This is a photo of me from our Siskiyou Progressive Alliance demonstration to stop the attack on Syria that the United States Government was moving toward just this fall, 2013.

 

 

 

These are other members and participants below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opposites Do Attract

Retired colleagues Barbara Walter and Stephen Concklin are big fans of the work each carried out at Shasta College, but they're political polar opposites.



I'm the handsome guy behind the "Shut Down LaMalfa" sign.  I'm sharing with my great friend, Barbara Walter, who was with a counter protest group representing the Tea Party.  We met on Thursday, October 3, 2013 In front of Congressman Doug LaMalfa's  Redding office.  This photo and a short news item appeared in the Friday, October 4, 2013 Redding Record Searchlight.  It described how Barbara and I knew each other and worked together at Shasta College in enabling students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be a part of the college student body. 

Dear Editor:

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, published its 2013 report.  Scientists from 195 countries participated.  You can read it for yourself at: http://www.ipcc.ch/. Human influence on the climate system is clear.  The report states:  “Warming in the climate system is unequivocal and since 1950 many changes have been observed throughout the climate system that are unprecedented over decades to millennia. Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850 …”

 When meteorologist, Eric Holthaus, who has covered weather for the Wall Street Journal, read the IPCC report he wept.  Eric’s response reminded me of the September afternoon in Washington, D. C. several years ago when I was hand cuffed in a police van with five other activists. We were part of the 1153 citizens who were arrested at the White House during climate action to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.   While waiting, one of our fellow activists, Richard, suggested that we share our reasons for risking arrest.  We all spoke but when it was Richard’s turn he choked up and began sobbing.  It was chilling to watch a grown man reduced to tears. In his mind he saw what was in store for us unless we cut carbon emissions and move to renewable energy.  Rich was  like the “Weeping Prophet” Jeremiah, who saw what was coming and fell into despair that his warnings were not being heeded.

What can we do?  Human activity is changing earth’s atmosphere.  We must stop it.  The first step is to draw the line.  Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The President will make this decision in the coming year.  Write to him.  Tell him no pipeline.  Our country can take a lead in preventing this human made catastrophe.