Adventures in Onionism

Interesting thoughts. I don't know enough about jury nullification to have a strong opinion.

Climate activist Tim DeChristopher is out of prison, and saying good stuff on Democracy Now!

Watch this. The Colorado River —The Most Endangered River in America 2013 from Peter McBride on Vimeo . h/t Pmags.

A movement is starting. ( Rolling Stone )

Swarthmore students arranged a couple buses to go to the 350.org /Sierra Club/Hip-Hop Caucus rally against the Keystone XL pipeline , so I went along for the ride. It was extremely cold, but I made a witty sign and my sister and niece came out, and we had a great time (4 hours seems like the appropriate amount of time for me to spend with my family). Here are some pictures: Why that exact number, I don't know. This is probably my favorite picture. George's hounddog brother from another mother! People really came from all over. I haven't heard an NPS estimate of how many people came, but organizer self-estimates were between 35 and 50K. Given the high temps around freezing, with a wicked wind coming off the tidal basin, I think that's pretty great. Word. E & N with my sign Crazy guy unaffiliated with the rally The Lorax Trying to get a shot of the size of the crowd Lots of polar bears in attendance, this one had the mos...

I am, of course, referring to Barack Obama. Both generally and specifically. If I had taken my other job offer and was now living in DC, I'd gladly go get arrested protesting the Keystone pipeline, which Obama could prevent with the executive stroke of his pen if he had actually meant anything he said during his campaign. Instead, James Hansen says it's game over for the climate. The only good thing about this situation is my constantly imagining Bill Paxton describing the fucking of the planet. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY ) Read about it on Salon ( http://www.salon.com/news/global_warming/index.html?story=/tech/htww/2011/08/24/obama_s_keystone_problem ) or with a development economics perspective at the Center for Global Development ( http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2011/08/obama-set-to-lob-canadian-carbon-bomb-at-india.php ).

Tim DeChristopher's going to jail for 2 years for protesting (invalid) BLM oil & gas leases. He wasn't allowed to argue much of any defense in court. Read his statement before sentencing. "I am here today because I have chosen to protect the people locked out of the system over the profits of the corporations running the system. I say this not because I want your mercy, but because I want you to join me." Read what Terry Tempest Williams wrote about the trial. Get sent to jail in a few weeks in Washington, D.C. by protesting the tar sands pipeline , which Jim Hansen says would be "essentially game over for the climate." I believe that Peaceful Uprising is the org Tim set up.