Bidder70 - DeChristopher: Tim Speaks: Blog

 A full year after I disrupted the BLM oil and gas auction, I still have no regrets for my actions.  The legal case against me continues, and thanks to your support, my legal team and I will make a strong defense when the trial begins on March 15th.  Even as it looks more likely that I will be serving time, those consequences are as worth it as they have ever been.

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.

 In the essential film The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard says, “Our primary identity has become that of consumer.”  This is certainly a disturbing notion for those of us who are trying to steer our society toward sustainability.  Perhaps even more disturbing, though, is the way that environmentalists endorse and ultimately perpetuate this mutation of our humanity.

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: We have filed our written proffer on why I should be able to use the necessity defense.  There are 4 points that must be met to use the necessity defense, and I think we have very strong arguments for each of those 4 points.  If you want to see for yourself, the proffer is available here.

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

Over the past six months since I disrupted the BLM oil and gas auction, I have received a huge amount of support in many different forms from around the world.  Some of you have supported me financially, some helped spread my story, and many of you have given me kind words of encouragement.  I have deeply appreciated this support, and it has paid off in several ways.  After the fraudulence of the December 19^th auction was exposed, most of land on which I bid has been at least temporarily protected from oil drilling.  On June 12^th, the BLM withdrew their demand for $81,000 from me.  I believe all of this was made possible by the public outcry all of you helped to create over my case.

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

I've read over the McDermott Climate Bill (HR 1683), and at first glance it seems to be legit.  No offsets, no trading, no bullshit.  Am I mistaken?  Please take a look at this and let's figure this out together.  Here's a line that jumped out at me:

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.