homeless
Non-Profits
And of course, celebrities pushing their own agendas. There was never a common voice at Standing Rock. Standing Rock became a place to take a selfie and to say you were there.
Finally the Tribe realized it’s movement had been hijacked, when Standing Rock Chairman David Archambault stated, “We’re asking that all protesters return to their homes. The battle over the pipeline is over.”

3. Standing Rock became the Biggest Fundraising Scan in Protest History.

Millions of dollars were raised and hardly any of it was ever used to help the cause on the ground. More than 11 Million Dollars was raised on GoFundMe alone. Wes Clark Jr. and Michael Woods raised more than one million dollars. That money is still unaccounted for… Nearly 100,000 ‘gifts’ from all over America piled up in warehouses. Protesters couldn’t sell them fast enough to make room for more. Today, there’s still money being raised for the protest and the protest site is just about empty ‘cept for cleanup crews.

4. The Hypocrisy of the Movement Was Eye-Popping.

An environmental movement that was supposed to be peaceful certainly was not. The environmental protesters vandalized equipment; they threatened lives. The protesters slaughtered buffalo. This was supposed to be about protecting the water. But the trash refuse and human waste left behind made the water worse. This protest was anti-oil, but the carbon footprint at the protest site was enormous.

Hopefully, Native American Tribes have learned from the mistakes of Standing Rock, North Dakota.

[wardancer]

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[subeeds]

I wasn't aware they slaughtered buffalo.

[wardancer]

Originally Posted by subeeds

I wasn't aware they slaughtered buffalo.

They did. With permission. Had to feed all those people !

[Seeking Truth]

It didn't help, or maybe it did? That social media helped push certain issues. For me, the biggest joke? Most of my Facebook friends were "Checking-In' at Standing Rock, in the comforts of their homes.

Didn't help that Jill Stein was tagging on a few things herself. Didn't help when the new President has millions invested in the pipeline as well.

In the end. They would had continued to build the pipeline, paying fees. Unless it was completely halted by the Pres.

[WhoMe]

I helped raise $1200 for the legal defense of the protectors that were arrested. Then I helped with a toy drive for the children in the camps so they could have a good Christmas. I sent money to individual protectors. And finally I participated in NoDAPL protests and marches on my own time and gave interviews to the press.

Since then...

I found out the $1200 I helped raise for legal defense instead is going to be used for clean up and for the tribe to help make up for the loss in casino revenue. The toys I helped gather never made it to the children and are possibly still in some warehouse. The protectors I sent money to were asked to leave by the tribe. The tribe and BIA police assisted in the removal of the protectors.

Last month I was invited to help with coordinating logistics for the big protest march in Washington DC on March 10.

"NO THANKS. I'M DONE WITH STANDING ROCK!"

[AmigoKumeyaay]

The one time, everybody was asked to "Check-In" to inflate the numbers, supposedly to confuse the agencies watching the camps.

Many of the anarchists at Oceti Sacowin it was Burning Man, and soon conflicts arose at
the camps, lots of cultural protocol problems.

The Big Picture: this tar sands oil was destined for China, who holds 4 Trillion of US National Debt. Oil is seen as way to lower the US national debt overall.

Seems to be a future in Oil Spill Containment & Clean-up jobs, sad to say, but good pay while waiting for Burning Man.

[CaudwellianDialect]

Who said it failed? How are you measuring failure? They've blocked a pipeline that would otherwise have been built years ago. It still isn't even built yet.

Does the fact that Flint Michigan still has poisoned water mean the residents of Flint Michigan failed?

The pipeline is not even complete yet. So already the protesters and activists and supporters have succeeded in preventing construction thus far.

When guerilla forces lose to a vastly superior force they consider that a win. The Standing Rock protesters have nothing but the courage of their convictions. They are outnumbered and outgunned, and yet they brought a multi-billion dollar corporation to its knees. This was even when they were backed by the most powerful Nation-State on the planet.

So already we have a partial victory, and as modern day conflicts go, perseverance counts for a lot.

Adjust your ends to your means.

Maybe the pipeline will eventually be built - but as Trump's critics are showing - pressure works.

If you can keep the pressure on, you can at least force them to give you a better bargain, or keep them on their toes. You can have people more vigilant about checking the water to make sure it is safe to drink. You can have people continuing to support you, at all levels, in whatever way they can so that you can continue to go after the matter politically and socially.

Keep an internet campaign going. Keep a social media campaign going. Keep digging up dirt on the Dakota Access Pipeline and the companies funding it. Already Wells Fargo has lost billions over it. That is another point of victory.

This issue is bigger then the Dakota Access Pipeline. This issue is about native rights in general, Global Warming, and the need for alternative energy. It is about all our water supply, not just the natives.

Also, stop blaming the natives. They had very little to no power compared to the US government in this situation. That is like blaming protesters against the USSR when Stalin sent in the tanks.

As for specific points:

1 - All political movements have this problem. The Founding Fathers were divided between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Civil Rights Movement had MLK and Malcolm X. The GOP has the religious right and the libertarian right.

2 - Again true with all movements. Diversity can actually be a strength more then a weakness.

3 - Anecdotes. Do you have any documentation for widespread corruption? I can accuse the GOP of corruption all I want, and give personal stories all day, but unless I provide evidence I can tell you right now in a debate my claims would be laughed at.

4 - Every movement will have some degree of hypocrisy. Tell me one movement, where there was absolutely zero hypocrisy.

Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. MLK was a Christian, and the Bible includes passages which promote genocide. FDR illegally kept booze on his boat. That doesn't mean morality and hypocrisy do not matter at all as guiding principles, but a movement should not cripple itself in all practical aspects.

You talk about the waste - if it is people's right to protest, why weren't proper facilities provided? Is this a right that just exists on paper, like you have the right to flap your wings and fly to the moon?

Rights must exist on a practical level, if they are to have any value at all.

In any case, trust me if that Pipeline spills oil, the waste generated by these protesters will be a drop in the bucket.

As for killing buffalo - you ever eat cheese burgers? According to a Hindu that could make you a greater hypocrite and monster then killing a buffalo.

Accusations of violence - again where is the proof? We SAW violence by the authorities, I saw none by the protesters.

If anything is failing, it is the system. This is the same system that elected a reality TV show host to the horror of the rest of the world. It is a system that can never admit when it is wrong, and instead blames individuals for exercising their rights.

I notice this all the time. The homeless are lazy. The poor are stupid or have personality flaws. People on food stamps need to get a job. Environmentalists are looking for handouts. African-Americans are race-baiting. Inequality is caused by people ordering expensive coffee at Starbucks. The problems with corporations is not capitalism it is - consumers - consumers who actually want products! Pollution - don't look at the super-rich companies, look at the poor guy who tossed a soda can on the ground. Pay no attention to how a school is underfunded - look at how negligent the parents are, or lazy the kids are or welfare-state hippy the teachers are!

I call it the "Blame the Janitor!" principle. Don't blame the CEOs, or corporate structure or capitalist system or shareholders - when things go bad you make sure the blame slides downhill. Ultimately, according to such logic, it makes the most sense to blame the janitor.

The fact is individuals are flawed and they will always be flawed. That will never change, and if your movement demands everyone be perfect all the time, then it will fail.

That is why systemic problems require systemic solutions. This Pipeline, and the brute force it represents with regards to violating individual rights, Constitutional principles and international treaties brings attention to these problems in the system.

So long as the people remain aware and engaged this supposed "failure" can be turned into a victory. Even if the Pipeline is built, people can call attention to it. People can galvanize around it. People already have.

[wyo_rose]

Yeah, I don't think it failed, and even though it grew too fast and wasn't perfect, I feel good that I donated to individuals who actually were there protesting.

[CaudwellianDialect]

Also, the way the authorities were acting, someone noted that if the protesters did use actual violence, they likely would have used lethal force. And why did they feel the need to lock up so many journalists?