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"I pledge, if necessary, to join others in my community, and engage in acts of dignified, peaceful civil disobedience that could result in my arrest in order to send the message to President Obama and his administration that they must reject the Keystone XL pipeline."

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I will participate in a peaceful civil disobedience action in my community

I am willing to travel to participate in civil disobedience along the pipeline route

I am willing to travel to Washington DC to participate in civil disobedience

I can take the lead in organizing an action in my community

I can volunteer to help plan an action in my community

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The State Department's release of its Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in March was one of those days that remind us of just how steep a hill to climb this fight against climate change is.
Even with a president who recently professed a lofty goal of getting all cars off of oil, even with one of our stronger climate hawk senators as the new secretary of state, the State Department still released a joke of an environmental assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline, taking us one big step closer to approval of this project that should be a no-brainer of a rejection.¹
Obliviously ignoring the consensus among oil executives, bankers, and environmentalists, who all agree that Keystone XL is central to speeding the extraction of tar sands,² the State Department found the project is "unlikely to have a significant impact" on tar sands development. This is coward's logic.
This assessment was a vehicle for the White House to test the waters and see if the public will stand by, and buy this false and cynical argument that the tar sands will just get burned anyway. That while NASA's chief climate scientist's assertion that Keystone XL will spell 'game over' for the climate may be true,³ it is essentially irrelevant. That we should let the bankers and the oil companies profit while the planet inevitably burns.
Well, we won't. And so, that day reminded us of something else, too: Those two weeks in August of 2011, when the peaceful and dignified arrest of 1,253 people over two weeks at President Obama's front door effectively stopped what was considered a virtually guaranteed presidential approval of Keystone XL.
There is still time to convince President Obama to change his mind and reject Keystone XL. But with the president ignoring every possible sign Mother Nature can send, it is once again incumbent upon us to send a message he can't ignore.
That's why CREDO is joining with Bold Nebraska, The Other 98%, Hip Hop Caucus, Rainforest Action Network, 350.org and Oil Change International to launch the Keystone XL Pledge of Resistance.

It is time for us to pledge to resist. That is, we are asking you to commit - should it be necessary to stop Keystone XL -- to engage in serious, dignified, peaceful civil disobedience that could get you arrested.
Will you join us in pledging resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, including - if necessary - pledging to participate in peaceful, dignified civil disobedience?

If tens of thousands of people stand up as President Obama mulls his final decision, and commit to participate in civil disobedience if necessary, we can convince the White House that it will be politically unfeasible to go forward. That is, our goal is not to get arrested. Our goal is to stop the Keystone XL pipeline -- by showing enough opposition to Keystone XL that President Obama will reject it. But if he shows clear signs he that he is preparing to approve it, we will be ready.
It goes without saying, this isn't a usual ask. It is not for everyone. So we want you to carefully consider if this is something you can commit to be a part of.
Here's exactly what we have in mind: The State Department is now considering the more than one million comments on its sham assessment opposing Keystone XL - including a very critical comment from the EPA. While we wait for the Administration to finalize its environmental assessment we will petition, rally, make phone calls, and comment through official channels. But that may not be enough.
The release of the final SEIS will start a 90 day National Interest Determination, which we expect to finish sometime in the fall. That is the moment of truth. If the Obama administration issues a Draft National Interest Determination finding that Keystone XL is in our national interest, that will trigger action on our pledge to resist.
So we are asking you to pledge, if necessary after the release of the draft National Interest Determination, to join with others in your community and risk arrest in acts of dignified, peaceful civil disobedience, all over the country.
Will you join us in pledging resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, including - if necessary - pledging to participate in peaceful, dignified civil disobedience?
Most events will be outside Washington, D.C., because this decision will affect all of us, where we live. So we want to see the beautiful sight of actions across the nation -- including a wide variety of symbolic targets like State Department offices, TransCanada corporate lobbies, Obama Organizing for Action meetings, banks that are financing tar sands oil development, areas ravaged by Superstorm Sandy, and along the pipeline route. Some brave souls have started this work already. We need to support their efforts and make them much, much bigger.
You can pledge to participate or you can pledge to help organize an action in your community. We'll need tons of volunteers. And soon, we'll announce organizer trainings so local leaders and activists who want to can get the tools they need to organize an action near them.
You shouldn't make this pledge lightly. We certainly don't ask lightly. We ask in the belief that there are tens of thousands of people out there who feel as strongly about this as we do; who believe that these circumstances call for extraordinary action, and want to be part of that action in their community. And we ask with the faith that those who commit to participate and organize actions will participate only in the most dignified manner. After all, we are the conservatives, standing up for a safe and secure future for our families. It is those we protest, those who profit from radically altering the chemical composition of our atmosphere -- and the prospects for survival of humanity - that are the radicals.
But what is more frightening than asking you to join us in committing to acts of civil disobedience across the nation, is the prospect of coming up short in the fight against Keystone XL.
Our time is short to convince President Obama to change his mind. We do not know how many people's pledges, and how many pledged actions, it will take to convince President Obama to resist the big money, dirty energy, inside-the-beltway pressure and take a stand to protect our nation from the greatest threat of all.
So we need you. Literally, you might tip the balance.
We hope you can join us. If you are so moved, make the pledge. And share this pledge with friends and family so that those who are ready and willing to be arrested can be counted in the pledge to resist. We'll send you more information soon.

Becky Bond, Michael Kieschnick & Elijah Zarlin, CREDO Action
Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska
John Sellers, The Other 98%
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., Hip Hop Caucus
Amanda Starbuck, Rainforest Action Network
May Boeve & Bill McKibben, 350.org
Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change International

1. "Keystone XL pipeline would have little impact on climate change, State Department analysis says" Washington Post, 3/01/13
   
2. "Keystone XL: In their own words" 350.org
3. "Game over for the climate," James Hansen, the New York Times, 5/9/12

4 Difficult Talks You Need to Have With Your Kid

4 Difficult Talks You Need to Have With Your Kid

April 9, 2013

by Amanda Morin 5

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Not too long ago I wrote about why I had to talk to my kids about sex offenders and how, even though it was a difficult conversation, it was one I should have had with my children a long time ago. The world our children are growing up in is very different than the world we grew up in.
Certainly, there are things kids need to know before they leave home, but there are also things they need to know about now to help protect themselves or not end up in a bad situation. Moms say that in order to help your child, there are some difficult conversations you need to have with them.
Keep reading.
1. Talking About Racism and Diversity
Mom Serena L. says her children are among only a few biracial families in a mostly white neighborhood. At 3 years old, some of the other kids were already refusing to play with her son because of his skin color. Racism is an unfortunate reality of life that your child is going to come across, but that doesn't mean they have to accept it.
Teaching tolerance from the time your child is young can help them learn that you should judge a person by how he acts and what he says, not by what he looks like or by some minority group he is a part of.
Talk to your young child about why people's skin color differs, and point out all the things people have in common. As your child gets older, the conversation will morph into discussion about other types of diversity and how to handle it when people aren't as tolerant of differences.
2. Talking About "Tricky" People

It's a good idea to teach your children about "stranger danger," but it doesn't really cover all the dangers they could face from adults. Considering that most child abductors and abusers are actually not strangers, the conversation you should be having is about what blogger Checklist Mommy refers to as "tricky people."

Mom Kelley P. explains: "A tricky person is anyone who tries to get [your child] to break a family safety rule." If you don't have family safety rules, you should put some in place, but until then, make sure your preschooler knows that a "tricky" person is an adult who asks them to keep a big secret or tells them it's OK to help out or go with them without asking a trusted parent first.
As your child gets older, you can add to the conversation by talking about "tricky" friends — kids who lie, say mean things about other children behind their backs, and try to manipulate your child into doing things they don't want to do.
3. Talking About Sexuality
Talking about sexuality is so much more than talking to your teen about sex. It's about making sure you and your child are comfortable talking about things like masturbation, puberty, and homosexuality. As some moms point out, if you keep homosexuality a secret, then if your child is bisexual or gay, they will be fearful of talking to you about it.
And the more comfortable your child is in their knowledge that they can talk to you about body changes and sexual feelings, the less often they'll get misinformation from friends.
4. Talking About Death
With things like serial shootings in the news and schools practicing lockdown drills, our kids learn about death sooner than we might like. It's a hard thing to explain to kids, especially if you're not sure what your own beliefs about the afterlife are.
This conversation usually starts when a pet or loved one dies, but mom Alisha J. says you can start preparing for it by having an open dialogue with your child about your thoughts about heaven or how to honor someone's memory.
Keep Talking About Tough Stuff

The key to having difficult conversations is to start talking to kids about tough stuff when they're young. Circle of Moms member Gail P. is right when she says there are "teachable moments" every day. Finding teachable moments, using age-appropriate vocabulary, and adding to the conversation as your child gets older will make these discussions easier and a more natural part of your lives.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.

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