We Won't Be Intimidated. Next month in St. Louis, Rising Tide North America plans to bring this climate fight to Peabody Energy and Arch Coal's front door

We Won't Be Intimidated

Dear Friends-

Our movement is strong. We take risks and push envelopes. We take action when the places and communities we hold dear are threatened. And we won't be intimidated by government or corporate efforts to break our resolve.

We have no choice. Big Oil and Big Coal want to poison our water, cloud the air we breathe with pollution and wreak havoc on the climate.

Our dear friend and comrade, Tim DeChristopher, of Salt Lake City, has taken steps that few others in this climate movement have taken. In 2008, he successfully derailed an illegal land sale that would have destroyed pristine Utah wilderness for oil and gas development. As a result, today, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison, slapped with a $10,000 fine, and immediately taken into custody by agents of the corporate state.

That's right, in a blatant attempt to silence climate activists everywhere, Tim was sentenced to TWO F@CKING YEARS in federal prison for peacefully derailing an illegal land sale.

Despite the best efforts of Big Oil and Coal. Tim's message of a peaceful rebellion against the status quo is spreading. Direct action in the climate movement is strong and growing stronger.

Just this month, we've seen people across the country risking their bodies to stop the fossil fuel machine:

• Two weeks ago in Montana, Earth First! and Rising Tide occupied the capitol building in protest of tar sands oil development with five locking down in PVC pipes fashioned into a mock oil pipeline.
• Last week in West Virginia, two tree-sits went up on Coal River Mountain to halt further strip mining.
• And today in Salt Lake City, 26 more climate activists joined a solidarity action to express their outrage at Tim's harsh sentence. Those 26 are now in jail awaiting release.

In case they hadn't noticed- it's on! And Tim's sentencing won't slow us down - it's just the beginning. In the words of another great Salt Lake City radical -- “Don't mourn, organize!"

Next month in St. Louis, Rising Tide plans to bring this climate fight to Peabody Energy and Arch Coal's front door.

Along with allies from throughout the Mid-West, we've organized the Midwest Rising Convergence on Aug. 12-15. Our movement is not only strong, it is growing..

We invite you to join us. Register here.

In Solidarity,
Rising Tide North America