Squeeze the Planet: into Silver Lake Saturday Errands

If your Saturday To Do List is all the usual errands: Put the Planet first on the List --to do something that will make a difference.

--We can't wait --any more, for dithering politicians to 'decide' which way the 'wind' is blowing --to get out of their stupor --to stop fiddling with the lobbyists of the Oval Office occupant's pals. --While he panders to them --uses the Nation's parks, pristine land and resources as His piggy pot --the oily boys network jacks up the price of oil and gasoline, blows the tops off mountains, puts miners lives in jeopardy for coal: Leave the whole crowd, and their front man, the President of Vice, in their soot. WE have to Go Around them --look to ourselves to stop the pollution, destruction of planet and species.

Step It Up Saturday November 3, 2007
All over the US people in tiny communities, large cities, teens to eldsters are thinking up ways to change the wasteful way of life to save the planet. Across the political spectrum, across the country: events will happen that you can Step Up and join.

It started: with one man and six volunteers, students, who put up a website. It grew: 1,400 events in one day. Saturday November 3: second chance to participate --to put your body where your thoughts are.

"Step It Up" --is a message to members of Congress --to Step UP cutting carbon emissions. Thousands sent messages to their representatives. Without Pressure from us, the voters --the donors --the usually 'quiet' ones, Congress won't MOVE.

In Silver Lake this past summer: temperature climbed to 106 --then hit 109 --soared to 112 degrees, broke 177-year record --did you forget? How many More days like that do you want? --Sitting, sweltering --waiting for electricity to go back on....

Or: join neighbors taking action, Demanding that our reps take Steps that will make a difference? The time of letting giant corporations do whatever they want to the environment to make money: Over --passe. Now: we must control our destiny. Time for sitting around, indifferent or hoping: also Over.

The people in Washington DC --City Hall --City Council: Serve Us --they --ALL serve at OUR pleasure, NOT the other way round. We need to Remind them of that. Each of us: must request a response from representatives--

What will they do --to Reduce carbon emissions
--to improve mass transportation
--and When do we have DASH buses --more bicycle lanes, bicycle racks in neighborhoods and downtown
--to get electric/bio-fuel/solar cars --and rentals available locally
--to get solar panels on apartment buildings and single family dwellings
--about DWP and coal-fired energy
--to see that we go All Green in southern California

Protect the Environment?
OUR representatives can somehow, allow affordable buildings to convert to high-end condos --find the money to purchase cameras to spy on us --parking meters to charge us for using already-paid space. But cameras and meters that make money for the corporations that make the cameras and write the parking tickets: NOT on OUR Agenda. --More condos --cameras --meters --won't help if the planet is fried. WHEN will they STOP wasting Our money? --START working on OUR agenda?

Eric Garcetti, council member for Silver Lake: has participated with the Silver Lake neighbors who have worked to get DASH in Silver Lake. Bureaucrats put Silver Lake on the DASH List: LAST. What difference has he made? Where would Silver Lake be on the List without his participation?

What has the Mayor done: to improve mass transit --get DASH to neighborhoods --REDUCE traffic in Los Angeles? He made campaign promises. When do those happen?

If Janice Hahn, the City Council rep for Los Angeles and San Pedro ports, or the governor behaved like leaders: called on Congress to unite to have ALL US ports go Green --power up with Clean energy, at every port, would the rate of asthma and cancer go down --along with the carbon emissions and toxic waste thrown into the atmosphere?

Find links to Contact the Mayor --Los Angeles City Council members --Washington representatives: in Sidebar.

What ideas do You have for slashing glacier-destroying carbon emissions? How do You think we should prevent 200 threatened species from going extinct in the next 20 years? --HOW do we leave the sort of planet we have --to grandchildren of today's newborns? --Do we owe them --a planet as splendid as we have? Or is our legacy to future generations to be: heat --shriveled plants, vegetables, fruit, grain --food that cannot survive outdoors --everyone fighting for water --that is, for those not already overtaken by rising sea water, hurricanes and flood?

The volunteers have a Plan --others joined them --to plan an event, you can drop into Saturday --find a local event to join here

Who is a leader? Find here
Green Fingers - Resources

After Step It Up --Call Congress from November 5th call List: Senate and House of Representatives

Remember The oily boys spent millions on fake scientists, PR people and hacks ---to plant fake and derisive stories in local and national newspapers and on the Internet --for Years. That delayed, confused and muddied public debate. "How could one degree hotter matter" --remember that one? They spent multi-millions more on: our representatives in Congress --on campaign donations, trips, pricey dinners --junkets to exotic destinations to convince them to ignore mounting evidence.

Oily boys don't make fun of stakeholders --or scientists any more. They Ooze and coo and spam TV --with oily messages about 'how Green they are' --how much they "care." They "forget" to mention: THEY invented the term "Green " --as a way to belittle, discount those alarmed at their actions and at the evidence of it.

Now: We ALL are out of time, thanks to them and their pals: auto makers. --Remember GM: ORDERING Recall --Demanding that buyers return --then crushed already-made Electric cars? American auto-makers: Earned the trouble they have now. --Except they put us: in the stew with them.

Now: we have to pressure editors, reporters and representatives --and we have to pool resources and send to those who Are making a difference.

If you think the solution: to broken levies, broken promises and an Administration looking out for the wealthy, the old energy solutions and the old boy network --is Our power, donate to those who are making it happen --either on-line (secure link) or through snail mail. --Even Gandhi needed funds, give something or a lot. The oily boys do --all the time. --That's how oil could get to $100. a barrel by Christmas and they can pay themselves $400 million bonuses. We Have to pool OUR resources --to take power away from them --take back our Power.

Polar Bears
I've come to dread BBC news stories about melting icecaps --disappearing flowers, plants, insects, birds.... I don't know How to save a polar bear --any better than I know how to stop glaciers from melting. Even if I Knew How: I cannot go to the Other side of the Planet --DO a thing. I hate it and I can't "fix it" --any of it, by myself.

What I can do: send this group $20. or $25. --Sierra Club and numerous other environmental organizations already have. You can send but $10.? --That's $10. more than they have now. --You can send $1,000. --without hurting your budget: then you help All get where we need to go, faster.

Maybe a Good combination: send them a contribution --in someone else's name, for their holiday gift. --Then you will be doing a Green thing, helping, supporting them --save on wasteful packaging -shipping -on some wasteful gift. With every dollar you're thinking of sending remember: the oily boys are sending money, but representatives rarely hear from us, so your dollars will mean more. "Step It Up" --Silver Lake daVine --for sure.

I found out about this organization and this event: by e-mail from VP Al Gore, which only just arrived. --If I had received it earlier: would have posted sooner. --If you cannot squeeze the Planet into your day: at least make a call on Monday --and send them a donation --it is tax deductible. --Both: better than feeling bad about polar bears, avoiding the news --or traveling thousands of miles without skills or tools to help.

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tag: local environment event pollution mass transportation DASH Silver Lake, oil gasoline price waste clean Green carbon neutral carbon emissions toxic waste heat global planet warming endangered species, grassroots Sierra Club political lobbyist spectrum left-wing right-wing administration network propaganda reporters editors Congress local national representation politics