Encircle the White House Nov 6: McKibben

[Albanius]

Bill McKibben sent out a call to activists to encircle the White House November 6, to demand that Obama deny approval to the proposed XL pipeline. This project, which would pump very dirty oil from the Alberta Tar Sands, would be disastrous for the aquifer and catastophic for the climate, but a multi-billion dollar windfall for the fraction of the 1% invested in BIG OIL.

McKibben is also urging his folks to join the Occupy movement, see link at end.

Here is McKibben's message:

I'm writing to ask for a favor.

We've done everything we can think of in the last few months to make this Keystone XL tar sands pipeline a national issue, including sending 1253 people off to jail. I want to make their sacrifice count; and though the odds are still against us, they're improving daily.

On November 6, when we circle the White House, we can make the odds better still. But we need you to be there.

Click here www.tarsandsaction.org/
to sign up to join us in DC on November 6 to encircle the White House.

Here's what momentum feels like: the Washington Post just put a big story on the front page making it very, very clear that we've got the president's attention. Hours later the Baltimore Sun came out with a powerful editorial against the pipeline. Everyone from the Dalai Lama to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (what a team!) have been pitching in during the last few days.

And yesterday a new video arrived, courtesy of our friends at NRDC, from Robert Redford, who's done as much good environmental work as anyone in the country. It sums up the case. If you get a chance, watch it.

After you watch the video, please sign up here to join in on Nov. 6, hopefully with lots of friends in tow. We don't know exactly how many people it will take to circle the White House, but we know we need you.

Thanks,

Bill McKibben

P.S. No need to worry about getting arrested this time. It's going to be legal, and lovely. All the signs will carry quotes from Obama in 2008: sentiments like, "It's time to end the tyranny of oil." It's time to see if we can bring that old Barack Obama out of hiding!

P.P.S. We've been busy fighting the pipeline, but we're also carving out some time to join the amazing #Occupy movement -- you can get more info at www.350.org/occupy

[Albanius]

At least 2 people from Occupy Albany went down to DC for this action.

McKibben sent this report today:

Friends--

There are days along any journey that stick with you, and today was one of them.

Under blue Indian Summer skies, more than 12,000 people from every corner of the country descended on Washington DC; then, with great precision, they fanned out to surround the White House and take a stand against the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Here are just a couple of pictures from the day, and you can see lots more by clicking here.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.260543540663184.87544.204724712911734&type=3

What speaker after speaker today made clear (and they came from every part of our movement: indigenous leaders, labor organizers, environmentalists, young people, preachers) was that today was in no way a grand finale -- there's lots more work to do.

I have no idea how this battle is going to come out -- only that, together, we stand a chance to shut down this dirty pipeline and shift the flow not just of oil, but of history. This day was an important part of that history, and we’ll carry its power with us as we take this fight forward.

Thanks in advance for all the work we'll do together, shoulder-to-shoulder, on the road ahead.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben for the 350.org team