As of yesterday, arrest count is 843

This according to 2005 whistleblower and current Climate Science Watch director Rick Piltz, who was among the honorees.

"Stopping the pipeline, which would carry the tar sands carbon bomb from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, can be viewed as a litmus test of Obama’s character and integrity on climate change."

Applause to Rick, and to the other 842.

They're getting arrested and going to jail - for our kids, and for our young & middle-aged folk, and for the generations to come

See also Sierra Voices, Hundreds Arrested in D.C., Including Dr. James Hansen, Protesting Tar Sands Pipeline.

These people - the imprisoned Tim DeChristopher, and the 500+ arrested (including Bill McKibben, James Hansen, and a luminous Daryl Hannah) for opposing the proposed Keystone XL "tar sands" pipeline - whose opening would likely be "game over" for the climate, according to Hansen (link) - are the vanguard, and an inspiration to us, to take meaningful action.

Faced with a civilization-threatening global problem, just acting locally is a cop-out.

In a recent letter from prison, DeChristopher wrote that the authorities offered to reduce his 2-year sentence to just 30 days - which he's now served already - if he'd recant and apologize for his act of nonviolent civil disobedience.

As for the 500 plus, my hat is off to you.

If you haven't heard Mary Jorgenson's first-hand recollections of being a Freedom Rider in the 1960s civil rights struggle, she's appearing tomorrow at the Jewish Community Center in GV - details here.

Joy and resolve, folks. And intelligent, civil, effective actions.

This hero didn't stand a chance - Tim DeChristopher sentenced, 2 years in prison

Wed. update, DeChristopher's statement to the court: I Do Not Want Mercy, I Want You To Join Me.


"Tim DeChristopher, convicted earlier this year with two federal felonies, will be spending two years in prison for his creative act of non-violent protest against an illegitimate oil and gas lease auction set up by the Bush administration in late 2008."

Details, updates and links to other coverage here.

This hero didn't stand a chance - Tim DeChristopher to be sentenced tomorrow

From Chris Hedges (link). Read it please.

On April 28, Tim DeChristopher Climate Trial Presentation, NSJ

Ran across this while perusing The Union's calendar (which I don't find easy to use; how do you de-clog calendars to filter out the usual repetitive stuff?)

Tim DeChristopher Climate Trial Presentation

When	Thursday, April 28, 2011, 7 – 8:30pm
Where	North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center
Event type	Youth/Leadership
Event description	The trial of Tim DeChristopher: a multi-media presentation by the Finding the Good traveling semester students. In March 2011, the students and faculty of Finding the Good traveled to Salt Lake City for the trial of activist Tim DeChristopher, who derailed a BLM oil and gas lease auction at the end of the Bush administration. This presentation tells their story and is a fundraiser for the film, "Bidder 70." 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the N. Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center on the San Juan Ridge. For information, call (530) 265-5490.

Is there a good western Nevada County events calendar somewhere, that I don't know about?

(The Union's calendar is full of exercise classes and ongoing art displays and doesn't allow the kind of filtering I'd like (and AFAIK doesn't have permalinks to events); KNCO's seems decent but underutilized (and yo, folks, Reno is not in western Nevada County); KVMR has its own & some of its radio folks' events only; they point us to Nevada County Gold's calendar (quality events, but sparse) and to Yubanet (underutilized, and again, with many nonlocal events))

"Bidder 70" Tim DeChristopher trial over; found guilty

For those who weren't following DeChristopher's trial - Tim DeChristopher found guilty, shows power of nonviolent civil disobedience.

Saturday Wild & Scenic activist workshop - Tim DeChristopher

Five activist workshops today at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, of which I managed to see four. The following is from memory; corrections please.

The most powerful and inspiring session today was the final one, with Tim DeChristopher (see Peaceful Uprising).