Albert Einstein famously said
“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”
The Obama Administration needs to know NOW this applies to the climate war on the planet, and that
it cannot compromise on the tar sands pipeline to thermal hell. There is no compromise.
Tell Secretary of State Mr. Kerry, who along with President Obama, can determine the course of history with the Keystone XL pipeline, that he cannot simultaneously prevent and promote carbon pollution.
Send a letter today using The Friends of The Earth webpage. As we needed 35,000+ in Washington, (and 5000 in San Francisco and thousands elsewhere) in the street for the Forward On Climate rally on 2/17, so we need you to fill Mr. Kerry's inbox before its too late. Be outraged, and quick.
Some suggestions:
He cannot simultaneously fight Carbon pollution and light the fuse to the titanic tar sands carbon bomb.
He cannot simultaneously serve prosperity and fossil profit.
He cannot simultaneously cool the planet and fool the public.
He cannot simultaneously stop the ocean's rise and start a flood of bitumen.
He cannot simultaneously stay true to his words and conscience and ignore science.
He cannot simultaneously save and destroy the Holocene.
More on why, below fold, but please send the letter today.
From Michael Klares' diary (Reposted from Tom's Dispatch):
Conclusion:
The stakes in this battle could not be higher. [emphasis added] If Keystone XL fails to win the president’s approval, the industry will certainly grow at a far slower pace than forecast and possibly witness the failure of costly ventures, resulting in an industry-wide contraction. If approved, however, production will soar and global warming will occur at an even faster rate than previously projected. In this way, a presidential decision will have an unexpectedly decisive and lasting impact on all our lives.
I am very heartened and warmed by the pictures of SF Bay Area’s event, as I was seeing in Washington. The emotions that bring this movement together are so key. Thanks to the Planners, Sponsors, Endorsers, Volunteers and Participants for creating that heart-felt awareness.
It is "We the people". McKibben made that crystal clear in his MSNBC interview: http://tv.msnbc.com/... (Suggest to see all 3 segments: Bill McKibben and the Chief Jackie Thomas are interviewed at the site of the Forward On Climate Rally Sunday morning 2/17, along with leaders of NAACP and Public Citizen Energy Program.)
Bill said (paraphrasing here) we won the science 20 years ago. The “rational” approach that one might expect to address climate change (and had nascent starts) did not happen, essentially due to the fossil corporate money (over $140 million, it turns out) to denialist misinformation groups.
So to overcome those same active groups, where science failed to lead policy, so we the people must make it happen. Like other social transformations (e.g. civil rights) enough people must take action to make it happen. Personally, I think we may need 10x today’s numbers in the streets. As some have noted, our biggest day yet has barely moved the media needle. And we have just begun.
Highly relevant, this, from Cloud Atlas:
“The conflict between corporations and activists is that of narcolepsy versus remembrance. The corporations have money, power and influence. Our sole weapon is public outrage. Outrage blocked the Yucca Dam, ousted Nixon, and in part, terminated the monstrosities in Vietnam. But outrage is unwieldly to manufacture and handle. First, you need scrutiny; second, widespread awareness; only when this reaches a critical mass does public outrage explode into being. "
We are “raising the temperature of public awareness [however] fractionally toward its ignition point”. Thanks to each of you.
Now, please, send that letter.