The article makes clear that white republican men in the place of the protectors would have the police on their side to defend their lawful property rights and this would not be an issue the oil company has no case . I personally don ' t like the author urging the use of guns to protect one ' s property , as I believe it would escalate the violence rather than defuse it . Though that too is a 2 nd amendment issue viewed favorably by republicans . In other words , ' Republican principles are under attack while the pipeline may proceed ' is the gist of the article . The title might be clickbait but the content checks out if the goal of the author was to demonstrate a point of commonality between water protectors and the republican rank and file . Insofar as that may promote understanding between people and broaden support for the protectors , I view the ultimate result of shutting down the pipeline a net progressive victory .