Instead of feeling excited in regards to the upcoming election, lots of my patients and friends—no matter their political affiliation—report feeling panicked on the considered the “other side” winning. Democrats tell me they fear Donald Trump will end our democracy; Republicans fear Kamala Harris will turn the United States right into a socialist society with no family values.

Watching the news exhausts people on either side. sad and scared in regards to the future. Each half of the country is dropped at faith The other half are silly, deeply misguided, immoral, dishonest, or maliciously plotting to damage the country they love.

I’m a psychiatrist who focuses on the treatment and research of hysteria and fear. My book “Fear: Understanding the aim of fear and using the facility of fear“” examines the politics of fear and the role the media plays in modern anxieties. Scientific insights into fear can provide a helpful perspective on election anxiety and a few practical suggestions for managing politics-related worries.

Humans are a tribal species

As humans, we’ve got a robust tendency towards education Group affiliationswhether based on national, ethnic, religious, sporting, school or other social ties. People care more about their very own group members. Researchers have found that areas of Brain involved in empathy is more energetic For example, when people see a member of their very own college being injured versus someone from a rival college.

Tribal tendencies usually are not biologically tied to a specific racial, ethnic or national identity. Rather, all individuals are born with the need to Search for membership with the confidant.

Tribalism can intensify within the face of a perceived external threat. An outside threat can paranoid towards “others” not in your group and more trusting towards your tribe members and tribal leaders.

This instinct just isn’t necessarily bad. Tribalism has helped humans survive as a species by fostering the unity mandatory to fend off an invading tribe, predators, or natural disasters.

Media and politicians emphasize tribal ties

Politicians and the media know how you can exploit our tribalism to form a wagon train. They can trigger the tribal mentality to get people to avoid or attack the opposite side and proceed to donate, vote, and watch their very own side's news on cable.

For most media within the USA, as for all corporations, revenue is the highest priority. The most vital thing for them is Number of hours you watchscroll and click on. Science shows that emotions, especially negative ones, attract attention; fear makes people Stay here.

Media organizations on either side of the political spectrum recognize that Negative news captivates the audienceNo matter what news channel you watch, when was the last time you turned away out of your television feeling glad, energized and at peace? More often than not, you find yourself feeling just like the whole world goes up in flames.

These dynamics are amplified during election campaigns, as politicians seek money and votes and the media seize the chance to sell more promoting.

Dealing with fears about political news

You can handle your mental health and your country at the identical time. Here are some practical suggestions:

• Resist the tribalism trap. Remember that in the event you are afraid of the opposite side, your primitive instincts take overand let your critical considering skills fall by the wayside. It is not possible for the political leaders and media you discover with to at all times be right and the opposite side to at all times be mistaken. Be skeptical, especially when a message is fear-mongering.

• Reduce the load and select what you eat. The news programs within the US concentrate on a number of topics and inundate you with countless dramatic political evaluation and commentary. Five more hours of stories consumption is not going to add anything to what you learned in the primary hour, but it can contribute to your emotional exhaustion. My patients who limit media consumption to an hour of their favorite news program feel significantly better and are still informed. If you possibly can read as a substitute of watching, try this. Be informed, not overwhelmed.

• Ensure a balanced messaging behavior. Don't get stuck within the limited worldview presented by your group. Make sure your news weight loss program includes neutral sources and other points of view. The boring news sources are sometimes the less emotionally draining ones.

• Stay open to the positive. If you might be afraid, Attention followsby specializing in stimuli relevant to what scares you. This is an evolutionary function that tries to guard you by specializing in the danger. Override this instinct by intentionally directing your attention to positive news. Read stories about science, health, art, sports, and community service.

• Experience the actual world. What you see shapes your beliefs. directs your emotions. Break out of the bubble of negative news you might be trapped in and have interaction with the actual world. Visit your neighbors and nature. Balance your emotions by engaging with the largely protected and respectful real world.

• Resist the trap of division. Reject demonization of others. Political beliefs are just one a part of an American's identity. Make an effort to search out common ground outside of politics. You can go to the gym, eat together, discuss art and science, or garden with individuals who have different political beliefs.

• Maintain your routines. It's essential to take care of the conventional life routines, hobbies, and social contacts that make you glad and balanced. Remember that exercise is an important antidote to anxiety.

• Channel the energy. You may give in to fear, depression, or hatred—or you possibly can channel that energy into positive political engagement, productive conversation, and an effort to learn the facts. Instead of being afraid, decide to be politically passionate.

Remember, this election cycle will pass. Use this time as a chance to expand your political knowledge. Be smitten by your side, do what you possibly can to support them, go vote. Don't be afraid.

The Muwekma Ohlone indigenous tribe is searching for federal recognition with a cross-country horseback riding trip, and its grassroots campaign appears to have won the sympathy of the San Jose City Council, with several members proposing a supporting resolution.

But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents San Jose and supported the tribe's petition a long time ago, warned the council Wednesday against interfering in a federal matter and the precedent that overturning the Bureau of Indian Affairs' decision on the matter could set.

“Doing this for one tribe would raise significant equity issues for other tribes who have also received adverse decisions through the BIA process,” Lofgren wrote in a letter to town. “I urge the Council to more carefully consider these and other complicated issues that would arise from Congress's overturning of the BIA's independent, fact-based decision.”

The Muwekma Ohlone, who last counted 614 members, have stressed the necessity for federal recognition to own land, receive federal assistance, and help repatriate artifacts held by government agencies and public museums. Without the popularity that proves their legitimacy, the tribe is just not entitled to those advantages.

The tribe's ancestral lands reportedly include parts of Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo and Solano counties.

The BIA, which last granted federal recognition to a tribe five years ago, denied the Muwekma Ohlone's request for recognition in 2002, saying it didn’t meet three of the seven required criteria. After a district court in Washington, DC ruled in favor of the BIA in 2011, an appeals court affirmed the choice two years later, leaving the one other option for recognition to be through an act of Congress.

The tribe is on a three-month, nationwide “Trail of Truth” protest that began in San Francisco on Sunday and is scheduled to finish in Washington, DC.

Charlene Nijmeh, the tribe's chairwoman, said Wednesday that a neighborhood resolution was necessary to indicate lawmakers in D.C. that she has the community's support.

“That's what Trail of Truth is about: advocating for justice, not just for the Muwekma, but for all unrecognized, unheard tribes who feel overlooked,” Nijmeh said.

However, the tribe will face an uphill battle to win congressional support.

While Lofgren supported the tribe's original request, he noted that it was unprecedented for Congress to overturn a BIA denial in spite of everything appeals had been exhausted.

“While I supported the tribe's application to the BIA more than two decades ago, I also believe it is important to respect fact-based decisions so that all tribes have a fair and equal opportunity to apply for recognition,” Lofgren wrote.

Only in a single case has Congress overturned a BIA decision, when it granted recognition to the Little Shell Chippewa Indian Tribe in Montana. In that case, Montana lawmakers had added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act signed in December 2019, an amendment that has nothing to do with a law. Before passage, the Little Shell Tribe appealed the BIA's denial, and its subsequent attempts before Congress were thwarted.

Lofgren and other local congressmen, who didn’t reply to requests for comment, even have a contentious history with Nijmeh, who unsuccessfully contested Lofgren's House seat on this 12 months's primary, and with the Muwekma Ohlone.

Last 12 months, there have been confrontations between parliamentarians and the tribe, accusing their representatives of spreading misinformation and writing fake news about their positions.

Nijmeh had previously accused Lofgren of hindering the tribe's efforts to achieve federal recognition, calling her a “colonist.”

Lofgren's letter resonated with some council members, who asked during a Rules Committee hearing Wednesday to delay the support resolution from the Aug. 13 City Council agenda by two weeks to Aug. 27 to assemble more information, further angering Nijmeh.

“It's very disheartening that you're playing politics here with Zoe Lofgren,” Nijmeh told the San Jose Rules Committee, continuing her accusations that Lofgren was “bought” by gambling tribes.

Fifth District Councilman Peter Ortiz, who attended the tribe's protests in San Francisco last weekend and supported the support resolution, stressed that it was necessary for the City Council to know the complete context when making its decision.

“Unfortunately, historically there are recognized tribes that act against others,” Ortiz said. “Even the BIA has used its weapons against unrecognized tribes. I hope all of these things come up in the discussion because it's very important to have that context.”

Originally published: August 8, 2024 at 16:00

The United States has a protracted history of exploiting resources on indigenous lands while ignoring tribal resistance. But federal energy regulators' decision to disclaim permits for seven planned hydropower projects suggests the tide may very well be turning.

As the U.S. transitions from fossil fuels to scrub energy, developers are searching for sites to generate electricity from renewable sources. But in an unexpected move, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Permits denied on February 15, 2024 for seven proposed hydroelectric projects in Arizona and New Mexico.

The reason: These projects were throughout the Navajo Nation and were proposed without prior consultation with the tribe. FERC said it was “Establishing a new policy that the Commission will not issue preliminary permits for projects proposing the use of tribal lands if the tribe on whose land the project is to be located rejects the permit.”

we’re a cultural anthropologist and a Water resources geographer who’ve been studying tensions between indigenous rights, climate policy, and water management within the United States and globally for over 20 years. In our view, the Commission's decision could mark a historic turning point for intergovernmental relations between the U.S. government and indigenous nations.

How might this recent approach impact future energy development on tribal lands across the United States? Given the federal government's long history of exploiting Native American resources without tribal consent, we’re monitoring FERC's actions for more evidence before concluding that a brand new era has begun.

Extraction on tribal lands

Around the world, many indigenous communities argue that their lands have been treated this manner Sacrificial zones for development. This also includes the USA, where the federal government holds 56.2 million acres in trust for various tribes and individuals, primarily in western states.

The Trust the responsibility Requires the U.S. government to guard the lands, resources, and rights of indigenous peoples and to respect tribal sovereignty. Advising tribes on decisions that affect them is prime to this relationship.

Energy resources on Native American lands include: Coal, oil, uranium, Solar, wind and hydropower. There is a protracted history Coal and uranium mining in Navajo Territory within the southwest, and tribal lands at the moment are targets Renewable energy projects. Large portions of known reserves of vital clean energy minerals, comparable to copper and cobalt, exist on or near homeland.

Many past energy projects have left scars. Navajo lands are affected by abandoned uranium mining sites that endanger the health of residents. Over 1.1 million hectares Tribal areas were flooded through lots of of dams built for hydroelectric power and irrigation. Fossil fuel pipelines like Dakota Access in North Dakota and Line 5 in Wisconsin and Michigan carries oil through Native lands, endangering water supplies within the event of a leak or spill.

Impact of the hydroelectric project

The seven permits that FERC denied in February 2024 were requested by private firms that wanted to construct pumped storage power plants. These systems pump water uphill to a reservoir for storage. When electricity is required, the water flows downhill through turbines, generating electricity because it flows back right into a lower reservoir or river.

Currently there may be over 60 pumped storage suggestions Pumped hydro storage typically requires the development of big concrete-lined tunnels, power plants, pipelines and transmission systems to make it possible Cause damage to surrounding properties.

Extracting water for hydroelectric power could impact rivers and sacred sites culturally and spiritually vital for a lot of tribes. These projects also pose a threat Water safety – a critical issue in arid western states.

Colorado River water is already over-allocated to western states, which have the legal right to withdraw more water than is on the market within the river. Therefore, many pumped storage projects would require groundwater to fill their reservoirs. The proposed one Big Canyon Project in ArizonaFor example, as much as 19 billion gallons of groundwater could be required, drawn from aquifers that provide local springs and streams.

FERC’s Trust Responsibility

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is an independent agency Licenses and supervision interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil; natural gas pipelines and terminals; and hydropower projects. Under a Act of 1986The agency must consider aspects comparable to environmental quality, biodiversity, recreational activities and tribal contributions when making licensing decisions.

However, the US government has a protracted history of success Implementation of projects despite resistance from locals. For example under the Pick-Sloan planIn the late Nineteen Fifties and early Sixties, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built five dams on the Missouri River, flooding over 350,000 acres of tribal land. Tribes weren’t consultedand communities were forcibly relocated from their ancestral homelands.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton enacted Executive Order 13175, which directs federal agencies to conduct “regular and meaningful consultation and cooperation with tribal officials” to develop federal policies that impact tribes. Each agency interprets do that.

In his first week in office of 2021, President Joe Biden affirmed this responsibility and appointed U.S. Representative Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior – the primary Native American to guide the agency that manages the U.S. trust responsibilities to Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

FERC’s recent direction

Tribes have described the record of FERC consultations with Native Americans as “miserable.” However, the agency has recently begun to make its operations more inclusive.

In 2021 it’s established a brand new office for public participation, a move that then-Chairman Richard Glick called “long overdue.” And in 2022, the agency released its Equity Action Planto make it easier for underserved groups to take part in decision-making.

In canceling the projects in February, FERC cited Concerns of the Navajo Nation, including negative impacts on water, cultural and natural resources and biodiversity. It also states: “To avoid permit denials, potential applicants should work closely with tribal stakeholders prior to submitting applications to ensure that tribes are fully informed about proposed projects on their lands and to determine their willingness to support project development.” to be considered.”

Balancing clean energy and environmental justice

Many other energy projects are proposed or planned on or near tribal lands, including a dozen pumped storage power plants on the Colorado Plateau. All 12 are rejected by tribes due to a scarcity of consultation and since the tribes are still fighting to secure their very own legal access to water on this contested basin under the 1922 Colorado River Compact.

We recently analyzed FERC's handling of this Big Canyon Pumped Storage Project, which could be situated on Navajo land in Arizona, and concluded that the agency had not adequately consulted the tribe in its preliminary approval. As a part of its February ruling, the agency has reopened the general public comment period on Big Canyon for one more 30 days, with a choice expected later in 2024.

The Biden administration has set ambitious goals to halt climate change and speed up the transition to scrub energy Promoting environmental justice. In our view, achieving these goals requires the Federal Government to meet its trust responsibility more seriously and consistently.