You wouldn't know this from the M$M in the US, but there has been an ongoing, peaceful protest outside the Whitehouse in Washington D.C. which has resulted in hundreds of arrests. Whilst the presstitutes in the lapdog media chase their own tails covering a story about a missing attractive white-woman in Aruba (note to hot white chicks, don't go to Aruba), and get themselves all a-lather about a "massive" 5.8 earthquake on the East Coast (note to East-coasters, the California sub-strata farts bigger than 5.8), normal, average citizens along with a few minor celebrities, have decided to protest a trans-continental pipeline that some have called the "end-game" for the planet's climate.
Among those arrested is a personal hero of mine, Bill McKibben, a tireless advocate for the environment and founder of 350.org. He also authored one of the most startling and 'un-put-downable' books about global climate change that I have ever read. The book's title is 'Eaarth' and I highly recommend to all of my reader that they get their hands on a copy as soon as possible, to get a real clue as to what is going on, and where we are headed.
Make no mistake, this pipeline would be an environmental disaster, not only along it's entire length (pipelines tend to break - just look at the recent disaster in the Yellowstone River in Montana if you don't believe me), but from it's source too. This isn't drilling, it is something much nastier and quite possibly the least 'clean' method of recovering oil known to man. The only thing more damaging to the planet would be to just open up the wells and let the oil belch out...oh wait...B.P. did that in the Gulf last year, and Shell did that earlier this month in the North Sea...Never mind.
But here's where the rubber meets the road. The company that wants to build this pipeline is Canadian, and as such they have to ask the U.S. State department permission to go ahead. This is not something that is up for congressional debate, conveniently side-stepping the inevitable hostage crisis that the rethuglicans would manufacture, but something that the Obama administration has the final word on, end of story. If Obama says yes, it goes ahead and once again the environment (and the entire planet) gets screwed, if he says no, it is dead in the water. Done. Finito. The question is, what will he say?
This is a defining moment in his Presidency. Some may argue that whacking OBL has the 'it' moment, or the collapse of Tripoli and Libya was the 'it' moment that vindicated his foreign policy and therefore cemented his legacy in the history books. I disagree. I think this decision is what will define him and his Presidency. Obama swept into office promising us that he would increase the efforts to "heal the planet", and try to strengthen environmental protections and invest heavily in 'green, sustainable' energy. Sadly he has fallen woefully short on all three promises. He was bullied into allowing more deep-sea drilling even as the Gulf was still being poisoned by BP, he has steadfastly refused to protect endangered animals, and he has proposed building more nuclear power plants (hello Fukushima) and invest in "clean-coal" (the single greatest example of corporate-speak ever). Wind power? Solar? Naaaah, faaaak orf mate, that's tree-huggin' hippie-shit...
Here's the bottom line: Obama can, with a single stroke of his pen, stand up for the environment and kill this project stone-fucking-dead, or he can do what he has done for almost the entirety of his Presidency, and continue to kowtow to the bidding of big business.
Sadly, I think I already know which way he will go.
Here's my pledge to you: If he does the former I will send a donation to his re-election campaign (even though I have said in the past I wouldn't).
If he does the latter I will send a donation to 350.org and hope that Obama's corporate benefactors send him enough money to get re-elected, because he will have seen his last dime from me.
Quite simply, it's time for him to put up, or shut up.
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