Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Support for both sides at Standing Rock

Letters to the Editor | November 30th, 2016

To the editor:

I support the movement to not build the DAPL. I support the protestors. I support the law enforcement and emergency personnel.

I find it absolutely absurd that people think that if you support law enforcement you support the DAPL; or that if you do not support the DAPL, then you do not support law enforcement. In many news reports and people's personal Facebook statuses, I have seen so many generalizations about people that it's ridiculous.

I support the movement to not build the DAPL for one big reason. Some oil companies are not being held strictly accountable for current regulations. One simple search for a scholarly article would bring up the many pipeline leaks that have occurred and how companies are getting a slap on the wrist for it. I would be completely for the DAPL if there were a better record of companies being held accountable.

As someone who is more for clean energy I realize that the vehicle I drive takes gas, which comes from oil. I realize that many of the products I use come from oil. I would rather have oil from the U.S. than from across the ocean. Here is the thing though: companies need to be held accountable.

I support the protestors for two big reasons. Remember that thing called the First Amendment? People have the right to peacefully protest. Second, I full-heartedly agree that oil is and will affect the water.

I support the law enforcement and emergency personnel. I support them to help keep the situation in line.

I do NOT support law enforcement treating any person cruelly. Spraying water at protesters in freezing weather? Seriously. This is a first world country, let's start acting like it.

I do NOT support protestors causing harm to any other person (other protestors or law enforcement). I do NOT support politicians who just sit back and do nothing. I do NOT support companies being able to do something illegally because of the industry they are in or because they have a lot of money.

The next time you go and make a statement make sure you can back it up with facts. Please also remember to not make generalizations. Not all protesters are bad, not all cops are bad, not all elected officials are bad, and not all companies are bad.

-Morgan Kastner Glyndon, Minn.

Recently in:

By Bryce Vincent Haugen By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States. As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake…

By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…

Wednesday, March 25, Group lesson 7 p.m., Dance 9 p.m.Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Avenue North, FargoCare to dance? If you don’t already know how to dance, the Northern Lights Dance Club can show you a thing or two about social…

By John StrandDisclaimer: This editorial is the work of someone who’s spent most of his adult life working in the media — most of those years co-owning this very entity, the High Plains Reader, since 1996. The notion that folks…

By Ed RaymondThe bells are ringing for everybody on the planet As ICE, the worst of the worst law enforcement agencies in the Divided States of America, continues to use unconstitutional procedures to find the worst of the worst…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Sabrina Hornung There’s a Bosnian saying that states simply, “It’s a sin to throw away bread,” which really resonates with me — especially growing up with grandparents who lived through the Second World War and the Great…

The Slow Death at The AquariumSaturday, March 21, doors at 7:30 p.m. The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include…

By Sabrina HornungJD Provorse is a horror movie enthusiast and Fargo-based podcast host. Both he and cohost Michelle Roller have a comedy background and started the wildly entertaining podcast “We Watch Shudder” in 2022 as an…

By Jacinta ZensGraffiti is something we all see routinely on trains as they pass through the metro. If you pay attention even a little bit, you will notice that some graffiti pieces on train cars look much better than others in…

Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liverani In November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…

January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…

By Jim FuglieI’m feeling a little mean right now. It doesn’t happen often, but I tend to pay attention to politics and politicians and I’m pretty disappointed in one of our politicians right now. So I’m going to be mean to…