Thousands Surround White House (And get a political play)

http://blog.algore.com/2011/11/thousands_surround_white_house.html
Excerpt:

“Demonstrators chanted "yes we can, stop the pipeline," while other protesters carried a plastic tube simulating the pipeline that would run 1,700 miles through six states. The protest drew support from actor Mark Ruffalo, Presidential Medal of Freedom winner John Adams and NASA scientist James Hansen, each of whom spoke to the crowd.”

“The proposed pipeline by developer TransCanada Corp. would carry oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas. Opponents say it would bring "dirty oil" that requires huge amounts of energy to extract and could cause an ecological disaster in case of a spill. They are calling on Obama to block the $7 billion project, which is currently being reviewed by the State Department."

"Obama missed most of the protest while he played golf at Fort Belvoir in Virginia during the afternoon."

"Dan Quigley, a freshman at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, traveled by bus with about 40 students to attend the protest. The 19-year-old said the pipeline could have an adverse effect on greenhouse gases and pose a hazard to water supplies.”
~~~~
 Mr.Gore's comment:
"As I have written before, the tar sands are the dirtiest source of liquid fuel on the planet. President Obama should listen to the voices of those outside the White House and block this dirty energy pipeline."



My comment:
Firstly, thank you Mr. Gore for quoting where Obama was at the time of this protest.  I noted the same thing and I think it was disrespectful and speak volumes...just like his broken campaign promises. This is one time for sure when even knowing the cesspool Washington DC is, I wish you were president. And I am so happy I am not a member of any organization, political party, special interest, etc. It means I can speak truthfully. That is true freedom.

It appears no socalled “delay” of the Keystone XL is going to stop the big oil companies from now pushing more bitumen through the operating pipelines that already exist in the U.S. Delay Unlikely To Stall Big Oil Companies.  Phases 1 & 2 of this pipeline are already up and running and pushing bitumen tarsands from Canada into the U.S in two separate locations already.http://www.npr.org/2011/11/04/142029366/map-transcanadas-keystone-pipeline Where were the protests at the White House about that? The Alberta Clipper which also runs into Wisconsin and is dangerously close to the Great Lakes is being seen as a possible choice to add pumping stations and increase capacity. If they get away with that which this article claims would then equal half of what XL would have piped through, then I don’t see what anyone is talking about regarding a victory. The only way to say there is any victory in this is to stop the tarsands in the first place.

Delaying XL does virtually nothing then in the end from stopping catastrophic climate change as the oil will only be pumped somewhere else and I can bet the Obama administration was aware of that possibility before they “delayed” this clearly for political purposes. They gave the approval for the Alberta Clipper pipeline and claimed the EIS was sound. So what are the chances that even should Obama win next year that he won’t approve this? He won’t have to worry about running for president again.

So if you want to know what we need to do next, we need to STOP THE TARSANDS from entering ANY pipelines, period. We also need to stop any attempt to add new pumping stations to these existing pipelines to increase tarsands capacity and we need to cripple the investors and large banks underwriting the companies buying stakes in this. We need to call on the people of Canada and other countries where these banks are located to do the same. This is not a victory as long as the tarsands continue to flow and destroy our environment! And if we can’t stop it, then I think that is a true confession that the addiction has gone way too far, and feel good campaigns aren’t going to be enough at this point.

And we also need a financial transactions tax that will go a long way in pushing investors to think more sustainably with their investments and in working to look more at longterm growth rather than short term profit at the expense of our environment which affects every aspect of our lives from health to food and water/climate policy. Also, a price on carbon (revenue neutral) must be levied by the U.S Congress withn the next two years and any monies collected either from that and or a financial transaction tax should be used to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and to also instill more sustainable agricultural policies in our country. Also, we need to change the market mechanism that prices fossil fuels without an emphasis on indirect costs. Those who pollute our planet must start to feel the pinch financially. They have gotten away with their crimes against this planet and future generations long enough.

The IEA just reported that we really only have five years left before we will reach irreversible dangerous climate change. So Keystone XL pipeline or not, we have already come close to reaching the tipping point. Therefore, we also need to be holding this administration accountable for all of the other bows it has made to big oil already and it’s complete failure to lead on this crisis. Saying the words climate change in a speech just does not cut it.

BP, the very company that killed the Gulf (which no one speaks about anymore as people and marinelife continue to suffer the fallout) has been given the greenlight to drill there again (insanity). And Shell which has toxified the Niger Delta will be allowed to now drill in one of the last pristine places on Earth-the Arctic. Where is the outrage about any of this? And while no one else mentions any of this in the MSM, the latest excursion into Libya will also see BP and Shell now seeking contracts to burn their oil as well. And we paid for that.

So the reality of this is unless we work for a paradigm shift in perception we will not stop until the last drop of oil is drilled and sucked out of this planet. And by then it will be too late. The monetary/market and political structures that deceive the public enmasse regarding fossil fuels and price plus their indirect costs and externalities and the cost of the destruction and disease they cause as well as social and political upheaval must be toppled. And that then comes down to some very hard choices not based on party. Which is why I support the OWS movement to hold them all accountable. But I foresee us only getting really serious about this on an individual or any other level when we are truly looking back at ourselves in the abyss. For all of our protesting there is still one elusive factor in all of this: human nature and the affect greed has on it. Figure out how to conquer that and this is a piece of cake.

And don't get me wrong, protesting against XL was the right thing to do... only, it isn't just about a piece of pipe. We need to STOP the tarsands as a whole. For our water. For our air. For other species. For our forests. For our culture. For our climate. For indigenous communities. For our children. And one way to do that is again through stopping the investments in it by those banks in the 1%. Pulling out your money from banks that underwrite the tarsands and boycotting companies that have stakes in it is one way we can all tell Obama and all "leaders" of governments that "delaying" a pipeline is not the same as standing on principle to stop this. It still goes on. I read a tweet on Twitter where Bill McKibben asked what should be next. Really? I should think that would be obvious:

STOP THE TARSANDS.