The Family That Protests the Pipeline Together….

If U.S. President Obama decides in favor of the Keystone XL Pipeline, we’ll soon be refining and burning enough bitumen (pictured left), after pumping it from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico, to provide the equivalent of putting an additional 5.7 million cars and trucks on our roads.  Dr. James Hansen of NASA calls the pipeline “game over for the planet.”

That’s why I drove my family down to Santa Barbara this morning to join a couple of hundred other protesters, calling for Obama to disapprove the project. 

My job was joining in the chanting of clever rhyming slogans (like “Hey, hey, ho, ho.  Keystone Pipeline’s got to go”) while helping to carry a 90-foot-long plastic replica of the pipeline about three miles from a park downtown to the beach. I’ve been a part of only three protest marches in my 58 years, but I have to say that this one, with a long, thin, light-weight model we could carry easily through the streets, was by far the most visually imposing on those who beheld it: drivers, other pedestrians, shop-owners, etc.  We seemed to get a good deal of television coverage as well.  And this was one of dozens (hundreds?) held all over these great United States today.

The whole thing was incredibly well orchestrated by volunteers at 350.org.   A great job, by some truly professional and incredibly passionate people.

I sympathize with those who feel a bit intimidated at the idea of taking part in protest marches.  But I’ll tell you that among other things, it’s great to participate in activities like these with your children.   Too many kids grow up today without fully comprehending what it means to live in a democracy, and to exercise the constitutional rights and civil liberties for which many millions of Americans have paid the ultimate price.   I could see the lights go on in my young daughter. Yes, Valerie, a) this is important stuff, and b) together, we can change the world.

Here’s a photo from another very similar demonstration.  Same prop — different city.