TransCanada, bad for Texas

TransCanada steals Texans’ private property! That’s right. TransCanada, a foreign transnational corporation, is coming into Texas and expropriating private property from individual landowners. Under the guise of ‘eminent domain’ TransCanada has been successful at bullying landholders to for go their private property for TransCanada’s right-of-way of the Gulf Coast project, the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Photo: Max Anderson

            The Keystone pipeline system will span 1,702 miles, and will carry heavy crude from the oil sands mines of Alberta, Canada to refineries along the Gulf Coast. The southern leg will stretch 485 miles from Cushing, OK to Nederland, TX. It will carry 700,000 barrels of crude a day. The pipeline will cut across 17 Texas counties and cross several major waterways, including the Neches, Red, Angelina, and Sabine Rivers, as well as the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, which provides drinking water to upwards of 10 million Texans. The Keystone XL pipeline will also run near the Big Thicket National Wildlife Preserve in southeast Texas.

            All pipelines leak. The Keystone 1 pipeline spilled 12 times in its first year. This could wreak havoc on the waterways in Texas, pollute precious ground water, and has likelihood of being the next Kalamazoo River spill. East Texas, which is already drought stricken, cannot afford to have its’ waterways polluted on a large scale. It is not only bad for Texas, but it’s dangerous to its citizens. The human race can survive without oil, we cannot, however, survive without water.

            The Keystone XL pipeline has been cited with bringing jobs to the area and supporting energy independence, but what is less known is that TransCanada has contracted jobs to Michels, a company based out of Wisconsin, and most of the product, once it is refined in Houston and Port Arthur, will be sold on a global market to places like China, India, and Brazil. How is this good for Texas?

            What is often neglected in mainstream news is what the pipes will be transporting. It is not conventional crudes or even natural gas, but an unconventional diluted bitumen that is extracted from tar sands. Tar sands are one of the dirtiest fuels on the planet. It is literally tar that has the consistency of peanut butter. Before they can put this substance into any pipe they must first extract the oil out of the sands. The extraction process is very energy intensive with little return on oil. TransCanada must first large-scale surface mine the land to extract the ore. Once it is mined, they then use enormous amounts of water to get the oil out of the sands. It can take upwards of four barrels of water per one barrel of oil. The water used in the extraction process is eventually stored in vast tailing ponds. These tailing ponds, which can be seen by the naked from space, hold water mixed with toxic by-products of the extraction process and is acutely toxic to aquatic life. The environmental concerns associated with developing the tar sands are now of substantial concern. NASA’s leading climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, has called the Keystone XL pipeline “game over” for the planet.

Photo: Max Anderson

            There is a movement of resistance growing in East Texas. There has been a consensus among landowners, scientist and environmental activists in opposing the pipeline. The Tar Sands Blockade group has been actively trying to stop construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Tar Sands Blockade group is dedicated to using non-violent civil disobedience to stop construction along the proposed pathway. Tar Sands Blockade members have locked onto heavy machinery used in the construction process, set up a tree village blockade along the proposed pipeline path, and held protests in front of construction sites. The most recent action on October 15^th was the largest yet. More than 50 people participated in shutting down construction near Winnsboro, TX. A total of nine people were arrested, including two men who locked onto a backhoe for nearly eight hours. This was Tar Sands Blockade’s ninth action in just a few months. The first action was on August 28^th when four people lock-boxed themselves to an 18-wheeler carrying pipes in Livingston, TX.  The Tar Sands Blockade has been growing in strength and shows no signs of slowing down.

            A resistance movement between concerned landowners, scientists and eco-activists is heating up in the backwoods of Texas with one message: TransCanada, GO AWAY!

At The Drive In reunited

By Max Anderson

Texas State student

AUSTIN, Tx – For the first time in 11 years the members of At The Drive In took the stage together. They kicked off their tour in the capital of Texas and tickets for the Austin show sold-out in fewer than 15 minutes.

News about the concert first appeared on twitter, a popular social media website, and links to the tickets were posted on ATDI and Cedric Bixler Zavalla's page. Tickets went on sale three days before the show, with no advanced warning of a show in Austin, and sold-out in 11 minutes. Many fans were upset because they could not get tickets, but that did not stop about 150 fans from listening to ATDI’s first performance in 11 years.

ATDI played on the outdoor stage at Red 7, located on 7^th street. In the alley behind Red 7, about 150 fans gathered to listen to ATDI’s hour-long set. People climbed trees, sat on fences and stood on dumpsters to get a glimpse of the band. Although the stage was not visible through the 10-foot tall concrete wall, the music was loud.

Fans danced, cheered, and sang along with the band on the other side of the wall. A few daring fans even slipped through a neighboring gate and scaled a wall just to get a peak of the band. ATDI played old favorites “Arcarsenal,"“Pattern Against User," “Napoleon Solo," “Catacombs," “One Armed Scissor” and many more.

After the show ATDI was rushed off stage and into a black unmarked van waiting in the alley. Fans gathered around the van and took pictures and cheered as the van drove off. Everyone appeared to be in high spirits except for Omar Rodriguez Lopez. Lopez barely moved around on stage, and he sat looking perplexed when the van made its getaway.

ATDI debuted their tour in a handful of cities in their home state before heading to Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Reunited for the first time in 11 years, ATDI is breathing new life into old hits and giving fans a moment they never thought would happen again. 

Texas State’s Hoodie Day

By Max Anderson

Texas State University student

SAN MARCOS – Students, faculty and staff at Texas State gathered in front of the Stallions on Tuesday, March 27, to show solidarity with the family of Trayvon Martin and raise awareness about social injustice issues.

George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watchman, shot and killed an unarmed Martin as he was walking back to his father’s girlfriend’s house from a 7-Eleven. Zimmerman shot Martin after he called police to report him as a suspicious person because the 17-year-old was wearing a hooded jacket the night of the incident.

Texas State’s Hoodie Day attracted a large crowd of students, faculty and staff, including Associated Student Government President AJ Degarmo.

“This is a tragic case; it was a senseless crime,” said AJ Degarmo. “However, this is only one example of many things I see across our nation every single day.”

The 80-degree weather did not stop people from wearing hoodies to show their support for Martin. Several people gave speeches and a moment of silence was held in the memory of Trayvon Martin.

“For instance, the hoodie, to me isn’t just a hoodie that he was used to be a victim, it represents the identity that all of us carry,” said AJ Degarmo. “This hoodie is taking on so much more of that symbol, that it’s something we all can gravitate towards and speak our minds about.”

While the Trayvon Martin case has turned into a national issue it is only highlighting the larger issue of discrimination and violence.

“I think it’s important to let people know while the Trayvon Martin issue is saddening, while it’s alarming, while it’s an issue in itself, Trayvon Martin is not the first and he’s not going to be the last, sadly,” said Mike Yates. “I could be the next Trayvon Martin.”

Yates is a senator at Texas State, and believes that it is important for leaders to be outspoken about important issues.

“This is important to me because Trayvon could have been me. Trayvon could have been my little brother. Trayvon could have been my little cousin, and that would hit directly home for me,” said Jay Hawkins. “This is going to be pivotal in the movement between peace and justice for all people.”

The Underrepresented Student Advisory Council, Department of Sociology and Department of Anthropology sponsored the event.

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Occupy San Francisco celebrates International Women's Day

By Max Anderson

Texas State University student

The Occupy San Francisco Women's Alliance marched for International Women's Day on March 10 through the financial district of downtown San Francisco.

Six women's groups and two anti-war groups participated in the event.  A lot of women and men showed solidarity with Occupy San Francisco for women's rights.

The march started at Justin Herman Plaza, where occupiers once had over 100 tents set up before being evicted.  The march proceeded through the financial district with protesters chanting in unison and waving signs to the accompaniment of a brass band.  At times, the march had a party-like atmosphere.

"I feel great," said Nancy Mancias. "I feel like it's this collective birthday party."

Along the route, organizers from Occupy San Francisco stopped at several key locations and gave information concerning women's rights.  The first stop was in front of the Federal Reserve building, where Occupy San Francisco holds weekly general assembly meetings.

Protesters also stopped at Bechtel, one of the largest builders of nuclear plants in the U.S., and listened to speakers about the dangers of nuclear pollution on women's health.

The protest also stopped in front of the Hyatt Hotel, infamous for its refusal to sign a fair contract with its union workers, and began chanting "boycott the Hyatt."

The Occupy San Francisco International Women's Day March ended safely at Sue Bierman Park.  Women gave speeches at the rally following the march.

"In this country women are met with oppressive commentary from misogynistic public figures," said Janice Suess. " American women are labeled as sluts, whores and prostitutes for trying to provide access to contraceptives and abortion."

Kelly Johnson put the whole event together.  She planned the event for over three months and organized the march around International Women's Day.

"We are having actions all the time," said Kelly Johnson.  "We are talking a lot about reoccupying."

The Occupy San Francisco Women's Alliance celebrates women's strength and promotes women in leadership roles in the community, government, policy making and in business administrations.

Why do I occupy?

Why do I occupy?

When I was a young boy I was told that I could be anything I wanted to be as long as I set my mind to it.  The possibilities were endless: a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, a paleontologist (I really wanted to be a paleontologist), even the president.  Being the optimistic kid that I was I believed them; I set my expectations high.  I longed for the great pie in the sky. 

As I grew older reality set in and I realized that this was not the great country I had once imagined.  Before I was even old enough to work millions of jobs had been shipped overseas with the passage of NAFTA.  America no longer produced goods, we just consumed them.  At the age of 12, terrorists wreaked havoc on America and sent us into a decade long war that costs taxpayers trillions of dollars.  With the start of the War On Terror, so too did the encroachment on our civil liberties.  In 2008, the financial crisis seemingly shut down Wall Street and left millions wondering what the future would bring.  All of these factors have left me with a lack of faith in America.   

And what of my fellow countrymen?  When I look around all I see is an apathetic populace and a culture that is obsessed with entertainment, celebrities, sex, violence, video games, sports, and reality television.  What should I expect from my fellow countrymen when they only care about the big issues as long as they can press a Like button?  How could I expect them to be the watchdogs of freedom when all of the media is controlled by the 1%, the corporations.  (Fox News is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation; CNN is owned by Time Warner; MSNBC is currently part of NBCUniversal, a joint venture of Comcast and General Electric; ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Company.)  These companies do not have a vested interest in informing the mass of the public, why that would be unprofitable.  Instead the mainstream media divide people on hyper-partisan issues. I cannot expect the average joe to sift through all the misinformation, chatter, and noise and come to a reasonable, logical conclusion.  

I do not have much faith in the future of America.  This once shinning beacon of freedom and liberty has mortgaged away its future.  I am of the generation that will not see prosperity and peace, instead we will face a mountain of debt and endless war.  A generation with millions in prison and even more in poverty.  A generation of uninsured and uninspired.  A lost generation.

The Occupy Movement gives me hope, because I know that I am not the only person that is pissed off with the current state of affairs.  It gives me hope, because the people are finally standing up to the status quo and making their voices heard.  "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out." "End corporate welfare." "Money for schools and education, not for greed and corporations." We are the 99%, and together We can make a difference.

-solidarity