Peaceful Protest Underway against Tar Sands Oil Pipeline

[AndyH]

Denialist is an ugly word with Holocaust connotations..

Are you kidding me? Way to grab the words from Rapier's mouth and use them as, well, a rapier.

Also from Robert Rapier.. we could burn all of Canada and it would not make a dent in the CO2 balance of the world compared to the coal burning emissions from Asia. More on this topic..

Right. I need to believe some blogger that's in the energy business, has a history of less-than-complete facts, and is using a dataset from BP? A dataset that BP considers closed and will not provide to fact checkers? Riiiiight. Do I look like I just fell off the turnip truck?

One link you included about the 'oil sands'

(see that use of words? Doesn't oil sound nice and normal? Except it's not oil - they're not oil sands - they're TAR SANDS - no, that's not a slur - it's a simple fact with spin removed. The material in the sand is BITUMEN. Ever hear about those dinosaurs trapped in those pits in the LA, CA area? La Brea? Notice those dinosaurs weren't trapped in "The La Brea Oil Pits", they were trapped in the La Brea TAR Pits - because the material was TAR not oil. It was actually bitumen - think asphalt here. Not oil - tar)

starts with an attack on Gasland director Josh Fox - saying he used false information about breast cancer rates in north Texas. It's funny, but I spent some time researching this earlier today and I will tell you that Mr. Rapier is guilty of libel. Why in the world would I think that - especially since that 'fact' has been circulated far and wide in DENIAL circles and mainstream media? Because of this:

http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/...nes/20110831-breast-cancer-rate-climbs-up.ece

Invasive breast cancer is on the rise in Denton County and five neighboring counties, even as the incidence rate for the disease is lower in the state and falling across the rest of the nation.

According to a 2011 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six counties in the western Dallas-Fort Worth area have the highest rates of invasive breast cancer in Texas.

While it's true that cancer rates in the Barnett shale region are at or below the national average, the rate in the rest of Texas is WELL BELOW the national average - and continues to fall even as the rate increases in the shale gas area. Josh Fox factually reported the 'truth on the ground' backed up with CDC data, while pro-gas forces ignore the facts and publish spin.

What Mr. Rapier did was simply repeat the story that fit his overall message - but he didn't publish the facts.

Strike one.

More later.

 

[AndyH]

East Texans battle the pipeline.

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/16/158025375/when-this-oil-spills-its-a-whole-new-monster?sc=tw&cc=share

A few months after he saw the stakes, he got a letter from a corporation named TransCanada asking for permission to send out more surveyors.

The letter warned that TransCanada could take him to court if he didn't comply. He called an attorney whose name was on the letter.

"I said, 'I have questions. I don't know anything about this project,' " Daniel remembers.
According to Daniel, the lawyer said, "The only question I have for you is which pile to put you in, the cooperative pile or the f - - - ing uncooperative pile."

"For me, as a father, I have a duty and responsibility to protect my family. What I know about this project is they can break laws and put my family at risk. I'm not OK with any of that. If that means I'll have to stand in front of a bulldozer, I'll stand in front of a bulldozer."

 

[AndyH]

Trans Canada breaks ground for southern leg of tarsands pipeline...

http://truth-out.org/news/item/1097...ction-begins-on-keystone-xl-pipeline-in-texas

TransCanada broke ground last week on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, bucking more than four years of intense opposition to the project from farmers, ranchers and local communities representing thousands of people affected across Texas and Oklahoma.

...even though not all land has been acquired...

Events on Thursday were also staged in Dallas and Houston, where protestors standing in solidarity with rural landowners say TransCanada bullied and manipulated residents across the state, forcing the pipeline’s construction through the use of eminent domain—a legal maneuver that allows corporations to seize private citizens’ property without their consent.
“TransCanada lied to me from day one,” says Susan Scott, a landowner in East Texas whose property will be condemned. “I worked 37 years for my farm, and TransCanada believes it is entitled to a piece of my home.”
While many landowners along the pipeline route in Texas said they signed easement agreements with TransCanada out of fear of being sued, another landowner, Julia Trigg Crawford, is still holding out. Her case went to court in Paris on Friday, with a ruling to be issued shortly.

http://nacstop.org/standwithjulia/index.html

...and blockade is organized.

http://tarsandsblockade.org/

**UPDATE 11:30AM - As TransCanada quietly breaks ground on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline landowner advocates climb atop stacks of pipes in an East Texas construction yard. Organizers unfurled a banner and flew a “Don’t Tread On Me” Gadsden Flag to demonstrate the diverse and unlikely alliance of environmentalists and Tea Partiers who all oppose Keystone XL.

 

[AndyH]

Another look at how the tarsands extraction process is changing lives in the area.

Downstream
The 33 minute mini-documentary is available at the link.
http://www.babelgum.com/channels/180374/clips/3015242

Additional documentary projects:
Dirty Oil
Pipe Dreams

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLE8Gawg_I[/youtube]

Texas Public Radio interview with Lesli Iwerks (bottom MP3 link)
http://www.tpr.org/texasmatters/2011/12/txm111216.html

 

[AndyH]

The pressure's rising in East Texas - and Transcanada reps are pushing the police to 'escalate' ...


http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/20...aging-law-enforcement-to-use-torture-tactics/
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/20...compliance-tactics-on-keystone-xl-blockaders/

http://tarsandsblockade.org/

Yesterday two Texans, Shannon Beebe and Benjamin Franklin, were subjected to torture tactics at the hands of police under the active encouragement of TransCanada senior supervisors. Beebe and Franklin were exercising their constitutional rights to nonviolent protest when they locked themselves to Keystone XL construction machinery outside Winnsboro, Texas and delayed construction for most of the day. Police began using aggressive pain compliance tactics when a senior TransCanada supervisor named John arrived and actively encouraged it. Torture tactics included; sustained chokeholds, violent arm-twisting, pepper spray, and multiple uses of Tasers, all while blockaders where in handcuffs.

A plain-clothes police officer was among the aggressive officers to implement torture tactics. He put [Benjamin] Franklin in a chokehold cutting off his breathing, and bent him over backwards in an attempt to make him pass out. Franklin reports difficulty swallowing because of bruises sustained to his esophagus.

The most physically aggressive was the ranking officer, a Lieutenant with the Wood County Sheriff Department under the observation of TransCanada employees. He twisted and contorted the tube that [Shannon] Bebe and Franklin had locked their arms into, cutting off circulation to their hands and cutting abrasions into their hands and forearms.

Franklin and Bebe then describe pepper spray as the most painful part of their ordeal. Police sprayed into their lockdown tube, and the chemicals burned their already-open wounds.

Fortunately they were able to make it through their mutual torture by intimating personal reassurances to each other. Franklin and Bebe say they were able to endure the pain knowing that they were in it together. Despite the immense pain our brave blockaders remained locked to the machinery for several hours - determined to stop this toxic tar sands pipeline.

After the pepper spray didn't work the police again conferred with TransCanada employees before sending someone back to the police car to bring a taser. Franklin and Bebe were each tased for one second. Then Franklin was tased for 5 entire seconds. He described the pain as immense and almost physically unbearable.

Afterwards, John, the senior TransCanada supervisor openly congratulated the aggressive Sheriffs Department Lieutenant on a "job well done." To which the Lieutenant replied: "if this happens again we'll just skip to using pepper spray and tasing in the first 10 minutes."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAqeY0evVxs[/youtube]

 

[AndyH]

East Texas police arrest 78 year old property owner for criminal tresspass - on her own land...

http://tarsandsblockade.org/darylandeleanor/

 

[derkraut]

China is jostling for the time when oil gets supply constrained (does this poll better than peak oil ?).

Oil is already constrained - gasoline consumption is slightly down from 6 years ago yet gasoline and crude oil prices are way up from then.

When oil spiked leading to the recession, there was no increase in output even at astronomical prices. Oil production has basically been flat for 5 years now.

Well....IMHO, you can thank the Obama Admin for that.

 

[AndyH]

China is jostling for the time when oil gets supply constrained (does this poll better than peak oil ?).

Oil is already constrained - gasoline consumption is slightly down from 6 years ago yet gasoline and crude oil prices are way up from then.

When oil spiked leading to the recession, there was no increase in output even at astronomical prices. Oil production has basically been flat for 5 years now.

Well....IMHO, you can thank the Obama Admin for that.

Would you please help me understand how you think the administration is responsible for peak oil?

 

[AndyH]

East Texas police arrest 78 year old property owner for criminal tresspass - on her own land...

http://tarsandsblockade.org/darylandeleanor/

TransCanada committed in writing to provide notice before beginning work on Ms Fairchild's land. They apparently did not, and she and Daryl Hannah were arrested and charged with criminal tresspass - while standing on her own land.

Other protesters, after being arrested for criminal tresspass and released on bail, are being RETROACTIVELY charged with felonies - triggering more bail money.

http://tarsandsblockade.org/shannon/

 

[AndyH]

WINNSBORO, TEXAS – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 – Two journalists working for the New York Times were handcuffed, detained and then turned away from private property by local law enforcement employed as private security guards for multinational pipeline corporation TransCanada. The journalists reporting on the first tree blockade in Texas history, now in its third week of sustained resistance to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, were grabbed by police, physically restrained, and prevented from approaching the blockade site or making contact with protesters. These repressive actions took place on private property, indicating that TransCanada is employing a private police force to actively patrol beyond the boundaries of the Keystone XL easement without landowner permission.

http://tarsandsblockade.org/freepress/

 

[AndyH]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...0a8310-16e5-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_story.html

 

[AndyH]

http://www.fwweekly.com/2012/10/17/drawing-line-tar-sand/

In a bizarre response that sounded like that of a backwoods sheriff complaining about dirty hippies in the 1960s, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson sent out an opinion piece a few days ago, calling the protesters “self-appointed ‘eco-anarchists’ ” for whom it is time “to come down out of the trees, take a bath, and hit the road.”

But the blockade group includes Texas ranchers, property owners, business owners, and environmentalists — some of whom have endured pepper spray, dangerous Taser jolts, and chokeholds administered by local law enforcement officers in attempts to remove them from the path of the pipeline construction. They’ve already attracted support from across the country and across the political spectrum — including the Tarrant County Green Party, which has been passing along news and photos from the protests for weeks.

 

[AndyH]

“The only local jobs TransCanada has created here is paying off our local police.”

http://tarsandsblockade.org/last-night-in-east-texas/

Last night in East Texas
October 27, 2012

Landowners and blockaders held a community town hall panel. Local residents were given the opportunity to ask blockaders questions and hear directly from impacted landowners about the Keystone XL and the blockade.
Here’s a comment from locals in the crowd:
“The only local jobs TransCanada has created here is paying off our local police.”
While our friends remain in the blockade, others are organizing across the region. If you can’t climb up a tree, there are still many ways to help on the ground.
It will take a massive grassroots effort to defeat the Keystone XL and you can be a part of it. This includes things like community outreach, cooking, scheduling, writing, media, phonecalls, art and much more.
Sign up on our website and let us know how you would like to help. http://bit.ly/TSB-JOIN

 

[AndyH]

Tarsands protest on Nov 19 in East Texas and Washington DC.

http://tarsandsblockade.org/Nov19/

Non-violent direction action training on Nov 18 in Texas prior to the mass protest.

From 350.org:

Subject: Texas, it's time to stop the pipeline

Friends-

For months now, the Tar Sands Blockade had led a grassroots uprising against TransCanada's attempt to build the southern leg of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Several of our friends have spent 49 days in the trees of Winnsboro, Texas, while others have directly shut down clear cuts or stood in the way of pipeline trucks and earth movers -- delaying TransCanada's pipeline by costly days and weeks.

On November 19th, the Tar Sands Blockade will lead a mass action against TransCanada's reckless project in East Texas -- one day after 350.org hits the streets of Washington DC to stop the northern leg of the pipeline.

The Tar Sands Blockade is sending a critical message to politicians and big oil: if you approve dangerous, climate-cooking projects like Keystone XL, we will rise up and defend our homes.

Folks are meeting up in Nacogdoches the morning of the 19th -- click here for details and to join the mass action: http://tarsandsblockade.org/Nov19/

In addition to the big action, the Blockade will host a nonviolent direct action training the day before the action to prepare. If you can make it on the 18th, it's definitely worth the trip to get prepared.

If President Obama is serious about climate change, the first thing he needs to do is stop dirty fossil fuel projects like the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. We'll be hosting the first major demonstration of Obama's 2nd term in Washington DC on the 18th to tell him that we expect him to live up to his rhetoric and stop the pipeline.

It's been over a year since we surrounded the White House to stop the pipeline, and this fight is as important as ever.
Let's show that we mean it,

Duncan

 

[derkraut]

“The only local jobs TransCanada has created here is paying off our local police.”

http://tarsandsblockade.org/last-night-in-east-texas/

Last night in East Texas
October 27, 2012

Landowners and blockaders held a community town hall panel. Local residents were given the opportunity to ask blockaders questions and hear directly from impacted landowners about the Keystone XL and the blockade.
Here’s a comment from locals in the crowd:
“The only local jobs TransCanada has created here is paying off our local police.”
While our friends remain in the blockade, others are organizing across the region. If you can’t climb up a tree, there are still many ways to help on the ground.
It will take a massive grassroots effort to defeat the Keystone XL and you can be a part of it. This includes things like community outreach, cooking, scheduling, writing, media, phonecalls, art and much more.
Sign up on our website and let us know how you would like to help. http://bit.ly/TSB-JOIN

I wonder how many of the folks at this gathering drove gasoline/'diesel powered vehicles to the meeting???

 

[AndyH]

Kraut - I suspect this is your question?

I wonder how many of the folks at this gathering drove gasoline/'diesel powered vehicles to the meeting???

I'll start with a question: Do you really think this is an appropriate question? Surely you're not suggesting that the only source for diesel and/or gasoline in this country is from tarsands dilbit?

Rural Texas consists of conservative land owners. They're farmers and ranchers and much of the land has been in families for many generations. They generally do not donate to the Sierra Club and do not appreciate interference from those "damn activist tree huggers." And yet they were at the meetings - and are protesting this pipeline.

 

[AndyH]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkgOmuIumjk[/youtube]

 

[AndyH]

Civil disobedience in DC - Feb 13

http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2013/2/14/8_arrested_at_keystone_pipeline_protest
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/robert-f-kennedy-jr-arrested_n_2679609.html
http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2013/02/13/48-arrested-in-kxl-civil-disobedience-at-white-house/

Forty-eight people, including civil rights leader Julian Bond and NASA climate scientist James Hansen, were arrested Wednesday in front of the White House as part of an ongoing protest calling on the Obama administration to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The action came before a rally planned for Sunday on Washington’s National Mall, which organizers have dubbed "the largest climate rally in history."

Climate Action Rally in DC Feb 17

http://ow.ly/i/1xoVC

http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/
https://twitter.com/search/?q=#forwardonclimate

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q2YpdHuBCA[/youtube]

 

[AndyH]

East Texas protesters take disturbing photos while inside KXL pipe segment...

http://www.tarsandsblockade.org/shoddy-weld-on-kxl/

No, we're not supposed to be able to see daylight through welds in the pipe...

 

[AndyH]

Not a small photo...