Why do we march? That's another question I aim to answer here.
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This photo was taken on Feb. 9, 2002… 13 years ago, when Amelia was about six months old, and we were enjoying a family dinner at our home on Rocky Creek Road. We were joined by our other local family members, including Great Grandma Theresa Julien, Grandma Ginny Martin, Grandpa Bill Martin, Ann Kiefert, Chuck Bowling, and their kids Grace and Claire. I’m pretty sure this was one of the first dinners in this home, which was brand new at that time. Although we moved from that home “into town” back in 2008, it was so special to us –…
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Basically, people think there's a giant patch of trash out in the Pacific Ocean that's all glued together, like nylon, that you can step on and walk all over. It's actually scarier...
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Today I went looking through my writing archives to find something written on or near this date in the past, and I found a poem written about 24 years and a week ago. It’s not particularly great nor too profound, but it does connect me with an important moment going even further back, to a golden day spent with my grandfather, Urban Lee Ridings. The day was sunny and warm, I remember, and I must have been somewhere around five or so. Grandpa instructed me to go and shake his money tree, and I could still walk you right to…
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Friends, the public comment period on the Keystone XL Pipeline ends tomorrow on Monday, April 22. Will you please seize this moment to tell President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry to reject Keystone XL (even if you have done so already) by visiting this link and completing the form? I am extremely grateful to those of you who have given your attention to all efforts aimed at opposing the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Obviously, this is a contentious issue, and since there is BIG money at stake, the truths about environmental impacts are being buried. One of…
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We are very proud to be joining 10,000 like-minded friends in Washington, D.C., next Sunday (“President’s Day” in America), to be part of a peaceful demonstration. Why? For me personally, I can say for sure that a key reason is the deep emotional connection that occurred in me when I watched the above ad, and another more famous one named “The Crying Indian,” as a young boy about 42 years ago. It requested of me that I help “Keep America beautiful,” and on some level, I have been trying to do that ever since. Now more than ever, we are…
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Originally published in November 2011. After joining in the November 6, 2011, demonstration against the Keystone XL (KXL) Pipeline in Washington, D.C., we have been celebrating good news for the past two days. Courtesy of Professor Harvard Ayers, Ph.D., co-author of “Arctic Gardens: Voices from an Abundant Land,” it’s my pleasure to share the following news about KXL. “A landmark decision was made yesterday by Mr. Obama — HE PUT OFF ANY DECISION ON THE KEYSTONE XL TAR SANDS PIPELINE FOR 12-18 MONTHS, probably killing this horrible project for ever. The incredible forces lobbying him to approve it LOST!!! There…
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Photos of Tom Weis, president of Climate Crisis Solutions, on his journey to raise awareness of opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline project. Beginning Oct. 13, 2011, Weis rode his rocket trike from the Canadian border at Montana to Port Arthur, Texas, along the proposed path of the pipeline extension. The following letter from Tom Weis is being republished with the author’s permission. Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:50:42 -0700 Dear Friends & Colleagues, 2,150 miles later, the Keystone XL Tour of Resistance formally concludes today at the end of the line in Texas. What more appropriate place to end…
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Having recently learned about Canada’s tar-sand mining operations, I have found them to be a monumental man-made disaster. In Alberta, the depth and impact of this immoral business grows daily, expanding exponentially, with devastating consequences for the earth and its inhabitants; just some of us now, but eventually, everyone. Right now, the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline venture is on a fast-track to approval in America, promising to bring crude from Canada’s oil sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas – at high risk to our air, water and other precious natural resources. Many people are unaware…