One thing worthy of comtemplating in the mining discussion and its relation to politics is scale.
The organizations working on a regular basis against mining are similar to a 1000 armed octupus. It is involved in most levels of government via bureaucracies and politicians bought and paid for along with taxpayer monies being transferred back to this octupus. Look at the large scale funding sources (generally activist hedge funds) and how policy is purchased. We are but small players in a dollars game.
This battle will not be won with one political victory. It will be won when the alternative government currently in place is removed from our bureaucracies operating outside of the normal house, senate and presidential or gubernatorial system we all believed was the government. It will be won when the judicial system is repaired and the political activists are removed for the most part. It will be won when corporate boards have removed those political activists.
We do need to understand that these people currently forcing their will on this government do not play by normal rules. They make them up as they go to win. Rules for radicals if you will and any ends justify those means. That being said, the battle will be won one election at a time so that the political scale is tipped enough to remove these problem individuals and activists from our governing "system".
The systems I refer to are simply means to enforce political control of the money in that "system" whether it be environmental, energy or land use policy as it relates to mining. If the current system of political control is not working for mining and I would be sorely pressed to say that it is, remove that one politician, judge and corporate board member at a time who is purchased so that we slowly return control back to those people who do not have the dollars these people are playing with.
A system that remains the same with the same results is one in which the people do not recognize the source of the problem nor are involved enough to remove it.
One must recognize what that problem is first however and then work to remove that party looking to "rig" the system of political control to their financial benefit. In theory, this is one politician at a time.
In reality, the source of your problem is the money behind those involved with the purchased Democratic party and are in the end looking for that one party world government system from which there will be no return or political recourse for a citizen of this former "country".
Does this problem only exist in the Democratic party?
Of course not. It is however the cause of the problem for mining in Minnesota and this nation now currently.
The end game is political control of the money and people of this country. The means are but a sideshow to that end. The solution whether we accept it or not is political.
Activism is fine and serves a shorter term purpose. It does not however solve the long term problem we will continue to have if that is not corrected.
Best wishes mining supporters. Continue to discuss in your groups and as a larger group the correct solution will eventually be realized with a workable solution. I don't pretend to think I know it all. As one opinion in that voice we will get there eventually when many think over the same continued problems we all have.