The day’s scorecard:
- Largest anti-coal action yet in the United States: Thousands and thousands of people flooding the streets around the Capitol Hill power plant.
- Largest demonstration in many years where everyone was wearing dress clothes: The point was to stress that there’s nothing radical about shutting down coal-fired power. In fact, there’s everything radical about continuing to pour carbon into the air just to see what happens.
- Smallest counter-protest in world’s history: By my count, the Competitive Enterprise Institute managed to muster four demonstrators for its “celebration of coal” rally, which is about the right size. (But they were kind of sweet; they had signs that said: “Al Gore, Not Evil, Just Wrong.”)
- Number of arrests: None, zip, zilch, nada. The police said so many demonstrators showed up that they had no hope of jailing them all. So we merrily violated the law all afternoon, blocking roads and incommoding sidewalks and other desperate stuff, all without a permit or a say so. We shut down the power plant for the day. And we’d pre-won our main victory anyhow, when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid preemptively cried uncle last week and announced they were’nt going to burn coal in their plant any more.
- Quantity of broad smiles afterwards: Almost unlimited. And in the air, there was the strong sense that we can do this. Really. What fun.
Bill McKibben, a Grist board member, is co-founder of 350.org, and author most recently of Deep Economy.
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Comments
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biodiversivist Posted 12:13 pm
02 Mar 2009
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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amazingdrx Posted 2:03 pm
02 Mar 2009
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin
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MikeG Posted 2:46 am
03 Mar 2009
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/largest-civil-disobedi ...
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dowhatiwant Posted 3:48 am
05 Mar 2009
#1) The largest act of civil disobedience to fight climate change the day after and of a massive, crippling snowstorm? Very reminiscient of Al Gore in 2004 speaking in NYC about global warming on one of the coldest days in NYC's history. 2,500 people is nothing compared to protests in recent years as well as not so recent years.
#2) I don't recall seeing very many dress clothes, but I guess that our versions of dress clothes differ greatly - whereas I think of business casual/dress clothes being dress pants or skirt with a dress shirt and jacket, apparently you all consider work boots and Carhartt overalls as dress clothes. Trust me, with how cold it was at your global warming protest, I would have been wearing the exact same thing - but do not try to pass it off as dress clothes - no one cares about your fashion choices and it does not make or break the facts of this issue or sway anyone's feelings on it.
#3) It actually should be a compliment to anyone on the side of the counter protest to say that their protest was very small. People that support the coal industry and American jobs and companies that support entire counties and states of people were probably working because they have jobs and better things to do than to stand out in the freezing cold protesting against a bunch of people who make protesting their job. They chose to actually contribute to the economy rather than oppose an industry which contributes in a great way to our economy on a daily basis. The people I know that run the coal industry are actually less concerned with protests such as this and more concerned with how they are going to continue to pay their employees and keep their family's businesses up and running. And by the way, Al Gore is wrong - last time I checked, he does not have a degree in meterology, physics, climate change, or even a science of any kind.
#4) Why is the fact that there were no arrests a good thing? Do you think it would be new, breaking news that a bunch of greenie, jobless protestors got arrested in the DC area? That is pretty dillusional if you all do - and pretty self-centered and out of touch. Protests and protestors are a dime a dozen to the United States Capitol Police - it is your right to do this, but you are nothing more than a pain in the a$$ to these people whose job is to protect and serve the Legislative Branch of our government.
You need to check your facts, Mr. McKibben...this protest DID have a permit. Do you really think the Democrats and Speaker Pelosi would have let that little technicality go by? I am sure the permit was given to you all on a silver platter. Anyone with a group of 25 or more is required to. If the protestors had not acquired a permit, mass arrests would have ensued. USCP has dealt with MUCH larger protests and conducted mass arrests galore - 2,500 is NOTHING to them. But since they are used to "peaceful" protestors getting violent and out of control, they have to prepare for the worst...always.
USCP was extremely smart in how they handled you all. The protesters did have a permit and were in areas in which they could protest legally. What they actually and realistically had to deal with that day were a bunch of hippie rich kids with what they think is a cause and clearly WANT to get arrested. So what do they do? Close off the powerplant, have a bunch of officers there watching these kids sit down in protest of the coal. They did the best thing they could have in this situation - let them sit and have fun in the freezing cold protesting global warming...sit, be cold, be hungry - USCP took the high road and effectively took the "bite" out of their protest and cause by NOT arresting them. Your whole cause just lost the biggest part of the media that they wanted - GONE - no arrests, no headlines. Who is smarter and better at this? Hmmm? Yeh, "shutting down" a power plant for one day when it has been open for 99 years - from what I can gather, the Supreme Court and the Capitol Hill complex were all still being heated all day long.
And I would love to see Pelosi and Reid shut down that coal-burning plant without a vote in both chambers...not gonna happen. They also said they had the votes on the Wall Street bailout last year for the first vote on it - boy, were they off.
USCP could have arrested every single person there if they needed to - what they did was way more effective in crippling the media coverage of the protest - and you all didn't even know it. It's funny because the USCP were told by the leaders of the protest groups that their lawyers had instructed them to not call them at all if they ended up getting arrested - to go ahead and use that phone call for whoever would be bailing them out of jail. Hmmmm...
5) You are correct - quantities of broad smiles all around...not so much with the protestors considering most Members were trapped in their respective districts and states due to the FREEZING COLD SNOWSTORM so they didn't get to have as many meetings as they had hoped. Broad smiles and kudos to the USCP for their extremely professional, experienced, well-informed (considering apparently you all thought you were being rebels by thinking you did not have a permit to protest), respectful way of handling this inconvenience. Traffic was not even held up for the protestors that day at all. So go ahead, spread your propaganda and try to relive the 60's (some of you) and reinvent yourselves as your 60's protesting parents, put your spin on what YOU say happened that day just like you do everytime you all do this sort of thing - the lack of actual, legitimate media coverage allows you to do this so at least you have that going for you. I know USCP appreciates you all allowing them to acquire some overtime pay that day - that was pretty much the only accomplishment you all achieved. Try harder next time and maybe get your facts straight.
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Dan Hughes Posted 1:57 am
06 Mar 2009
The assignment is closely related to the Obama administration's goal of reducing emissions to 15% below 2005 levels by 2020.
All innovative solutions are welcomed, I'm sure.
Thank you for taking time to consider making contributions to the approaches.
Dan
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