SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Not quite a year ago, NASA climatologist James Hansen joined hundreds of Appalachian coalfield activists, including Teri Blanton, Maria Gunnoe, Bo Webb, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/blair-mountain-emergency-_b_..." target="_
Not quite a year ago, NASA climatologist James Hansen joined hundreds of Appalachian coalfield activists, including Teri Blanton, Maria Gunnoe, Bo Webb, Mickey McCoy and Bob Kincaid at a sit-in in front of the White House, and called for the abolition of mountaintop removal mining.
In an extraordinary act of solidarity, Blanton and other Appalachian coalfield leaders will join the growing climate justice sit-in at the White House today, calling on President Obama to deny the TransCanada Keystone pipeline permit. Hansen, who has defined the pipeline decision as a litmus test for the Obama administration's commitment to dealing with climate change, was arrested earlier this week.
"If this pipeline is built and they continue to mine tar sands the climate that I have enjoyed over my lifetime in Kentucky will forever be changed. It is already changing, and our people are drinking poison water and breathing unhealthy particles from the extraction, transporting, processing and burning of coal," Blanton said. "We must take back our democracy and demand that decisions be made based on sound science, just as the President said he would. There is nothing sound about building a pipeline across our country.
No one understands the reckless devastation from tar sands operations better than coalfield residents, especially affected residents in central Appalachia. Strip mining, in fact, takes place in 24 states across the country. If the White House can't end the disastrous pipeline or mountaintop removal mining-an egregious criminal operation that provides less than 5 percent of our national coal production and has unleashed one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in our country-any just transition to a clean energy future seems dim.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
As they take their place on the sit-in line today, Appalachian activists have also brought a new version of one of their celebrated anthems to the White House protests: Which Side Are You On, the famous labor ballad written for coal mining union organizers by Florence Reece in Blanton's native Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1932:
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
They say on this planet
There are no neutrals there
You're either for the people
Or the grubbin profiteers
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Don't build that pipeline
Don't tear our mountains down
Us poor folks don't stand a chance
Unless we organize
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Not quite a year ago, NASA climatologist James Hansen joined hundreds of Appalachian coalfield activists, including Teri Blanton, Maria Gunnoe, Bo Webb, Mickey McCoy and Bob Kincaid at a sit-in in front of the White House, and called for the abolition of mountaintop removal mining.
In an extraordinary act of solidarity, Blanton and other Appalachian coalfield leaders will join the growing climate justice sit-in at the White House today, calling on President Obama to deny the TransCanada Keystone pipeline permit. Hansen, who has defined the pipeline decision as a litmus test for the Obama administration's commitment to dealing with climate change, was arrested earlier this week.
"If this pipeline is built and they continue to mine tar sands the climate that I have enjoyed over my lifetime in Kentucky will forever be changed. It is already changing, and our people are drinking poison water and breathing unhealthy particles from the extraction, transporting, processing and burning of coal," Blanton said. "We must take back our democracy and demand that decisions be made based on sound science, just as the President said he would. There is nothing sound about building a pipeline across our country.
No one understands the reckless devastation from tar sands operations better than coalfield residents, especially affected residents in central Appalachia. Strip mining, in fact, takes place in 24 states across the country. If the White House can't end the disastrous pipeline or mountaintop removal mining-an egregious criminal operation that provides less than 5 percent of our national coal production and has unleashed one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in our country-any just transition to a clean energy future seems dim.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
As they take their place on the sit-in line today, Appalachian activists have also brought a new version of one of their celebrated anthems to the White House protests: Which Side Are You On, the famous labor ballad written for coal mining union organizers by Florence Reece in Blanton's native Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1932:
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
They say on this planet
There are no neutrals there
You're either for the people
Or the grubbin profiteers
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Don't build that pipeline
Don't tear our mountains down
Us poor folks don't stand a chance
Unless we organize
Not quite a year ago, NASA climatologist James Hansen joined hundreds of Appalachian coalfield activists, including Teri Blanton, Maria Gunnoe, Bo Webb, Mickey McCoy and Bob Kincaid at a sit-in in front of the White House, and called for the abolition of mountaintop removal mining.
In an extraordinary act of solidarity, Blanton and other Appalachian coalfield leaders will join the growing climate justice sit-in at the White House today, calling on President Obama to deny the TransCanada Keystone pipeline permit. Hansen, who has defined the pipeline decision as a litmus test for the Obama administration's commitment to dealing with climate change, was arrested earlier this week.
"If this pipeline is built and they continue to mine tar sands the climate that I have enjoyed over my lifetime in Kentucky will forever be changed. It is already changing, and our people are drinking poison water and breathing unhealthy particles from the extraction, transporting, processing and burning of coal," Blanton said. "We must take back our democracy and demand that decisions be made based on sound science, just as the President said he would. There is nothing sound about building a pipeline across our country.
No one understands the reckless devastation from tar sands operations better than coalfield residents, especially affected residents in central Appalachia. Strip mining, in fact, takes place in 24 states across the country. If the White House can't end the disastrous pipeline or mountaintop removal mining-an egregious criminal operation that provides less than 5 percent of our national coal production and has unleashed one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in our country-any just transition to a clean energy future seems dim.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
As they take their place on the sit-in line today, Appalachian activists have also brought a new version of one of their celebrated anthems to the White House protests: Which Side Are You On, the famous labor ballad written for coal mining union organizers by Florence Reece in Blanton's native Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1932:
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
They say on this planet
There are no neutrals there
You're either for the people
Or the grubbin profiteers
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Which side are you on Obama?
Which side are you.
Don't build that pipeline
Don't tear our mountains down
Us poor folks don't stand a chance
Unless we organize