We Speak For Earth

Dear friends,

When we started the Keystone fight there were just a few of us, and no one thought we had a chance.

But with hard work and lots of great organizing we scored an unlikely victory when the President eventually rejected the pipeline last month. However, the oil industry’s representatives in Congress are eager to undo that, and it looks like a deal could be coming together in the Senate this week to sabotage that win. It’s time for us to defend our victory. 

Beginning at noon today, every environmental group in the nation, not to mention great allies like MoveOn.org and CREDO Action, will come together for the most concentrated burst of environmental advocacy this millennia. We’re aiming to send half a million messages to the Senate in the next 24 hours. And they’ll all have the same message: back the President and make sure this pipeline doesn’t get built. 

This is what movements look like.  And we need you to play a big part.

1—Send a message right now to the Senate: act.350.org/sign/kxl/

and

2—Make sure that everyone else you know does the same thing. 

The arguments by now are clear:  This pipeline won’t create jobs (that’s why the biggest labor unions in the country support the President). It puts the heartland of the country at risk from spills — the kind of leaks that devastated the Yellowstone and Kalamazoo Rivers in the year past. And after the year with the most weather disasters in the nation’s history, and amidst this weird and out-of-kilter winter, the fight against climate change must start here. 

The only argument for the pipeline comes from folks like the Koch Brothers—“we can make a lot of money.” It’s not a good argument, but that money buys votes in Congress, unless we stand up. 

So: stand up.

…With deep thanks,

—Bill McKibben for 350.org

P.s. My personal message when I signed:

“Enough is enough! Let’s stop letting Big Oil & Big Money dictate US policy while trampling on the health of our citizens, wildlife, and environment. 
It’s time to invest in green energy. It’s time to do what’s right. It’s time to put a stop to the pipeline!”

Pps. They already have over 300,000 signatures! But still 200,000 away from their goal of a half-million. Come on guys, I know tumblr itself can make a huge dent in that! Let’s get this done already!

Alabama has just passed some of the most stringent laws in an effort to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants in the state. The law, approved by the state legislature and backed by voters, will allow police to check for papers and detain undocumented residents without bail.

Persons who provide work, housing, food or transportation can be arrested or receive a fine. Churches are not exempt from this law — meaning they also cannot provide aid to the undocumented. Public school officials will also be mandated to share the citizenship status of both newly-enrolled students and parents with authorities.

Please join us in telling Alabama there must be a more humane way to handle the issue of illegal immigration and the issue of undocumented workers than incarceration and preventing children from receiving an education.

The biggest victims in this will be children and the economy will also suffer as schools have less students and workers are displaced. Everyone pays taxes every time they shop; the undocumented also pay taxes, which provide funds for schools, hospitals, social service agencies, etc.

Please sign the petition to stop this law and replace it with some negotiation and dialogue as to more humane ways to deal with the immigration issue.