Nice spin on this -- the fact that this young woman was taken advantage of matters little to you...as long as you can bash the right.

Think carefully about how much will be done in this case....nothing.  Hence, her crying is for pure spectacle, and the Democrats will use it for fodder for this global warming scam.

As usual, all spin, all left, all the time.

So, how is giving a voice to someone who's travelled from Alaska to Washington DC at her own expense to make her voice heard, taking advantage of her?  

"People who don't care about anything will never understand people who do." ~Angel

They have a media outlet just for you - it's called Fox News.  Have you seen it?

...the fact that this young woman was taken advantage of matters little to you...
Richard Romano

Apparently, Richard Romano is one of the many Children Left Behind, because he has obviously not yet learned to read.

The column stated:
Cheryl was one of 3,000 young people who flooded Capitol Hill yesterday, none of whom were invited by the Democrats or anybody else. They drove hours in full buses and vans and slept on friends' couches this weekend to press for their own agenda: a Congress that will act to build a clean energy economy that lifts people out of poverty and solves climate change.

Cheryl traveled from remotest Alaska to Washington, D.C., to speak up for what she believes and tell the story of what her family is going through. She came to meet with her senators, Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski, and Representative Don Young. She was a citizen taking part in democracy, not a prop for political theater.

Now, I doubt Richard would walk across the street for anything other than a free year of FOX News, yet this young woman and her friends put it on the road to put it on the line for their culture, their past, and their future.

And as for Rush, I'm surprised he didn't ask for the young woman's phone number. Then again, his "vacations" in Thailand indicate that 18 might be a little too mature for his tastes.

ikewasright

I would like to commend Charlee for her courage and dedication to her people.  She provided emotional testimony before Congress about the impacts of climate change to her culture and local community.  In her testimony Charlee warned that her traditional way of life was threatened by further changes in the climate.  Her motives for testifying were unfairly questioned.

I thank Charlee for her willingness to represent Alaska Natives and lend a voice to the climate change debate.  Climate change impacts Alaskans more strongly than anywhere else in the nation - especially in rural communities that depend upon animal migration patterns and stable sea ice for subsistence activities.  Charlee demonstrated her passion for her culture and I am proud to call her my constituent.

Charlee was among a group of Alaskan teens who traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in a youth summit on climate change.  I had the opportunity to meet Charlee and the other teens to discuss climate change policy and solutions. I am always encouraged to see young Alaskans take an active interest in their government.  I am hopeful that Charlee and the other teens that traveled to D.C. will help inspire others to become involved in the issues that are important to them.

Reading the original story, and some of the other responses, I was starting to feel ill. Thank you so much for restoring our faith in humanity.

Thanks to Senator Murkowski for making this statement in support of Cheryl Charlee Lockwood.

Whether she has gone far enough in criticizing those who "unfairly questioned" (really, denounced and discredited) Charlee's motives, may still be asked.

And whether Alaska's congressional delegation have always served the native peoples of Alaska well, in promoting their welfare, including the preservation of their traditions, such native Alaskans as the Gwich'in of Arctic Village, AK, might comment on.

Grist readers will remember that Sarah James of Arctic Village was a recent InterActivist.  She has been involved for a number of years now in the work of presenting the great interest of her people, in preserving their traditional dependence on the Porcupine caribou herd, which migrate annually through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  They have long been fiercely opposed to allowing drilling for oil in ANWR.  It would be interesting to know what Sarah James thinks of how her people, her neighbors, are represented in DC.

One aspect of Yup'ik tradition that is well known in the art world is their mask-making.  The Yup'ik, Charlee's people, are Inuit from western Alaska, including the lowermost valley of the Yukon River and the nearby coast.  The distinctive masks that they make are amazing sculptures, and IMHO some of the greatest religious works of art from anywhere.

Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.