All posts by greenone

Green Notes Week of December 30, 2012

December 30, 2012Green Notesgreenone

Please endorse four principles on radioactive waste, including no more generation, at a Nuclear Information and Resource Service petition to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The comment period on NRC’s new nuclear waste rules ends January 2, 2013.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) will hold weekly Workshop/Skills Teaching Sessions, The Repair Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 5:30pm. (The time coincides with the start of FoodNet.) Toss It? No Way! Fix it, find another use, use some of its parts, recycle it, and say no to the throw away culture. Everything and everyone has value. We must discover the value. For more information, contact Barbara van den Berg, 402.488.6926, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com.

AUDUBON NATURE WALK . . . Saturday, January 5, 2013, the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center will offer a morning and afternoon “New Year Winter Walkabout,” exploring some of the more remote parts of the priarie near Denton. The morning session is from 10:00am to noon, and the afternoon session is from 1:00 to 3:00pm. For more information, and to register, phone 402.797.2301, or e-mail scp [at] audubon [dot] org. Find directions to Spring Creek Prairie here. [pdf]

TALK ON CLIMATE CHANGE . . . Sunday, January 6, 2013, 1:00pm, Dr. Lucas Sabalka will speak on climate change at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. Sabalka is a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at St. Louis University. EveryOne is invited to learn more about climate change at this free presentation, and review the progress we have made in Nebraska.

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . There is a calendar of Occupy Lincoln events here. The Facebook page is here. The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln. For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, January 2, 2013, the film will be “Even The Rain (Tambien La Lluvia),” a fictional quest to make a film against all odds, set against the back drop of the real life “Water Wars,” fought against the privatization of Bolivia’s water supply in the year 2000. The film is anchored in the philosophies of historian Howard Zinn. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils.

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.
Leafletting in Omaha.

ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Pipeline Safety Enters National Spotlight in 2012,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, was published December 26, 2012. It begins “After news broke that human error caused the Enbridge oil spill and fears spread over Keystone XL, pipeline safety moved into the mainstream.” Page 2 of the article includes a map of the Sand Hills, and proposed routes.
The TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline is Number One of the “Top Three Dirty Energy Battles to Watch in 2013,” followed by Fracking, and Oil and Gas Subsidies. Beth Buczynski, Care2, reports “three issues that were put on hold during the campaign season, despite the fact that they directly threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans” in the Reader Supported News article published December 26, 2012.
From “Idle No More Sweeps Canada and Beyond as Aboriginals Say Enough is Enough,” by David P. Ball, Indian Country Today, December 26th, “Indigenous activists used social media websites to organize round dances, highway blockades, protests and ceremonies from east to west of the country.”
Quoting “Pipeline proposal heading toward showdown over First Nations rights,” by Dene Moore, Vancouver Sun, December 13th, “As the review hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline progress, it seems increasingly likely that the debate about the oil pipeline — an oil pipeline, any oil pipeline — will end in a showdown between the federal government and First Nations over aboriginal rights.”
Brief local Channel 10/11 tv coverage of a Christmas Eve Keystone XL pipeline protest at the governor’s mansion, “Pipeline Foes Send ‘Grinch’ to Governor’s House,” features Bold Nebraska’s Ben Gotschall.
“Study Finds Flaws in Pipeline Leak Detection Systems,” by Dan Frosch, December 21st in the New York Times, links to a new federal report, and previous reports, showing that “members of the general public are more likely to identify oil and gas spills than the pipeline companies’ own leak detection systems.”
On December 20th, Fuel Fix posted “Keystone XL foes say fed study should consider climate effects,” by Jennifer Dlouhy. “The Obama administration is set to unveil a fresh environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline as early as this week, but critics say that study won’t be complete unless it considers climate change costs tied to the $7 billion project.” The article concludes “Both the environmental review and the national interest determination will need to consider new factors that go directly to the question of whether we need Keystone XL and whether it is actually in the U.S. national interest.”
Nebraska Easement Action Team (NEAT) Attorney Brian Jorde talks to landowners about Eminent Domain, Landowner Easements, and the Keystone XL Pipeline at the 99th Annual Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) Convention in a 21:53 minute video, published December 19th.
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet:
Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . 4 Scary New Finds About Fracking, by Tara Lohan for Alternet, adds to the continually growing list of warnings about fracking.
From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.” Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”
A new article, “Fracking Our Food Supply,” was published by Reader Supported News, and Truthout published “Fracking’s Health Calamaties Left to Fester,” both on December 1, 2012.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it asks you to name your cause here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of December 23, 2012

December 23, 2012Green Notesgreenone

Endorse four principles on radioactive waste, including no more generation, at a Nuclear Information and Resource Service petition to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The comment period on NRC’s new nuclear waste rules ends January 2, 2013.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AT THE GOVERNOR’S MANSION . . . Monday, December 24, 2012, at noon, there will be a Christmas Eve vigil at the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln, asking him to deny the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route, say no to eminent domain for private gain, and let the Public Service Commission assess the route with clear standards and rules that are absent from the current Department of Environmental Quality process. Check out event details on Facebook here.

OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) are holding weekly Workshop/Skills Teaching Sessions, The Repair Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 5:30pm. (The time coincides with the start of FoodNet.) Toss It? No Way! Fix it, find another use, use some of its parts, recycle it, and say no to the throw away culture. Everything and everyone has value. We must discover the value. For more information, contact Barbara van den Berg, 402.488.6926, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, December 26, 2012, will be Occupy Omaha Night. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . On December 20, 2012, Fuel Fix posted “Keystone XL foes say fed study should consider climate effects,” by Jennifer Dlouhy. “The Obama administration is set to unveil a fresh environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline as early as this week, but critics say that study won’t be complete unless it considers climate change costs tied to the $7 billion project.” The article concludes “Both the environmental review and the national interest determination will need to consider new factors that go directly to the question of whether we need Keystone XL and whether it is actually in the U.S. national interest.”
“Study Finds Flaws in Pipeline Leak Detection Systems,” by Dan Frosch, December 21st in the New York Times, links to a new federal report, and previous reports, showing that “members of the general public are more likely to identify oil and gas spills than the pipeline companies’ own leak detection systems.”
Also on December 21st, CBS News reported President Obama has selected Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., to be his nominee for Secretary of State, replacing Hillary Clintion.
Nebraska Easement Action Team (NEAT) Attorney Brian Jorde talks to landowners about Eminent Domain, Landowner Easements, and the Keystone XL Pipeline at the 99th Annual Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) Convention in a 21:53 minute video, published December 19th.
“Not in our interests,” by Stu Luttich, a December 16th Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor, begins “Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman probably will approve the Environmental Impact Statement and rerouting of the Keystone XL pipeline to skirt the eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills as commonly recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey. However, if and when he does, the underlying reason will not be in serving the long-term interests of the people of Nebraska or the nation, because the pipeline is not being constructed to serve the strategic interests of the state or nation. The pipeline is being constructed to serve the economic self-interests of the pipeline company. …Even as the United States currently is importing 25 percent less foreign fossil crude oil than eight or nine years ago, the price at the pump has not declined by the same proportion. Ever wonder why?”
           It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet:
Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
           Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
           “The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of December 16, 2012

December 16, 2012Green Notesgreenone

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, December 19, 2012, the film will be “The Yes Men Fix the World,” a documentary about two gonzo political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off the world’s most outrageous pranks. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PEACE ON EARTH VIGIL . . . Saturday, December 22, 2012, 1:00 to 2:00pm, there will be a Peace on Earth vigil at 72nd & Dodge, in Omaha. Join us and take a stand for building Peace on Earth.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Thank you to EveryOne who responded to last week’s Roots Action website alert to President Obama expressing concern about UN Ambassador Susan Rice’s blatant KXL conflict of interest. Thursday this week, Politico reported “Susan Rice Withdraws Name From Consideration for Secretary of State.”
Also this week, ABC News reported that a “Texas Judge Halts Oil Pipeline Work: “A Texas judge has ordered TransCanada to temporarily halt work on a private property where it is building part of an oil pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, the latest legal battle to plague a project that has encountered numerous obstacles nationwide.”
“Pipeline proposal heading toward showdown over First Nations rights,” by Dene Moore, Vancouver Sun, was published December 13, 2012: “As the review hearings into the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline progress, it seems increasingly likely that the debate about the oil pipeline — an oil pipeline, any oil pipeline — will end in a showdown between the federal government and First Nations over aboriginal rights.”
“Keystone XL walker bound for end of the line,” by Art Hovey, was in the Lincoln Journal Star December 14th. Quoting walker Ken Ilgunas, “When you see devastation from one edge of the horizon to the other, nothing but black and dirt and Armageddon tailings ponds, you change your mind pretty quickly about what the pipeline means.”
From Ken Winston, Nebraska Sierra Club Policy Advocate, click here for a 2:42 minute Video of Randy Thompson at the Do the Math Tour, telling it like it is.
Quoting “Clinton’s Environmental (XL Pipeline) Failure,” by Bill McKibben, The Daily Beast, sourced to Reader Supported News December 9th: “Hillary isn’t winning many friends among environmentalists with her support of the Keystone Pipeline–and it will be the purest test of whether Obama’s second term will be greener than his first.”
“Not in our interests,” by Stu Luttich, a December 16th Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor, begins “Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman probably will approve the Environmental Impact Statement and rerouting of the Keystone XL pipeline to skirt the eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills as commonly recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey. However, if and when he does, the underlying reason will not be in serving the long-term interests of the people of Nebraska or the nation, because the pipeline is not being constructed to serve the strategic interests of the state or nation. The pipeline is being constructed to serve the economic self-interests of the pipeline company. …Even as the United States currently is importing 25 percent less foreign fossil crude oil than eight or nine years ago, the price at the pump has not declined by the same proportion. Ever wonder why?
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . 4 Scary New Finds About Fracking This Week, by Tara Lohan for Alternet, adds to the continually growing list of warnings about fracking.
From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.” Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”
A new article, “Fracking Our Food Supply,” was published by Reader Supported News, and Truthout published “Fracking’s Health Calamaties Left to Fester,” both on December 1, 2012.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of December 9, 2012

December 9, 2012Green Notesgreenone

12.12.12: Gateway Day to Healing for the World. Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 12:12pm, people worldwide will be sharing the experience of Realignment with Our Collective Consciousness as Humans. This Recalibration prepares the world for winter solstice, December 21, 2012, the heralded, prophesied “ascension” for spiritual alignment. In Nebraska, the end of this 26,000 year cycle will be observed with a Program of original music, readings and guided meditation in the chapel of First-Plymouth Church, 2000 D Street, Lincoln, beginning exactly at noon on 12.12.12. Joining with an unprecedented World Meditation and Planetary Transmission, we will create a living field of powerful loving energy for Our Collective Shift to the Heart. The December 8th Lincoln Journal-Star article about 12.12.12 is here. EveryOne is invited to participate, either in person, or in Spirit. For more information, e-mail mjberry [at] inebraska [dot] com.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

WACHISKA HOLIDAY PARTY . . . Thursday, December 13, 2012, the annual Wachiska Audubon Holiday Party will be at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 8320 South Street, Lincoln, starting at 6:15pm. Jeff Kurrus, nature writer and photographer, will present “Writing with a Camera,” featuring photos from NEBRASKAland Magazine and his collaboration with Michael Forsberg about sandhill cranes, Have You Seen Mary? Ernie Rousek will be honored as the first recipient of the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center Tallgrass Prairie Champion Award for his 40 years of prairie conservation work. All are welcome at this free potluck.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, December 12, 2012, the film will be “Frontline: College Inc.” investigating the $400 Billion business of higher education. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln [at] gmail [dot] com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.
Leafletting in Omaha.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community was one of the first to promote action in response to the outrageous conflict of interest of the president’s choice for US Secretary of State, Susan Rice, who holds millions of dollars of stock in Canadian energy companies and banks that will profit tremendously if the Keystone XL pipeline is built. If confirmed by the Senate, one of Rice’s first duties likely would be consideration, and potentially approval, of the controversial mega-project. Did they think we wouldn’t find out?
Action Alert: Please send a message to President Obama expressing deep concern about UN Ambassador Susan Rice’s blatant conflict of interest within the next few days at the Roots Action website.
To read more about this issue, click here and here. Act in harmony and interdependence with all creation.
Reader Supported News reported “Susan Rice Has a Major Financial Stake in Canadian Tar Sands,” November 28, 2012: “Susan Rice, the candidate believed to be favored by President Obama to become the next Secretary of State, holds significant investments in more than a dozen Canadian oil companies and banks that would stand to benefit from expansion of the North American tar sands industry and construction of the proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline.”
Meanwhile, December 5th, Art Hovey reported for the Lincoln Journal Star from Albion, Nebraska as “Hundreds show for final say on pipeline project.”
And a December 4th NebraskaWatchdog report by Deena Winter, “Passions run high at Keystone oil pipeline hearing,” estimated “800 people filled a huge metal county fairgrounds building Tuesday night to talk about a proposed $7 billion oil pipeline that would be built through Nebraska en route from Canada to Texas. A whopping 168 people signed up to testify at the hearing, which went from 6 p.m. until about 2 a.m. today. More than 100 people testified, but others left as the hour got late.” Considering the number of people who could not testify, the Department of Environmental Quality extended the comment period to 5 p.m. on Friday, December 7th.
Bold Nebraska responded with a press release, also December 4th: DEQ Hearing Doesn’t Assuage Nebraskans’ Keystone Concerns: “Last night, hundreds of anti-pipeline Nebraskans crowded the DEQ hearing room in Albion to voice their concerns about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. That the hearing was mismanaged and kept many pipeline opponents from speaking illustrates the serious issues with Nebraska’s DEQ process. On a press call today, landowners and advocates discussed the failure of the DEQ to truly consider Nebraska’s risks, the concern that the pipeline goes along the Ponca’s Trail of Tears, and growing anti-pipeline momentum in the state.
“The fight over this export pipeline goes beyond the environment and beyond jobs,” said BOLD Nebraska Executive Director Jane Kleeb. “What is really driving this fight is the basic fundamental American principle that our families have a right to own land without a foreign company coming in and taking away.” Kleeb continued, “The so-called re-route is nothing but a PR move. The wishes of over 75% of Nebraskans, Governor Heineman and Senator Johanns have not been met. Those people asked that the pipeline avoid the Aquifer and the Sandhills. Those requests have not been met.”
“I was shocked by the lack of attendance of our elected officials,” said Nebraska landowner Randy Thompson. “This is a critical issue for our state, and our political leaders have essentially dropped this hot potato in our lap and said that it’s up to the citizens to solve it. To me, that is a shameful thing on their part—that they don’t have the courage to come and listen to the concerns of the people of NE.”
“There is no indication that DEQ has read and analyzed the legal documents of the easements,” said Nebraska Easement Action Team lawyer Brian Jorde. “If the DEQ has not analyzed each and every term of that taking of Nebraska land, how possibly can they effectively have analyzed the impacts on Nebraskans, on the people who are the collateral damage of this route that is going from Alberta to Houston? If these impacts have not been considered and evaluated, the DEQ analysis is inherently flawed.”
“Last night’s DEQ hearing showcased the deficiencies in this process,” said Sierra Club Nebraska’s Ken Winston. “Only 2.5 pages of the entire 600 pages that DEQ put together in their draft report addressed the issue of what would happen to the groundwater or Aquifer if there was a pipeline release, and there was no analysis whatsoever related to climate change or the drought that is gripping the entire state of Nebraska.” Winston continued, “If the President wants to be taken seriously on climate change, he cannot approve Keystone XL”
“The route that is currently being proposed for this pipeline passes through multiple points along the Ponca’s Trail of Tears,” said Indigenous Environmental Network’s Marty Cobenais. “There are spots along the route where they have buried their ancestors along the Trail of Tears. In fact, Nebraska’s tribes consider this entire region to be sacred, even where there aren’t burials and other sacred sites.”
For the Citizens’ Report, click here. [pdf]
Quoting Ken Winston, Nebraska Sierra Club Policy Advocate, “The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has numerous statutory duties to protect our air, land and water. However, the report from DEQ’s highly paid consultant looks more like an attempt to carry water for a foreign pipeline company than the critical assessment of issues required by Nebraska law to protect our natural resources. The thousands of Nebraskans who have spoken up about their concerns about this pipeline deserve better than the report that DEQ is presenting to the public. Because Nebraska law declares that we are the owners of our groundwater, we all deserve a better and more thorough examination of potential threats to our vast and vulnerable Ogallala Aquifer posed by this pipeline.”
This week, National Wildlife Federation released a report [pdf] shining a spotlight on the miserable records of Big Oil companies backing a massive expansion of tar sands pipelines in the U.S. The report warns that if the U.S. commits to thousands of miles of new pipelines, including Keystone XL, then it commits to decades of high carbon dirty fuel. The report urges policy makers to reject Keystone XL and put in place a series of incentives to spur development of clean energy. “Crude Behavior: TransCanada, Enbridge, and the Tar Sands Industry’s Tarnished Legacy,” by Peter LaFontaine, describes tar sands sludge and warns that a “veritable spider web of tar sands pipelines is being proposed to stretch to ports in British Columbia, Maine, and even others in Texas, with more likely to follow.
From “To Stop Climate Change, Students Aim at College Portfolios,” by Justin Gillis, New York Times, December 4, 2012: “…In recent weeks, college students on dozens of campuses have demanded that university endowment funds rid themselves of coal, oil and gas stocks. The students see it as a tactic that could force climate change, barely discussed in the presidential campaign, back onto the national political agenda. … Mr. McKibben’s goal is to make owning the stocks of these companies disreputable, in the way that owning tobacco stocks has become disreputable in many quarters.
…Mr. McKibben has laid out a series of demands that would get the fuel companies off 350.org’s blacklist. He wants them to stop exploring for new fossil fuels, given that they have already booked reserves about five times as large as scientists say society can afford to burn. He wants them to stop lobbying against emission policies in Washington. And he wants them to help devise a transition plan that will leave most of their reserves in the ground while encouraging lower-carbon energy sources.”
Lessons learned, by Mark Daharsh, is a December 8th Lincoln Journal Star letter to the editor: “… Those folks at TransCanada have taught me a lot about the oil market since they arrived on Nebraska soil. For example, they taught me how they have helped displace thousands of their own Native citizens by developing the boreal wetlands, releasing methane, polluting waterways, and destroying pristine wilderness and wildlife.
They taught me that the minimal rerouting of the Keystone XL pipeline still crosses a portion of the shallow aquifer.
They taught me that being a bully on the playground in Nebraska is not worth it after getting their own noses bloodied by landowners.
They taught me promising thousands of new jobs is just a form of propaganda.
They taught me this pipeline will be a conduit for only what eventually will be sales to China.
They taught me the people of their own country would not approve such a pipeline to the West Coast of Canada because of environmental concerns.
They taught me how the world now faces the very real threat of our planet warming, mainly because of burning fossil fuels.
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet:
Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . 4 Scary New Finds About Fracking This Week, by Tara Lohan for Alternet, adds to the continually growing list of warnings about fracking.
From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.” Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.” A new article, “Fracking Our Food Supply,” was published by Reader Supported News, and Truthout published “Fracking’s Health Calamaties Left to Fester,” both on December 1, 2012.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of December 2, 2012

December 2, 2012Green Notesgreenone

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OPEN HOUSE WITH CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES . . . Four people are finalists for a vacant at-large Lincoln City Council seat. There will be an open house Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 5:30 to 7:00pm, in Room 113 on the first floor of the County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, so the public can meet applicants to fill the position being vacated.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, December 5, 2012, the film will be “Crime After Crime,” about the battle to free Debbie Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of brutal domestic violence. Watch a 2:18 minute trailer here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . DEQ HEARING, RALLY AND LANDOWNERS MEETING: A Department of Environmental Quality hearing on the review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska will be Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Boone County Fairground, Albion, Nebraska. It is critical that voices of opposition to the pipeline continue to be heard. This route is no better than the last one–it is still in sandy soil, it is still crossing the Aquifer, and it is still carrying tarsands and chemicals that TransCanada will not disclose. There will be a NEAT landowner meeting before the hearing, 4:00 to 5:00pm, at J’s Grill, 333 South 1St Street, Albion. And a No KXL Pipeline Rally will be from 5:00 to 5:30pm at the Boone County Fairground, in Albion. Gather at 5:00pm to hold signs before hearing. Bring homemade signs, line the streets with signs. Citizens’ voices will continue to move this pipeline right out of our state! For more information, the facebook event page is here. Sign a Pledge to Speak at the DEQ Hearing on December 4th, and find links to submit comments via e-mail.
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet, October 23rd: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.” Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”
On December 1, 2012, “Fracking Our Food Supply,” was published by Reader Supported News, and Truthout published “Fracking’s Health Calamaties Left to Fester.”

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of November 25, 2012

November 25, 2012Green Notesgreenone

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

IMMIGRATION . . . Monday, November 26, 2012, 11:30am, Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Becky Gould will discuss the “Intersection of US Immigration Policy and Human Rights” at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 84th and South Streets, Lincoln. To reserve lunch (at 11:30) e-mail unanebraska [at] gmail [dot] com. The free program begins at noon.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

FORUM ON THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 7:00pm, the E.N. Thompson Forum Series will present “The Death Penalty: Justice, Retribution and Dollars” at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 North 12th Street, Lincoln. Moderated by Susan Poser, Dean of UNL College of Law, speakers will be J. Kirk Brown, Nebraska Solicitor General, and Michael Radelet, University of Colorado Boulder Professor. Radelet has testified in dozens of death penalty cases, before congressional committees, and legislatures. He has worked with scores of death row inmates and works closely with families of homicide victims in Colorado. Click here for (free) ticket information. The Forum will be streamed live online at http://www.unl.edu/. Log on 10 minutes before the Forum.

GREEN HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE . . . Sunday, December 2, 2012, 1:00 to 4:00pm, Spring Creek Prairie is partnering with Keep Lincoln and Lancaster County Beautiful for an Annual Green Holiday Open House. There will be live music, hot cider and treats, and the prairie trails will be open for a brisk winter stroll. No registration is needed for the free afternoon event. Twenty miles southwest of Lincoln near Denton, SCP Audubon Center features more than 800 acres of native tallgrass prairie. For more information, phone 402.797.2301.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON BLENDING 102 AND 22 . . . The Omaha City Council will hold two Public Hearings this week: Monday, November 26, 2012, 4:00pm, at the City Council Office, 1819 Farnam Street, Ste LC-1. Room to be arranged; and Tuesday, November 27, 2012, 4:00 pm, at the Swanson Library, 9101 West Dodge Road, Omaha. The City has only one channel for public access television previously utilizing two channels, channels 109 and 22. By December 4, there will be only one channel, broadcasting on the basic tier in the spot now used by Channel 22. The issue that must be decided immediately is how to create a new station blending the existing channels in a way that would best serve the people of Omaha. Your input is needed. For further information, phone Frances Mendenhall, 402.208.3717.

GREEN DRINKS . . . Omaha Green Drinks will meet from 5:30 to 8:30pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2012, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating, across from the coffee bar. Green Drinks social networks are now active in 695 cities worldwide.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, November 28, 2012, will be Occupy Omaha Night. Check the Progressive Omaha website for details. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

NEBRASKA SIERRA ANNUAL BANQUET . . . The Nebraska Sierra Club Annual Banquet with Bill McKibben will be from noon to 3:00pm, Saturday, December 1, 2012, at Fontenelle Nature Association’s Camp Brewster Lodge, 1313 Bellevue Blvd., Bellevue. For more information, e-mail ClydeLAnderson [at] cox [dot] net.

DO THE MATH TOUR . . . The “Do the Math” 350.org tour with Bill McKibben will continue in Omaha on Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Joslyn Museum, Witherspoon Concert Hall, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline, bringing together tens of thousands of people over one month to start an historic push to win real solutions to the climate crisis. Purchase tickets online here.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

DEQ HEARING, RALLY AND LANDOWNERS MEETING . . . A Department of Environmental Quality hearing on the review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska will be Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Boone County Fairground, Albion, Nebraska. It is critical that voices of opposition to the pipeline continue to be heard. This route is no better than the last one–it is still in sandy soil, it is still crossing the Aquifer, and it is still carrying tarsands and chemicals that TransCanada will not disclose. There will be a NEAT landowner meeting before the hearing, 4:00 to 5:00pm, at J’s Grill, 333 South 1St Street, Albion. And a No KXL Pipeline Rally will be from 5:00 to 5:30pm at the Boone County Fairground, in Albion. Gather at 5:00pm to hold signs before hearing. Bring homemade signs, line the streets with signs. Citizens’ voices will continue to move this pipeline right out of our state! For more information, the facebook event page is here. Sign a Pledge to Speak at the DEQ Hearing on December 4th, and find links to submit comments via e-mail.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Thousands gathered in Washington DC last Sunday, November 18, 2012, to protest the TransCanada Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Read the Huffington Post coverage, with photos, calling this the “next chapter in the fight against” the pipeline. Among other media coverage, the protest was reported by Reuters,
The Globe and Mail, InsideClimate News, and MSNBC videos with Bill McKibben.
Meanwhile, as reported by Roberta Rampton, Reuters, sourced to Reader Supported News, November 19th: “A bipartisan group of senators [including Nebraska’s Mike Johanns] on Friday urged President Barack Obama to quickly issue a permit for the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline.” Read “Senators Turn Up Pressure on Obama to Approve Keystone Pipeline” here.
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
SAVE THE DATES: The “Do the Math” 350.org tour with Bill McKibben will be in Omaha on Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Joslyn Museum Witherspoon Concert Hall, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha. See CD 2 Green Note above. Purchase tickets online here.
DEQ HEARING, RALLY AND LANDOWNERS MEETING . . . A Department of Environmental Quality hearing on the review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska will be Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Boone County Fairground, Albion, Nebraska. It is critical that voices of opposition to the pipeline continue to be heard. This route is no better than the last one–it is still in sandy soil, it is still crossing the Aquifer, and it is still carrying tarsands and chemicals that TransCanada will not disclose. There will be a NEAT landowner meeting before the hearing, 4:00 to 5:00pm, at J’s Grill, 333 South 1St Street, Albion. And a No KXL Pipeline Rally will be from 5:00 to 5:30pm at the Boone County Fairground, in Albion. Gather at 5:00pm to hold signs before hearing. Bring homemade signs, line the streets with signs. Citizens’ voices will continue to move this pipeline right out of our state! For more information, the facebook event page is here. Sign a Pledge to Speak at the DEQ Hearing on December 4th, and find links to submit comments via e-mail.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of November 18, 2012

November 18, 2012Green Notesgreenone

FORSBERG DOCUMENTARY ON NET . . . Sunday, November 25, 2012, 8:30pm, acclaimed Nebraska photographer Michael Forsberg will be featured in a new documentary,”Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild,” airing on NET1 and NET-HD. Watch an 11:46 minute trailer here. Forsberg explores what remains of the Great Plains wilderness in 11 states. One Nebraska segment features the annual Platte River Valley Sand Hill Crane migration. Lincoln area: Congressional District 1 VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee. LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information. OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) will hold weekly Workshop/Skills Teaching Sessions, The Repair Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 5:30pm. (The time coincides with the start of FoodNet.) Toss It? No Way! Fix it, find another use, use some of its parts, recycle it, and say no to the throw away culture. Everything and everyone has value. We must discover the value. For more information, contact Barbara van den Berg, 402.488.6926, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com. OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . There is a calendar of Occupy Lincoln events here. The Facebook page is here. The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln. For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed! Omaha area: Congressional District 2 OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, November 21, 2012, the film will be “Lifting the Fog (Part 2),” the scientific method applied to the World Trade Center disaster. A discussion will follow the film. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004. OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils. ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE. Leafletting in Omaha. ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/. Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3 KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Friday, November 16, 2012, AlterNet Editorial Staff reported “Disaster in the Gulf Again as Oil and Gas Rig Explodes.” The article begins “So far at least two people have been confirmed dead and two more are missing. Yesterday BP was charged with manslaughter for the 2010 Gulf disaster and today two workers on a Black Elk Energy oil and gas rig off the coast of Louisiana are dead after an explosion. NBC has reported that two more workers are missing and four others in critical condition were flown to a hospital.” From the Huffington Post, “The largest oil spill in America’s history should have been a wake-up call. If we refuse to learn from that mistake, it will become a recurring nightmare instead.” November 14th, Wildlife Promise, reported on a new poll from the National Wildlife Federation. “Keystone XL Pummeled by Clean Energy,” released results of a Zogby commissioned poll covering several climate and energy issues. “The poll, done just after the election, finds support for Keystone XL was dwarfed by voters’ desire for expanded renewable energy investments. Support for Keystone barely broke out of the single digits. With protests this weekend against Keystone XL in the nation’s capital, the poll shows that the President has a mandate to fight climate disruption. Keystone XL takes the fight to slow climate change in the wrong direction.” Voters want clean energy, 4 to 1. #nokxl The Lincoln Journal Star published Bill McKibben’s November 13th op-ed “Obama needs to face climate change, reject Keystone pipeline.” The editorial begins “It will be painfully easy to tell if President Barack Obama is going to take a serious stab at doing something about climate change in his second term: The purest, starkest test he faces will be the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from the tar sands of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.” The November 18th Truthout reported “Unity College Becomes First to Pull Money From Dirty Energy” in response to McKibben’s 350.org “Do the Math” campaign. To help fight climate change, it will divest its financial holdings from fossil-fuel companies. LJS published “Oil industry group pushes Obama to OK pipeline,” by Josh Funk, AP, November 16th: “The fight over a proposed pipeline to transport crude oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries has picked up again with groups on both sides putting pressure on President Barack Obama to either approve or reject the pipeline. The attention given to TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline project has increased now that the election is over because it’s clear who will decide the project’s future and because Nebraska is close to deciding whether to approve a revised route through the state.” And also on November 16th, LJS published a McClatchy article by Sean Cockerham, “With election over, will Obama OK Keystone pipeline?” Cockerham asserts that this decision “could define Obama on energy and climate change.” It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.” If you are on Facebook, click here to post the petition to your Wall. If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: Tell @BarackObama: You can’t have it both ways on climate change. Reject the Keystone XL pipeline. SAVE THE DATES: The “Do the Math” 350.org tour with Bill McKibben will be in Omaha on Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Joslyn Museum Witherspoon Concert Hall, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline, bringing together tens of thousands of people over one month to start an historic push to win real solutions to the climate crisis. Purchase tickets online here. DEQ HEARING, RALLY AND LANDOWNERS MEETING . . . A Department of Environmental Quality hearing on the review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska will be Tuesday, December 4, 2012, 6:00pm, at the Boone County Fairground, Albion, Nebraska. It is critical that voices of opposition to the pipeline continue to be heard. This route is no better than the last one–it is still in sandy soil, it is still crossing the Aquifer, and it is still carrying tarsands and chemicals that TransCanada will not disclose. There will be a NEAT landowner meeting before the hearing, 4:00 to 5:00pm, at J’s Grill, 333 South 1St Street, Albion. And a No KXL Pipeline Rally will be from 5:00 to 5:30pm at the Boone County Fairground, in Albion. Gather at 5:00pm to hold signs before hearing. Bring homemade signs, line the streets with signs. Citizens’ voices will continue to move this pipeline right out of our state! For more information, the facebook event page is here. Sign a Pledge to Speak at the DEQ Hearing on December 4th, and find links to submit comments via e-mail. Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet. Dear President Obama: 171 reasons to deny the pipeline. “The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee. STOP FRACKING NOW . . . From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet, October 23rd: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.” Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.” BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher. HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it asks you to name your cause here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support! Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.”

Green Notes Week of November 11, 2012

November 11, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . “Jill Stein and the Green Party After Election Day 2012,” by Ellie Maclin, was published in Examiner.com, November 8, 2012: “It’s a wake-up moment for America,” said Jill Stein in an online election night “Hangout” with Cheri Honkala and their campaign manager. “On the climate, on the export of our jobs… on bailouts for Wall Street… we have answers to all of [these concerns] in the Green New Deal,” she said. The race was “a real nailbiter,” Stein told viewers, and “it’s a real achievement” that vote counts increased by such a margin despite a close, historic race. Said Stein:
“The Green Party is the way forward, and I so look forward to continuing this fight… We are here for the long haul, and I’m so gratified to hear that’s the case from our volunteers and our supporters … what they care about is that we have recovered our political voice and our political coverage and that we are not going away. Together we are unstoppable, and thank you all so much for making it so!”
Campaign Manager Ben Manski reported “We began the 2012 campaign with 16 states in which we could run candidates on the ballot, and ended it with 38 states. We qualified for public financing. Our candidates appeared on national television and in all the national press. Our message of the need for a new economy and a new democracy was heard and seen everywhere. Roughly one million Americans voted with us, and millions considered voting Green for the first time. …Winning nearly a million votes doesn’t happen often for independent parties. We’ve done five times better than in the previous election cycle. We are moving in a good direction.”
“I’m honored to have been the Green Party’s presidential candidate and deeply moved by the support we’ve received from people like you all across the country. Thank you for your support.” –Jill Stein On Election Night
Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY . . . America Recycles Day is Thursday, November 15, 2012. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

WATER POLICY CONFERENCES . . . Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14, 2012, there will be two University of Nebraska Water Policy Conferences at the Cornhusker Hotel, 333 South 13 Street, in Lincoln. Water: Science, Practice and Policy, with the latest research, programming and policy on water in Nebraska will be Tuesday, and the Water Law Conference is Wednesday. Register and find more information here.

NEBRASKA SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE . . . The UN-L ASUN Environmental Sustainability Committee is hosting the second annual Nebraska Sustainability Roundtable, Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, from 3:00 to 7:00pm, in the Ballroom of the City Union, between 14th & 15th on R Street. This will be a unique public discussion to expand and strengthen Nebraska’s existing sustainability initiatives. Faculty, students, and industry experts will be in attendance, providing the opportunity to discuss and network on Energy, Water, Lifestyle, and Food/Agriculture. More information can be found at the facebook event page.

LEADING ON THE WORLD FOOD ISSUE . . . 2003 World Food Prize Laureate Catherine Bertini will speak about “Where America Must Lead: Ensuring the World Can Feed Its People” on Thursday, November 15, 2012, 3:30pm, at Hardin Hall on UN-L East Campus, 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. A 3:00 reception in the Hardin Hall lobby will precede the lecture.

FORSBERG AT THE ROSS . . . Thursday, November 15, 2012, renowned Nebraska wildlife photographer and author Michael Forsberg will present “Pulse of the Plains” at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln, at 7:00pm. The event is open is open to EveryOne. Sponsored by Friends of Wilderness Park, there is an admission charge. For more information, phone 402.421.8464.

FREE SATURDAY . . . There will be another Free Saturday at Neighbor’s Park, 2901 D Street, Lincoln, on Saturday, November 17, 2012, 2:00pm. The Cold weather/bad weather alternate location is Common Root Mutual Aid Center, 1315 South 24th Street. For more information, e-mail Barb Van den Berg, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com.

SUNDAY WITH JOHANSGARD ON BIRDS . . . Sunday, November 18, 2012, 1:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L Professor Emeritus Paul Johnsgard will be featured at Sunday With A Scientist on City campus at Morrill Hall, located just south of 14th and Vine Streets, Lincoln.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, November 14, 2012, the film will be “Soldiers of Conscience,” a documentary examining the dilemma of being ordered to kill, and the morality of killing in war. A discussion will follow the film. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PUBLIC MEETING ON FORT CALHOUN . . . Thursday, November 15, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Dana College Gardner-Hawks Center, Blair, Nebraska, there will be a public meeting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission updating the troubled Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant, 20 miles north of Omaha. There will be a Q&A after NRC officials discuss their efforts to restart the plant.

DEEP TRANSITION . . . Transition Omaha is hosting a Deep Transition Experience, “Call to Evolutionary Catalysts,” at Knowles Mercy Center, 2304 Campanile Road, Waterloo, NE, Thursday, November 15 through Sunday, November 18, 2012. Focus will be on the the inner work we need to do as we respond to our many challenges. Driving directions and a map are here. [pdf]

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln [at] gmail [dot] com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.
Leafletting in Omaha.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . .Dear President Obama, Protect Our Homes.
SAVE THE DATE: The “Do the Math” 350.org tour with Bill McKibben will be in Omaha on Saturday, December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Joslyn Museum Witherspoon Concert Hall, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline, bringing together tens of thousands of people over one month to start an historic push to win real solutions to the climate crisis. Purchase tickets online here.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.”

Green Notes Week of November 4, 2012

November 4, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Jill Stein will participate in two more presidential debates to be broadcast online from Washington, DC, including the Free and Equal debate originally scheduled for October 30 and postponed to Monday, November 5, 2012, because of Hurricane Sandy. Dr. Stein won her place in Free and Equal Elections Foundation’s one-on-one debate after receiving over 17,000 online votes within 24 hours on the Free and Equal site. She will face Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party livestreamed at 9:00pm ET. And the Green Party will livestream a debate hosted by Ralph Nader on Sunday, November 4, at Busboys and Poets, 7:30pm ET. View a November 3rd, 12:40 minute video interview with Nader talking about the need to end the “two party dictatorship” in this country here.
Video of previous presidential candidates’ debates with Dr. Stein and vice-presidential nominee Cheri Honkala are at the Green Party Livestream Channel, Democracy Now!, and Free & Equal.
SEE MEDIA COVERAGE FROM THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN here.
“We need a serious debate focused on energy: Phasing out coal plants, ending mountaintop removal, banning fracking, and halting the Keystone XL pipeline.” –Jill Stein
From “Imagine All the Voters Treating the Green Party like another realistic option,” by Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, North Coast Journal, quoting Jill Stein, “To go into the voting booth and vote for either Wall-Street-backed candidate, that is the definition of throwing away your vote.” WRITE-IN JILL STEIN AND CHERI HONKALA IN NEBRASKA. Your write-in vote will be counted! Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

WALK-IN VOTING . . . Vote at the Lancaster County Election Commission, 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln, Monday, November 5, 2012, 8:00am to 4:30pm.

ELECTION DAY . . . Tuesday November 6, 2012, vote at precincts. Find Polling Locations by Precinct ID (on your new voting card) here. [pdf] Find a Sample Ballot here. [pdf]

AUDUBON ANNUAL . . . The Wachiska Audubon Annual Meeting will be Thursday, November 8, 2012, 7:00pm, at Union College in the Dick Auditorium, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. Michelle Garwood, from the Niobrara Council, will present on the Council Outdoor Education Program. All are welcome. Save The Date: December 13, 2012 Holiday Potluck Party featuring “Writing with a Camera.”

NEBRASKA SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE . . . The UN-L ASUN Environmental Sustainability Committee is hosting the second annual Nebraska Sustainability Roundtable, Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, from 3:00 to 7:00pm, in the Ballroom of the City Union, between 14th & 15th on R Street. This will be a unique public discussion to expand and strengthen Nebraska’s existing sustainability initiatives. Faculty, students, and industry experts will be in attendance, providing the opportunity to discuss and network on Energy, Water, Lifestyle, and Food/Agriculture. There will be free food for those who RSVP by Friday, November 9th. More information can be found at the facebook event page.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, November 7, 2012, the film will be “Gerrymandering,” a documentary examining the longstanding practice of geographical boundary manipulation for voting purposes. A discussion will follow the film. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Following Jill Stein’s arrest for delivering supplies to Keystone XL blockaders in Winnsboro, Texas, Stein issued this statement: “I’m here to connect the dots between super storm Sandy and the record heat, drought, and fire we’ve seen this year – and this Tar Sands pipeline, which will make all of these problems much worse. And I’m here to connect the dots between climate devastation and pipeline politicians – both Obama and Romney – who are competing, as we saw in the debates, for the role of Puppet In Chief for the fossil fuel industry. Both deserve that title. Obama’s record of “drill baby drill” has gone beyond the harm done by George Bush. Mitt Romney promises more of the same.”
This past week, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality released a Pipeline Draft Evaluation Report for TransCanada’s proposed Nebraska Reroute of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The agency also announced a public hearing and information session to be held on December 4, 2012, at the Boone County Fairgrounds, 2616 Fairgrounds Road, Albion, Nebraska, starting at 6:00pm.
he hearing will be preceded by an information session from 3:00 to 5:30pm, in the Casey’s Building at the Boone County Fairgrounds. The information session will be an opportunity for the public to meet and talk with those from the agency involved in the review, in an informal “open house” format.
Public comments will continue to be accepted through December 4th. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to NDEQ.SEISpubliccomment [at] Nebraska[dot] gov. Written comments can be mailed to: NDEQ Pipeline Project Comments, P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922. Written comments can also be submitted at the information session on December 4, 2012. Written testimony can be provided at the public hearing.
Bold Nebraska answered the Report with the following statement: The new Nebraska DEQ Report on Keystone XL Leaves Many Questions Unanswered. Citizens and Landowners Continue to Ask for Common Sense Assurances About their Safety and Economic Future. Despite promises to the contrary, the proposed route still crosses the Ogallala Aquifer, several rivers, hundreds of families wells and of course the Sandhills. (link to high res map: http://tinyurl.com/sandhillsmap)
This new route is still too risky and according to Governor Heinmenan, in a letter to President Obama August 2011, a pipeline that crosses the Ogallala Aquifer, “will have potentially detrimental effects on this valuable natural resource and Nebraska’s economy.” If Heineman stays true to his word: than denying this proposed pipeline route is the only answer.
Quoting Bold’s Jane Kleeb, “How can the DEQ do an environmental study of the pipeline route if they don’t know the exact contents and chemicals of the pipeline? The DEQ must start with what’s in the pipeline and then do their own soil, water, wildlife and climate studies to ensure the route is the safest for landowners and the citizens of our state. Simply reviewing what TransCanada submitted is not sufficient.”
Tom Genung, president of Nebraska Easement Action Team, said “Landowners and citizens continue to hear lots of talk from TransCanada and our politicians but we still do not have the exact contents of this pipe that our families could be living with for generations. We have asked for simple assurances for our health and safety. In return, all TransCanada and the DEQ continue to give us are empty promises that ‘everything will be ok.’ Our families farms, ranches and water require a little bit more than promises.”
The ongoing issue of pipeline siting laws continues. “How much will PSC pipeline rules matter?” by Art Hovey, was published in the Lincoln Journal Star, October 30, 2012. “The Nebraska Public Service Commission is scheduled to take another look on Tuesday at its proposed rules for siting petroleum pipelines that come after TransCanada’s Keystone XL. A final vote is expected by mid-November.
Presumably, the results of months of work will show how rigorously the commission intends to carry out duties assigned to it last November during heated debate over a proposed Sandhills route for Keystone XL in the 2011 special session of the Nebraska Legislature. Will commissioners, for example, require applicants to disclose what other chemicals potentially harmful to groundwater might be in petroleum shipments besides crude oil? But the bigger question might be how much these PSC regulations matter. That’s because the Legislature changed direction in April, during a flurry of amendments in the final days of its regular session, and made the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality the first stop for future pipeline routing decisions by the state. That decision moved the state’s pipeline oversight toward a department responsible to the governor and away from independently elected officials. It also appears to have been an effort to avoid vulnerability in court. But a lawsuit quickly emerged anyway.
Because the change included in LB1161 came after committee hearings, the public never had a chance to weigh in on a departure from the November decision putting the PSC in charge.” The article is continued here.
“B.C. quake a warning to risk of oil pipeline, critics say,” by Petti Fong, was published in The Star, October 29th: “Critics of the Northern Gateway pipeline say the weekend’s massive earthquake just off the B.C. coast is a warning that should be heeded. The region is the most prone in the west for earthquakes and the subsequent tsunamis that often follow. A 7.7 earthquake off Haida Gwaii on Saturday evening left hundreds of residents without power but caused little damage. Imagine what would happen if the quake had struck where a pipeline was located, said Keith Stewart, climate and energy campaign coordinator for Greenpeace.”
From Globe and Mail October 31st, “Energy board launches TransCanada audit,” by Nathan VanderKlippe, begins “The National Energy Board has launched a major audit of TransCanada Corp., after a whistle blower’s revelations about problems in the pipeline company’s operating practices. In a letter sent to Calgary-based TransCanada, the NEB said it will examine the integrity management programs at almost all of the company’s pipelines, including its natural gas systems and Keystone pipe.”
Also in the Globe and Mail October 21st, “British Columbia government rethinks pipeline-approval process,” reported “The lawn of the B.C. legislature is expected to be filled with protesters on Monday for a mass sit-in against the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline. Scorched by the growing opposition, the B.C. government has already adopted a more hostile stand toward the $6-billion project.”
Lincoln Journal-Star editorialized that the “Legislature should take another look at pipeline law,” on October 22nd.
SAVE THE DATE: Tickets are now on sale for The “Do the Math” 350.org tour with Bill McKibben in Omaha on December 1, 2012, 6:00 to 9:00pm, at the Joslyn Museum Witherspoon Concert Hall, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline, bringing together tens of thousands of people over one month to start an historic push to win real solutions to the climate crisis. Purchase tickets online here.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“

Green Notes Week of October 28, 2012

October 28, 2012Green Notesgreenone

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . Another victory. Another debate. Another chance! Thanks to tens of thousands of supporters, Jill Stein won a spot in the last Free and Equal debate. She’ll face-off against Gov. Gary Johnson on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 8:00 to 9:30pm Central, from Washington D.C. There are 90 million eligible voters who don’t plan on voting – enough to win the election for Dr. Stein. Almost none of those people know that Stein is running. They must know there is a candidate who stands with working and poor people, not corporations and SuperPACs.
Ask MSNBC to air this debate. The debate should be covered. In fact, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell of The Last Word just pointed that out. Join us in thanking him, urging him to have Jill on the show, and demanding MSNBC cover the 10/30 debate.
Tweet @Lawrence Thanks for discussing the 10/23 Alternative #Debate on @msnbc! It’s not too late to have @jillstein2012 on @TheLastWord. Facebook him. Thanks for stepping up and recognizing the importance of independent parties. There’s still time to have Jill Stein on The Last Word. Watch the live debate at www.freeandequalorg/live, and RT America’s YouTube channel. Together, another world is possible.
SEE MEDIA COVERAGE FROM THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN at http://www.jillstein.org/media_coverage.
“We need a serious debate focused on energy: Phasing out coal plants, ending mountaintop removal, banning fracking, and halting the Keystone XL pipeline.” –Jill Stein
From “Imagine All the Voters Treating the Green Party like another realistic option,” by Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, North Coast Journal, quoting Jill Stein, “To go into the voting booth and vote for either Wall-Street-backed candidate, that is the definition of throwing away your vote.” WRITE-IN JILL STEIN AND CHERI HONKALA IN NEBRASKA. Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

NAACP ANNUAL . . . Saturday, November 3, 2012, starting at 5:30pm with a social hour, the Annual Scholarship Banquet of the Lincoln Chapter of the NAACP will be at the Cornhusker, 333 South 13th, in Lincoln. Native activist Frank LaMere will keynote, speaking on the theme “Your Power, Your Decision–Vote.” To order tickets, call Jareldine Mays, 402.488.0853.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, October 31, 2012, will be Occupy Omaha Night. The film will be End: CIV, a documentary that asks the questin “If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air, and contaminated the food supply, would you resist?” A discussion will follow the film. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm . The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

HUMANIZING EMPLOYMENT . . . “Organized Labor: the Folks Who Humanized the Employment Relationship” will be presented Saturday, November 3, 2012, 2:00pm, at the W. Dale Clark (Main) Library, Farnam and 15th Street, Omaha. John Kretzschmar, Director of the William Brennan Institute of Labor Studies, UN-O, will speak about the history and accomplishments of labor unions, the challenges and achievements of organizing, and the crises and threats that face working people. The talk is free and open to the public.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Quoting “TransCanada Pipeline Protest in Fifth Week,” by William Boardman, Reader Supported News, October 27, 2012, “Officially, it seems, the Tar Sands Blockade was supposed to be over in mid-October, when The New York Times, having thus far ignored the story, announced that it was a ‘last-ditch bid.’ But Tar Sands Blockade, a grassroots coalition of Texans opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline, is still there, still occupying the treehouse blockade it mounted September 24, still trying to hold up construction of TransCanada’s $7 billion pipeline that will bring hot, toxic tar sands oil sludge from Canada for global markets.”
“Stopping Trans Canada’s Keystone XL Pipeline: Activism from the Trees and on the Ground,” by former US diplomate and Army Colonel Ann Wright, was published October 26th by Information Clearning House. “In East Texas, the farm lands and forests have been seized for the Canadian company through eminent domain and are already being destroyed for the foreign pipeline. …The Tar Sands Blockade has been vigilant in their campaign of non-violent protest of this pipeline, and in doing so, these modern day patriots have also been protecting our freedoms. By building and refusing to leave tree house villages, chaining themselves to equipment, and working with landowners who wish to meritoriously exercise their right of ownership, they have valiantly defended our Gulf Coast, as well as our nation’s constitution.”
“SLAPPed, Arrested, Charged With Eco-Terrorism: TransCanada Blockaders Persevere,” by Candice Bernd, for Truthout, October 24th, continues covereage of the Tar Sands Blockade. “Activists maintain their vigil in the trees despite the best efforts of hired security and legal wrangling to dislodge them.”
CBC News reported “Quality concerns arose before TransCanada pipeline blast,” by Charles Rusnell, Timothy Sawa and Joseph Loiero, also on October 24th. The report says that “A natural gas pipeline operated by TransCanada exploded near Gillette, Wyo., in July 2011 because of quality assurance issues and poorly trained inspectors, citing internal company documents. “Documents obtained by CBC News detail a pipeline project with problems relating to welding and inspection. ‘We are in trouble on the Bison project,’ the pipelines’ construction manager wrote in a Sept. 18, 2010 internal email, which lists problems related to welding and inspection. … CBC News also obtained an all-staff internal memo issued by TransCanada CEO Russ Girling on Aug. 11, 2011, in which he acknowledged problems with an earlier phase of the existing Keystone line, and the ill-fated Bison pipeline.” Read the report and watch videos at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/24/transcanada-pipelines-bison-explosion.html?cmp=rss.
On October 22nd, Reader Supported News published “Keystone Shutdown Highlights Fox’s Dubious Claims About Pipeline Safety,” by Chelsea Rudman, sourced from Media Matters for America: “TransCanada Corp. recently announced that it has temporarily shut down the existing portion of its Keystone pipeline due to safety concerns. Fox News figures previously attacked the Obama administration for delaying a decision on the Keystone pipeline extension because of environmental and safety concerns, claiming that the project posed no such threats.”
The Globe and Mail article by Justine Hunter, October 21st, “Brirish Columbia government rethinks pipeline-approval process,” reported “The lawn of the B.C. legislature is expected to be filled with protesters on Monday for a mass sit-in against the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline. Scorched by the growing opposition, the B.C. government has already adopted a more hostile stand toward the $6-billion project.”
Lincoln Journal-Star editorialized that the “Legislature should take another look at pipeline law,” on October 22nd: “The Nebraska Legislature would be very well advised to have another look at the law that is supposed to allow Nebraska to regulate where oil pipelines pass through the state. If there is any recent policy issue that deserves to have Nebraskans all on the same page of law, this is it.”
SAVE THE DATE: Tickets are now on sale for the “Do the Math” tour with Bill McKibben in Omaha, December 1st, at the Joslyn Musuem, 2200 Dodge Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline. Purchase tickets online here.
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“