Meet the Treehouse-Dwelling Protesters of the Keystone Pipeline

[xchrom]

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/meet-the-treehouse-dwelling-protesters-of-the-keystone-pipeline/263878/



Earlier this week, 50 environmental activists of the Tar Sands Blockade gathered in Winnsboro, Texas. They crossed an easement owned by TransCanada, the owner and builder of the controversial Keystone pipeline, in an effort to get supplies to a handful of their colleagues. These protesters have been living in the trees above one of the work sites in an attempt to stop construction. Two activists fastened themselves to heavy machinery, halting work at the site closest, while over a dozen others stood along the roadside holding protest signs.

The activists are not alone in their fight against the Keystone pipeline, which will transport tar sands from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. East Texas landowners are also fighting the pipeline. On October 4, 78-year-old Eleanor Fairchild and actress/environmental activist Daryl Hannah stood in the path of heavy machinery on Fairchild's property. They were arrested. Since then, 21 people, including Ms. Fairchild, have been served papers labeling then eco-terrorists, as part of a civil suit against them for work stoppages. Reporters, too, have been detained covering the tree sitters' protest, though the local police have not pressed charges against any of them. Access to the activists in the trees is now blocked off to all media.

Landowner David Hightown says that if conservatives who support the pipeline knew more about the construction and about tar sands, he thinks they would change their position. "This isn't about creating energy independence for America, or jobs," he says, "but about allowing a Canadian corporation to profit at our expense." In his estimation, environmental impact reports are being done hastily, if at all.

[lalalu]

1. This needs to be stopped.

This pipeline is just another example of the response to the Eurozone. People who talk about doing away with borders and the global economy are just buying time to build their mega countries. There will be borders but they will encompass bigger areas that will be controlled by corporations and not independent governments. '1984' is very real.

[snot]

2. K&R'd.

I object among other things to the labelling of the protesters as "terrorists." They're not terrifying anyone; they're just inconveniencing a corp.

[BanTheGOP]

3. The Keystone builders are Environmental Terrorists.

Unless Obama is playing lip service to the Crier of the House, he should NOT even be talking about considering building it. We should immediately flood the White House and say NO! to Keystone.