I beg you not to fall into the right vs. left paradigm.

This is a false dichotomy to create division within the population.

It is the so-called left – I was a Democrat and I am far left – that pushed the lies about Covid19 injections on everyone.

    > People lost their lives, their jobs, and their family over this.

   > I had many of my family members die alone.

It is the so-called left that has us supporting far-right Nazis and Ukraine in a senseless war against Russia

    > Those same people are now giving cluster bombs to Ukraine.

It is the current ¨progressive¨ administration that will use any leverage to get your vote in 2024.

It is the so-called left who have turned the support of alternative sexual preferences into the mutilation and the sexualization of children.

Do you think that beer company is on your side?

Remember who was in control in D.C. during the militaristic attack on protestors in 2016 at Standing Rock – I was there and I saw and understood.

The so-called left is not your friend.

Neither is the so-called right.

Unite with the independents and fight to take back the country – it has been hijacked, we are being poisoned, and our land is being polluted.

You are being systematically propagandized.

I am supporting Dr. Cornel West for President. I reject the push by the 1% to turn us against each other.

https://www.cornelwest24.org/

Regarding Ben and Jerry´s, who is owned by Unilever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_%26_Jerry%27s

In 2023, Ben & Jerry’s received criticism for posting a tweet on Independence Day claiming that the United States was founded on “stolen Indigenous land” and that Mount Rushmore should be returned to the Lakota people.^[117][118] In reply, the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation expressed interest in acquiring the Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont which is located on historical Abenaki territory.

Parent company Unilever: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever

In July 2023, the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention included Unilever in the list of “war sponsors” for not ceasing operations in Russia, but continuing to profit from this market.

The common thread of both: appearing to be progressive and helping the environment, but doing only the actions that keep their profits.

When I got together with some friends a few years back to help amplify the landback movement, I could never have foreseen this week’s war of words between South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and an ice cream company — and yet, here we are! I’m guessing you’re familiar with Ben & Jerry’s, who make delicious desserts; more importantly, they use their business platform to champion social justice issues. This year for the Fourth of July, they posted on their website asking people to sign our Lakota Law petition and commit to returning the Black Hills — and Noem’s beloved Mt. Rushmore — to the Lakota.

Thank you, Ben & Jerry’s!

Noem wasn’t the only one to pitch a fit in response. Just as they did when Anheuser-Busch dared to feature a trans person in a Bud Light social media campaign during this year’s Pride Month, conservative activists immediately began calling for a boycott. Outrageously, publicly hating on trans and Indigenous people — saying the quiet part out loud — has become all the rage for the far right in the summer of 2023. 

At least there’s a silver lining to all the idiocy. The more anti-woke rabble rousers embrace the idea of canceling things they disagree with, the more their hypocrisy shows. The more they put their bigotry on display, the more they drive reasonable people into the progressive camp. And by coming after Ben & Jerry’s, Noem and her ilk actually amplified our very important message about Native justice and sovereignty, ensuring it showed up in another national news cycle.

So today we send our deep appreciation to Ben & Jerry’s and to you for helping us make a difference in the world. Let’s keep the discussion going and the pressure on. I pray that, one fine day, the Black Hills will be back where they belong: in Indigenous care!

Wopila tanka — thank you for helping to return the sacred.
Tokata Iron Eyes
Organizer
The Lakota People’s Law Project