Red over green (not christmas)

Today I had an oh so lovely 2+ hour belated birthday lunch with my best friend R at the same neighborhood Italian restaurant where she treated me on my birthday in Sept. We basically had the same menu (blipped here). Can't wait til next year!

Then H and I headed downtown to Freeway Park and the Convention Center to be part of the big rally and input meeting for the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed coal train down the West coast, delivering coal from Wyoming and Montana to several coastal terminals where it will be shipped to China. This is such a big issue, not just for the small towns the uncovered mile and a half long trains travel., 18 times a day! , with tons of coal dust blowing off the cars, and running off into the sound. But
it's also a very global issue. (should we provide China with coal, should we even mine it at all?)We got there barely too late for the rally outside (which I thought would produce some good pictures,) but there was already a huge line to get into the convention center. The reds are the folks against this Gateway Pacific Terminal project. The very few greens represent the unions who say it's all about jobs.
We heard people from every environmental group testify, fisherman, (the oceans are going to be more acidified, killing fish and shellfish) the doctors (respiratory illnesses will increase, emergency vehicles will have a long wait to cross the RR tracks) the marine biologists (the orca whales will suffer ,those big tankers carrying the coal will traverse our waters). The first person in the lottery pool to speak was a Chinese foreign student who had no scientific facts but was passionate about not polluting this country as China is. My favorites were the Muslim kids in the audience with the hand drawn poster about saving the marine life, and the 13 year old who didn't want to explain to his grandchildren what happened way back when, and my all time favorite - a 10 year old girl (I can see my 10 yo grandson Niklas speaking in front of a thousand people) who said her grandparents just turned 88 and she was worried she wouldn't get to be that old and get to live in a world with clean air and water. I think the kids made the best points. (but that's coming from a grandmother...)

There's lots more to this issue if you are interested. I think there is so much opposition, it can't possibly happen. (almost felt sorry for the outnumbered green shirts today, but then what do jobs have to do with the EIS? ) And it takes a lot to get us (H and I) out for something like this after our 3PM "curfew" - too much traffic and getting dark.....

NO COAL EXPORTS!
HERE are 4 more photos...