Welcome to “under the bus,” environmentalists and eco-conscious Eaarth citizens. We gays have decorated it quite festively, and our Latino and other immigrant communities have added their own touches as well. We’ve all been thrown under here, sacrificed to the highest goal: Obama’s re-election.

After a day off Sunday because of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, the Tar Sands Action in front of the White House will resume with more arrests expected Monday. On Saturday, protest supporters assembled in front of the White House, but as planned, did not force arrests. However, the sit-ins and arrests should resume Monday.

It’s going to be a big day on FDL. Pam’s House Blend officially joins us starting today, I’ll be in court with Lt. Dan Choi who is being put on trial by the Justice Department for protesting in front of the White House last November, and Bill McKibben will be coming to court to support Dan after day 10 of the Tar Sands sit-ins conclude. I can’t have electronic devices in the court room but I’ll be posting updates on Twitter and here at FDL as I can throughout the day.

In May of this year, thousands of people gathered at the White House to spontaneously celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden. The Park Police did not ask them for a permit, did not ask them to disperse, and there were no paddy wagons called to haul them away. Of course killing Osama bin Laden was something the President repeatedly spoke of with pride, earning himself not only a bump in his poll numbers but also a Saturday Night Live send-up.

As I sat in DC traffic court waiting for Dan Choi to be released from jail on Monday, it became clear that the objective of the government was to prevent him from doing what the Osama bin Laden celebrants had been freely permitted to do: express their first amendment rights in front of a powerful American symbol owned by the American people.

Bill McKibben, head of 350.0rg and a principal organizer for the White House demonstrations against the Tar Sands extraction and Keystone XL pipeline, was interviewd Tuesday night by KO on Countdown. McKibben’s quietly understated message to the President was direct, personal and moving.

Bill McKibben, Citizen of Eaarth, was released from jail in DC today and greeted by our own Jane Hamsher and Lt Dan Choi. Bill had this statement upon his release…

The two-day detention of many of the protesters in front of the White House opposing a proposed tar sands pipeline from Canada to Texas has not so far inhibited other activists. Over the first two days, 110 activists have been arrested for sit-ins at the tar sands protests, including FDL colleagues Jane Hamsher and Scarecrow. Today, in Day Three, Nebraskans who will be directly impacted by the pipeline came to Washington to demonstrate.

Join the Tar Sands 14 Day White House Sit-In.

Dan Choi, Bill McKibben and Scarecrow have now spent two nights in jail courtesy of the DC police for an offense that routinely equates to a parking ticket. According to Ted Glick over at Grist, the orders to hold them came from “higher up.”

John Chandley, Dan Choi and Bill McKibben are spending tonight in jail again so that the government can send a message to you on behalf of the oil companies. They don’t want you to come to Washington for the next two weeks and overburden the DC jail system by throwing your body upon the gears, to quote Mario Savio. They hope you will look at what is happening to John and Dan and Bill and be intimidated and discouraged.

There were 45 more people today who refused to be discouraged. They watched what happened to Dan and John and Bill and were willing to get arrested anyway, in the hope of “lighting a fire” under the world.

Are you discouraged?

Sign up to join Tar Sands Action – and Jane and Scarecrow – stand against the Keystone XL Pipeline and for the planet.