Today I was down by the White House to witness the massive protest against the new Keystone XL pipeline that would bring tar sands oil from Canada down to American refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Thousands showed up to cover the multiple city blocks it takes to fully circle the White House. The protesters all came out to send a single clear message to President Obama: use your power, do not approve the pipeline.

It was one of the most impressive protests I’ve ever experienced personally. The event was well run, had a massive turnout and was full of great energy.

So begins a November 3rd story from Reuters assessing the potential political fallout from an administration decision to green-light the Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada Corp’s plan to move crude oil from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in Texas. Reading the whole piece, one can’t help but feel that Obama is still of a mind to go ahead and OK this dangerous and much-derided plan, it is just the Obama 2012 campaign that’s agonizing over how to spin it.

I received this open letter from Virginia Kennedy, who was arrested in last Saturday’s White House protest against the Tar Sands/Keystone XL Pipeline Project. Virginia was arrestee #4.

Kristy Powell was the third person arrested on Saturday, August 20, in front of the White House as part of the TarSandsAction campaign. This is her story.

This morning, while 50 of their friends faced another day in jail, 45 more Americans were arrested as part of an ongoing sit-in at the White House. The DC Park Police have been telling organizers of the sit-in that they were keeping the first wave of demonstrators in jail to deter people from taking part in the civil disobedience. In fact, the arrests have just the opposite effect.

This list of recent protests at the White House and the way law enforcement and courts have handled them shows the US Park Police are interested in preventing the Tar Sands Action from building momentum. They are willing to teach those a lesson in a society where people who are responsible for oil spills rarely, if ever, face punishment for their negligent acts.