Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement
Here’s how intensely strange the conflict around mountaintop removal is getting. Poster child of mountaintop removal Massey Energy’s CEO Don Blankenship must have hired some new PR people trying to improve his public image (not that it doesn’t severely need it) in the world of online social networking.
Now we’re seeing him blogging and twittering all up and down the information super highway. Continue reading ‘Big Coal’s “New” Media Push’
I’m loving the outrage that is already being expressed over this. Hopefully the main-stream media will finally begin to report on the dirty way the coal / oil folks are contributing to the conversation that is so important to the future of this country and the health of the world for years to come.
Check out how the folks at the DC Action factory respond über-quick to this “Naked Fraud of our Democracy”
The youth climate movement is being bombarded with advice and criticism from all directions!
Whether it’s Thomas Friedman bemoaning our generation to get off the “facebook” and into some “faces,” or Joe Romm slamming our movement for being too in-your-face with politicians about ACES, we just can’t catch a break. We need to show our critics that we are serious about engaging politicians on all levels to create a clean energy future; that we are looking beyond the ACES battle and COP15. We need more Bryce Carters.
Bryce is a veteran of the Virginia climate movement. Starting with the Focus 
the Nation 2008 teach- in campaign, and continuing with recruitment around 07 and 09 Powershift, VA. Powershift, and numerous campus based events, he has been a continuous leader in the Virginia Tech student movement for several years. His activism and leadership has steadily grown parallel with the growth of the national climate movement, and this April, as many of us did, he decided to leap ahead.
Update: Avaaz Action Factory held a demonstration in front of the lobby firms offices: photos here
How many lobbyists does it take to screw in a lightbulb up democracy?
Turns out, just one. This morning the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported that the lobbying group Bonner & Associates had sent deliberately forged letters to freshman U.S. Representative Tom Perriello from the local NAACP and Creciendo Juntos, stating opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). In June, two weeks before the House passed the bill, six letters (copies here and here) supposedly sent from these two organizations urged Rep. Perriello to “Please don’t vote to force cost increases on us, especially in this volatile economy.”
The author of the letters was identified as an employee with Bonner & Associates, a firm noted for dubious astroturf lobbying, and has lobbied on behalf of utility companies in the past. The firm did not register to lobby on behalf of any company or organization against the cap-and-trade bill.
“They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization,” said Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos… “It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.” Continue reading ‘Fraud? Identity Theft? Impersonation? All In A Day’s Work’
BREAKING NEWS and ALERT from the Avaaz DC Action Factory
This morning the below story broke: LOBBYISTS FORGED LETTERS TO CONGRESS ON CLIMATE BILL
A DC Lobbying firm stole the trademarked logo and organizational name of the NAACP and a community group in Charlottesville, VA and wrote a letter purporting to oppose the ACES bill in the house.
This is a prime example of dirty money fueling lies in DC. It is an affront to Democracy and a hindrance to passing the climate legislation our country desperately needs. We need to call them out and make this a national story.
RAPID RESPONSE ACTION:
What: Picket / Rally outside of the perpetrators’ offices. Visuals will include “naked” lobbyists holding signs admitting to “naked fraud” and climate destruction.
Where: 1101 17th St NW (Near Farragut Square Metro stops)
When: 2:30 PM, Friday July 31.
Who: Avaaz Climate Action Factory and YOU!
For Inquiry: call David Sievers at 301-455-2357 or Morgan Goodwin at 413-884-5240
Resources: Download and view the forged and fraudulent letters here (NAACP) and here (Creciendos Juntos), [both pdfs].
Story from the Charlottesville Daily Progress.
Forged letters to congressman anger local groups
By Brian McNeill
Published: July 31, 2009
Continue reading ‘Action Alert: DC lobbyists use naked fraud to oppose climate bill! Rapid response protest scheduled’
Cross-Posted from: here
I happened to catch the opening part of President Barack Obama’s health care town hall meeting in Bristol, Virginia. At the beginning of these, local politicians are usually acknowledged by the President. So Obama thanks the Virginia Senators and the Governor, and then mentions that the Congressman of this area is Rick Boucher. Now, Obama could leave it at acknowledging Rick Boucher like the others, but instead he goes on an elaboration of energy, saying Boucher was an early supporter of his campaign, and has worked to ensure an energy policy where clean coal is part of Virginia’s energy future, which will create jobs. Because of this, Obama proclaims “I love Rick Boucher.” Continue reading ‘Obama: “I love Rick Boucher”’
Yesterday, indigenous rights activists coordinated a major action at the Royal Bank of Canada’s Headquarters in Toronto, to appeal to Mrs. Janet Nixon, the wife of RBC CEO Gordon Nixon, to lend her strong and influential voice to those fighting to protect Canada’s clean water and respect Indigenous rights by pushing RBC to stop bankrolling the tar sands.
See the full post here.
Cross posted from Solve Climate, by Alisha Fowler
Back on May 18, nine cyclists left their homes in Seattle and headed out for a bike ride. Now, this might not sound like much of a story at first. But the thing is, these cyclists are still on the road. They have gained a few more team members since they began — cyclists from 11 other states have joined in — and they just arrived in the nation’s capitol.
The riders are young activists on a Trek to Re-Energize America. This week, they are meeting with members of Congress and calling for strong, immediate action on climate change.
“We started out saying we were ‘building a movement from the seat of a bike,’” said Jolene Brink, the lead Minnesota Trek Organizer.”What this has turned into is recognizing the movement that is already growing in towns and cities across the country, and the desire out there for change.”
Over the past two months, the Trekkers have gathered hundreds of stories from American cities and towns about sustainability, climate change, energy and the future of life in America. They have found that Americans from all walks of life are ready for a clean, green economy but that they need more government support to make a full transition to a more sustainable future.
The riders are now taking that message from the streets to the halls of Congress.
Check out below the fold to read about Kokomo, Indiana, the Twin Cities, and a rally in D.C.! Continue reading ‘Building a Climate Movement from the Seat of a Bike’
Jason Kowalski, a policy expert with climate advocacy group 1Sky, has an excellent and handy update on the climate bill “situation report” from DC. Here’s the skinny on upcoming Senate committee timelines, political posturing from critical moderates, and how the health care debate is impacting the climate scene:
1. Timeline
Environment and Public Works (EPW) Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has promised the release of her committee’s discussion draft on September 8, the first day back from recess. By releasing a discussion draft after recess, EPW has the potential to positively influence other committee processes as titles get marked up before the September 28th deadline. The current schedule:
- 8/8 – 9/7: Senate August recess;
- 9/8: EPW discussion draft to be released;
- 9/8 – 9/25: Committee mark-ups held;
- 9/28: Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) mark-up deadline for all Senate Committees with climate jurisdiction.
Cross-Posted with Mass Climate Summer Blog. Posted on behalf of Jeff Gang, Mass Climate Summer participant.
For the past two months, I’ve been spreading the word about the climate emergency as part of Mass Power Shift‘s Massachusetts Climate Summer, a program of twenty student volunteers biking around the state. (You might have already read about us!) We’ve been in cities and towns, past beaches and through slums, under the rain and sun, and on ferries, trains, and subways. We canvass every weekday, not asking for money, but building support for a movement and engaging leaders. And since our project is almost through, I thought I’d share some of the lessons we’ve learned during our time in the Commonwealth. First, I’ll talk about the canvassing experience, and then I’d like to share some impressions about getting the message across.
What is it like going door-to-door? Well, as anyone with canvass experience can tell you, it can be difficult. But I’ve found that as soon as I tell folks, “we’re not fundraising” or “there’s no money involved” they loosen up, and begin to seriously listen to me. I’m not some kid with a fundraising script; I’m a volunteer, giving my time because I care about climate change. The message is clear: they should care too. Our efforts have been very successful – 4,000+ signatures thus far. I’d suggest that this sort of canvassing holds good potential for our movement across the country.
What does real America think about climate change, and how do they respond to it?
You are currently browsing the It\’s Getting Hot In Here weblog archives for July, 2009.
