Keystone XL Protest In DC
The Waco
Friends of Peace was represented by myself and one other member at the Keystone
XL pipeline protest in Washington, D.C, on February 16, 2013. The crowd
of approximately 40,000 assembled at the Capitol Mall near the Washington
monument. The event was the largest environmental action in D.C. in
history.
What
made the size of the crowd more incredible was the bitterly cold conditions
that day. With the relentless gusts, the wind chill was in the
teens. The dedicated activists there endured those conditions for 3 to 4
hours. The crowd huddled together--gaining warmth from the proximity of
others and from the fire of a common commitment.
The
rally speakers were powerful: 350.org leader Bill McKibben, former green czar
Van Jones, Rev. Yearwood, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, several First
Nation leaders from Canada, Michael Brune, and others. When
the march to the White House began, the crowd was so massive that the initial
motion was at a snail's pace. Yet any motion brought some relief from the
frigid conditions. Spirits were high as multiple activist
clusters yelled out chant after chant: "Windmills not
oilspills," "Tell me what democracy looks like, this is what
democracy looks like." Favorite props were signs with the
Earth in flames, and miniature working windmills.
Finally,
marching in front of the White House gates came the feeling that we were
exactly where we should be at that moment in the history of Planet Earth — that
the power of science and truth and our dedication and our enthusiasm could
persuade President Obama to do the right thing and block Keystone
construction. We felt that our commitment and our truth would
overpower the oil company billions
Please call President Obama at 202-456-1111 to add your voice to the Keystone opposition, because climate scientists believe approval of the pipeline would be "game over" in the fight against climate destruction. Without a livable climate for us and our descendants, no other issue will really matter. And go to www.350.org for more information about what we can all do to help.
Alan Northcutt
March
24, 2013
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