Locus Focus on 08/15/11

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Produced by: 
KBOO
Program:: 
Locus Focus
Air date: 
Mon, 08/15/2011 - 10:15am to 11:00am
"Gray Haired Ladies" to protest Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

Guest host Stephanie Potter interviews Barbara Ford, Marilee Dea, and Pat Sanders who are going as part of a contingent of "Gray Haired Ladies" to Washington DC to protest  the Keystone XL Pipeline,  a proposed 1,700 mile pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. The Keystone Pipeline would be under a lot of pressure -- pumping tar, after all; and subject to breakage. In passing from Alberta to Texas, it would cross through six states and the "largest aquifer in the world." The women hope to join thousands of people from across the continent, including environmentalist Bill McKibben, actor Danny Glover and climatologist James Hansen, in a wave of sustained sit-ins. The protest runs from August 20 to Sept 3, and the Gray Haired Ladies will be participating on August 24.  For some of them  it will be their first-ever protest:    "We are women over 50 from the Columbia Ecovillage, some have never demonstrated before. Peg, a hair stylist from Spokane Wa, Ann, a school secretary, Pam, a retired lawyer and nurse, Barbara, a counselor and facilitator, Marilee, a nurse practitoner and urban farmer." --Marilee    (Listen to audio here: http://kboo.fm/node/30364)

Comments

Submitted by celestemcch (not verified) on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:02pm

I am also going to Washington DC to participate in the Tar Sands Action. I am delighted to hear that others from the area will be there. My day is August 29. I'll try to call in during Monday's program and add whatever I can to the discussion.
It is important to recognize that the goal of this action is persuasion, not protest. The Keystone XL pipeline cannot be constructed unless President Obama signs a "certificate of national interest" allowing the project to proceed. We feel strongly that we must do everything in our power to persuade him to make the right decision--for our country, for humanity, and for the planet.
James Hansen makes it clear how serious this decision is for our chance to mitigate the effects of climate change: "The public must demand a strategic approach that leaves most fossil carbon in the ground. Specifically, coal emissions must be phased out rapidly, and the horrendously polluting 'unconventional' fossil fuels, such as tar sands and oil shale, must be left in the ground." (Storms of my grandchildren: The truth about the coming climate catastrophe and our last chance to save humanity, page 269)

Submitted by judithmoran (not verified) on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 10:53am

Thank you for getting the information out about this proposed destruction to our earth and water.

Submitted by mpchristoffels (not verified) on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 11:00am

Thank you to today's grey-haired guests for providing so much important information about the Tar Sands Action and why it's so critical to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. I, too, will be traveling to DC later this month for the peaceful protests, but am still learning all the nitty-gritty details on the pipeline. I knew how bad the tar sand were for the surrounding areas, but didn't know about how the pipeline would affect Midwestern watersheds, etc. Thanks again and hope to connect with you (and anyone else interested in this matter) in the future! See you in DC!
Monica Christoffels
twitter.com/mpchristoffels
facebook.com/mpchristoffels

Submitted by marcdemandside (not verified) on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 11:01am

Thanks for your passion and light!
Mending our own pockets and putting the horse before the cart (or the oikos before the economy) are more sustainable than plundering our planet, resigning to the myth of corporate beneficence, trickle-down mythology and profit worship.
It's time for Plan B! Alternative economics emphasizes reduc ing working hours, infrastructure investment, labor-intensive investment, person-oriented work and environmental caring. Access could replace excess; qualitative growth could replace quantitative growth. The future could be full of community centers and free Internet books, not stagnation, debts and vulgar materialism!   marc
The LA Times editorial, July 14, 2011 was titled "The Risks of the Keystone XL Pipeline." If you do a Google search for "LA Times Risks of Keystone XL Pipeline," it should come up.

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