Gore urges civil disobedience to stop coal plants

[bananas]

Source: Reuters

Gore urges civil disobedience to stop coal plants
Wed Sep 24, 2008 3:28pm EDT
By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmental crusader Al Gore urged young people on Wednesday to engage in civil disobedience to stop the construction of coal plants without the ability to store carbon.

The former U.S. vice president, whose climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Academy Award, told a philanthropic meeting in New York City that "the world has lost ground to the climate crisis."

"If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration," Gore told the Clinton Global Initiative gathering to loud applause.

"I believe for a carbon company to spend money convincing the stock-buying public that the risk from the global climate crisis is not that great represents a form of stock fraud because they are misrepresenting a material fact," he said. "I hope these state attorney generals around the country will take some action on that."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE48N78A20080924?sp=true

---

Al Gore was speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative conference.
Some more excerpts at http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/24/113314/730

[livelongandprosper]

1. He said the same thing in the past.

Such actions rarely have an effect, though.

[bananas]

2. James Hansen testified for the coal protestors in England

and the jury found them not guilty.

[HillbillyBob]

7. Umm they still have Free Speech and

Neutral type judges...you know the kind we used to have here ?
The ones that actually go by the law, not the ideals of the fascists...

[Peace Patriot]

23. Blacks have the right to vote, women have the right to vote, workers have rights,

and India is now independent, because of "such actions."

"Rarely have an effect"? True, but when they DO have an effect--when an idea's time has come, and after all the "little" protests have built sufficient momentum--the effect is earth-shaking. Paradigms are overthrown. And then the idea--that took years, decades, sometimes centuries of activism and protest, to reach fruition--gets taken for granted, becomes part of the common wisdom, and people like you then say, "Don't bother. Such actions rarely have an effect"--because you apparently don't know the history of "such actions."

[KakistocracyHater]

3. I STRONGLY DISAGREE

taking to the streets will only trigger 'marti@l l@w', that path has been poisoned & no longer works-the Boomers apparently don't get this, even after all those other marches; those were undercounted, not photographed, roped off except for cerrtain boony areas, video'od so for future reference.....Gen Xers & down have OTHER ways that work.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

8. Gen Xers & down have OTHER ways that work

enlighten us, please!

[Dr.Phool]

10. Play video games and complain.

[bananas]

11. It's not getting reported, but civil disobedience has already been happening

Here are a couple of recent events:

Lock down to stop construction at Virginia Coal Plant
September 15th, 2008
"Update: After four hours blockading the construction site this morning, 11 protesters were arrested and charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly."
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2008/09/15/lock-down-to-stop-construction-at-virginia-coal-plant/


Billionaire’s for Coal strike in Bank of America’s home state, 4 protests in 3 days
August 11th, 2008
"Asheville, NC Today Asheville Rising Tide’s billionaire bloc descended on Bank of America’s regional headquarters to demand that BoA continue to invest their money in coal. The Billionaires for Coal carried signs reading “More Profit, Less Mountains” and sipped on dirty (coal) martinis to applaud BoA for its funding of mountaintop removal coal mining as well as the new generation of dirty coal plants. The Asheville Police Department did an excellent job of blocking access to the bank entrance and the ATM surely scaring off a number of bank customers."
more: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2008/08/11/billionaires-for-coal-strike-in-bank-of-americas-home-state-4-protests-in-3-days/

[bananas]

12. Sourcewatch: Nonviolent direct actions against coal

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nonviolent_direct_actions_against_coal

Around the world, nonviolent direct action—a term which, in contemporary social movements, is usually used to refer to acts of civil disobedience, in which activists blockade or occupy public or private space—has become an increasingly common tactic of anti-coal climate activists since 2004. Direct action protests have occurred in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (California, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and elsewhere). Targets have included American Electric Power, AMP-Ohio, Bank of America, BHP Billiton, Citibank, E.ON, Dominion Power, Duke Energy, Edelman Public Relations, Fortune Minerals, Massey Energy, Merrill Lynch, Miller Argent, Mirant, National Coal Corporation, Sithe Global Power, and Solid Energy.

<snip>

For details, images, and videos of specific direct actions, see the following:
Nonviolent direct actions against coal: 2004-2007
Nonviolent direct actions against coal: 2008
Coal Activist Videos
Coal Activist Videos: Direct Action
Coal Activist Videos: Mountaintop removal

<snip>

[bananas]

13. Nonviolent direct actions against coal: 2008

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nonviolent_direct_actions_against_coal:_2008

Around the world, the pace of direct action efforts against coal continued to increase in 2008.
<snip>

Contents
1 Background
2 Definition and history of nonviolent direct action
3 Al Gore speaks out in favor of direct action
3.1 March 28, 2008: Mountain Justice Spring Break action at AMP-Ohio headquarters in Columbus
3.2 April 1, 2008: Rising Tide/Earth First! occupation of Cliffside construction site
3.3 April 1, 2008: Rainforest Action Network blockade of NYC Citibank office
3.4 April 1, 2008: Rising Tide/Rainforest Action Network blockade of Boston Bank of America branch
3.5 April 1, 2008: Occupation of Ffos-y-fran coal mine construction site
3.6 April 1, 2008: Eastside Climate Action blockade of E.ON headquarters in Nottingham
3.7 April 3, 2008: Rising Tide occupation of Aberthaw Power Station
3.8 April 15, 2008: Blue Ridge Earth First! blockade Dominion Power's headquarters
3.9 April 19, 2008: Rising Tide blockade of coal terminal construction site in New South Wales
3.10 June 13, 2008: Activists halt coal train on its way to UK's largest power plant
3.11 June 26, 2008: Activists Demonstrate Outside Bank of America Headquarters
3.12 June 30, 2008: Activists Blockade Dominion Headquarters
3.13 July 3, 2008: Greenpeace occupies Australia's most polluting coal-fired power plant
3.14 July 7, 2008: Earth First! Activists lockdown at American Municipal Power headquarters, Columbus, OH
3.15 July 11-12, 2008: Greenpeace activists occupy coal-fired power plant smokestack for 33 hours
3.16 July 13 & 14, 2008: Newcastle, NSW, Australia Climate Camp stops coal trains at worlds' largest coal export port
3.17 July 16, 2008: UK activists target coal-fired plant's PR spin machine
3.18 July 20, 2008: Four arrested at Tennessee strip mine
3.19 July 21, 2008: Australian citizens blockade farm to stop coal exploration
3.20 July 28, 2008: Greenpeace paints anti-coal messages on 20 coal ships
3.21 August 11, 2008: Activists glue themselves to coal giant's headquarters
3.22 August 11, 2008: Southeast Convergence for Climate Action locks-down at Bank of America, Richmond VA
3.23 September 15, 2008: 20 Protesters lock-down at Dominion coal plant construction site, Wise County, VA
4 Resources
4.1 References

<snip>

[bananas]

14. Nonviolent direct actions against coal: 2004-2007

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nonviolent_direct_actions_against_coal:_2004-2007

Around the world, nonviolent direct action—a term which, in contemporary social movements, is usually used to refer to acts of civil disobedience, in which activists blockade or occupy public or private space—became an increasingly common tactic of anti-coal climate activists in 2004.
<snip>

1 Background
2 Definition and history of nonviolent direct action
2.1 Nov. 10, 2004: Chesapeake Climate Action Network blockade of Dickerson Power Plant
2.2 Mar. 6, 2005: Save Happy Valley Coalition occupation of Solid Energy headquarters
2.3 June 7, 2005: First stockholders meeting of National Coal Corporation Disrupted
2.4 June 30, 2005: WV citizens occupy Massey headquarters
2.5 July 16, 2005: First Nations Mt. Klappan mine blockade
2.6 Aug. 13, 2005: Save Happy Valley Coalition coal train blockade
2.7 Aug. 15, 2005: Earth First!/Mountain Justice Summer blockade of Campbell County mountaintop removal site
2.8 June 5, 2006, and Nov. 3, 2007: Rising Tide boat blockades of Newcastle port
2.9 July 10, 2006: Earth First!/Rising Tide blockade of Clinch River Power Plant
2.10 Aug. 31, 2006: Drax Power Plant blockade attempt
2.11 Dec. 12, 2006: Dooda Desert Rock blockade
2.12 Feb. 27, 2007: Rising Tide blockade of New South Wales Labor Party
2.13 Mar. 16, 2007: Sit-in at West Virginia Gov. Manchin's office
2.14 Apr. 13, 2007: Blockade of Asheville Merrill Lynch
2.15 June 8, 2007: ASEN blockade of New South Wales Department of Planning
2.16 July 3, 2007: Greenpeace blockade of New South Wales Department of Planning
2.17 Aug. 13, 2007: Southeast Convergence for Climate Action occupation of Asheville Bank of America
2.18 Sept. 3, 2007: Occupation of Loy Yang Power Plant
2.19 Sept. 4, 2007: ASEN Occupation of Newcastle coal port
2.20 Oct. 1, 2007: Greenpeace occupation at Boxburg plant construction site
2.21 Oct. 8, 2007: Greenpeace occupation of Kingsnorth Power Plant
2.22 October 23, 2007: Rainforest Action Network banner hang at Bank of America corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC
2.23 Nov. 5, 2007: Rainforest Action Network blockade of D.C. Citibank branch
2.24 Nov. 15, 2007: Rainforest Action Network day of action against coal finance
2.25 Nov. 15, 2007: Student blockade of Duke Energy headquarters
2.26 Nov. 15, 2007: Greenpeace occupation of Munmorah Power Station
2.27 Nov. 19, 2007: Rising Tide Kooragang Coal Terminal rail blockade
2.28 Dec. 5, 2007: Blockade of Ffos-y-fran coal mine construction site
3 Resources
3.1 References

<snip>

[glinda]

4. worry worry

I am afraid he will get arrested.

[superconnected]

5. A good friend of mine told me the 60's peace and love times were over with the kent state event

I love the idea of civil disobedience. But Machiavelli always topped thoreau - all the gov has to do is gun down the people who sit down at protests once, and it's all over.

And as Machiavelli said, they will remember taking their land far longer than the killing of people in the family. Don't take their land and their fine.

[bananas]

6. Peace and love, but not action

Read "Aftermath and long-term effects" at wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings#Aftermath_and_long-term_effects

[Dr.Phool]

9. Your friend is wrong.

Kent State shocked the nation, and the protests grew larger and larger.

I was there, and helped organize those marches on Washington, and other places.

[defendandprotect]

17. Murder of students by Nixon to stop anti-war protests ....

Shall the violent inherit the earth?

[bertman]

15. Absolutely RIGHT, President Gore!! It is our childrens' world and they must protest, but we ALL

must protest alongside them.

[defendandprotect]

16. Good for Gore --!!! Next steps: Nationalize oil industry & Electric cars ....

[Nambe]

18. Gore urges civil disobedience to stop coal plants

Source: Reuters

Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmental crusader Al Gore urged young people on Wednesday to engage in civil disobedience to stop the construction of coal plants without the ability to store carbon.

The former U.S. vice president, whose climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won an Academy Award, told a philanthropic meeting in New York City that "the world has lost ground to the climate crisis."

"If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration," Gore told the Clinton Global Initiative gathering to loud applause. ...

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE48N78A20080924

[FVZA_Colonel]

19. I wonder how long it'll be before the Right is screaming about Gore

"advocating terrorism!"

[burrowowl]

20. K&R!

From this old protester, you youngins get your asses in gear, I'll be dead soon, but you and your children won;t be, so do IT!

[Gillian]

21. A violent revolution to save the planet.

Facts are facts, it is time.

[Ghost Dog]

22. Recommend many diverse protests, acts of civil disobedience, at local sites

across the country. Carbon is one big issue. Other environmental and energy issues. Outsourcing corporations. Elements of the military-energy-industrial complex with BFEE connections. ... Dirty and Martial Law establishments. ... whatever. Community organizing and demonstrations. Rather than attempting to organize large national events, which the corporate media will not justly represent on its propaganda screens anyway, scores or hundreds of local "events" scattered across the country could be orchestrated locally, and local and independent media can make the record and ensure it is disseminated through the nets. Never underestimate the power of Samizdat and the Underg.round Press.

[tuckessee]

24. Lead the way, Albert.

LOL! Al's not going to put his ass & fortune on the line. That kind of stuff is for the "little people."

[nolabels]

25. If he had his hand on the pulse he would give call to press the government to stop the bail out

The root of the problem is a bankrupt corporate state that needs up-ended. Coal fired power plants are just a symptom

[fed_up_mother]

26. Could we do this AFTER the election?