The coal barons are vigorously pushing plans to export Montana and Wyoming coal to Asia. The coal would fuel 500 new coal fired power plants and vastly increase the carbon emissions that drive climate change.
The Lummi Indian Tribe in northwest Washington have a large historic burial ground near Cherry Point, where the coal barons want to build one of their export terminals.
The Lummi decided not only to fight the Cherry Point proposal, but they would help fight every proposed West Coast coal terminal and even one of the proposed coal mines in Montana.
The would do it by carving a lovely, 40-foot tall cedar totem pole, and trucking it to the location of every proposed terminal. The totem pole serves as a focus point for the anti-coal rallies, and also invokes some of the magic and mystery of eons long past, especially after being brushed with a bald eagle feather.
Last night the Lummi brought the totem pole to Longview, Washington, an hour north of Portland Oregon. Continue reading below the orange wisp of hope for additional details.
The Lummi, Cowlitz and other tribes are in coalition with a Washington Interfaith Council of a variety of Christian churches to work together on social justice issues.
A Presbyterian church hosted the demonstration and their minister opined on the spiritual connections between the Supreme Being and the glory of our Earth. A lower Columbia River fishing group provided salmon to supplement the other potluck dishes that fed the crowds of 300.
Here, a Cowlitz Tribal leader welcomes the Lummi and the demonstrators.
I'm with my paper mill buddies, in the back. We had something on common with the Tribes and the demonstrators. Financial speculators bought the paper mill, laid off hundreds, and slashed health care benefits.
While we, the Tribes, and the demonstrators may worship a Supreme Being, the mill speculators and the coal barons worship money.
And we, the Tribes, and the demonstrators are all locked in a deadly embrace with rich and powerful corporate enemies. When you must fight an overwhelming enemy, it's a wonderful thing to find out you had friends you didn't know about.
We wanted the Tribes and demonstrators to see that we are their friends. We hope they will be our friends too, as the mill workers' battle escalates. We've forced the Mill into a public hearing on their fish-killing water withdrawals from the Columbia River, and their polluted discharges. We've gone to their demonstration, and we hope they come to ours.
Tue Aug 25, 2015 at 8:35 AM PT: About 20 of the anti-coal folks showed up to support the paper workers at the hearing last night on the Kapstone Mill's water pollution permit. Some very brave Mill workers decided they would not keep the company's secrets any longer. Their detailed testimony exposed the company's shabby and potentially criminal environmental malfeasance. The State environmental agency representatives sat there open mouthed. No one had ever seen a public hearing turn out like this before, including me, and I've done this for 30 years.
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