Demonstrate Saturday, August 26th at NOAA's National Headquarters in ...

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PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE!

 

One year after Hurricane Katrina

 

Demonstrate Saturday, August 26th at NOAA's National Headquarters in

Silver

Spring, Md.

 

Join Us As We Demand

 

Justice for Katrina Survivors! NOAA Leadership: Stop the Global

Warming Cover-Up!

 

Katrina survivors and national leaders will speak about climate

change. Activists

will read aloud the names of people who died because of Katrina.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Yesterday the Washington Post, on the front page of the " Outlook " section,

published an article by Mike Tidwell drawn from his new book, The

Ravaging Tide:

Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, and the Coming Death of America's

Coastal

Cities, published this month by Free Press. Under the headline, WeÂ're

All New Orleanians

Now, Mike explained:

 

" " Barring a rapid change in our nation's relationship to fossil fuels,

every

American within shouting distance of an ocean -- including

all of us in the nation's

capital -- will become de facto New Orleanians. Imagine a giant

floodgate spanning

the Potomac River just north of Mount Vernon, there to hold back the

tsunami-like

surge tide of the next great storm. Imagine the Mall, Reagan National

Airport and

much of Alexandria well below sea level, at the mercy of

'`trust-us-they'll-hold''

levees maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. Imagine the rest of

Washington

vulnerable to the winds of major hurricanes that churn across a hot

and swollen

Chesapeake Bay, its surface free of the once vast and buffering

wetland grasses

and '`speed bump'' islands that slow down storms.

 

" Because of global warming, this is our future. Oceans worldwide are

projected

to rise as much as three feet this century, and much higher if the

Greenland ice

sheet melts away. And intense storms are already becoming much more

common. These

two factors together will in

essence export the plight of New Orleans, bringing

the Big Easy '`bowl'' effect here to the Washington area, as well as

to Charleston,

S.C., Miami, New York and other coastal cities. Assuming we want to

keep living

in these cities, we'll have to build dikes and learn to exist beneath

the surface

of surrounding tidal bays, rivers and open seas -- just like New

Orleans. " "

 

As people who understand the urgent need for immediate action to

dramatically reduce

greenhouse gas emissions, and as people who believe that the federal

government

must get serious about the human needs of hundreds of thousands of

Katrina survivors,

we urge you to plan to attend the demonstration.

 

When: Saturday August 26th

12 noon to 3pm

 

Where: NOAA headquarters

1305 East-West Highway

Silver Spring, MD

 

 

We''re pleased to report that we have lined up a dynamite program

of speakers and

music for the 26th:

 

Speakers and Musicians

 

* Chris Chandler, former Ninth Ward New Orleans resident and

" performance

poet " , and David Roe, musician

* Melody Drnach, National Organization for Women Action Vice-President

* Jared Duval, Director, Sierra Student Coalition

* Alison Fisher, Coordinator, Greater Washington Interfaith Power

and Light

* George Friday, National Co-Chair, United for Peace and Justice

* Luci Murphy, singer and songleader

* David Rovics, internationally-known singer and musician

* Mike Tidwell, Director, U.S. Climate Emergency Council

* Jenice L. View, Director for Education and Training, Just

Transition Alliance

* Karen Wimpleberg, President, Alliance for Affordable Energy, New

Orleans

* Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Executive Director, Hip Hop Caucus and

National Coordinator,

Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign

* Kevin Zeese, Director, Democracy

Rising

 

For more information or to volunteer to help,

 

* Write - usajointheworld

* Call - 301-891-6844

* Visit - www.climateemergency.org

 

We''re also pleased to report on a number of endorsements by sister

organizations:

 

Alliance for Affordable Energy, New Orleans; Camp Democracy; Climate

Crisis Coalition;

Global Exchange; GlobalWarmingSolution.org; Grassroots Coalition for

Environmental

and Economic Justice; Just Transition Alliance; Order of the Earth;

Pax Christi,

USA; Shalom Center; Sierra Student Coalition; South Asian League of

Artists in America

Theatre; Voters for Peace; United for Peace and Justice

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August 26th will be an important milestone in our on-going efforts for

climate justice

and truth-telling!

 

Join us and bring your family and a friend!