Debbie says:

Laurie and I tend to stay away from what I call “big world” politics (goings-on in the world which are not body-image related) on this blog, but there are no rules. So today I want to shout-out Idle No More and today’s day of action. Their website lists well over 50 events, in Canada and around the world.

Idle No More is changing the face of Canadian politics and (I fervently hope) represents a way forward that doesn’t look like a way backward.

The impetus for the recent Idle No More events, lies in a centuries old resistance as Indigenous nations and their lands suffered the impacts of exploration, invasion and colonization. Idle No More seeks to assert Indigenous inherent rights to sovereignty and reinstitute traditional laws and Nation to Nation Treaties by protecting the lands and waters from corporate destruction. Each day that Indigenous rights are not honored or fulfilled, inequality between Indigenous peoples and the settler society grows.

This website seeks to provide ongoing information on the historical and contemporary context of colonialism, and provide an analysis of the interconnections of race, gender, sexuality, class and other identity constructions in ongoing oppression. This website also seeks to make visible what has often been untold – some of the powerful personal stories of those who have been moved by the spirit of Idle No More. Idle No More has provided hope and love at a time when global corporate profits rule. We invite everyone to join in this movement.

Idle No More has launched large and active protests against the various tar sands pipelines (including the Keystone XL, currently a pawn in the U.S. government shutdown “negotiations”), citing the effect of tar sands exploration on the daily lives of First Nations people in Canada, as well as the larger-picture environmental effects. Started by four women in Saskatchewan last year, they are a group driven by indigenous people, and they welcome everyone who supports their mission.

Today’s date was chosen “because that’s the date 250 years ago that King George III signed the Royal Proclamation, which, in its concluding paragraphs, sets out policy for the Crown’s relationship with the ‘nations or tribes of Indians’ and the lands ‘reserved to them.'”

Idle No More is extremely social-media savvy. Their Facebook group has 48,000 members. Their Facebook “Likes” are in six figures.

I just sent them some money, and I’m promoting their message here. I hope you will think about doing one or the other, or both.