Thanks, Cal, for posting some of the text from that article published on 15 August 202 in "This is Reno" and "Nevada Current" authored by Shelley Harjo, member of the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe.  

The "blah, blah.." you refer to as a summary for the rest of her remarks are also important considerations to a number of the Native Americans in opposition to the proposed LAC Thacker Pass lithium mine.  I am of the personal opinion, and I believe you are as well, in knowing the perspective of those who genuinely feel that development of LAC's Thacker Pass Project would be a negative event.  It never hurts to examine the perspective of the opposition on any issue, whether you agree with it or not.  Unlike many who post on TOB and elsewhere who appear, at least, to be paid bashers that provide only inuendo and name calling as the bulk of their attack against LAC's Thacker Pass Project, Ms. Harjo provides an honest evaluation of the situation from her perspective.  I have had the pleasure to know personally several of the members of the Harjo family and I have no doubt that the "blah, blah" you refer to was an entirely sincere reflection on her part of the sentiments of many Native Americans and not just an opinion unique to her only.

I have provided a link to that full article at the end of this note for anyone interested, but I doubt that there will be any takers of the ability to peruse her viewpoint.  Since, it is unlikely that anyone will look at the whole article I will pick out just a few arguements she made in what I found to be a clearly worded opinion piece:

"The general public needs to understand how scary it can be for tribes. We remember the atrocities the American government committed against us all too well – including government agencies like BLM! "

"American law does not give tribes a right of consent over projects on public land. It only gives tribes a right to consultation."

She contends, in her opinion piece, that it is the right to consultation that was violated by BLM.  She gives specific reasons for that belief in the article and, of course, the present litigation will involve an assessment by Judge Du of those specifics as it reflects on whether or not BLM was correct in allowing for the ROD.

Moving on, the quoted sentences from Ms. Harjo's article below expand upon at least a conception by some of the Native Americans as to the "WHY" they are in oppositin to the Thacker Pass Project.  Perception and Reality don't have to coincide in order to influence how one choses to act in any given situation and, for some situations, Perception carries the more weight than does Reality.  Below, in her words, is her perception:

"Despite the impoverishment we live with on reservations, many of us, as our massacred ancestors did before us, still resist the expansion of mines on our traditional lands because we know mines pollute air, water, and soil, and kill tribal members with cancer. Mines also destroy our non-human kin including some of our most sacred brothers and sisters like the golden eagle and greater sage grouse. 

‘Tokenism of the worst kind’

For many of us Native People, destroying the land that gives us and our unborn generations life, long after the mines, is one of the biggest modern day atrocities committed upon us. I believe, for a few meager financial kickdowns from mining, corporations set to make billions off destroying our land is unacceptable and wrong! 

Lithium Nevada’s attempts to portray my tribal council as representing all Native Americans is tokenism of the worst kind."

So the perception of destruction of the land, desecration of the ancestors of present day Native Americans and Tokenism on the part of LAC are the concepts faced by any, if not most, proposed mining operations here in the Western U.S. today and certainly by LAC viz a viz the Thacker Pass Project in specific.  It would be easy, in some ways, for LAC to sweep those considerations aside perfunctorily without the slightest hesitation and adopt a "Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead" Admiral Farragut approach, but if Alexi Zawadzki is to be believed then LAC has adopted, instead, a commitment to proceed forward once the legal T's are crossed and I's dotted in a fashon commensurate with the "Good Neighbor" policy.  It won't be easy, given how deeply imbedded are the strong biases and preceptions of those Native Americans among those in opposition to the Thacker Pass Project.  However, it is the achievement of high goals by overcoming significant obstacles that makes the taste of success so sweet.  If LAC goes beyond Tokeinism in its efforts then I think that long term success is not only possibly, it is probable.

At any rate, that would be my hope and my own version of "blah, blah".

Okiedo