Today the White House switchboard was overloaded by activists who were inspired by celebrities' demonstrations of positive social activism and acts of non-violent civil disobedience in DC last week, and throughout the long Presidents Day holiday weekend.
An estimated 50,000 activists from across the nation, from international celebrities to local teachers marched in the “Forward on Climate” rally around the White House to protest the Keystone XL pipeline on Sunday.
Examiner published a follow-up tweet from actress and activist Daryl Hannah on Monday which urged supporters to:
'Send A Prez Day Message! call the President @ 202-456-1111 or http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact email him to reject the Lethal Keystone XL!!! #NoKXL'
Ironically, Jamie Henn of 350 told supporters today:
'We were going to send you an inspiring video of last weekend’s 'Forward on Climate rally,' but breaking news just intervened:
'Reporters this morning uncovered the fact that while 40,000 or more people were outside the White House asking for his attention about Keystone XL, President Obama was playing golf with oil and pipeline executives in Florida.'
Henn reported that the weekend’s action exceeded all expectations. They claimed a groundswell of new momentum to put to work to stop the Keystone XL oil pipeline and to push for fossil fuel divestment.
'But President Obama still hasn't answered our question: which side are you on - ours, or the fossil fuel industry's?'
Today 350 organizers tweeted,
'As the Sierra Club just pointed out, Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Obama golfs w/ oilmen when the planet is on the line.'
350 Director Bill McKibben added:
'We asked the pres. to go green. Instead he went to the putting green, with the oil execs who give him campaign green'
Just hours later, however, the grassroots momentum nearly crashed the White House phone lines.
At 4 p.m. McKibben tweeted:
'Apparently, WH switchboard now jammed with calls about the pres. golfing with oil execs during climate rally http://act.350.org/call/obama-golf/ …'
Watch Bobby Kennedy, Jr. demonstrate the necessity for civil disobedience and the art of non-violent social change in this video, above left.
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