| CRAWFORD, TEXAS
- April 13 - Three Greenpeace activists anchored themselves to a water tower in President Bush’s home town today, with a 20x30-foot banner reading, "Bush: the Toxic Texan. Don’t Mess with the Earth." Marking the first political demonstration in the tiny town of Crawford since Bush took office, the international environmental group took this action to deliver a pre-Earth Day (April 22) protest message to President Bush, who is currently vacationing on his Texas ranch in Crawford.
Greenpeace activists Kelly Osborn, top, and Melissa Riber, at bottom, hang an environmental protest banner against President Bush which says "Bush the toxic Texan don't mess with the earth," Friday, April 13, 2001, in Crawford, Texas, where the Bush family ranch is located. The family is there now for the Easter weekend. (AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert)
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"The 'compassionate conservative' has really turned out to be the 'Toxic Texan,'" said Andrea Durbin, Greenpeace Campaigns Director. "Since taking office, Bush has set a blistering pace in undermining efforts to stop global warming, improve our drinking water and protect public lands from oil development. No Earth Day spin will hide the damage he’s already done."
This action comes just days before Greenpeace holds the first "Take Back the Earth Day" on Wednesday, April 18, when Americans will rally against Bush’s anti-environmental policies in Washington, D.C. In a matter of weeks the President has rolled back decades of environmental gains. Among the environmental assaults he has already delivered:
Withdrawing U.S. support of the global warming agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol;
Relaxing drinking water standards;
Supporting oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge and other public lands;
Reducing forest protections;
Slashing budgets for environmental protection; and
Weakening the Endangered Species Act.
Texas environmental groups, including Public Citizen of Texas, the Texas SEED Coalition, Texas Campaign for the Environment and the Texas field office of U.S. PIRG, joined Greenpeace today in a joint letter (pdf file) delivered to Bush. The letter states: "We are writing to express our outrage over your Administration’s aggressive attack on the environment." It goes on to say: "The stances of your Administration, both current and in Texas, has been to back the interests of polluters, especially the oil, mining and timber interests."
"Bush thinks by making a pro-environmental announcement on Earth Day and planting a tree he’s compassionate about the environment," added Durbin. "The problem is his administration plans to trash the earth the other 364 days. From the state of Texas to nationwide to globally, the President must protect the people, not the polluters."
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