Scars Upon Sacred Land III: Columbus in Arizona

Apache Leap. Image credit unknown.

Author's Note: This piece first appeared as an entry in the EcoJustice series at Daily Kos on October 11, 2010 ("Columbus Day"), hence the references to the invader. It appears here with minor edits for background into my Scars Upon Sacred Land series.

Today is a day that some folks celebrate as a holiday. They call it "Columbus Day." Me? I call it "European Invaders' Day," and I don't celebrate it.

I do, however, use this day to remember - and to remind myself that it can happen again. And it is.

The latest episode is one state over, in Arizona. And it literally involves European (and Australian) corporate invaders, attempting once again to strip tribes of sacred lands and resources, while plundering, pillaging, and despoiling the environment.

We explored a little of this in last week's EcoJustice with the sordid histories of the two transnationals behind this latest effort, BHP Billiton and the Rio Tinto Group. Tonight, we're going to delve into their joint faux "American" operation: The Resolution Project.

And it's going to get ugly.