While I’ve certainly been encouraged by the reversal of the leases, the most important thing that justifies any consequences is the development of Peaceful Uprising.  Over the past year, Peaceful Uprising has become a powerful force in the fight against catastrophic climate change.  We have developed an extremely talented and committed group of people who defend a livable future through empowering nonviolent action.  

Over the past year we have been experimenting with exactly what the role of Peaceful Uprising should be.  We launched the group by taking 30 students to Washington DC for the Power Shift Conference and the Capitol Climate Action.  Being a part of the largest mass civil disobedience in the climate movement, which shut down the Capitol Power Plant and ended their use of coal, was a very empowering experience for those students.  From there we initiated a grassroots lobbying effort which included a novel phone tree that generated almost 400 calls in one day to Blue Dog Jim Matheson about his statements earlier that day.  The pathetic result of the Waxman-Markey Bill helped many people realize that working within the system was not going to save us and stronger action was necessary.  Peaceful Uprising moved on with a powerful flash-mob in August and a highly successful 350 event on October 24^th.  

During this time, the true roles for Peaceful Uprising became clear.  At the dozens of speeches and public events I’ve done this year, countless people have expressed that they respect what I did and see the need for similar actions, but don’t feel empowered to take those actions themselves.  Creating that sense of empowerment is the most important role of Peaceful Uprising.  We do this first through our actions that demonstrate that ordinary people can be bold and effective agents of change. We are also committed to walking people through that personal transformation necessary to realize their potential.  We help people find where they fit into the movement and see that they are more courageous, creative and beautiful than they ever knew.

The other role of Peaceful Uprising is to take the actions that other environmental groups are not willing to take.  Some of our mainstream environmental groups are opposed to the owner of our local Snowbird Ski Resort, Dick Bass, developing a massive coal strip mine on Alaska’s Chuitna River, but they were not willing to wage a boycott against the resort.  So PeaceUp stepped in and created dontskicoalbird.com for skiers and season pass holders to commit to never buying another pass at Snowbird if Bass goes through with the mine.  We will continue escalating this campaign with actions at Snowbird throughout the winter.  Likewise, we will be complementing the campaign of some of our local clean air groups against Kennecott Copper Mine, who runs the only coal fired power plant in the Salt Lake valley, with the confrontational actions needed to stop their coal burning forever.  

Now that the Copenhagen negotiations have catastrophically failed, the need for a bold and honest group like Peaceful Uprising is greater than ever.  The failures of Copenhagen and climate legislation have created a clear moral imperative for direct citizen action.  As we are running out of time to deal with the climate crisis, Peaceful Uprising is a force that can turn the movement’s failure into success.  We now have three people working full time and dozens of others putting consistent effort into our mission.  We are connecting to other bold groups and creative leaders across the country to create the impactful climate movement that we so desperately need.

Many people from around the country supported me when I took a risky move.  PeaceUp will make sure that actions like mine will continue to happen often enough to defend a livable future.  Please help support Peaceful Uprising so that my action is never thought of as a single feat but as just one act in a bold movement.  Your donation can make a huge difference to our success in rising to the greatest challenge we have ever faced.  Can you donate $20 to help defend a livable future?  We run a lean and mean operation, so even a few dollars helps.  Click here to donate now.  

If you’d like to stay up to date on Peaceful Uprising, sign up to receive our newsletter.  If you’re in Utah, stop by our office at 362 S. 300 E. to find out how you can get involved.

The vast majority of times green groups ask people to act, it centers on changing our consumption habits.  At first glance this makes sense.  If consumption is the problem, shouldn’t we try to change the way people consume?  The catch is that every time we focus on how individuals can change their consumption, we are sending the message that their real power to make a difference lies in how they shop.  This simply reinforces the cultural myth that the most important part of who we are as people is our role as a consumer. 

That myth is a lie.  We are much more than consumers.  We are citizens of what was once the greatest democracy on the planet, citizens with the ability and responsibility to change our government.  We are human beings with the power to inspire others through our creativity, our sacrifice, and our courage.  These are the parts of humanity we must point to when we call others to action.

The focus on individual consumption habits comes from the notion that changes on any level start with personal transformation.  That is certainly true, but not all personal transformations are created equal.  Changing people from being obsessed with consumption to being obsessed with green consumption is not going to get us to real sustainability.  We need transformations away from consumer-centered identity into human-centered identity.  We need personal evolution into engaged and demanding citizens and into bold and creative activists.  We need the kind of transformations that awaken us to our own potential and remind us that we are not helpless.

Of course, those consumption habits do need to change if we’re going to have a livable future.  But to get that sustainable culture, who we are as consumers will have to become a small part of who we are as human beings.  When we start people on that road of personal transformation, we automatically attack that pathological overconsumption.  The spiritual void which begs for material consumption begins to be filled by a more human identity.  In order to truly be the change we want to see in the world, we environmental leaders might have to stop talking to people about their consumption so much.

When I ask people to take action against climate change, they often think what I’m asking them to do is impossible.  If someone only sees herself as a consumer, it makes sense that she cannot see her potential to be an agent of fundamental change in our society, economy or political system.  I suspect this is responsible for much of the helplessness many people feel when addressing huge issues like climate change.  Our job in Peaceful Uprising is to show people that they are not helpless.  

Update: The September 25th hearing established the uphill battle that Tim and the legal team will face in court.  Judge Dee Benson said he was strongly inclined not to let Tim present the necessity defense in front of the jury.  Tim and the team are now presenting the case in writing, due to the judge on October 25th.  Full Story here.

 Help Put Climate Change on Trial

Update: The September 25th hearing established the uphill battle that Tim and the legal team will face in court.  Judge Dee Benson said he was strongly inclined not to let Tim present the necessity defense in front of the jury.  Tim and the team are now presenting the case in writing, due to the judge on October 25th.  Full Story here.

 Help Put Climate Change on Trial

As the criminal case against me proceeds, I now have the opportunity for a much bigger impact.  My legal team and I will be arguing that my actions were justified by the moral imperative of stopping catastrophic climate change.  With the help of some of the world’s most respected climatologists, we will be proving in the courtroom that climate change is a real and serious threat to my future.  This can set a vital legal precedent for our responsibility to ensure a livable future for our children.  Dr. James Hanson has recently said that legal battles may be our best strategy for creating the paradigm shift we need to address the climate crisis.  This is especially relevant now that Congress has made it clear with the Waxman-Markey bill that they will continue putting the interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of my generation.

To make this case as effectively as possible, I need your support.  My excellent attorneys, Patrick Shea, Ron Yengich, and Liz Hunt, are volunteering their time, but they estimate expenses for legal research, depositions and witnesses to exceed $100,000.  I’m learning firsthand that the quality of our justice system is based on the finances of the defendant.

Please send a donation today and pass this message on to all the people you know who care about the climate crisis.  I believe it is so crucial for this trial to face a jury that I have chosen to risk imprisonment by refusing any plea bargains.  Whether you can donate $70 or $7, your support is critical in making this a landmark case that turns the tides in our struggle for a livable future.

Gratefully,

Tim DeChristopher, “Bidder 70”

www.bidder70.org

Checks:

Tim DeChristopher Legal Defense Fund
c/o Pat Shea
215 S. State St., Suite 200,
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Thank you for the question Senator Bennett.

What is your suggestion Mr. DeChristopher, and those of your supporters, as to how we are going to provide energy for the United States of America?
Download snippet (MP3) (Full interview here)

       Well, Senator, I'm glad you asked. 

       My suggestion is that we first stop subsidizing fossil fuels and level the playing field for renewables.  Then we start producing solar, wind and geothermal power as quickly as possible.  All of these technologies are proven and ready to go.  The baseload power will be provided by geothermal and concentrated solar power.  We will also need to build a smart grid to get the power to the people and deal with fluctuations.  This may be a challenge, but it is a challenge that America can certainly handle if we have good leadership.

        The other challenge is to stop burning oil.  The first step is to immediately start making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and gradually transition to fully electric vehicles as we develop the infrastructure for charging stations.  Mr. Senator, I'd be glad to give you a ride down I-15 in a fully electric, zero emissions car any time you'd like.  Remember that in 1942, Detroit completely transitioned from making cars to making tanks and airplanes in 3 months.  If we have the same kind of leadership committed to protecting our children that we had back then, we can have the same transformation.

         In the process of doing all this, we will revive the American economy and create millions of jobs.  But of course it will not be easy.  It will take strong leadership and cooperation from all of us.  But for you to say that you are not willing to defend the survival of my generation because it's hard is unacceptable.  When faced with such a threat to our future, we need courageous leaders willing to do what's necessary even if it's hard.

          I think that a full presentation of how this transition is possible would make for a great public forum.  As I told your scheduler a few days ago, Jeff Robinson has agreed to host the forum, and we will work around any availabiltiy in your schedule.  I'm still awaiting a response from your scheduler.

--  Sincerely, Tim DeChristopher

It was as if he had generously decided against some ‘other’ option. Or maybe he was just pondering the Herculean task ahead; undoing The Bush Years.

From Orwellian executive orders, stem-cell research, torture, abstinence education to compromised federal appointments, broken countries, armies, educational and economic systems, the undoing will take years (short list).

Interior Secretary Salazar undid the illegal BLM auction at which Tim DeChristopher did his brilliant act of civil disobedience. Regrettably, US Attorney Brett Tolman, a Bush (Hatch) appointment, has decided to prosecute Tim on two felony charges, up to 10 years in prison.

I write today ask you for two things:

I write today ask you for two things:

• Send this to anyone you may know in Utah who can help get bodies to the pre-indictment rally in Salt Lake City on Tuesday morning.

We were ecstatic when another American Hero, James Hansen called to offer his support at Tim’s arraignment (another reason to recommend this post and urge more media).

• Please recommend this post in hopes of getting some national media attention on this travesty of justice motivated by the Oil Lobby and right-wing politics.

We simply cannot let Tim go to jail for THAT!

You will recall Tim DeChristopher is the University of Utah student who disrupted a last minute, illegal oil and gas lease <strike>give-away</strike> auction of pristine public land in Utah last December. Timeline here.

Never mind that the auction was declared illegal Never mind that no one has ever been prosecuted for not paying for BLM leases awarded at auction. Never mind that we raised the money to pay the leases and the BLM rejected it and is now demanding Tim pay an $81,000 fine.

Never mind that US Attorney Brett Tolman is on his way out and simply trying to establish his anti-environmental bonafides (like this guy) in order to run against Congressman Jim Matheson (D-UT).

With all the political under currents at play, it’s impossible to predict the outcome. We know Matheson has submitted candidate names for replacement US Attorneys. We also know that an unnamed oil lobbyist knew about the indictment before Tim’s lawyer did.

We as citizens of this planet understand that Tim's actions symbolize something much larger than a dysfunctional government auction but a corrupted system catering to old dirty energy. This fossil fuel pathway is the same one that will lead us over the climate tipping point if we do not ALL peacefully object to its destructive course. Our collective future is at stake, we must stand in solidarity with Tim to advocate for the world we want to see our children grow up in today or face the largest regret in human history tomorrow.

Thank you ALL (and a special thanks to Michael Raysses for his great and 'rescued diary' -Anatomy of a Clusterfuck).

Please bring everyone!    11am SLC Library Plaza (map)

Meet and hear Mr. Hansen speak at 11 a.m. at the Salt Lake City Library Plaza (map).

Then we will march with him and Tim to the arraignment at 11:45 a.m. (Frank E. Moss Courthouse in Salt Lake City (map)) then back to the Library to for more discussion with Mr. Hansen and DeChristopher.

Schedule of the events with Hansen and DeChristopher:

Monday, 6 p.m.:          Hansen talks with Radioactive, KRCL’s public affairs program.

Monday, 7:30 p.m.:     Hansen will speak at U of U’s Social and Behavioral Science auditorium

Tuesday, 11 a.m.:       Rally begins with speakers and music at the SLC Library Plaza.

Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.:  March (route) to Frank E. Moss Courthouse for DeChristopher’s arraignment.

Tuesday, about noon: Hansen will speak at rally for DeChristopher at the SLC Library Plaza.

Tuesday, 6 p.m.:        Hansen will speak at Utah Valley University in the library auditorium (map).

Tim DeChristopher is the University of Utah student is facing two felony charges for his nonviolent disruption of an illegitimate oil and gas lease auction of public land in Utah last December.

Even though a federal court and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar rescinded the auction because of its illegitimacy, Brett Tolman, the United States attorney for Utah, has decided to charge DeChristopher with two felonies, which could mean up to 10 years in prison.

US Attorney Brett Tolman (Utah) has leveled formal charges. Read Tim's response.

This will be a political show trial at taxpayer expense.

Please join www.bidder70.org to support Tim's brave action.   If you are a DKOS diarist, please go there and recommend this post.

A grand jury indicted Tim DeChristopher this afternoon. He's charged with two counts of violating the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Act.

Utah Now (full story): He's the 27-year-old college student and environmental activist who disrupted a public land auction last month by bidding up several parcels intended for oil and gas development. Join us as we take a closer look at what some are calling a case of modern-day monkey wrenching.

Please donate to Tim's Legal Defense

Video

Sec 9902 (b) (3) A Federal emission permit may not be sold, exchanged or otherwise transferred.

Really?

If this is the real deal legislation we've been waiting for we need to unleash everything we've got.  This is in the House Energy and Commerce Committee right now.  Jim Matheson is a key member of that committee.  If we want his to do anything for this bill, we need to moving.  If it is a strong bill, his committee will probably try to castrate it, so we need to be on them like fat kids on cake.

Here is the full original text.

The shifting demographics of the climate movement

It wasn’t all that long ago that I—crisp Environmental Studies degree in my back pocket, working my way through the climate and sustainability scene—lived with the low-grade anxiety of always being the youngest person in the room. At conferences and meetings, during interviews and actions, I tended to be aware of my age. The least experienced member on the panel; the “greenest” (and not in the environmental sense) pen on the press list. Today, closing fast on 30, it feels as though I might be getting too old to be relevant in the field.

Two weekends ago, over 12,000 people descended on Washington D.C. to be a part of PowerShift 09, the largest gathering of climate change activists this country has ever seen. With a few exceptions, the only folks there older than I were parents chaperoning ultra-engaged teenagers.

This is all to say that there’s been something of a foundation-shaking shift (the D.C. event’s name is clever on a few levels) in the climate movement in the past five years or so. But this crucial point has largely been lost on the media, the general public, and, in fact, on the old green guard. It hasn’t been lost on the politicians, though. After the youth bloc came out in record numbers this past election, representing over 20 percent of the entire electorate, the vast majority of whom rank climate change and energy issues at the top of their voting priorities, Washington has started to pay attention.

This is the burgeoning “youth climate movement,” as it’s coming to be known. Though anyone involved will tell you that it’s much more; these young activists are actually, as Macalester College senior Timothy Den Herder-Thomas put it, “youth leaders who are coming together to promote a new vision of economic recovery, social justice, and energy security founded on a stable climate and sustainable communities nationwide.”

Worldwide, actually. PowerShift 09 hosted representatives not only from all fifty states, but also from every Canadian province and twelve foreign countries. Not to mention a string of coordinated events overseas, all of which are gearing up towards the critical Copenhagen international climate conference in December.

And there’s more to it than PowerShift alone. The event was brought to life by the Energy Action Coalition, an alliance of 50 regional organizations and over 700 local grassroots groups devoted to “bold, just, and comprehensive action to stop global warming and create a just and sustainable energy future.” Energy Action was founded just five years ago by climate champion Billy Parish at the ripe old age of 21 (after dropping out of Yale to focus his efforts on building this youth movement), and already counts hundreds of thousands in its ranks. Leading up to the November elections, EAC’s Power Vote campaign organized over 350,000 young Americans who pledged their vote “for clean and just energy.”

What’s next? In April, when Congress breaks and elected officials head home, youth leaders will be waiting for them in town hall meetings coordinated by Focus the Nation in nearly every Congressional district around the country. Meanwhile, 350.org is reaching out around the world, specifically seeking out student and youth groups to organize around the largest ever “Global Day of Climate Action” on October 24th. (Full disclosure: the kids running 350.org—and Step It Up before that—carry the same Environmental Studies degree from the same college that I do, though theirs are much crisper.)

What really excites a suddenly-somehow-old guy like me about all of this, is that the youth climate movement is built on something fundamental that environmentalism has long lacked: diversity. Inclusive by nature, there’s a diversity of constituents coming from all races, religions, and backgrounds, from city centers and farmlands and suburbs and tribal reservations alike. But they also employ a “diversity of tactics,” as Jesse Jenkins writes in a powerful three-part recap of PowerShift.

Step It Up, for instance, launched from a couple of laptops and a $10,000 grant and, using nothing more than social media savvy and a bit of code. It culminated with over 1,400 simultaneous old-fashioned rallies across the country, all calling upon legislatures to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. That day, then-presidential candidates Clinton, McCain, Edwards, and Obama all pledged a commitment to those numbers. Nearly two years later, Obama’s still using them as his carbon targets.

During PowerShift, attendees got text updates steering them to classrooms for Congressional lobbying training sessions. The next day over 6,000 freshly-trained youth followed their SMS’s to over 350 face-to-face meetings with House and Senate officials.  It was the largest day of lobbying in the country’s history.   “These young leaders,” Jenkins writes, “draw on time-tested community organizing techniques as well as a suite of cutting-edge, 21st century technologies to unite the movement, grow at a rapid pace, and secure climate and clean energy victories.” The old green guard should be taking notes.

Photos by flickr user whateva87

This weekend, 32 young people (and me) are traveling to our nation's capitol to attend a massive environmental conference called Power Shift.  The message that is being communicated through this mass gathering is, No More Un-sustainable ways!  We Must Change or, as NOAA has pointed out, it will be too late to reverse the climage change damage.  Translation: death of species, absence of water, breathable air. 

Please support Peaceful Uprising.  Make your own statement about your willingness to participate, and then, stand up in your own community.  Demand that your local governing bodies change their ways - stop expanding oil, gas & coal.  Start expanding solar, wind & geothermal, before it's too late.  The donate button on the front page is where you can start.  Thank you from the kids & me,  Julianne

Seems to me this should work here in the States as well (my opinion, I am not an attorney). Tens of thousands of owners for strategically purchased parcels, now that's a monkey-wrench!

“For the Tim DeChristopher Legal defense fund.  Thanks for your courage!”  S Higgins, Hagerstown, MD

“Friends and I have biked Moab and enjoyed the area – many times.  Good on Tim D!  Good on You Guys! Damn Oil & Gas! Thanks” R Pope, Eau Claire, WI

“Dear Tim – I’m SO inspired by your amazingly creative and courageous action! Also, thank you for having such a strong vision for future generations! I happen to be a Grandmother of 10 and 1 Great-Grandchild!  I’ve loved and backpacked SW Utah for years.  You are the Super Hero for all my family and friends that cherish the environment.  In Gratitude”, P Gardner, Las Vegas, NV  ”P.S.  Please put me on your list for on-going info and needs.  Please use this for your defense fund or towards your bid.  Let me know if more is needed and I’ll do my best to raise more.”

“I know, I know, It’s a trifle.  But I very much do want to express my support! Tim DeChristopher is not only a person of courage, but of imagination.  And humor!  Doubtless many across the nation share my glee at how the oil sharks have been stymied – even if only temporarily.  I’ve traveled the length of Utah, and been to Zion & Bryce Canyons.  The discussion needs to be linked to the Redevelopment of Public Transportation.  Solidarity”, J Forman,  Albuquerque, NM

“Thank You, Tim for being so brave & thoughtful”, S Lane, Las Vegas, NV

“Wow! Tim!  What an heroic thing you did.  Thank you”  E Dickerson, Weed, CA  “P.S. I hope Robert Redford hears about this.  I think he would contribute lots of money.”

“Thanks for your help to this courageous young man, and for all your work”,  L & B Cobb, St. George, UT

“You GO, Tim!” Anon, San Francisco, CA

“ Dear Folks;  Enclosed is a check to be used for Tim DeChristopher’s defense fund.  I heard the story yesterday on Democracy Now and found this address on the internet.  It was a brave thing Tim did and a real act of love for good stewardship of these pristine lands.  Thank You and good luck” T Olson, Ithaca, NY

“I am sending a check to help out in the defense of Tim DeChristopher.  I am so grateful for his action and his obvious heartfelt connection to the Earth & the lands of Southern Utah.  I hope you are able to provide him with the best legal aid the United States can muster.  Thank you for your services”, Sincerely, T  Venerable, Santa Fe, NM

“Good Luck!  Southern Utah is one of our favorite places!”  B Davis, South Colby, WA

“Thank you Tim!  Wish I could give more!”  read about your escapades on Common Dreams.com –the article by Amy Goodman.”  Best, L. Heinz, San Cristobal, NM

Student Who Stopped Auction of Public Lands Needs Our Help: Kossacks to the Rescue!

“Friends and I have biked Moab and enjoyed the area – many times.  Good on Tim D!  Good on You Guys! Damn Oil & Gas! Thanks” R Pope, Eau Claire, WI

“Dear Tim – I’m SO inspired by your amazingly creative and courageous action! Also, thank you for having such a strong vision for future generations! I happen to be a Grandmother of 10 and 1 Great-Grandchild!  I’ve loved and backpacked SW Utah for years.  You are the Super Hero for all my family and friends that cherish the environment.  In Gratitude”, P Gardner, Las Vegas, NV  ”P.S.  Please put me on your list for on-going info and needs.  Please use this for your defense fund or towards your bid.  Let me know if more is needed and I’ll do my best to raise more.”

“I know, I know, It’s a trifle.  But I very much do want to express my support! Tim DeChristopher is not only a person of courage, but of imagination.  And humor!  Doubtless many across the nation share my glee at how the oil sharks have been stymied – even if only temporarily.  I’ve traveled the length of Utah, and been to Zion & Bryce Canyons.  The discussion needs to be linked to the Redevelopment of Public Transportation.  Solidarity”, J Forman,  Albuquerque, NM

“Thank You, Tim for being so brave & thoughtful”, S Lane, Las Vegas, NV

“Wow! Tim!  What an heroic thing you did.  Thank you”  E Dickerson, Weed, CA  “P.S. I hope Robert Redford hears about this.  I think he would contribute lots of money.”

“Thanks for your help to this courageous young man, and for all your work”,  L & B Cobb, St. George, UT

“You GO, Tim!”  Anon, San Francisco, CA

“ Dear Folks;  Enclosed is a check to be used for Tim DeChristopher’s defense fund.  I heard the story yesterday on Democracy Now and found this address on the internet.  It was a brave thing Tim did and a real act of love for good stewardship of these pristine lands.  Thank You and good luck”  T Olson, Ithaca, NY

“I am sending a check to help out in the defense of Tim DeChristopher.  I am so grateful for his action and his obvious heartfelt connection to the Earth & the lands of Southern Utah.  I hope you are able to provide him with the best legal aid the United States can muster.  Thank you for your services”, Sincerely, T  Venerable, Santa Fe, NM

“Good Luck!  Southern Utah is one of our favorite places!”  B Davis, South Colby, WA

“Thank you Tim!  Wish I could give more!”  read about your escapades on Common Dreams.com –t he article by Amy Goodman.”  Best, L. Heinz, San Cristobal, NM

Its been my great honor getting to know Tim DeChristopher since his brilliant act of civil disobedience. But it is especially sobering to consider that he could easily end up in prison. I understand, the willingness to suffer years of incarceration is part of the romanticism of civil disobedience. But it this case, it would send a devastating signal to this generation.

One of Tim's most ardent and more senior supporters chaffed at the decision to raise money to cover the $45,000 bond on the leases exclaiming, "What's the point of civil disobedience if you're not willing to go to jail?"

Just the day before, after meeting with the lawyers, Tim quietly corrected me when I used the word 'jail'. "It's federal prison" he reminded me. That hit me like a ton of bricks. Tim is your average exceptionally bright, humble and brave guy trying to do the right thing and suddenly faced with years in a federal prison.

Tim is at the mercy of a politically motivated federal prosecutor in a state that - lets get serious - HATES environmentalists and loves Oil & Gas jobs. If you need to be reminded, take a moment to review a few Utahn's sentiments toward Robert Redford.

"Please know that by stopping the gas and oil development many families and communities will be hurt tremendously." "Interesting that all these rich people are so 'for the environment' and so out of touch of the rest of the people, their neighbor, brother, sister, other human beings. At what point are they going to get it (probably never) that PEOPLE and their livelihoods are more important." "Can you say elitist snobs or environmental hippocrites [sic]?"

  Unfortunately, we are not dealing with a simple matter of right and wrong or of justice and law. Tim is facing a complex combination of forces uninterested in the future and welfare of a college student who acted out of frustration by the failure of an entire movement to stop eight years of a devastating and illegal assault on the environment by the Bush administration.

Tim's generation is looking at a worldwide scientific community telling us its probably too late; that the environment is past the tipping point. Tim's generation has two choices: become hysterical, or do nothing. We wonder why today's youth are so apathetic.

Lets send a message to Tim's generation by doing everything we can to keep him out of 'prison.' The alternative will not only destroy Tim's life, and justify the apathy, but it will also signal an entire generation to just give up.

Help us raise $45,000.00 by Jan 9th. You can check our progress at www.Bidder70.org.*

Read Tim's letter.      PLEASE! Steal these buttons for your website/email.

Mail checks to: Center for Water Advocacy, P.O. Box 331, Moab, UT 84532

* We are over $18,000 as of this writing.

Here's a screen shot of the argument as of this post.

The decision was thus:

"Delete The article isn't about him, it's about his action. It was a very minor, not-notable event. TJ Spyke 02:43, 29 December 2008 (UTC)"

The standard of "not-notable" is of course highly subjective and reflects some of the more troubling aspects of a semi-democratic process by only those who "show up".  I believe the Founding Fathers referred to this as "Tyranny of the Minority"

I wonder how many more articles and interviews are required before Mr. Bisanz5 will allow this page.

Thank you all so much for your support. It gives me real hope for my future to see so many others who are willing to stand up and take action. While my act may end up protecting some land and keeping some oil in the ground, the real significance will be seen when all of you take action to resist the path of destruction that we are on.

That is the greatest Christmas gift I could have asked for. I hope to see you all on March 2nd in Washington DC.

Thank you and Merry Christmas to you all.

Thank you so much, and I’ll do what I can from this end. I’m so grateful to you!

Ken Sleight

The recent Presidential election has empowered millions of people globally, as we voted out the rogue Bush regime', replete with special interest cronies - the least regulated being the Oil/Gas industry.  The industry truly believes that they are supplying what the people want, more dirty, finite fuel for inefficient, polluting vehicles.  Global Warming, Climate Change, whatever you want to call it - is the most pressing issue of our existence.  As these climate changes escalate, the availability of resources for our survival are disappearing.  The Oil & Gas industry needs Millions of Gallons of water to successfully bring forth our currently buried resources.  For What?  A finite resource fueling a dying idea - gas fueled transportation.

When people think about what Tim did, and are moved by it, as is demonstrated in the Thank Tim DeCristopher blog, REALLY Thank him.  His one desire is that his action, where he risked his very freedom, truly inspires people to take their OWN action - and hearing about other people 'taking the reins in their own hands', is really all the thanks Tim is looking for.  Share your stories with us!

Spread the word - March 2, 2009 - Join Tim and thousands of others who are answering the call to come to Washington DC and let the elected officials see that the People are walking in unison to Change the way we live so we can save our home, our planet....

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?

Henry David Thoreau
US Transcendentalist author (1817 - 1862)

Please fan the flames .... there's NO time to lose!

From Rachael Maddow's, Dec. 22:Lame Duck Watch: "Utah wilderness auctioned"

The Bush Administration auctioned off sections of the Utah wilderness to be used for oil and gas drilling. One man against the auction signed up as a bidder, sabotaging some of the bids and may now face fraud charges. Rachel Maddow is joined by Earthjustice president Trip Van Noppen.

In response to the interview, a OneUtah author asks: "Is Tim making the big Washington-based enviro groups nervous?"

Maddow: This young man from the UofU deciding essentially to sabotage the auction, I know that has not been the tactic that your law firm has chosen to fight this sort of thing ... . What do you make of his tactics, of his actions.

Noppen: ...We think that there is a remedy for this in the courts. I do understand that civil disobedience has had a place in history at times when the law won't work. We actually think in this case the Bush administration is violating the law and the court will remedy it and so we're in court to stop it.

It was generous of Trip Nolen to concede that there is 'a place for civil disobedience...when the law won't work,' unfortunately, Earthjustice, NRDC and all the lawyers in the world represent at best, a few symbolic successes against the wholesale violation of environmental law, the destruction of habitat, and the poisoning of our air and water by industry.

And unfortunately, the cases they do choose, are just the ones with the highest likelyhood of drawing media attention and ones for which they can raise lots of money.

If Noppen means it when he says, "there is a place for civil disobedience when the law doesn't work" then I would say every day and every place is a 'place' for civil disobedience. Lets be honest, in this case, EarthJustice (Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) was not successful in stopping the lease of tens of thousands of acres.

Though the expensive attempt produced some marginal wins on technical grounds, but virtually no affect on preventing Bush from giving away a huge chunk of 'The Farm' to his best buddies. May Tim's 'tactics' be found in the mainstream of 'tactics' to save our lives.

So, SHOULD the enviro groups be nervous that one guy acting alone with no budget, in one afternoon, saved more land from government subsidized than they might in any given month?  Heck ya!

Please share your information, comments, opinions, ideas, creations, suggestins and New Years resolutions.

What Tim chose to do last Friday, was put his own freedom on the line.  He understood, with great clarity, that if he moved forward with bidding on the parcels being offered "for sale", he was risking his life, quite literally.  It was a Pure act of Civil Disobedience.  No thought for the Self, only the Global Consciousness.  Who ever would have thought that someone would have the courage and conviction to do such a thing? 

It hasn’t worked. Even with a new administration, we are not on track for a livable future. This has been made clear by James Hanson, Bill McKibben, Al Gore and many others. The legitimate pathways to power have not provided us with the ability to defend the survival of our civilization. Yesterday I decided that the crisis facing us requires more critical action than has been taken in the past. When faced with the opportunity to seriously disrupt the auction of some of our most beautiful lands in Utah to oil and gas developers, I could not ethically turn my back on that opportunity. By making bids for land that was supposed to be protected for the interests of all Americans, I tried to resist the Bush administration’s attempt to defraud the American people.

At this point it appears that I was successful in my attempts to disrupt this fraudulent auction. The federal officials who took me into custody said that I cost the oil companies in the room hundreds of thousands of dollars and prevented 22,500 acres of land from being sold for fossil fuel development. I had a very open conversation with the federal agents about my motivations and values. They were friendly, respectful, and somewhat sympathetic.

What I did no doubt puts me at significant risk, including prison. But my future was already at significant risk. As we get closer and closer to the point of too late, we have less and less to lose from resisting. Accepting the true depth of the climate crisis is extremely scary, but the purpose of fear is to motivate us to action. Many of us have sat around countless times saying how much we needed someone to do something. If I am not willing to take a stand for my generation, then who will? This year I have come to terms with the idea that I might be my own best hope to defend my future. Hopefully all of us will realize that we are the ones we have been waiting for.

Yesterday, in a brave act of civil disobedience, Tim DeChristopher threw a Monkey Wrench into one of the Bush Administration's parting shots at environmentalist and the American people.

 Please ask everyone you know to register their gratitude and support for Tim here or on his statement.