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Tar Sands White House Protest August 27 (photo: Josh Lopez)
After a day off Sunday because of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, the Tar Sands Action in front of the White House will resume with more arrests expected Monday. So far, 381 people have been arrested for trying to wake up the US President and the country on what could be “game over” in efforts to slow down global climate change.
[Update: Over 140 tar sands protesters were arrested today (Monday) in front of the White House. The group's counsel, here at the Courthouse, tells us Climate Scientist James Hansen was part of the group arrested.]
On Saturday, tars sands and Keystone XL Pipeline protest supporters assembled in front of the White House — the picture at right — but as planned, did not force arrests. However, the sit-ins and arrests should resume Monday.
Bill McKibben let us know he’s expecting up to 100 people to participate and be subject to arrest on Monday. [We know now there were over 140 arrested today.] So neither the earlier arrests nor Irene kept people from arriving from all over North America, and they’re willing to risk and endure arrest to keep calling attention to the tragedy of becoming more dependent on the world’s second largest carbon deposit.
And this time, President Obama, who has the authority to make the call to stop this dangerous dependency and its climate effects, will be back to hear the message directly. If you’re in the area, come on down to your White House and exercise your rights for your planet and make sure the President hears you. They assemble about 10:00 a.m.
Bill also said that as soon as he’s covered the White House sit in on Monday, he’ll head over to the federal courthouse to join Jane Hamsher (and me) to watch the first day of Dan Choi’s trial for being arrested earlier this year protesting DADT and related issues. For Bill, it’s an important act of solidarity with Dan, who joined Bill McKibben and the Tar Sands Action protest on Saturday, August 20 and spent 2 days in jail as one of the Tar Sands 65.
Jane will be providing periodic coverage for Dan’s trial tomorrow, though live coverage inside the court room is not, I believe, permitted. So watch for her posts and/or tweets.
For a fine summary of the tar sands and Keystone XL Pipeline issues, here’s Bill McKibben being interviewed by Chris Hayes this past Friday on Last Word.
26 Comments
Thank you, Scarecrow. Damn, I wish I could be there.
Since I can’t, I’m continuing my $10 a month stipend to FDL as well as being a card carrying member. If you guys are going to keep this up you’re going to need a monthly stipend!! In Middle America Math.
You all are invigorating!!
Hey, openhope, thanks for your ongoing support. It’s been great to watch these people provide the leadership and integrity that seems so lacking in our elected officials.
And I’ve fixed the title, which said “Dan McKibben” –!!– the stories are become mixed in my head.
Thank you, Scarecrow, for a fine update with a terse summary of the issues in that video. Arboreal forest destruction to get to something for a process worse than if you just “burned dirt” (lignite) seems a waaaaay stupid idea. New Zealanders discussed that point this year (see Lignite and Climate Change: The High Cost of Low Grade Coal) regarding lignite, tar sands and oil shale. Meanwhile, Licella Energy Resources (LER) Ltd. of Australia’s pitches just that based on the “they’re already doing tar sands” argument.
Bravo, protestors!
It is about time we saw some protests. If I were able, I’d join them. I got my tear gas credentials during the war in Vietnam.
It is my hope that this is just the beginning of a huge wave of nonviolent resistance to the a fascist, resource stealing, population enslaving agenda that is killing our planet.
Can someone live blog Dan’s trial, just as we did the Libby trial? Is there an adjunct room with live feed from the courtroom (AND) internet access?
More power and hope to you all.
Jane will be on twitter @janehamsher and will also post updates throughout the day
thanks for this, and good luck. There is nothing that equals this.
I am unable to comprehend the inability to face this catastrophe.
record drought here, in eastern Manitoba Canada, (following last summer’s record precipitation), while western Manitoba communities are at the same time recovering from record flooding.
Thank you Scarecrow, and Bill, and Jan, and Dan and everyone for putting it on the line. This is huge. IMO, they will be adding a lot more capacity if they push this through. That will ramp up tar sands extraction as you well know. You called it spot on!
THANK YOU Scarecrow. I too have contributed to the Tar Sands Project and will do so again at the end of this week
You are all heros. thank you again
Scarecrow,
I know I asked last week but I am going to ask again. Do we have a list of celebrities participating in this?
Van and Al G? Many environmental activists of celebrity status need to get their behinds to the protest or they will loose credibility.
Alternet has a comment on the protest:
All the Protesting for Naught? Welcome to Tar Sands Nation
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/657135/all_the_protesting_for_naught_welcome_to_tar_sands_nation/
Comments are interesting……questioning the value/effectiveness of protest(s).
Wondering here if all the $$$ expended on the protest might have been better spent on a legal action.
Agreed. Where is Al Gore?
Even without a pipeline, it sounds like game over.
China, theworld’s second-largest oil consumer, has proposed a strategic alliance with Canada to transport dirty oil by supertanker to Asian refineries.
Currently on hold, finally have left my message of “I really have no hope here, but please tell the President to do the right thing: NO Tar Sands Pipeline. We need him to do the right thing.”
Sorry, McKibben is one of those–ahem–green guys Wall Street always owned–liked hedge fund manager Al Gore.
Why invest in modern infrastructure–that offends Greens–but keeps people alive–when ‘going green’ will kill them–but improve corporate public relations?
I haven’t seen such a list. I’ll check. For this action, a real celebrity is a prominent climate scientist. Haven’t heard a word wrt Gore.
Bill McKibben is not owned by anyone.
Even on its way to China it will first come through the U.S.. First Nations, West Canadian Native Americans won’t allow a pipeline through to the coast. At least they’ve been able to withstand the pressure thus far…
Good point. At Al Gore’s website, the only email contact information I could find was info@carthagegroup.com.
My email to Al Gore invited him to join Bill McKibben & Dr. James Hansen in front of the White House to protest the Tar Sands Pipeline: The Earth needs us to hang together.
I just got an email asking me to get support to oppose what the turning Rs want to do against the environment…do not recall the specifics….I wrote back with a question about Obama and what he seems to be doing. Now, does one hand talk to the other?
As much as I hate to agree with the guys at Alternet (ugh), they do have a point. I haven’t seen ONE news story besides the video posted above regarding these protests.
I thought the point of a protest was to draw attention to a particular cause. And considering how the only people who know about this protest are people who read liberal blogs, I would assume that the message isn’t getting out there. Cant say I really have a great alternative, just that the present course isn’t working. No matter how right it is.
If you do a Google search you’ll find many media outlets covering the protest, though most of them are what you could call second tier – newspapers in Canada like the Toronto Globe and Mail, a Kansas City TV station. Probably newspapers in Nebraska are reporting on it. Huffington Post is covering it, as is Democracy Now that has millions of viewers across the US and abroad, I believe. So there hasn’t been a black out, and news about it will filter through to a substantial portion of the population, IMO.
Here’s a useful tip. When you don’t know what you’re talking about, don’t say anything. Bill McKibben is a professor at Middlebury College in Vermont (Scholar in Residence on Environmental Studies). He’s been organizing climate change actions for years. The idea he would be owned by Wall St. is grotesque.
Actually, you seem to be saying Wall St. is behind the environmental movement!!! Boy, are you confused.
The above was to jer1957
I do not know anything about Bill McKibben and all that, but GO Green! is an corporate ad campaign. Theres green this green that and none of it is natural or environmentally safe. I maen throwing away everything that you own into landfills and then buying all new ‘green’ stuff with each new fad is about as not ‘green’ as you can get.
New York Times: “Mr. President, do not approve Keystone XL.” Once in the Times, all over the World. I’d say that was successful because even the Times is pretty much an establishment organ.