Welcome Kibitzers! Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
Soon the sun will set at the Plumbers’ house and the menorah will be lit, kicking off the first night of Hanukkah. When combined with Thanksgiving break it should add up to some great time spent with family.
"PBO, ask Sasha and Malia what they think of the XL pipeline" ~ My Little One
My little one and I got started this Monday, rising early on her day off to head to San Francisco. President Obama was coming to town to raise money for congressional candidates; we can all agree we need to retake the house if there is to be any chance of our progressive agenda …well, progressing. But even with a majority in both houses activists would still need to push the politicians in the right direction, many seem content with business as usual. So we grabbed our signs and headed out to push for action on Climate Change hoping to stake out a spot to be seen and heard by President Obama as he drove by.
We were greeted by a bright, sunshiny day as well as the bright, sunshiny smile of our friend and fellow Kossack, kimoconnor. Both very welcomed. The climate activists began to gather a couple blocks from the SF Jazz Center where donors who paid to meet President Obama were also gathering. In the growing crowd we met two more Kossacks - solarbay and citisven.
Soon we were being directed towards the Jazz Center to line up across the street.
And good citizens are always ready with directions. Some may remember the silver haired activist, she's the 90 year-old grandmother arrested along with Bill McKibben and over 250 activists at the Richmond Refinery protest last summer.
The line of donors went on for blocks on one side of the street.
While across the street the climate activists were just as numerous.
But this was not a fight for the minds of those on the other side of street, they’re not conservatives. I imagine many of them share our concerns about Climate Change and maybe our signs sparked some conversation.
My little one felt relieved that the police were not dressed in the riot gear we have seen at other protests.
Besides, if they just drove by slowly in an unmarked car with tinted windows, they could quickly film us and run it through the FBI’s face recognition system.
Eventually we were herded behind the barricades diagonal to the Jazz Center with the assurance that we would be seen when the president drove by, but I was not completely convinced.
My little one quickly squeezed to the front. She confidently told me how strong her arm is and how she could hold her sign up for an hour if she needed to. She is convinced if President Obama read her sign, asking him to talk with his daughters about Climate Change and the Keystone Pipeline, they would help push him to make Climate Change a priority and say NO to the Keystone Pipeline.
Profits are not important to kids. Seeing pictures of where the tar sands are mined tells them all they need to know. The destruction of mother earth is ugly.
After more than an hour my little one was still going strong.
But I began to wonder if he snuck in a backdoor, avoiding us completely.
Finally after a couple hours President Obama arrived.
My little one kept her word and held her sign until President Obama drove by, whether he actually saw us we don't know. We could only see a glimpse of the presidential caravan around the corner as it pulled into an ally behind the building. It is not likely he was able to read any of our signs. The little one was sagging, but determined.
As time goes on, I grow to appreciate my little one’s message more and more. How can President Obama justify to his daughters not making Climate Change a priority. The children of the people on both sides of the street will be facing the challenges ahead. As adults we must speak for the children, polar bears and all the creatures without a voice.
Bonus Links:
President Obama comes to San Francisco ATM, Climate Activists sing him a song ~ citisven
Photo Gallery ~ Michael Endicott
Photo Gallery ~ Pamela Zuppo
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate.
Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.