Dr. James Hansen calls for Civil Disobedience at the Capitol March 2nd

[bananas]

Run time: 01:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPCFx1fMBeI   Posted on YouTube: February 18, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: February 18, 2009 By DU Member: bananas Views on DU: 1777

 
From It's Getting Hot In Here:

Dr. James Hansen calls for Civil Disobedience at the Capitol March 2nd
Published by Joshua Kahn Russell, February 18th, 2009 global warming

Today NASA Climatologist Dr. James Hansen released a public service announcement calling on all of us to join the Capitol Climate Action (CCA) on March 2nd. If you haven’t heard, it will be the largest protest on Global Warming in U.S. history.

“It’s time to take a stand on global warming,” Dr. Hansen says in the video. “We want to send a message to Congress and the President that we want them to take the actions that are needed to preserve climate for young people and future generations and all life on earth.”

Dr. Hansen is a world renowned-scientist more accustomed to the lab and the library than the picket line. When he sees a problem so urgent that he is willing to take to the streets in protest, we can be sure it means that the government must act.

Some 2,000 people from across the country are expected to join Dr. Hansen at Congress’s own coal-fired power plant in Southeast Washington, D.C. Over 70 public health, faith-based, labor, racial and environmental justice, and climate groups has endorsed the action along with such leaders and figures as Tom Goldtooth, Daryl Hannah, Michael Franti, Bill McKibben, Gus Speth, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Noam Chomsky, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Paul Hawken, and Wendell Berry. Grammy Award-winning country singer Kathy Mattea will also join the protest and perform.

Coal-fired power plants are largest source of global warming pollution in the country, and the Capitol plant is widely regarded as a symbol of the country’s dangerous reliance on the fossil fuel. Burning coal also cuts short at least 24,000 lives in the U.S. annually, inflicts catastrophic damage to the landscape and water supplies and jeopardizes the lives of coal miners. Furthermore, coal leads to approximately $167 billion in healthcare costs annually and diverts scarce resources away from energy efficiency and clean energy, which create more than twice as many jobs per dollar as money for coal.

RSVP to be a part of CCA and make history now!

[yellerpup]

1. Time to show we take global warming seriously.

A big, fat street-clogging protest would make an impact. K&R!

[bananas]

2. Susan Sarandon is also promoting this

Her video is posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x272681

Here's what they're planning:

Action Guidelines

We will be gathering at 1:00pm on March 2nd, at the Spirit of Justice Park in Washington DC (C St SW & Capitol St SE). It is near the Capitol South Metro, and there will be greeters available to direct people. From there, we will march just a few blocks to the power plant.

We expect thousands or people to participate, with large numbers risking arrest in a peaceful act of civil disobedience, surround the plant, disrupting access, and refusing to leave when asked. Many more will choose not to engage in civil disobedience, and will still be a vital part of the overall event and rally.

To ensure the safety of all participants, to encourage the broadest and most diverse involvement possible, and to respect the important issues and communities we are supporting, we ask everyone taking part in the Capitol Climate Action to respect the following agreements:

<snip>

[yellerpup]

3. Susan Sarandon is brave and beautiful and talented and

has many more admirable qualities including a finely honed sense of social justice. One of my DC friends will be there. I hope they draw a record-breaking number of demonstrators. :kick:

[IndyOp]

4. I know you got the title from the blog post -- but I disagree, Hanson is calling for a demonstration

And Sarandon (and others) are calling for civil disobedience.

Unless the organizers are strategically refusing to get a permit for the demonstration then there is no civil disobedience if all someone does is to march.

[bananas]

10. I'm sure they will have proper permits for the march and rally

and they aren't expecting everyone to participate in the civil disobedience,
which is organized as part of the demonstration.

[Piewhacket]

5. Civil disobediance is lawbreaking. He is not calling for lawbreaking.

He is calling for a "protest".

[miyazaki]

6. in essence, a march for nuclear power too. good n/t

[bananas]

7. No.

As James Hansen wrote last year (April 2008),

Near-term demands for energy can be satisfied via a real emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable energies. Neither carbon sequestration nor nuclear power can help in the near-term, and they both have serious issues even over the longer term.

[miyazaki]

8. of course he's nuclear power

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9216

As is Obama's new Energy man, Steven Chu. Hope he takes their advice.

-peace

[newmac]

9. The Far Rights new retort is that the Sun is just getting hotter.....

They still claim "natural fluctuations" in climate; and that the Sun is just getting hotter.


It's not.

[Wildewolfe]

12. There is some evidence

..that it has gotten hotter... but in geologic timeframes... not significant in the last 50, 500, 5000 years. Even if it were it would make even more sense to eliminate greenhouse gasses to mitigate the additional source of heat.

The problem is temperature is rising, the solution is eliminate greenhouse gasses to reduce the greenhouse effect. The original cause, be it man made, natural or whatever when stated as problem/solution is really irrelevant.

[Piewhacket]

13. lol. good one, but I figure its just their brain thats "naturally fluxuating".

[stuntcat]

11. I'll be there

They say in the emails to look nice, not to wear the t-shirts we wear to most rallies :) I just hope it won't be freezing.

[Delphinus]

14. This sounds like a good thing to be involved with.

I would waste a lot of energy getting there - I hope those close to DC can make it and that there will be a huge showing.