A man shouts into the crowd, “Let’s see our proud rebel-rousers! Show us your badges of honor!” and up they stand, a sea of clenched fists. An image of strong, defiant solidarity. And amidst this mass of strong young activists, to where do my eyes naturally gravitate? The outlier: a tiny old woman, slender fingers clenched into a tight fist, arm raised defiantly above her head. About her bald head is draped a sea foam green scarf, and around her bony wrist is a baby blue band. I watch this skinny, frail, cancer-ridden old woman, sporting her ‘badge-of-honor’ – her proof of arrest – with rebellious pride.
I don’t mean to sound preachy. Honestly, I don’t. It’s just that, the image has really stuck with me so I have to write about it. This woman could have been at home, in bed, obeying her body’s commands to rest and recuperate. And don’t get me wrong, if she had, I would have been the last to object. Now that I really think about it, and for most stretches of reason, she probably should have stayed home. And yet, there she was, standing up for what she believed in. Weak as she was, she showed up to take a strong and defiant stand against one devastating enemy: the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Let’s take a few steps back. I realize that some of you have heard of the Tar Sands Pipeline proposed to run through roughly 1,700 miles of soil, but for those of you that have not, I feel it’s important that you learn.
Though portrayed by Tar Sands-sponsored advertisements as ‘ethical oil,’ Tar Sands is anything but. It’s a relatively new and extremely volatile form of oil extraction, in which, through ‘surface mining,’ power shovels and dump trucks ravage the earth in order to extract bitumen from oil sands lying 40 to 60 meters below ground. According to Tar Sands Action, over the course of one year, the Keystone I pipeline in Canada has contributed to 12 devastating spills. Contrary to popular belief, the pipeline would lead to rising gas prices and produce minimal job opportunities, and, as the Keystone XL Pipeline would be used primarily to produce oil for export, it would actually not reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Basically, we need more people like this frail old woman. More people who, despite their other worries and concerns, can find it within themselves to stand up in the face of adversity and even of arrest, for a better future. The torch has been tossed to us, as young people, to decide just how chaotic we plan to leave our futures. I leave you with three questions: do you want clean drinking water? Do you want to keep safe our nation’s beautiful landmarks? And how much would you give to keep these for your future self and your future children?
