Top NASA climate scientist arrested at White House

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story
By Stephen C. Webster

One of the nation's foremost experts on climate change was arrested outside the White House on Monday morning after he joined a protest against a planned Canadian tar sands pipeline.

Dr. James Hansen (pictured), who runs NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was arrested along with 139 other protesters taking part in a series of demonstrations against the planned $7-billion Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport 500,000 barrels of crude per day from America's neighbor to the north all the way to the Gulf coast of Texas.

So far, 521 activists have been arrested since their first protest on Saturday, Aug. 21. Also included in Monday's arrests were Greenpeace Executive Director Phil Radford, president of CREDO Mobile Michael Kieschnick, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve and many others.

Hansen, a 44-year veteran of the nation's space agency, is perhaps the best-known climate scientist in the world. He was the center of a years-long controversy in the last decade, after he claimed that NASA had tried to censor his findings about earth's climate on behalf of the Bush administration. He's also the author of "Storms of My Grandchildren," a book that calls for radical action to combat climate change. He's also been arrested before, protesting against mountaintop mining.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/29/top-nasa-climate-scientist-arrested-at-white-house/

[Electric Monk]

1. What a kook! What does he know?

:doineedasmiley?:

K&R

[Lorien]

2. Why are people being ARRESTED for exercising their first amendment rights??

D.C. is now only a "free speech zone" for lobbyists and yes men?

[TheWraith]

7. Because the first amendment doesn't cover things like chaining yourself to the WH fence.

Which is a typical move for these sorts of protests, because people go there specifically to BE arrested. It makes more publicity for the protest.

[Electric Monk]

11. Hansen chained himself to a fence? I don't see that in any of the news links yet.

Or are you in favor of him being preemptively arrested for something he might do, because that's the sort of thing people like him tend to do, in your world view :eyes:

[TheWraith]

15. No, I'm only in favor of preemptive arrests for insulting strawman arguments.

I provided an example of one of the things protestors often do specifically in order to get arrested. I made no such claim about what he actually did, and your attempt to smear me as some kind of hatemonger is funny, since I probably agree with more of Hansen's views than you do.

[Pooka Fey]

18. You didn't see it because it never happened.

[Pooka Fey]

16. WRONG!! These protestors are STANDING in front of the WH. No chaining going on. SORRY.

No, you don't get to justify the loss of American's constitutionally guaranteed right to peacefully protest by falsely claiming that these protesters are chaining themselves to the WH fence.

Because they aren't. They're standing there. Wearing professional business attire. Holding signs. That's all. Take a look at the pictures.

[TheWraith]

19. Are you short on reading comprehension? Because you've got plenty of condescension.

Please look up the difference between an example of things protesters do to get arrested, and a specific claim.

[Bluebear]

21. They dared question Him, an unforgivable sin to some

[DFab420]

13. lol hyperbole much? I'm pretty sure he a) went knowing he could be arrested and

b) is glad that his arrest has brought more light to this issue.

Calm down man. People have been arrested in protests since the 60's

[Xithras]

20. It's an ongoing protest until Sept 3.

The park service laws allow protesting, but they ban you from standing still in front of the White House (it's a variation on anti-loitering laws). These guys are doing a sit-in in front of the WH to provoke a response and bring media attention to the issue. They have over 1500 people signed up to sit in and be arrested over the next week.

The idea is to stage continual mass arrests every day between now and the third to bring attention to the administrations embarrassing position on this issue, and bring attention to yet another failed campaign promise. Obama can blame Congress for most of his global warming failures, but this one is his and his alone.

[Pooka Fey]

22. +1

[TheWraith]

24. Um, no. Please try and check the actual facts.

"The idea is to stage continual mass arrests every day between now and the third to bring attention to the administrations embarrassing position on this issue, and bring attention to yet another failed campaign promise. Obama can blame Congress for most of his global warming failures, but this one is his and his alone."

The administration hasn't taken a position on this issue yet, besides the State Department recommendation. They're trying to push for it to be rejected.

[Xithras]

26. I have. The facts aren't pretty here.

First, the State Department is part of the Executive Branch, answering directly to SoS Clinton, who reports directly to Obama himself. The State Department wouldn't have made their recommendation without Clinton's approval (that would get a lot of people fired), and Hillary Clinton is too politically savvy to allow her department to issue a recommendation that would conflict with the President's own intentions. There is no way Hillary Clinton would allow her department to issue an official recommendation that Obama would object to. To act like they are in some kind of independent bubble is disingenuous at best.

Second, Obama made some very clear promises to reduce our petroleum dependence and to take a stand against global warming. He has failed to do so repeatedly in the past, but as I said, he can lay the blame for many of those failures at the feet of Congress. This issue presents him an opportunity to take a stand for the environment without the interference of Congress. He can single-handedly shoot this project down.

For a politician who made the environmental irresponsibility of the previous administration a central campaign plank, this should be a slam dunk issue. The fact that, as President only last year, he directly and publicly questioned the safety and environmental destructiveness on oil sands processing should eliminate any doubt as to how he should be responding to the proposal.

The fact that he has not officially taken a position yet is pretty damning all by itself. His silence speaks volumes.

[Pooka Fey]

28. + 1

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. That doesn't look good for the Administration.

:shrug:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. A hero.

The administration should be listening to the man, instead of arresting him.

[TheWraith]

12. Hansen is a major advocate of nuclear power. Still think he should be listened to?

I'm not suggesting that as a bad thing: I agree with him. But I'm wondering how many people here are seizing on him more as an icon to tar (no pun intended) the White House rather than because they legitimately know him and respect him.

[joshcryer]

29. That actually makes peoples heads' explode. Note: he advocates Gen IV nuclear...

...above the shitty Gen III and Gen III+ that keeps blowing up in our faces.

[FLPanhandle]

5. This guy looks like such a danger

So the have to arrest him for simply protesting.

[Broderick]

6. The whole IRENE thing was

A cloak to conceal. A cloak of distraction while this abomination was signed. I swear.

[TheWraith]

17. You think the White House staged a hurricane?

Seriously? :eyes:

[Broderick]

25. No, but like R. Emanuel says

let no good crisis go to waste....

[Bluebear]

8. President Obama why are you not listening instead of hauling them away?

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kudos to Dr. James Hansen and the other protesters.

Thanks for the thread, Playinghardball.

[obxhead]

10. k/r

[kestrel91316]

14. Prediction: Dr. Hansen will be removed as head of the Goddard Institute

in 3...2...1...

[joshcryer]

30. Doubtful.

A long as he's kicking he'll stick around, far too respected in the scientific community.

[Pooka Fey]

23. K&R - Keystone XL pipeline is "Game Over" for the Climate

[Bluebear]

27. +