LIVE ACTION: Greenpeace delegation boards Arctic oil rig demanding missing spill plan | Greenpeace International
It never really gets dark here in the Arctic but in the soft silver light of the early morning five inflatable speedboats left the side of the Esperanza. They carried a delegation of eighteen activists and headed for the giant Leiv Eiriksson looming on the horizon. Their mission – to find Cairn’s elusive Oil Spill Response Plan. Cairn is hiding it so we’re going to the one place where there must be a copy of it! Dodging the rig’s Danish navy guard, the team climbed on to the rig and headed for the accommodation deck. There they began looking for the drill manager in order to ask for the secret oil spill document. To ensure the delegation reached the rig we moved the Esperanza to the limit of the 500m exclusion zone imposed by the Danish navy. Despite repeated requests by Greenpeace and over 15,000 others, the rig’s operators Cairn Energy, have so far refused to publish the plan. It’s pretty obvious why Cairn won’t tell the world how it would clean up a BP-style oil spill here in the Arctic, and that’s because it simply can’t be done. Experts say the freezing temperatures and remote location mean a deep water blow-out here in the Arctic would be an irreversible disaster. If they published the plan, the real risk to this pristine area, and the real risk of investing in such a reckless venture would be plain to see. We have to draw a line in the ice and stop the Arctic oil rush. Please sign this petition to support join us, and demand Cairn make their oil response plan public.
FBI Targeting Political Activists As Terrorists
Saturday, May 28, 2011 8:17May 27, 2011
Anti-terrorism resources are being used to target environmentalists, peace, animal and political activists who hold different views than the government.
It was recently revealed that a counter-terrorism firm spied on individuals who attended film screenings of the documentary Gasland. The film focuses on the practice of natural gas fracking and what impact it has on the environment and in the communities where it is used.
The FBI and other government agencies are cracking down on those who are not willing to stay in line with the status quo.
In Pennsylvania, activists have faced terrorism charges for writing slogans in chalk on sidewalks. In California, 27 individuals are set to go on trial stemming for protest actions Elsewhere 23 anti-war, pro-labor and international solidarity activists may face a grand jury on trumped up charged. The FBI boasts 164,000 suspicious activity reports that are made up of activists who do not follow the governments view on matters.
The US government is using taxpayer money to squash the competition as opposed to protecting the American people from true terrorist threats, all while stomping on freedom of speech rights.
Carlos Montes, a co-founder of the Brown Berets Chicano Movement explained there is a marked rise of the US government using tools at their disposal designed to fight terrorism to impose oppression on political activists.
“The protest movements are directly exposing and challenging the lines that the US government puts out,” he said, yet law enforcement authorities continue to crack down without just cause. “It’s a war against dissent.”
The government is working to stop the movement which is merely seeking to exercise its right to free speech and the right to protest
“They’re trying to stop us but we’re not going to let them do it,” Montes added.
Originally aired on RT, May 26, 2011.
Seriously? The FBI has nothing better to worry about than sidewalk chalk?
This entire situation disgusts me.
(via r-i-o-t)
“Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind — even if your voice shakes”
~ Maggie Kuhn
Sudan in Crisis: Tell President Obama to Act Now
Satellite images show a buildup of northern Sudanese forces including troops, warplanes and tanks. Doctors without Borders is reporting a steady flow of refugees fleeing south away from the threat of violence in Abyei. Hungry, thirsty, and scared — they are arriving in new villages with swollen feet after walking for hours or days. Some are collapsing from exhaustion. Abyei has long been disputed — both Sudan’s north and south claim it as their own. It was the site of numerous massacres until the recent civil war ended in 2005. The Obama administration, laudably, has already started taking action and making bold statements to head off escalation and prevent more violence. But this latest escalation and show of force calls for stronger action. We need the White House to raise the stakes. Ask President Obama to take swift and urgent action now. & Don’t forget to spread the word.
Recent and escalating violence in the disputed border region of Abyei threatens to plunge North and South Sudan back into civil war. In a flagrant violation of peace agreements, the Sudanese government invaded Abyei and escalated bombing and aid cut-offs in Darfur.
