Thousands gather to protest TransCanada pipeline by encircling the White House

[kpete]

Source: Winnepeg Free Press

Thousands gather to protest TransCanada pipeline by encircling the White House
By Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press | November 06, 2011

WASHINGTON - Thousands of protesters, including a Nobel laureate and a film star, are slated to join hands and encircle the White House on Sunday in opposition to TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline.

The demonstration is the latest in a series of White House protests aimed at convincing U.S. President Barack Obama to block the $7 billion project that would carry Alberta oilsands crude through six American states to Gulf Coast refineries.

Mark Ruffalo, nominated for an Academy Award last year, and Jody Williams, winner of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on banning landmines, are among the celebrities scheduled to speak at the rally.
Obama is in Washington, and will likely be inside the White House as the protest unfolds.

Read more: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/thousands-gather-to-protest-transcanada-pipeline-by-encircling-the-white-house-133323108.html

---

livestream:
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/11/06/livestream-surround-the-white-house/
http://www.livestream.com/tarsandsaction

[Iwillnevergiveup]

1. KICK!

And recommended.

[mpgalloway]

36. Wall Street Sonata

Here is a song that tells it just like it is!

http://youtu.be/Ocz0IbGJ3So

[Jakes Progress]

2. It is weren't so important,

it could be interesting to see how the WH handles this. As it is, we can't enjoy the spin and drama going on because this is serious.

[ChandlerJr]

3. Once again we have to rely on the foreign press

Where is our MSM and who are they covering for?

[valerief]

10. The .01%, of course. nt

[pwb]

4. Canada is a big oil producing country. If that shit is so great they would refine it.

Right?.

[Enthusiast]

13. They're just being nice.

:rofl:

[George1984]

32. We would love to

Refinery capacity is near full in our fair country. And unfortunately the oilsands are dominated by US companies who want to bring back the raw material to refine it in your country. And for anyone who complains about the oil sands being environmentally unfriendly, then they obviously don't have a clue as to what goes on in the middle east, or the other foreign lands where the majority of your petroleum products come from. I am all for shipping it to Asia for more money, and leave the US reliant on middle east oil, because that is what makes sense for the U.S. Not. Until the US and Canada realize that we are in this together, we all end up paying more for the end product, ie gasoline, and heating oil.

People need to get off their high horse when it comes to this because it is no worse than New York putting their garbage on barges to the middle of the ocean and dumping, or all of the nuclear power plants and coal fired power generation stations placed all over the mighty US of A.

[Bragi]

39. The oil industry runs Canada

Canada is now run by the oil industry and their oil-friendly puppet conservative governments in Alberta and Ottawa.

I mean seriously, the Koch brothers are the biggest single buyers of our dirty tarsands oil. What more needs to be said?

As a Canadian, I support those opposed to the pipeline and opposed to importing our dirty oil.

[kpete]

5. UPDATE: 12,000 ENCIRCLE WHITE HOUSE IN PROTEST OF KEYSTONE XL TAR SANDS PIPELINE

12,000 ENCIRCLE WHITE HOUSE IN PROTEST OF KEYSTONE XL TAR SANDS PIPELINE | Today, more than 12,000 people from across the United States and Canada gathered at the White House to call on President Obama to stop the TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. After a rally in Lafayette Square addressed by elected officials, youth climate activists, environmental leaders, climate scientist James Hansen, religious leaders, Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams, Naomi Klein, and local opponents of the pipeline from South Dakota, Texas, and Nebraska, the boisterous crowd formed a human chain that completely encircled the White House. The protest, organized by Tar Sands Action, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, 350.org, and others, appeared to exceed turnout expectations, with the human chain running several people deep in most areas. President Obama acknowledged last week that he will make the final decision on the controversial pipeline — a decision expected before year’s end.

http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/11/06/362301/12000-encircle-white-house-in-protest-of-keystone-xl-tar-sands-pipeline/

[valerief]

11. That's a lot of people the US press are totally ignoring. nt

[crunch60]

14. I wrote to CNN, ABC, and a few others, "Why aren't you

covering such an important news event"? Let them know we know what's going on. What we have is corporate funded media propaganda. :hippie:

[valerief]

16. Writing does no good. They take their orders and $$$ from the .01%. nt

[crunch60]

27. I guess you didn't read the second sentence in my post , but I

will write anyway, just to let them know I am looking for their response and disgusted that we have to read about important events from outside sources.

[valerief]

33. Good luck, but I'm too disgusted to even care what they think at this point. nt

[Left Coast2020]

26. Then next week we can encircle ABC, CBS, and CNN.

They are the official corporate American propagandists network.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

43. +1,000 n/t

[Charlemagne]

6. But

will the powers to be listen?

[KansDem]

7. BIG KICK!!!

...AND REC!!! :woohoo:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. Fantastic! We Americans have been a sleeping giant, allowing corporations to destroy us

We have awakened.

[OneGrassRoot]

17. Yes, and I'm in tears. I am SO proud and SO inspired....

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

18. Oh, I know how you feel!

cry all the time when I see the Occupiers! I get chills, cry, everything.

It's definitely something to be proud of!!!!

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. KICK!

[Beacool]

12. My gut feeling tells me that the pipeline won't be approved.

If for no other reason that we have entered the 2012 campaign season and it wouldn't help a Democratic president with his base, quite the contrary, it would only serve to anger them. A Republican could get away with it because they are the "drill, baby, drill" party, but not a Democrat.

The morality of the issue, or lack of it, will be beside the point.

:shrug:

[Puget Progressive]

19. I wish I could share your belief that there is

such a clear cut difference between the two parties. I don't. It also irritates me that Obama will probably make his decision based more on whether this will help get him re-elected rather than it being the right thing to do for the environment. I liked seeing the banner that quoted Obama as stating that this is the generation that could stop America's dependency on oil. That should be a strong incentive for him. However, we have seen that he has rarely lived up to his campaign rhetoric. My gut feeling is that there will be strong State Department pressure to approve. Wasn't there a report recently that stated that there was some construction that had already started, despite the lack of project approval? The energy corps have enormous influence in D.C.

[Beacool]

22. Politicians rarely stand on principle unless it helps them first to obtain and then stay in power.

It's the nature of the animal, they are opportunistic creatures. I still don't get why so many fell for Obama's rhetoric in 2008, it all sounded like the usual politician's B.S. to me. His speeches were always heavy on platitudes and light on details. As he has found out since he's been elected, campaigning is far removed from governing.

Having said that, if the pipeline further angers his base he will not approve it. Rarely do presidents want to relinquish power once they get to the WH, LBJ was the exception. Most of them will do whatever it takes that will help them to get reelected.

;-)

[truedelphi]

23. It also sickens me when there is all this flag waving

About the six hundred jobs that would be created in Montana if this pipeline were approved.

How long do those jobs last? We destroy our water supply for ten thousand years for the sake of 600 hundred jobs?!?

The medical maruijuana clinics and growers number in the thousands here in Claifornia, but our lovely Mr Obama is out to smash this new found resource of money and employment (to say nothing of the relief that Medical Marijuana provides) by destroying the clinics.

He has only answered to the .01% again and again.

And I suspect he has some pretty nasty stuff up his other sleeve - the one thing that will quickly shut down the Occupy movement is when the bombs start dropping on iran and we are all expected to stand waving flags of approval for the new war, or else be labelled terrorists.

[KoKo]

21. The Pipeline will be Approved...it's been in works for years...and it gives jobs to Canada & US...

and in this climate it's "Go for Broke" and the environment will suffer. Neither Harper nor Obama can do anything against the jobs it will produce and the cry for "energy independence" that we on the left have hoped for.

It's a done deal. I'm not happy about it at all...but, it's done deal. And, after it goes through folks will forget about it and move onto the next issue at hand..probably some damned war in another ME Country like Iran. No one will remember "Tar Sands" and protests. :-(.

[crunch60]

29. and the white house is depending on attitudes like yours.

The protest at the white house regarding the pipe line,is linked to all of OWS, we have a voice and will use it, Loud and Strong! No more apathy and 'O well, protesting won't do any good". They have depended on that for way to long.

[grntuscarora]

31. With all due respect,

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

[cui bono]

34. Totally disagree. A Democrat, Obama, has already gotten away with more

than a Republican because the Democratic party members think everything is fine since we have a Dem POTUS. Truth is HE is the one who has endangered SS and Medicare more than the Republicans since HE put them on the table and has made them a standard talking point in "negotiations". HE does more illegal wire tapping than Bush. HE threw out the public option without even trying to obtain it. HE deports far more undocumented residents than Bush. HE escalated drone attacks. HE said it is okay to assassinate American citizens without any legal proceedings. HE failed to regulate Wall Street. HE appointed Wall Street to important and influential positions.

If Bush had done these things there would be an outcry but not so with Obama, and the Dems are the ones who are supposed to be against this sort of thing.

I hope your gut feeling about the outcome is correct though.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

44. +1 n/t

[MissDeeds]

15. Yes!

K&R!!!

[Hotler]

20. k&r n/t

[kpete]

24. !!!GREAT DIARY-PICS-Video Here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/06/1033815/-Video,-Photos:-13,000-People-Surround-White-House-Demanding-a-Stop-to-Dirty-Tar-Sands-Pipeline?via=siderec

[FailureToCommunicate]

25. Wow! Great!

[crunch60]

28. President absent from protest ?

Obama missed most of the protest while he played golf at Fort

Belvoir in Virginia on Sunday afternoon.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

41. Once again he mimics Bush. n/t

[red dog 1]

30. Even Republi-Dem Ben Nelson Is Against It!

[Admiral Loinpresser]

42. That's because Nebrasks farmers and ranchers will be screwed by it. n/t

[DesertFlower]

35. my friend's daughter (a college student) is

there. she's a great kid.

[Darth_Kitten]

37. It's Winnipeg Free Press.

n/t

[jtrockville]

38. My favorite chant...

That's BULLSHIT
Get off it.
The enemy is profit.

Environmental degradation
will not be solved by corporations

(repeat, with enthusiasm)

[Blue Owl]

40. K&R

:kick: